MANMAN | A Day in the Life of a MANMAN Intern: Jill Cleary

13 Feb A Day in the Life of a MANMAN Intern: Jill Cleary

Posted at 22:33h in Guest Posts by Mandy Lehman

Hi, I’m Jill Cleary, MANMAN’s current design intern. I’ve been working with Mandy for several months now and thought I’d share what it’s like to work here!

Morning routine to start the day: I usually make myself a cup of tea and toast, and dive right into some emails. This is a good way to map out my day. I get to work on a wide variety of projects at MANMAN, so it helps to check in and prioritize projects according to our deadlines. Since I don’t always work in-house, I need to make sure I keep tabs on everything daily so I’m not missing anything while I’m out.

Another routine I have in the morning is checking in on social media and inspiration websites, like Instagram and Pinterest. Instagram especially is great for following trending tags; some of my favorites are anything architectural or design related (@archdigest, @apartamentomagazine and @designmilk, to name a few). I try my best to use these apps to my advantage and help establish where my inspirations lie that day (rather than getting trapped in the endless scroll). What’s going on in the world? Did one of my favorite artists post new work? Is my Spotify Discover Weekly on point today? At MANMAN, we also have a creative pool of ideas to help find inspiration for projects, like a shared inspiration board on Pinterest, so it’s always good to check if there’s something new in there!

Now that I’ve got my head in the game, time to get to work.

During a normal week, my days are spent editing photos, creating ads, designing layouts—anything to help the work flow more smoothly. I also get the opportunity to jump in on new projects, like logo or packaging designs, which keep me on my toes! MANMAN specializes in a number of different areas—including graphic design, photography, and interior design—so I get to work on something new pretty frequently, which does wonders for my confidence and helps me gain real experience.

If I am working at the MANMAN office, I like to take some time to talk shop over coffee or a snack together with Mandy. I’m new at a lot, so it helps to hear a “you’re doing great!” or “girlllll, that was amazing!” when I’m feeling inexperienced at something I’m working on. One of the perks of the job is having an incredibly supportive and encouraging boss that gives productive feedback!

I’ve learned to give myself some room during my days to take a step back and recharge. I mean, if you have the freedom to take a break in between things, do it! I always come back feeling ready to go, even if it is just quick flip through some records or sharing a story with Mandy about something crazy that happened last week. Stay fresh!

Whether I put in a day at the MANMAN studio or work off-site on my own, I always leave a little time (sometimes more) at night to work on personal projects or catch up on something I didn’t get to that day. Researching ideas and concepts takes some time too, so it doesn’t hurt to carve out some time to read up on what other designers are working on. I’m a night owl by choice, sometimes it just works best with how my day or week is flowing.