Reflection on Growth, Challenges, and Takeaways
Personal and Professional Growth
Throughout this internship, I have experienced significant growth as a designer, collaborator, documentarian, strategist, and problem-solver. I entered the role with a strong foundation in design and illustration. However, this internship challenged me to adapt those skills in real-time, often with limited guidance, tight timelines, and nuanced sensitivities around artist consent, intellectual property, and institutional voice. This growth is a testament to the opportunities and challenges this internship provided.
One of the most significant growth areas was learning to balance autonomy with responsibility. I was entrusted with crucial tasks such as event photography, creating public-facing content, designing invitations and zines, reorganizing archival material, and building a custom CRM system from scratch. This experience boosted my confidence in self-directed learning and enhanced my research, UX thinking, and operational design skills.
This internship taught me that the impact of good design is not always immediately visible. Sometimes, the system works quietly in the background, ensuring the smooth operation of a space.
Pain Points and Challenges
Undoubtedly, this role was not without its challenges. The most significant difficulty was managing the high level of responsibility while navigating the lack of formal structure. Because the organization is tiny, I often made judgment calls without much direction, sometimes leaving me second-guessing whether my choices aligned with the team’s broader goals. These challenges, however, were instrumental in my growth and learning.
In addition, it was challenging to balance the demands of the internship with the rest of my life. As a full-time student taking five classes, working multiple jobs, living alone, freelancing, managing chronic health issues, and serving as president of the Ink Club, there were moments when the workload felt overwhelming. I wish the internship had included more structured check-ins or clearly defined learning outcomes to help pace my growth and affirm when I was on the right track.
One area that could be improved is the implementation of a short weekly debrief or written reflection check-in. This would have been invaluable in helping me process my work and receive consistent feedback, which is crucial for personal and professional growth.
What I Would Change
If I suggest one key change to the program, it would be more support around setting goals and measuring growth throughout the internship. While I appreciated the freedom to work independently, a midpoint review or a short project plan would help future interns clarify their direction and feel more ownership over their learning.
The organization should also create a brief onboarding document or style guide. As someone who designs invitations, zines, and social media content, having even a few guidelines around voice, tone, and visual language helped streamline my creative process early on.
Highlights and Positives
Despite the challenges, this internship was incredibly valuable. I appreciated the trust that was placed in me and the wide range of tasks I was allowed to tackle. I was not limited to “intern” work. Instead, I was treated as a key contributor to the organization’s day-to-day operations.
Some of my proudest moments include:
- Designing and printing a zine showcasing current artists
- Photographing and editing coverage of live events
- Sending international mail and navigating customs processes
- Archiving decades of publications and organizing physical materials
- Designing a new digital CRM system and teaching staff how to use it
This internship affirmed my ability to do good work and work that supports other people’s creativity.
Conclusion
This internship has pushed me in all the right ways. It challenged my flexibility, my ability to self-manage, and my creative problem-solving under real-world conditions. While I experienced moments of stress and imbalance, I also found clarity in the work I want to do—thoughtful, multidisciplinary, and impact-driven. I’m grateful for the opportunity, proud of my accomplishments, and confident in what comes next.