1. Walking is the best form of exercise

In New York you can walk everywhere…or at least walk to the subway which will take you everywhere! This was a little bit of a shock coming from Iowa where it’s a twenty minute drive just to get into town. Walking hasn’t really been an option. The first few weeks living in the city, my legs were a little mad at me… I was walking to work, walking to and from the garment district to visit factories, walking home, walking to dinner, walking to the store and walking just for an escape. I left NYC with the strongest legs I’ve ever had and motivation to keep walking as part of my daily routine.

2. Spend time in places that inspire you

Some of my favorite memories of living in New York are the days I spent in places that spoke to my heart. I would visit the MET often and spend my lunch breaks wandering through the art galleries in Chelsea. There is no lack of shopping in the big city and don’t get me wrong, the top design houses are very inspiring but I found it more rewarding to spend time in the places where those designers were inspired. In front of famous paintings, and surrounded by other art forms besides fashion. Somedays it was tempting to stay in my (very small) apartment, drink some tea and watch a movie but I never regretted exploring the culture and artwork all around me. I also found that I was more productive when I went somewhere else to get work done.

3. Dive in head first

If I have learned anything in the past few years it is that your life isn’t going to fall into place if your don’t take initiative to put it together. Before applying the my internship I would have never thought I would spend a semester in New York and I definitely did not think I was prepared to make that kind of jump. When the opportunity arose I decided to go for it and apply even though I wasn’t fully confident in my skill set. Before I knew it I was on a plane to New York with one too many suitcases and only an idea of what the big city would be like. Fast forward a few months and I am so much more confident in my career path, my skills and the apparel industry itself. Without taking that jump I don’t think that I would be as mature, knowledgeable or as good of a designer and I am so glad I chose to dive on in.