AdNews brings the stories of those working from home (WFH) in the advertising and media industry during the coronavirus crisis.
Noa Shenker is an emerging copywriter and creative in the penultimate year of an advertising degree at RMIT University.
How are you dealing with the silence?
There hasn’t been so much silence as there has been a new kind of sound populating my workspace. The constant background noise has transformed from tutors’ instructions and classmates’ laughter to that of my barking dogs, family constantly cooking in the kitchen, and the luxury of my music playing as I work.
What’s the upside?
I’ve definitely been forced to find new ways to stretch my creativity as far as possible whilst being confined to my four (small, bleak) bedroom walls. Tasked with briefs and creative assignments that all have to be done from home has pushed us students to think in more innovative and unique ways than ever before – and this pressure has found itself crystallising in what could have been otherwise undiscovered creative ideas. Being in isolation has been a fantastic incentive to thinking outside of the box and utilizing this new environment to the best of our abilities.
The methods of thinking I’ve been forced to employ whilst in isolation probably would have gone undisturbed and unused without these circumstances prompting them to come to fruition, but now they can be added to my ever-expanding creative arsenal. Students are now also being allowed to flourish in the digital landscape we’ve been raised in, and the rest of the world is coming to terms with the benefits of online communication we’ve been relishing for years.
The downside?
Bad internet connections, unknowingly muted conversations on zoom, and a lack of resources at hand that uni normally provides for us have been hard losses. Mostly, though, the biggest downside has been a lack of face-to-face collaboration and feedback from peers and tutors. It’s been a significant challenge to work on briefs in groups of students stretched across the country, and sometimes even the globe, without being able to physically share your ideas with them. Moreover, the joys and banter of the classroom simply can’t be replicated online.
How are you using the commuting time saved?
Hour-long train rides to and from uni have been replaced by walks around my suburb and local parks to squeeze in the time for a good podcast or playlist. It’s also been great to be able to wake up five minutes before class rather than 105 and still make it on time.
I am looking forward to being back on campus because…
I miss the camaraderie that accompanies working with my peers creatively. Whilst studying from home has been a wonderful experience, it still doesn’t compare to being face-to-face with friends on campus, and I don’t think collaborative creative products can compare, either. Sometimes an unimaginably loud classroom and an unfiltered volley of ideas bouncing off the walls are all the inspiration a young creative needs to make something great.
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