Commentary

 by Lime Valley

Permanence of Impermanence – Commentary by Cory Wendt

Nothing in life is permanent. This is my biggest motto in life, and the older I get, the more I believe it.

As a programmer and multimedia designer, I’m reminded of this truth every day. Every year coding languages upgrade and depreciate, grow and die, and if not kept up with, so will the programmer with them. Yet it’s not just languages moving forward, it’s Internet browsers, applications, programs, computers, operating systems, devices – yikes! I could go on forever and not even cover everything!

This proves that being a good—nay, a great programmer isn’t only about memorizing code once, but having the foresight and appetite to go out and research new code, standards and methods constantly. They say as long as you live, you never stop learning. I knew this would be the case after college, but I never imagined I’d have to learn so much so quickly after graduating. What I studied in school was only a drop in the bucket; what I’ve learned at Lime Valley in eight months feels like an ocean.

Sometimes I feel as if I can’t learn anymore, as if my brain will explode if I try to shove anymore into it, but I take great pride in all of the knowledge I hold. I know its value, and that if I don’t continue to tend to it dutifully like the flowers in a garden, it will one day return to the ether from whence it came.

Not even knowledge can escape the inevitable truth of our world: “Nothing in life is permanent.”

– Cory Wendt is a Web Developer with Lime Valley Advertising, Inc.

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Commentary Glastonbury Tor Sept 6
 by Lime Valley

About Time – Commentary by Kristin Matzke

In September I found myself in the United Kingdom for roughly two weeks. More accurately, the finding was done for 15 months prior to my arrival. Fifteen months to plan two weeks. Easy.

But when one has that long to plan and an active Pinterest account, one keeps finding more and more and more places and events and excursions to add into the trip itinerary. Not to mention that one has been desperate to return to London for a half dozen or so years. (Reference my previous commentary in the September 2012 issue of Storyboard about the British Library; it was time to get back.)

My college friend and I made a wish list of “if we could do everything, this is what we’d do” for about 14 of those 15 planning months. Granted, we made big decisions about which cities to stay in overnight rather early on, but we had 24 hours each day we could fill to our hearts’ content.

The planner in me was under the mentality of fitting in everything we possibly could. Then the wanderer in me realized that we might be able to squeeze in another site, but we would be sacrificing truly appreciating the other sites of the day. This is a delicate balance, and time is a delicate thing. During the last few weeks before our adventure, we pared down the wish list to the feasible list to the perfect list. The end result was a brilliant trip. It allowed us to live in the moment and fully experience everything we did without feeling rushed. Not once did I feel like I missed out.

This has been a realization for me in more than just travel. It’s important to make decisions based on how I can make the most of my time: not to fill it just to fill it, not to rush through, but to appreciate the blessing that is every moment.

And so, reader, I encourage you, too, to “stop the glorification of busy” and instead take the time to absorb, enjoy, and flourish.

– Kristin Matzke is the former Client Services Coordinator at Lime Valley Advertising, Inc. (and an aspiring world traveler).

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The Journey – Commentary by Barb Betts

Over the course of the last year or so, I have discovered certain characteristics about myself. This self-awareness has been truly enlightening. I believe that on our life journey the paths that we take are guided by no one but ourselves and God. Our paths are all different, and each one has its own obstacles along the way. I have encountered some significant roadblocks on mine. Looking back, I have honestly questioned how I ever got to where I am today.

That was when I started to search for those answers, on my own journey of self-discovery. I realized that the number one reason I was able to continue was my strength. My strength was guided and formed by my perseverance and determination. I had an inner drive to succeed and not fail and to overcome adversity.

Being more aware of these characteristics now, I can see how I also use them in my professional work. I can affirm that designers do get the dreaded “creative block” at some point(s). As frustrating as that can be, my perseverance and determination lead me to come up with the right creative concepts to fit the project scope and exceed client expectations.

I am proud to claim these characteristics as my own. They have become my backbone. I plan to continue using them to lead me down the right paths and to move past difficult circumstances along the way. I hope to make my journey in life the most rewarding that it can possibly be.

“Everyone is handed adversity in life. No one’s journey is easy. It’s how they handle it that makes people unique.”

–Kevin Conroy

Barb Betts is a Graphic Designer at Lime Valley Advertising, Inc.

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Girl Meets Real World – Commentary by Megan Albright

As one of the youngest (and newest) team members here at Lime Valley, I have realized looking back that I have learned a great amount in such a short amount of time.

During my time at The Art Institutes International Minnesota, I had demanding teachers who weren’t afraid to tell you what you were doing wasn’t working and to start over. Our projects had to
be done within days and meet the deadlines and necessary criteria. I think this helped me develop the skills of adaptability, accepting critique and addressing priorities. It definitely pushed me and my creativity.

My school experience helped me prepare for what was to come in the “real world,” but some things you just can’t prepare for.

I started at Lime Valley a little over two years ago, fresh out of college, as a part-time Production Artist. When I came to Lime Valley, I was still pretty naïve as to what really happens in the industry. We discussed it in school, but it hadn’t fully clicked. I found out pretty quickly that I could do more than what I thought and remembered a lot more from my education than I realized.

Now that I have been working full time for a year, I have continued to learn and grow. It’s hard to define my role as “production artist”: my days vary dramatically from print materials to e-newsletters to websites to trade show graphics. When I first started I didn’t know anything about how websites were put together. Not only have I learned more about the web side of the industry, but I have also learned some simple and silly things like short cut key commands or how to get what you want from a stock image site. I have learned to adapt even more by working on several different client projects in a day and even within an hour.

I can say for certain now that I have fallen even more in love with the design and advertising industry. I’m kind of liking this “real world” thing.

Megan Albright is a Production Artist at Lime Valley Advertising, Inc.

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The Exciting World of Advertising – Commentary by Kazuki Okamura

One year ago I would never be able to imagine my current circumstances. My interest in advertising has started only last winter, and I have had exciting days since then. I spent two months as an intern at an ad agency in Tokyo, Japan. Everything in those days was new for me… and I became sure that ads are exciting.

Then I have come here to Minnesota in the United States and have since started another internship opportunity at Lime Valley Advertising. What is interesting is… everything is still new! I am glad that there are so many new and exciting things in this world.

The two ad agencies seem to have only two things in common. Both are small and dedicated to advertising. Apart from these two exceptions, everything is a difference between them: working style or time, major field of job, local or urban, style of office architecture, and even languages. I will probably continue to find these kinds of differences as long as I work here as an internship student. Comparison works as an analytical base to find new things; you can view your place differently by going into different place. And I really appreciate it.

I guess almost all readers of this commentary spent a time in which you thought about your future path and tried some opportunities for it… I am exactly in that kind of period of time. I am quite new for the ad world and therefore am still learning specific skills for it, but I feel like I am enjoying this developing stage. I’m sure that I can find something and improve myself at Lime Valley Advertising; here is a great place with opportunities.

When asked to write this commentary, I was wondering what I could say, and I’ve decided to talk about my newness and freshness as a student from other country. I would be happy if you, too, can enjoy your reflection on your initial feelings or excitement at the beginning of your career.

Kazuki Okamura is a student intern at Lime Valley Advertising, Inc. An international student from Japan, he is currently studying at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN.

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