Kudos to this former corporate employee who chased her dreams of writing and how she sign out from it, alive.
P.S. I highlighted and italicized phrases, sentences, paragraphs that I can relate to.
(from gmanewsonline.com)
***
The glossy life: lessons from working at a fashion magazine
A little over two years ago, I decided to give up everything—a three-year experience in the corporate world and a more-than-decent salary—for a shot at my lifelong dream of becoming an author. Ever since I learned to read (I grew up a bookworm, in fact), I knew I wanted to write.
However, this wasn’t as clear to me back when I was filling up my college application form. I was encouraged by my father to take up a business course for the family business. Needless to say, I succumbed to my desire to be a writer so I could later pen stories, similar to the books that provided me so much comfort and creativity since I was a little girl.
With no writing background, I knew I had to play my cards right. While having my mid-day coffee at my favorite shop, I grabbed one of their magazines from the “for customers only” stand and indulged myself in some quick reading. Little did I know that the answer was under my nose the whole time. I sent my application to the same magazine I was reading that day and got a call a few days later.
I came to the fashion magazine world empty-handed. I had no literary degree to show for and no writing experience either, so it was no surprise that the magazine deemed me better-suited in the marketing department.
I guessed my writing dreams would have to wait.
To this day and for all the days to come, I credit my transition from being a mere employee to a person living her dream to my boss, the Beauty Editor. I will never know what she saw in me and it might be better if I never found out. She gave me a shot at being a writer and whatever writer I become henceforth is a product of her belief in me. My ambitious writing dreams and all attempts at achieving them are partially efforts at making her proud.
She was the first to believe I could do more than string words together. She was my first mentor, and you never forget your first.
Excited as I was to start my writing career, I also felt terrified. Being part of the editorial team was everyone’s dream job. Girls who had fashion degrees and snakeskin pumps and toted the latest oversized Céline bag circled the recruitment office like sharks. I had much to prove in my new job; after all, I wasn’t just a writer—I was a high-fashion magazine writer.
Over those first few days, I armed myself with issues of Vogue, Elle and Vanity Fair, gave myself a new haircut, color and wardrobe, and then watched The September Issue over twenty times. But even that didn’t prepare me for what was yet to come.
On working with famous personas
The gloss of magazines can be unbelievable. The nature of the job makes working with big time photographers, models, designers, high-society philanthropists, artists and of course, celebrities.
And although meeting accomplished figures was thrilling each time, it was also a test of character.
I remember one of my profiles asking me if I could get her a Starbucks coffee in the middle of a recorded interview because she “simply can’t go on without any caffeine.” Another asked me to chauffeur her hair and makeup team to her next event after our shoot.
I knew these tasks were beyond my call of duty but did I do them anyway?
Yes.
Did I know any better?
No.
Thing is, I was willing to do anything to get the information I needed for a story, and acquiring such information required my subject to be in a good mood.
Don’t get me wrong though, not all of them were like that. There were those who surprised me with fresh flowers on my desk as a thank you. Celebrities, God bless them, make life a little more interesting; but one thing I’ve learned from working at a magazine was that they are human beings too, quirks and all.
On the real behind-the-scenes work of magazine production
Thinking back on the making of our magazine's September Issue, I realized the difference between producing an international fashion magazine and a local one boiled down to economics.
Beyond the beautiful pictures, extravagant clothes, and pretty faces, we also had to ride a dilapidated service van with deteriorated shock absorbers and no air-conditioning to transport all the clothes.
There was also making P1000 stretch to feed a team of fifteen because that was what was left in my wallet (thank God for McDo).
And then there’s hand sewing the hem of a dress that tore from having your model vogue it out on pieces of scaffolding.
I realized that these editors—my officemates, dressed mostly in designer garb and Louboutin heels—are a most tenacious breed of workers. They clamor to get the latest Alexander Wang pump for themselves but will not think twice about getting them dirty if it means getting the job done.
During deadline week, one would see a line of deliverymen at the office lobby and MSG-hungry editors awaiting their late night feast. One of my favorite memories still comprise of my team staying in the office until 2 A.M. just churning out copy for the magazine. Contrary to the stigma of fashionistas, these editors do eat. They just manage to make it look like breathing air is the only sustenance they need to look as good as they do.
High fashion is the most glamorous and simultaneously unglamorous job there is. You will get yelled at, bloated, and at times go broke, but as cheesy as it sounds, it's all worth it.
