Pitch Time

I just got through a pretty big pitch. I worked until at least 10pm (usually later) for the past two weeks in a row. I probably would have worked over the weekend, too, but I was on production for another client (so, actually, I was working over the weekend.) The meeting was last Friday, and Saturday I did absolutely nothing, I was that spent.

I mention this because I want to make a couple points:

1. As students, in my often-flawed opinion, you need to be pulling these kinds of hours fairly regularly. Not every night of every week. But you need to know the feeling so you won't get culture shock in front of your first creative director. If you're not working late into the night out of a passion and determination to have the absolute best book on the market, having a job isn't going to magically give you that desire or capacity.
   
2. What is going to help you get through these kinds of weeks is a profound love for your job. You write, art direct, and concept, not because it's your job description, but because you'd be doing it whether you were being paid for it or not.

I posted a photo from the night before the pitch on the Drink In Hand blog. Get used to that scene. You'll become very familiar with it.