One Step Ahead
Illustration by Lucy Karsai
Words by Meg Jenkins
It was such a chaotic sprint to submit the final portfolio that the time that followed was warped and weird.
It was like finishing a huge novel that someone lent to you because they thought you’d like it.
And it’s not your typical laid back Liane Moriarty holiday read, but it’s flattering your friend thought you’d enjoy such a book, and they’re always asking you ‘have you reached the bit where the librarian has the existential crisis?’ and you go ‘not yet’ and silently berate yourself for not knowing there even was a librarian. And it’s like finally getting the momentum to keep going, chapter after chapter, and then you finish it and suddenly you feel bereft. Suddenly you miss Harriet, the stern librarian who endearingly finds meaning in upholstering sofas, and you kind of miss feeling submersed in the small Texas town where you could conjure up the Texan twang in your head. But (yay) you finished it. You just feel a little bit… emptier without it.
The weeks that followed AWARD school made me appreciate not having a brief knocking around my head 24/7 like a lost moth. And soon after the graduation, I landed my dream copywriting job at an independent agency here in Brisbane called BCM. I love it.
Creative writing has always been my favourite thing ever.
So it’s a real pinch-me moment to essentially be doing just that. And being paid for it.
The future will be interesting, and I can’t wait for it. I’m keen to keep learning from the amazing creatives around me, and keep being challenged in my own creativity. I’ve never liked the comfort zone, so I’m looking forward to a career of keeping one step ahead of it.
