MT&L…

The first time I connected with MT&L I was 21 years old.

Which was…ummmm…about ten years ago now. OK…more like 15. Alright…whatever…it was 23 years ago but who’s counting!

I was working at Granite Springs Golf Club and at the time, the club was in it’s infancy…shiny and new. Memberships were private and pockets were deep. It was an exciting time for all involved and I greatly enjoyed the entire process from early concept to finished product.

MT&L was the design team on the project. I’d stand in front of those concept boards in our “work trailer” baffled by how beautiful they looked…fully able to visualize in my mind how the club would “feel” as it could not have been clearer on the boards before me.

I’d visit their offices, huddled around a board room table…enjoying the presentation as concepts were revealed and a brand came to being. I was astounded by the creativity and fun…the beautiful offices and vibrant atmosphere.

I wrote copy for the club’s monthly newsletters in WordPerfect 5.1…blown away by how beautiful they’d look when the finished product came back from the Design Team and landed on my desk. I felt I was part of it…writing as they designed and thrilled to see my words so clearly and beautifully portrayed.

I kept every one.

It was a lifetime ago.

Eventually, I left the club to return to school to earn my IT degree where I worked for a number of years in the industry. I got married, had a few kids, left my job to stay at home, built a few houses, got a divorce and found myself in a position where heading back to work was inevitable…but going back to school preceded it.

I entered the Graphic and Web Design program at NSCC where I could still keep a wee grip on my former IT skills…and finally get those creative juices flowing.

And that’s when I met up with MT&L for a second time for as luck would have it, Paul Williams, Creative Director of MT&L is one of our instructors. He inspires us week after week as he prepares us for the “real world” discussing projects and design briefs, impression and tone. Keeping us on our toes and happily answering every single question we might have. Bringing into the classroom extraordinary speakers and getting us pumped for school to end…and work to begin.

For me…it’s pure excitement mixed with a great amount of fear. I left the workforce for greener pastures many years before. I stayed at home, raised my kids, volunteered on various projects and taught five-year olds to read in Miss Millet’s primary class. I attended field trips and ran our neighbourhood association.

I closed the IT door and spent my time doing things I loved. I scrapbooked. I created. I painted an amazing mural on my daughter’s wall and designed birthday invitations while throwing elaborate parties. I had fun.

I wrote.

And then I went back to school where oddly enough… pursuing design is a culmination of everything I know. Everything up to this point is melting in a great big pot and I’m feeling like I’m on the edge of something amazing!

Last night was the third time I connected with MT&L.

The PR company, National (formerly MT&L), invited a group of Halifax Bloggers to their “Blog Jam”…complete with appies and drinks. A gathering of local bloggers to chit-chat about where we fit, what we can do to help one another in this world where our blogging and social media voices hold klout.

I was greeted by their fabulous staff of rhyming names including my instructor, Paul. I walked through the offices in a location unfamiliar to the one I’d been in decades before but every bit as vibrant…fresh…fun. I chatted with other bloggers…web designers…social media gurus…artists.

It felt full circle.

As if my former and present life were slightly bumping into one other. That years of thinking I couldn’t create, couldn’t write, couldn’t hold a candle to the amazing artists and journalist I aspire to be like was all for naught…as here I am.

With all of it at my fingertips.

I’m not just a blogger. I don’t just “craft.” All the labels I’ve put on myself to keep me grounded…they’re gone.

I’m a designer. I’m a writer.

And I’m on the cusp of something absolutely fantastic!

Ha!

(Thanks for the amazing Digital Team and crew at National for hosting a fabulous “Blog Jam” last night. It was great to meet everyone and see how the local bloggers can fit into upcoming campaigns! It’s awesome that you’re reaching out…and means a lot.)