A year ago my boss gave me this insane opportunity to create my own two-page spread in the publication that I work for. A little dumbfounded as to why an "assistant" was being given this task, I nodded with excitement and started planning what I wanted these pages to look like. With a recent shift in our department, the millennial generation wasn't being showcased. This generation is going through so many changes right now, some are graduating college, others are getting their first job, while others are starting a family. There's so much to discuss and with only two-pages I wanted to make the most out of it.
I couldn't believe when my very first interview in August of 2019 was one of my favorite YouTubers, Kenzie Elizabeth. She was so cool to speak to. She managed her own interview, spoke so eloquently on the phone and provided everything I needed to make this spread fun and unique. This is still one of my favorite spreads, not only because it was my first, but I believe in the uniqueness of this spread. The vibrant colors, the make shift YouTube video clip (yes, that's photoshopped), the separate sidebars of the best apps and Kenzie's must-haves all make this spread so special to me. It really gives me a J-14 or M Magazine feel.
The next couple months were kind of rough because there was some struggle with what exactly my role was with these pages, but a change in personal made me realize that I was on the right track. I knew what my bosses had asked of me and I was providing. In October of 2019 I wrote my first article. I wanted to talk about why it's important for millennials to travel and I reached out to some photography Instagram accounts to showcase their images.
November was a fun interview because the blogger and marketing consultant Jonni Parsons was very nice. Actually, everyone I interview is always really nice, but the reason I loved her spread so much was because of the background. The designer I worked with found this "piggy bank" image and we changed everything about it. The pigs were not originally green, there was a colored background, the pigs were flipped and they cut off at all the wrong angles. But you would never know it.
I wanted to start 2020 off with a bang and that's exactly what I did with my interview of YouTuber and author, Dulce Ruiz. Dulce was one of the first YouTubers I ever watched. Her petite fashion style caught my attention and I've been a loyal follower of hers for years now. My favorite part of this spread is the Mexican-style flags that spell out her name. My designer really worked hard to pull this off and it turned out incredible.
The in February I interviewed bestselling author, Jeff Bethke. I remember Jeff from high school when his video on "Why I love Jesus but hate religion" went viral. I got to interview him twice that month and I'm so happy I did. It opened up a whole new genre of people to interview.
My March spread was an interview I had with blogger Tiffany Rogers. Again, the interview was great, but what I really loved is how this layout turned out. The purple and blue tye-dye effect was very simple and well done. Due to covid we had to completely put a halt to the May issue, so I put together another a whole new article! In June, my interview with Amanda Carpenter, which I had conducted over a year ago, finally was published and the timing was perfect. Not only were the two-pages designed so beautifully, but the topic of being a foster parent was one of the first serious topics I discussed.
July was a huge month for me. Though some of the interviews that I conducted in the month of July won't be out until later this year, July was still a great year. We got really "funky" with this spread. I don't remember the exact term, but we basically did a color monochromatic overlay on top of the interview. It was new, different and very edgy.
To conclude the one-year celebration, I interviewed blogger Paige Taylor. We first connected when she helped out with the May issue, but I felt she had such an interesting story I knew I needed to interview her for her own two-page spread. We broke a lot of grid rules with this layout, but it ended up looking the most simplistic of them all, which our readers very much appreciate.
I wanted to go down memory lane because each of these spreads were so important to me. There's not one that I'm not proud of. To see my name in print has been such a life-changing experience from me. I've learned so much from this position and it's opened more doors than I ever thought. I have some really exciting interviews coming up in the next couple weeks and honestly I could cry with how excited I am. Yes, there are times where my job stresses me out. Yes, there's times where my bosses and I don't see eye-to-eye. But I work in a creative field. Everyone has different taste and style, but I don't take a single day for granted at my position. I'm doing so much more than just "assistant" work. This job has taught me so much, but having my own two-spread has enlightened me as a writer. I've pushed myself to meet deadlines, I've made a dominant appearance in the production, I have a say in design of not just my pages, but the entire magazine, and I've pushed my writing skills to the very limit. I couldn't be more appreciative of all of this experience in just one year and I can't wait to see what I can do in another years time.
xoxo, Michele
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