Planning for post-university life has never been more challenging. To offer inspiration and advice to students looking to go into the marketing and creative industries, we hosted a Group Chat session with Elizabeth Uviebinené, brand strategist, Financial Times columnist and co-author of best-selling book Slay in Your Lane. She is also currently working with Hodder Studio on a series of upcoming projects investigating our changing work culture.
Having naturally progressed into balancing a multi-hyphenate career post-university, Elizabeth shared the realities of what it means to actually juggle and prioritise a series of different roles at once. She also explored the value of distant relationships, the process behind writing her book and the importance of remaining focused on your mission and overall well-being. See below for the recording of and must-read notes from the session.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- WATCH THE FULL CHAT: follow this link and enter the password 8uH%.e6K
- Elizabeth’s varied roles are very reflective of today’s modern world in the sense that she leads a multi-hyphenate career. In order to find balance, she noted life doesn’t need to be perfect but projects must be prioritised. As her Dad points out, “every season has a reason” and she advises leaning into a particular project at a particular time when it is especially crucial. Don’t be afraid to take a step back from other things to focus on the task at hand. If you try to do everything at once, you’ll end up not performing to your best abilities and instead, put unnecessary pressure on yourself.
- When it comes to starting new projects – in Elizabeth’s case, writing and curating her books Slay in Your Lane and Loud Black Girls – she shares that your first attempt isn’t going to be completely spot on. What is important though, is starting something and by the time you embark on another project, this process will begin to feel more natural. Every task you take on and finish will allow you to grow and get closer to understanding what your true passions are.
- Self-care is the best form of care. Don’t forget to look after your mental health. Make time by getting into a ritual, even if it is seeking pleasure in the most mundane, everyday moments, having these boundaries and routines is important. Make sure to communicate these to yourself and others.
- Speaking of others, Elizabeth emphasises that there is so much value in weak ties. Investing in these distant relationships rather than that of your close friends can prove to be really fruitful later and even provide pivotal opportunities. She noted it is unlikely your friends will help you take though first steps in the industry of your choice – it will be people who are more senior than you and who you’ve had chance conversations with.
- KEY TIP: Create a spreadsheet of people you’ve met over the years. Collate their names and the last conversation you had with them along with something that will spark interest in the next conversation so you can maintain these relationships.
- Lastly, focus on investing in your mission and challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone as much as possible. Whatever you do, don’t pigeonhole yourself, just go with the flow and believe in your purpose as this will allow you to lean into your strengths.
