Grateful and humbled

Today, I've 'almost' completed 12 years in advertising and the journey has been nothing short of exciting, entertaining, and enlightening. (Yes, I've been adding the Oxford commas lately). Looking back at those years, and comparing them to this day, fills me with immense humility. What makes me write a long post today? Well, my job as a Content Writer made me do it because I love writing long copies.

Throughout my journey, I've met some great people, some, who've taught me what to be, and some, what not to be.

1. Collateral - My first job in an ad agency. I learned one thing - To always be on your toes, think of good ideas, and keep pulling up your socks. (Even though I informed them multiple times that I wore sandals). I will credit my learnings to Nalin Shastri and Nandini Shastri (both, whom I'll fondly remember as 'Nalin' and Adre'Nalin' because their energy levels were always high).

2. Xebec Communications Pvt. Ltd. - My first 'non-coastal' ad agency in Pune where I continued my pursuit of doing good work, taking my previous learnings, and bettering myself. This is where I began my #TextaulHarassment and it was well received personally and professionally. I grew fond of doing eccentric work, thinking of some out-of-the-box ideas, and contributing to some award-worthy campaigns. (Though we didn't win any, my work was published in Lürzer's Archive and this accomplishment was nothing short of an award to me).

The credit would go to Kiran Bhat for believing in me and the team. I had a good streak here and it was the first time I got to work with a team of writers on multiple projects. I must say, I even earned an oddly satisfying nickname "Katrina Kaif of Brainstorming" because of my random ideas, and the credit for that nomenclature solely goes to Shruti Saumya. Also, my stories of MICA | The School of Ideas got even more popular as I kept referring to "Mere MICA mein aisa hota tha..."

3. Percept Ltd - As I had to move out of Pune, and back to what I considered to be my home ground in Bengaluru, I got to learn a lot of difficult lessons. Firstly, I had to move because of personal reasons. Secondly, taking on the role of a Sr.Copywriter was a big change. It made me nervous and obviously, mistakes were made (in copies and also, in life). I'd say that Saikat Sarkar, in his own 'Charles Bukowski' style, guided me to be more simplistic and comprehensive in my overall approach and I'd found my newfound affinity to Buk (pun intended).

Because of him, I learned a lot of new words, ways to be sassy and still sound professional, and most importantly, celebrate the 'F' out of life. As outwardly odd as he was, the vocabulary, emotions (which I got to see the range of it), and humor that he possessed within him, I'd say, befuddled me.

4. Saket Communications Pvt. Ltd. - After I moved out of Percept (which then became Hakuhodo Inc.), I came back to Pune (which seemed to be like my calling) to continue my work, but with a smaller team. By now, I'd learned that life humbles you. It's not that I had turned less ambitious, but I'd grown more grateful for whatever I had. It was during COVID, and this life lesson came in very handy. It wasn't about working with bigger brands (like I did in Collateral), or with a bigger agency (like I did with Percept/H) anymore. It was more about working with a better team, which I got here, and for this, I'd like to thank Soumendu Kuber .

He introduced me to a universe of different people. Plus, the frequent 'celebrity' visitors to the agency allowed me to take some selfish selfies (for which I'll forever be thankful).

5. 3 Dots Design - COVID forced me to make some tough decisions and I moved on to a new agency in Pune. Now that I was 'almost' settled and I was promoted in my role as a 'Father' (gotcha), the bittersweet mix of excitement and seriousness got me working hard. I put my best foot forward in writing long-form content here. Blogs, brochures, full-page print ads... I was on a roll. Sometimes, writing copies even without a brief became my thing (which is something not to be proud of).

My pursuit to work with a good team continued here and I started churning out some good works. It wouldn't have been an easy ride without their support. Although the unusual working hours and unwanted COVID + work stress gave me diabetes at an early age, I didn't let that come in the way of creativity. My notorious streak for cracking inappropriate and discomforting jokes continued to favor me well and that earned me some really good headlines for most of my work. Flying solo was something that wore me out for most of my tenure and I had unlikely started feeling like Pi Patel from Life of Pi, on the island.

6. PurpleZone - With a new zeal, a new role, and everything that I had never even attempted to try, I took this challenge of working with an agency that worked with global brands, a good team, and leading one.

There have been some major learnings here as well. In the past 6 months, this place has taught me to be empathetic, assertive at my best, and perseverent. Hrishikesh Deshmukh as my mentor in this journey, has put up with some of my best and worst sides and shown exactly what kind of a leader I need to be.

I will follow in the footsteps of everyone who's shown me the way till now, and in the future, will lead by example by becoming a better version of myself. Though, in comparison to the rest of the world, I might seem a bit laid back, relaxed, and less ambitious, I'd like to call this phase of my life "A Learning Curve" because I'll never stop learning. In the due process, if you see me grow, feel free to pluck the fruits out (figuratively, of course) to devour the creative juices. Hope that my life story will not resemble the movie - 12 Years a Slave (LOL).