On getting free stuff
Everything ever said about the freebies is true.
In retrospect, I must have received enough products to last me the next five years. I get products on a regular basis to test and write about for the magazine. Which is totally awesome, of course. But my best and most memorable perk to date was being flown to different countries for press junkets—all expenses paid. These brands will wine and dine you and orchestrate a memorable experience for you, all to have a knock-out feature in your pages.
I remember my Editor-in-Chief advising me to be careful about this perk, and to avoid falling prey to the allure of free stuff. Thinking about it now, this was actually advice regarding how much power my job had.
Brands send magazines their latest products for reviewing in detail. I always made it a point to only put my stamp of approval on things I truly believed in. The thing about being part of a magazine is that there is prestige in what you represent. Readers trust the editors to know what has been tried, tested, and effective. Likewise what is “in” and current in the fashion scene.
This trust between reader and editor is golden and it is the driving force of your job as a writer.
On officemates and character
I met all sorts of people in this business. Most of the people I worked with, competing peers included, came from well-to-do families and top-notch universities.
The truth is, this job is for people who work for love, not money. The publishing world is notorious for paying very little; thus, most editors I know don’t do it for the money. They have the innate ability to work hard for something they love.
This job is for people who won’t get knocked out by the first punch.
It’s for people with character.
Like all other companies out there, though, working at a magazine entails stress and contrasting personalities. Catfights and shouting discussions are expected. Package them in designer apparel and pretty makeup, and it just gets all the more intimidating.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made the best of friends in this industry too, often in the form of talented makeup artists, hair stylists (whom I personally think are the unsung heroes of the fashion world), brand managers, and fellow editors.
Despite leaving the industry, I’m happy to say I’ve kept a few great friends from my stint in the publishing world. It was through the friendship of these down-to-earth people that I was able to get inspired and manage to make it through the tough times.
I learned that judging people by how they look or how they live their life is the fast-track to ending up alone.
On life after the gloss
For two years, I breathed, ate and dreamt of nothing but fashion. There will always be people out there who think this job is easy and superficial—but they couldn’t be more wrong.
I must say that it was one of the hardest and most trying times of my life, but also the most fulfilling and exhilarating. That’s the thing about doing something you love, it’s impossible not to get consumed by it. Stepping out of that office for the last time, I was thrown into the world again.
Now, wide-eyed and completely guilt-free, I am equipped with enough confidence to keep writing and exploring the rest of what life has to offer. — VC, GMA News
However, this wasn’t as clear to me back when I was filling up my college application form. I was encouraged by my father to take up a business course for the family business. Needless to say, I succumbed to my desire to be a writer so I could later pen stories, similar to the books that provided me so much comfort and creativity since I was a little girl.
With no writing background, I knew I had to play my cards right. While having my mid-day coffee at my favorite shop, I grabbed one of their magazines from the “for customers only” stand and indulged myself in some quick reading. Little did I know that the answer was under my nose the whole time. I sent my application to the same magazine I was reading that day and got a call a few days later.
I came to the fashion magazine world empty-handed. I had no literary degree to show for and no writing experience either, so it was no surprise that the magazine deemed me better-suited in the marketing department.
I guessed my writing dreams would have to wait.
To this day and for all the days to come, I credit my transition from being a mere employee to a person living her dream to my boss, the Beauty Editor. I will never know what she saw in me and it might be better if I never found out. She gave me a shot at being a writer and whatever writer I become henceforth is a product of her belief in me. My ambitious writing dreams and all attempts at achieving them are partially efforts at making her proud.
She was the first to believe I could do more than string words together. She was my first mentor, and you never forget your first.
Excited as I was to start my writing career, I also felt terrified. Being part of the editorial team was everyone’s dream job. Girls who had fashion degrees and snakeskin pumps and toted the latest oversized Céline bag circled the recruitment office like sharks. I had much to prove in my new job; after all, I wasn’t just a writer—I was a high-fashion magazine writer.
Over those first few days, I armed myself with issues of Vogue, Elle and Vanity Fair, gave myself a new haircut, color and wardrobe, and then watched The September Issue over twenty times. But even that didn’t prepare me for what was yet to come.
On working with famous personas
The gloss of magazines can be unbelievable. The nature of the job makes working with big time photographers, models, designers, high-society philanthropists, artists and of course, celebrities.
And although meeting accomplished figures was thrilling each time, it was also a test of character.
