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My Lushrig Summer at StoneArch Creative

October 04, 2011 | by Tom Flessland

This past summer I was an intern at StoneArch Creative; a motion media intern to be precise. I’ve tried to find one word to best describe my summer, but that proved to be quite a difficult task. More than a few words floated through my head, so perhaps I’ll just share them all.

Life-changing.

Besides having this internship, I also graduated from college, got married and moved into a place of my own for the first time. Then there’s the internship itself; I had no idea I would gain the kind of experience I did. This brings me to my next word:

Useful.

Doing real work for real clients while using some very expensive equipment (cameras and edit suites) provided me with the necessary skills for what lies ahead. I thought I had a good grasp of marketing, advertising and video editing from college until I was exposed to the real-life side of things. I even gained experience with motion graphics, which I had not had a chance to learn in college. I knew I would learn a lot, but I had no idea how much more prepared I would feel for the future.

Scary.

The future? I’m not ready for the future. That seems so far away. I have lived most of my life knowing that in the fall I would go back to school to prepare for my future, and now that future has become the present. All of that preparing led to this summer – the moment of truth, as it were.

Happy.

I’m there! I’m out of school and I finally get to have a taste of the real world! (Not to mention married my high school sweetheart.) I was so happy to gain a much-coveted internship at an ad agency, especially doing something I love.

Relief.

I was quite worried I would never find this job. In college, I hoped to someday be a video editor at an ad agency. I thought I would eventually find my way to this position, but I certainly did not expect it to happen right out of college. I was especially relieved at the end of the summer. The internship actually turned into an independent contractor position in which I will still be doing editing and motion graphics work for StoneArch.

Important.

Not only was this summer busy, it was important too. This was an opportunity to learn as much as I could in a setting that I had never been involved in before. I knew this was my chance to lay the groundwork for my career.

Grown-up.

Throughout the summer, when I went to work each morning I no longer felt like a student. I felt like a member of the team – a StoneArcher. Motion media was just the beginning; I got to be involved in brainstorming sessions, kick-off meetings and even client visits. It was as if my thoughts actually mattered. I never felt like I was just an intern. The wonderful team at StoneArch always made me feel welcome.

Ultimately, I am extremely grateful for this experience, but summing it up in just one word doesn’t really cut it. Instead, I’ll just make one up that combines all of my words rather nicely, I’ll call it Lushrig. Yep, that will work out just fine – a great word for an unforgettable summer.