#MadeInChi

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Internship spotlight!

Anastasia is always looking for interns to assist her with all aspects of her business, she has design interns at the studio and merchandising and marketing interns at the boutique.  Working under Anastasia can be a great learning experience for any aspiring designer or anyone who wants to work in fashion. This week we are highlighting our Merchandising/Marketing Intern, Christine.  This week is her last week so we wanted to recap her time at Anastasia and hear what she's learned and her plans for the future.

How long have you been interning with Anastasia? I started in December so it's been a little over 3 months.
What school do you go to? Major? I am a senior at Columbia College Chicago, really excited about graduation in May.  Im graduating with a degree in Fashion Business, which allows me to gain all the business knowledge that I need while focusing on the industry that I want to eventually work in.
 
What made you want to intern with Anastasia? When I saw this open position I was intrigued because it combined my two areas of interest, which are merchandising and marketing.  I was also familiar with her boutique because I live in the neighborhood, I was also excited about working for a smaller business because it allows you more hands on work and some creative freedom.
 
What kind of projects have you worked on? Throughout these 3 months I've gotten to work on just about everything. Some of this included: merchandising the boutique, planning and executing a window display, changing mannequin looks, store layouts, boutique upkeep and cleaning, inventory, sales, assisting and styling photo shoots, social media, and blog posts.
Out of all these projects, which was your favorite? My favorite project was creating a social media calendar and writing blog posts.  Before this, I had no experience with blogging or social media and this project helped me figure out that this may be a possible career path for me down the road.
Did this internship help you figure out what career you want to pursue? Yes! I really had no idea what I wanted to do going into this internship, I was really hoping to get a taste of every aspect of her business and see what I liked and didn't liked.  Since she allowed me work on so many different projects, I definitely accomplished that.  After working on the social media calendar and her blog, I realized that was what I wanted to pursue after I graduated.
 
What are the top 3 things that you have learned? 
-To think outside the box.  I tend to be more business oriented and not as creative, and this internship helped me think a little more creatively and a little less linear.
-Running your own business is a 24/7 job.  I thought I was busy until I met Anastasia, her job as a designer and business owner never stops.
-Social media tactics and ideas to grow your following.  While making the social media calendar, I did a ton of research for ideas and strategies to grow Anastasia's following.  
 
Did you accomplish everything you wanted to? As i am wrapping up my time at Anastasia, I feel very accomplished and confident that I did and learned everything that I set out to.  When I first started I had no idea what to expect but there were things that I knew I wanted to learn, such as visual merchandising and social media.  I definitely got a lot of experience in both and would feel confident doing either of these things in a future career.
 
What were some of the struggles you had while interning? The main struggle was time management.  On top of my internship I have been juggling school, work, and another internship all at the same time.  There were weeks where I didn't have one day off, this made for some sleepless nights and tired days, but I always knew that it would be worth it.  I think this is something that every college student struggles with at some point, but completing an internship is so important in gaining experience and helping you land a job.
 
After interning with a business owner, do you think you would like to one day own your own business?  I don't think that I would open my own boutique, but I would like to work for myself.  I would love to work remotely doing social media and marketing for clients, which I could eventually turn into my own business if I gained enough clients.  
Whats next? I'm graduating in May and then my boyfriend and I are moving to Denver! I don't have a job lined up yet, but am currently searching and applying.  I would ideally love to work as an event coordinator and social media manager.
Check out some of her work!
Window Display
Buffalo Plaid Dress
BralettesHigh Waisted Shorts
Pineapple Dress
Denim on Denim

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