the adventure begins

Remember that whole blog post about following happiness wherever it leads? Yeah... well low and behold, here I am, in the midst of its pesky grasp.

Today is an awesome day because I'm beginning a new adventure in my life. Again. (Yeah, when I told you I had life ADD, I really wasn't kidding.) It's a move that I've made with many weeks of careful consideration and contemplation, and one that many of you may not understand (or even agree with.) However, for those of you that have been reading this lil blog from the beginning, it's probably clear to you that I value happiness and creativity above all else, and this move is one that will allow me to maximize both.

As of today I will be joining IWearYourShirt.com to help manage client relations and marketing strategy in 2012.

Now you may be scratching your head. Yes, this is the company that my boyfriend, Jason Sadler, started in 2009. And yes, this is the same boyfriend that I live with. And yes, I'm aware that it is a scenario that has the potential to be absolutely disastrous.

But I don't think it will be, and here's why.

Before I ever knew Jason Sadler the person, I knew IWearYourShirt (IWYS) the company. You could even say I fell in love with the business long before I ever fell in love with the man behind the business. When I first heard of IWYS, I was president of our advertising club, Ad Society, at the University of Florida in early 2010. I've been passionate about advertising and marketing since my freshman year of college (though my parents could argue it's been longer as I was making up silly commercials and jingles from the time I was young.) I've also been passionate about social media since around that time. I think the constant evolution of both advertising and social media lends itself well to my restless attention span. Anyway, I remember hearing about Jason's idea and being completely intrigued. I truly believe he's pioneering a new form of advertising where it becomes less about what companies want to say about themselves, and more about what people want to tell their peers about a company.

As I became friends with Jason, somewhere along the line we began a personal relationship. Because of that relationship, I've been able to see first-hand what it takes to run IWYS behind the scenes. I've been lucky enough to help out on everything from strategy and brainstorming to even some design and administrative stuff. But honestly, I was always a little sad that I wasn't able to do more. Having a full-time job as a Social Media Manager took up quite a chunk of my time (as those things called "jobs" tend to do... ugh) so I never felt that I was able to help the business as much as I wanted to. Until now.

I feel a little bit like the luckiest girl in the world because I've always wanted to be a part of a company where every ounce of my hard work is being poured into something where I can see the benefits directly. I am so passionate about this idea, this company, and especially all of the community members and friends that Jason and his team have managed to acquire. While I've always felt a close connection to that community, now I finally get to spend the time interacting with it that I've always wanted. Like I said, luckiest girl in the world.

Jason and I both know that this is unknown territory. It's impossible to keep the line between personal and professional completely clear, but we are committed to doing our best. We both respect each other's opinions, and in this new professional capacity, I definitely respect him as the boss. At the end of the day it's his company and I just want to do everything I can to help it succeed. (Not gonna lie though, I'll make sure he remembers that when we're "at home" he most certainly is not the boss. :) )

Anyway, thank you to my family, Jason's family, my friends and the IWYS community members that have expressed their support. I'm the happiest I can be when I'm doing what I love, and this is proof of the fact that I truly do follow my heart wherever it takes me. It's simply who I am.

Now with that said, if you'll excuse me, I've got to get to work.