1. If you could describe your job to a 5 year old, how would you describe it?

If I were to describe my job to a 5 year old, I’d tell them that I play with LEGOs.

If I were to describe my job to a 15 year old, I’d give them the exact same answer with one small caveat being that sometimes the “L” in LEGOs that I work with is silent.

But back to the 5 year old, I would tell him or her that you can build just about anything with LEGOs, right? First you start with a bunch of tiny pieces, and you’re super excited, but sometimes all of the pieces can be a bit overwhelming, and you wonder how you’re ever going to make something cool or that you’re proud of with them. I also help move obstacles out of the way so that my friends at work can play with LEGO’s too.

However, with a little patience and creativity something pretty awesome starts taking shape and over time you’re proud of what you helped shape. Why? Because you remember when there were tiny pieces everywhere, when you had to rebuild your masterpiece over and over because… well, gravity.

So every day, I go to work and I play with LEGO’s. Even when the directions are super explicit, and should be super easy - sometimes I may need more LEGO’s and sometimes I may need less. The main thing I need is patience and flexibility, because things can always fall apart.

2. What's the best career advice you've ever received?

Answering this question hurts. I promise it has nothing to do with the occasional use of the silent L in LEGO, but because sometimes the truth is too painful to acknowledge, accept and put down into words.

We learn at a young age, that mistakes or accidents happen. You make a mistake, apologize if you’ve offended someone and do your best not to make the same mistake twice.

What’s rarely taught is how to move past a mistake you’ve made and forgive yourself, personally - but in this case professionally.

Many moons ago, I made a mistake on a project, it happens. It wasn’t the end of the world, but for some reason this mistake hit different for me. I took all the “right” steps. It was “fixed” within a matter of minutes. I was caught off guard. I was moving too quickly and I couldn’t get past it.

Over the course of the next week any email or comment I wanted to make in a meeting was internally scrutinized by yours truly.

About two weeks later I had my standing 1:1 with my VP at the time. He said, “Brittany, be paranoid, not paralyzed.”

Everything clicked.

Somehow I allowed a mistake to undermine my talent, profession and instinct. I went into a professional shock of sorts. I allowed any insecurity I’d ever had take up space that it didn’t warrant. I assumed that because I felt less than in that moment, that naturally everyone else had to feel similarly.

Which led to the paralysis.

A balanced amount of paranoia in the workplace can be healthy. It can keep you on your toes, hungry and grounded. Too much paranoia breeds paralysis and self-doubt, and sooner or later you manifest the negative thoughts you were internally harboring.

It’s something I really had to work on, and it’s something I say to those that I’ve mentored to this day (and myself from time to time).

It’s so easy to be understanding of others, but never that easy to be forgiving of yourself.

3. If you can thank someone that help get you to where you are now, who would you thank and what you would say?

Specifying one person, brings me angst.

Not acknowledging my own strength diminishes my worth, which to be frank is often dismissed before I utter a word.

To say I got “here” by myself would be the biggest farce - but if I had to narrow down my TY’s, it’d go a little something like this:

I’d thank my parents for always reminding me of who I am and what I’m capable of.

I’d thank my first mentor, who taught me the art of winning without ever having to say much.

I’d thank my first creative director, who sat with me for months on end and showed me the ropes and inner workings of the industry.

I’d thank my tribe of girlfriends who have listened to me tirelessly navigate through my agency highs and lows.

But I wouldn’t be me, if I didn’t thank me.

If you don’t acknowledge and absorb the good advice you collect along the way, you can stunt your growth.

I took a leap and landed. I learned how to fall and not break.

I do the work. I hustle. I grow by putting myself in uncomfortable situations just to see how far I can stretch. I try to remember just how important balance is in this industry, especially when you love what you do.

Not taking a moment for self care and reflection would be a complete disservice to all of the wonderful people who have given me advice, help and tough love along my journey.

*Brittany currently lives in the Bay Area and works as a Program Lead at the global design studio Ueno in San Francisco, CA.*