For my summer class, I am taking Desktop Publishing, a two-month crash course in Adobe Creative Suite.
Our first assignment was to design a logo for a new publishing brand. Most of the students reached for their favorite book genre—sci-fi, Japanese romance, tween blockbusters.—But I’m not much of a reader. (And only recently I know why. After 25 years of pride and denial, I finally admitted and sought a diagnosis and help for, my eye frustrations. If people saw what I do when reading, no one would like to read. But that’s another story.)
Anyway, uninspired by existing imprints, I conceptualized my own editorial brand.
This past year, I quit my job and returned to school. I now have a new job as an editorial intern at Scripps Networks (they own the Food Network). I work there five days a week and go to class in the evening.
Sometime around February 2010, I realized something: This was the first time since high school (a decade ago), that I was inspired and excited about my professional and educational responsibilities.
In college, I was a philosophy major. A talented writer, I could write my 10-page papers in one night. I received A’s and graduated Cum Laude, but never really retained any of the information.
Post-college, I worked at Simon&Schuster and Martha Stewart Living, both prominent names in the publishing world. But, dissatisfied with my actual position and tasks, I remained distracted and un-stimulated.
Now loving both my job and school, I feel like I have been brought back to life, no longer numb and disengaged.—There are several, more personal, details to my revival, but I will save those for my memoir.
For now, I can summarize my concept for Cha Cha Beats Media as this: this is an empowerment brand.
At first, I will focus specifically on women, but am not opposed to adding divisions for men, or possibly teenagers. The focus is on the self and the challenges, battles, and undeniable rewards that come from being honest with yourself.
We all dance to our different drums. We all have our own Cha Cha Beats. My brand wants to tell your story.
