This week, we were lucky to hear about the career journey of Ebony Renee Baker. With a background in journalism from Ryerson in Toronto, Ebony discussed the reality of rejection and how it led her to be in the UK for a dream job.
From the first introduction, I knew I would be very interested in Ebony’s story and her advice. Currently, Ebony is working as the fashion editor for Refinery29 in the UK. This has been one role I have always admired by incorporating both passions of content creation/writing and current fashion and pop culture. Normally, when I hear that someone is majoring in Journalism, it is hard to think of their future career that isn’t just news writing. For me, this may be because most of the writing courses I have taken are writing for news stories or reviews on events. Seeing Ebony grow from her first freelancing job to fashion editing was exciting to listen to.
As Ebony was explaining her journey to the UK, I appreciated how she did not sugar coat the amount of rejection she got that led her to Refinery29. In this field, lots of rejection is coming our way but it is very important to not give up and understand that everything is happening for a reason. If she wasn’t rejected from the previous applications, then it was not the right fit. Hearing these stories are inspiring to make sure that I know my worth and understand that everyone’s post-graduation journey is not linear, but staying true to yourself will land you a spot where you will want to be. Furthermore, her courage to pack her things up and move across the world after being there reminded me that there are opportunities outside of the GTA which could be more exciting and a better experience for content creators.
There were a few pieces of advice and guidance Ebony mentioned that stood out to me. First of all, I liked how she mentioned that sometimes we just have to fake it til we make it and learn along the way. It’s hard to know all the social media skills and softwares at once. Thankfully, we are in an age where there is so much accessibility to resources to learn about all you would need to know therefore, it is possible to learn on the spot. Most of the time, learning through application of skills in content creation is the best way anyways.
The last point I will touch on is how she was explaining the importance of balance of creating content for a brand by referring to formats that have worked in the past and using creativity to find a new way to market to new and loyal audiences. Sometimes, the thought of consistent creativity can be intimidating and a reason to feel doubt in your work when applying for jobs. Hearing about the balance was reassuring to understand that you will usually be a part of a team where all minds work together to create content. Repurposing content and using familiar formats will be used in every brand and it does work. Understanding when it’s time to break the mold and present a new set content will set a team up to stay on track and improve engagement.