I remember one of my profiles asking me if I could get her a Starbucks coffee in the middle of a recorded interview because she “simply can’t go on without any caffeine.” Another asked me to chauffeur her hair and makeup team to her next event after our shoot.
I knew these tasks were beyond my call of duty but did I do them anyway?
Yes.
Did I know any better?
No.
Thing is, I was willing to do anything to get the information I needed for a story, and acquiring such information required my subject to be in a good mood.
Don’t get me wrong though, not all of them were like that. There were those who surprised me with fresh flowers on my desk as a thank you. Celebrities, God bless them, make life a little more interesting; but one thing I’ve learned from working at a magazine was that they are human beings too, quirks and all.
On the real behind-the-scenes work of magazine production
Thinking back on the making of our magazine's September Issue, I realized the difference between producing an international fashion magazine and a local one boiled down to economics.
Beyond the beautiful pictures, extravagant clothes, and pretty faces, we also had to ride a dilapidated service van with deteriorated shock absorbers and no air-conditioning to transport all the clothes.
There was also making P1000 stretch to feed a team of fifteen because that was what was left in my wallet (thank God for McDo).
And then there’s hand sewing the hem of a dress that tore from having your model vogue it out on pieces of scaffolding.
I realized that these editors—my officemates, dressed mostly in designer garb and Louboutin heels—are a most tenacious breed of workers. They clamor to get the latest Alexander Wang pump for themselves but will not think twice about getting them dirty if it means getting the job done.
During deadline week, one would see a line of deliverymen at the office lobby and MSG-hungry editors awaiting their late night feast. One of my favorite memories still comprise of my team staying in the office until 2 A.M. just churning out copy for the magazine. Contrary to the stigma of fashionistas, these editors do eat. They just manage to make it look like breathing air is the only sustenance they need to look as good as they do.
High fashion is the most glamorous and simultaneously unglamorous job there is. You will get yelled at, bloated, and at times go broke, but as cheesy as it sounds, it's all worth it.
On getting free stuff
Everything ever said about the freebies is true.
In retrospect, I must have received enough products to last me the next five years. I get products on a regular basis to test and write about for the magazine. Which is totally awesome, of course. But my best and most memorable perk to date was being flown to different countries for press junkets—all expenses paid. These brands will wine and dine you and orchestrate a memorable experience for you, all to have a knock-out feature in your pages.
I remember my Editor-in-Chief advising me to be careful about this perk, and to avoid falling prey to the allure of free stuff. Thinking about it now, this was actually advice regarding how much power my job had.
Brands send magazines their latest products for reviewing in detail. I always made it a point to only put my stamp of approval on things I truly believed in. The thing about being part of a magazine is that there is prestige in what you represent. Readers trust the editors to know what has been tried, tested, and effective. Likewise what is “in” and current in the fashion scene.
This trust between reader and editor is golden and it is the driving force of your job as a writer.
On officemates and character
I met all sorts of people in this business. Most of the people I worked with, competing peers included, came from well-to-do families and top-notch universities.
The truth is, this job is for people who work for love, not money. The publishing world is notorious for paying very little; thus, most editors I know don’t do it for the money. They have the innate ability to work hard for something they love.
This job is for people who won’t get knocked out by the first punch.
It’s for people with character.
Like all other companies out there, though, working at a magazine entails stress and contrasting personalities. Catfights and shouting discussions are expected. Package them in designer apparel and pretty makeup, and it just gets all the more intimidating.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made the best of friends in this industry too, often in the form of talented makeup artists, hair stylists (whom I personally think are the unsung heroes of the fashion world), brand managers, and fellow editors.
Despite leaving the industry, I’m happy to say I’ve kept a few great friends from my stint in the publishing world. It was through the friendship of these down-to-earth people that I was able to get inspired and manage to make it through the tough times.
I learned that judging people by how they look or how they live their life is the fast-track to ending up alone.
On life after the gloss
For two years, I breathed, ate and dreamt of nothing but fashion. There will always be people out there who think this job is easy and superficial—but they couldn’t be more wrong.
I must say that it was one of the hardest and most trying times of my life, but also the most fulfilling and exhilarating. That’s the thing about doing something you love, it’s impossible not to get consumed by it. Stepping out of that office for the last time, I was thrown into the world again.
Now, wide-eyed and completely guilt-free, I am equipped with enough confidence to keep writing and exploring the rest of what life has to offer. — VC, GMA News
