CLEVELAND – A few of you have been wondering if the recent funnel with Marc Jacobs is real. The answer is yes. A friend in the industry referred the gig to me, and for that I’m indebted.
The opportunity is unusual because the interview process begins online — through the company’s Twitter account. The guy heading their Twitter and social media is parting ways with the fashion icon, and they’re committed to hiring their next “Tweeter” via witty and entertaining tweets submitted by qualified candidates.
Pursuing individuals privy to the brand and vision of the label (referring to its “DNA” and how they are all a tight-knit family), the international fashion house is currently flying select tweeters from near and far to New York City for an interview. Jacobs, currently Creative Director of the French design house Louis Vuitton, will also pick up the relocation tab for whomever lands the coveted position. The designer is even holding TweetUps (an event where you meet, network and/or interview with connections in your Twitterverse pipeline) in Miami and select locations.
I’ll admit, I was skeptical at first, since I had originally gotten wind of the news before its validity was confirmed during the recent impromptu Vegas/Santa Barbara trip. Now I’m caught up in a new machine, another movement where, as my high school music theory teacher called it, I can revel in the process of becoming.
For More about Marc Jacobs, Click On One of the Elephants
I feel like I’m 18 again, when I was traveling and auditioning for music schools/conservatories, and preparing the debut of Mozart’s 23rd Concerto during my final concert in high school. Man, I wish someone had captured video of it (a framed portrait from the museum in Salzburg and white roses from the conductor, a Vinyl copy of the night and standing ovation later more than sufficed though. No right to complain lol). There’s no other way to explain the anticipation you get before a performance other than sheer adrenaline, like this euphoric tonic of nerves and gumption. And then the lights come on, and the trance begins.
It’s the feeling I had the day leading up to the blog debut, that feeling where you’re hanging over a cliff or bridge (growing up I used to base-jump with friends/family where we vacationed in Combermere, Ontario) by an infinitesimal thread –and it finally snaps. It’s the momentary stomach lurch before stepping onto the ice at North Atlantic Regionals — where I placed 3rd in my division that night (after being the only one to remain vertical), or the biennial Empire State Games in Lake Placid as a young boy, training for the Olympics and thinking I’d be the next Scott Hamilton.
Or staring down that fast break darting across the lacrosse field, unfazed by the Goliath defender in my wake. I’m no longer thinking or doing, I’m just lost in the moment. Nothing else matters, eyes opened; closed — time and space becomes superfluous. For once, I’m in a place where there’s no pain, just wide open space. It’s surrreal…cathartic.
Lake Placid, NY >> Click for alternate view
So where am I going with this, you might ask. I’m talking about doing what you love, and having the courage and nerve to chase your dreams, in spite of others’ (and especially your own) pessimism. As mentioned in my first article, it’s about Going Where Others Are Not and transcending the things or people that will inevitably try to limit your potential. About asking, why not? when others ask why, about rising to the occasion and delivering when others underestimate you.
And yet, it’s still not about silencing critics. The journey to self-fulfillment and enlightenment is yours, and yours alone. No one else can or will do it for you, nor should they. The question is, what are you willing to sacrifice? A relationship? Friends? Pride? Family’s religion; expectations? Financial security? And after that, how committed are you to making it a reality?
Olympic Center
Though I grew up in upstate New York, I’ve never been to “the City.” Most people don’t believe me when I say that, but I kid you not: It’s one of the few places I’ve yet to go, and I know I’d love it. Vegas is fun to visit, but living there wasn’t so much.
I have a feeling I’ll love the sights, sounds and smells of creativity that permeate the culture in NYC, and know it’d also be a bittersweet reunion with friends and family in the area. My heart is with New York, California and Cleveland –it’s simply a matter of who launches my career first. Only time will tell.
To check out the fashion house’s and my Tweets, you can follow the history at http://twitter.com/#!/byron_fernandez/favorites or simply stay in touch with me on Twitter, either through my Gravatar or the Twitter widget on the blog Home page.
Till next time! …
Byron Isaac 