A Letter From My Intern

I took on my first intern this past summer and now I’m addicted. They are the best! Well, perhaps I was lucky that Michelle contacted me for an internship. I was playing with the idea at the time whether or not to have one, but my workload was building up and having that extra help was certainly a brilliant idea. I am currently looking for a replacement, so if you’re interested, do reach out. :)

I loved having Michelle’s help and working with her. She’s young, talented, and eager to learn. It was refreshing to be working with someone with that energy, all the while mentoring her throughout the summer. I can only see the brightest future for her.

I know most of us here have past the internship stage, but I think it’s always inspiring to hear from someone who is just starting out. What inspires them? What fears them? What are they looking for? So I thought it would be fun to turn this post to Michelle. I’ll let her take it from here…

“It seems like it was only yesterday that I had started my internship with Jeanne. Summer has ended and I’m already back in LA for my final year in college.

A few months ago, I challenged myself to find an internship that would genuinely interest me. I didn’t want to spend another summer taking classes related to what I was studying in school. I craved something in the creative field – an area I found surprisingly hard to break into. Deep down, I knew that if I didn’t take the risk now, I would regret my decision later on in life.

That being said, the opportunity presented itself when Jeanne told me I had contacted her just at the right moment. Coincidentally, she had been looking for an intern and the timing could not have been more perfect. She graciously took me under her wing as the editorial intern for Shop Sweet Things. (Thank you, Jeanne! <3)

In these past three months, what I’ve learned most is the importance of putting yourself out there, trusting your instincts, and being fearless. Unfortunately, I’ve always battled a case of self-doubt and lack of confidence. Questions like “What do people think of me?” or “are my ideas even worth pursuing?” often linger in the back of my mind.

But for SST, I had to cast away such thoughts. Scouting for new places to feature and attending local industry events forced me to meet new people, ask questions, and initiate conversations. On the more creative side of blogging, Jeanne asked me once to come up with an idea and execute it. I remember feeling a bit nervous presenting my ideas because what if all were shot down? And when Jeanne did manage to choose one idea out of a bunch, I was still nervous because what if I couldn’t translate that into the real world?

But I’ve learned that I have nothing to lose by trusting myself and taking action. If I never try, I’ll never know. There will always be people who disagree with me, or my concept might not follow through in real life, but that’s okay because as long as I’ve tried my best doing something I truly believe in, there is no failure in my book.

Internships are an integral part of figuring out who you are, what you like or dislike, and of course, getting a taste of the professional world. It doesn’t matter whether an internship is paid or unpaid – you can never put a price tag on experience. You may not realize it at the time, but I can attest that in the end, you will learn something invaluable.

I’ve finally launched a new blog lapetitepetite.blogspot.com to give myself a creative outlet if you like to follow me there.

Until then ~

Michelle”

Thanks for the thoughtful letter, Michelle! Wishing you all the best in the future! xo Jeanne

Photos via La Petite Petitie by June Rustigan of Canvas of Culture.

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