Written by Nicholas Hammond, photos by Nick Thomsen and courtesy of Nicholas Hammond
Before my first day starting at Walt Disney Imagineering, I had a crystal clear vision of what the workspace and job would be like: very organized, streamlined design with a continual reworking of things until they reached perfection. However, in that first week of work, I truly realized just what I had just gotten myself into. One of the things that stood out right away was how much was actually going on at the same time within the company. Teams of designers, engineers, fabricators and everyone in between passing the baton from group to group with a singular goal of making it to the finish line of a project, just in time for a new one to start to pick up momentum.
Being thrown into the project on the first day, I realized that I was going to have to learn new programs, gain knowledge and skills to become a valuable member of the team, fast. In the first few weeks, I powered away at these new skills to make myself the asset that I needed to be. Being able to adapt has truly made me reliable. One of my proudest moments so far took place in a meeting where we discussed what needed to be done, and my team member [without a second thought] handed me a list of tasks because she knew they would get done quickly and efficiently.
I think the skill of adapting truly came from my time at SCAD. In both my classes and my positions in Residence Life and Housing and SCAD Serve, I always had to think on my feet, making decisions on the fly. In the real world, there truly is no other way to be. If you can figure out how to morph and power up to the position at hand, you have the capability to be successful anywhere.
Outside of work, when I am not attempting to learn a new program or make sure that I’m prepared for the days to come, it’s been strange having some time to myself. The pleasures of reading books and even binge-watching Netflix shows have come back into my life. I truly forgot how wonderful that can be. Having already spent a summer in Orlando, it’s been about finding some of the hole in the wall places throughout the city. And of course, I have been taking advantage of going to theme parks while I can. From traveling to a land in a galaxy far, far away to waiting seven hours for a ride on a magical motorcycle with Hagrid, I am making sure to soak in every moment.
Looking towards the next few months of the internship, I plan on continuing to learn and grow as a designer and as a professional in the industry. I know that opportunity is boundless if I leave myself open to anything that is thrown my way. I am excited to make connections and see where the magic takes me.
