My first day working with jewelry designer Ayaka Nishi actually didn’t feel like work. My day started with cleaning the studio alongside Ms. Nishi and the other interns. After cleaning we all changed into slippers and left our shoes by the door, a rule I abided by at home. I was pleasantly surprised when she served me coffee from her French press in a tall glass mug that I’ve only seen served in fancy cafes. My workspace was now complete! I had a hot fresh cup of coffee, music in the background, and an air humidifier with essential oils near by. I found my work environment to be quite comfortable and everyone was dressed  casually but still fashion forward.

Today’s first assignment was to update the sliding home page on her website since the Valentine’s Day sale has passed. We got to work setting up for the shoot at the front of her studio, which doubles as her store. Then we began swapping different pieces of her jewelry and taking test shots. Once we found the perfect the image I got to work on photoshop.  By the end of the day Ms. Nishi was satisfied with the photo I edited and published it on her website. 

After a serious lack of clarification from the Co-founder of the company I was previously excited to work for I was now back on the hunt for an internship. I was growing frustrated to find an internship in time. I began applying to as many  positions as I could find. Within two days I applied to over 30 internships and had high hopes that someone would get back to me. By the next two days I had a few interviews filling up my schedule. On Friday, I met with jewelry designer Ayaka Nishi. It wasn’t that I just needed an internship, but from the moment I stepped foot in her quaint little studio in Downtown Manhattan I could immediately see myself working there. Her jewelry really inspired me and while I wouldn’t be explicitly be designing clothes or around them accessories are still a huge component in fashion. I’ve even been inspired to take one of her jewelry making classes since it’s a trade I’ve always been interested in learning. Over the weekend Ms. Nishi agreed to have me aboard her graphic design team. The idea of shooting content for her website really excited me especially when I recognized some of her pieces on Beyonce’s Lemonade. I just had to take the position!

When I first applied to a bunch of internships and got a reply within a few hours I was excited. I had a Skype interview with the CEO of a startup just three days later, and I was confident that I would get the position since the Co-founder of  appeared to love my responses to her questions. Within eight minutes  I was offered the position, alongside an apprenticeship where I can design clothing for the company’s shoots. This seemed like a match made in heaven since I’d get to build my fashion portfolio whilst working on their creative content. I knew that startups were a bit quirky, but began to grow frustrated without clear direction, especially on my first day.  Unfortunately, this position was not what I thought it was. I notified the Co-founder that while I am immensely grateful for her lending me this opportunity, but I’ve decided to go in a different direction.