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Words by Jess Willemse - 2017 AUT Intern at Facebook Creative Shop, New York City

If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would you choose? The age old question that you’re typically asked at awkward family gatherings, networking events or on the odd occasion, job interviews.

For a long time, my answer to this question was both simple and unattainable; Jessica Walsh. Besides sharing the same initials, we share a passion for design, creative thinking and finding ‘play’ in what we do as creatives. The difference between us? I was a design student in New Zealand and she is a award winning creative and partner in one of the best boutique design studios in the world, Sagmeister & Walsh. Oh, and one other thing, she lives all the way in New York. Safe to say we would not be having dinner together. Ever. Or so I thought…

Fast forward to January this year and I found myself moving to New York City to work at Facebook as part of the AUT Internz International Scholarship Programme. But… that is not the only exciting part of this story. When I moved to New York, I really wanted to take advantage of all that the city had to offer. One day, when aimlessly scrolling through my Instagram, I was presented with a unique opportunity; Jessica Walsh was hosting a portfolio review dinner for designers at her apartment. This was part of a series of events she hosts a few times a year called Ladies, Wine & Design. The catch? Only six could attend. Knowing that this was New York and should would probably be getting hundreds of requests, I quickly fired off a witty email about how we shared the same initials and some other more valuable reasons as to why I would like to attend. The next day I got a reply... I WAS IN. I just had to quickly pinch myself to check that it was real and not a dream.

The event itself was lovely. Low-key chats with a couple of very intelligent creative woman, including world-renowned illustrator and designer Lotta Nieminen. Some honest feedback, laughs, great pizza and of course… lots of wine. It was one of those nights that really puts a lot of things into perspective. It made me realise that these people I have placed on a pedestal all my career are exactly that… people. Being able to connect on a level like this is very rare when it comes to industry events, which is what made me value the evening so much. As someone who is just starting out in my career, it was comforting to realise that people I look up to also had to start somewhere. Being bold and persevering were key insights I took away from this meeting, as well as learning to be open to where your next steps will take you. These lessons are what I’ve worked to apply in my own life since that evening.

So, that is the story of how I met one of the biggest influences in my creative career thus far, Jessica Walsh. I’ll leave you with one last question to ponder, if you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would you choose? I’d love to hear the answer! Feel free to send me a message on Instagram to @designbyjess_

Jess was sent to New York by AUT as part of the AUT Internz International Scholarship Programme.  Applications are open for 2018 scholarships to intern in a range of cities and industries (including at Facebook Creative Shop in NY) until August 31, 2017.

Visit Jess's website: www.jessicalouisedesign.com
IM Jess: @designbyjess_