What New Agency comes from a complete global reset?

By Gabriela Grozavu

​In the view of the pandemic, my trajectory for DPS year changed as I came back to my home country Romania. What I thought at the beginning that it’s going to last for 3 months maximum, it is clearly that it’s length is extending with even more changes in our lives.
As I am sitting in my bedroom, which also became an improvised working space, I analyze the objects I have around me. The hand sanitizer besides a hand-cream are the things that make a difference now. Why should I have them before?
I also see 2 different sketchbooks along 2 agendas. One is for my new job and the other for my other projects and mind sanity. Before the pandemic, I used to have only a blue diary and a sketchbook. This is because it was easier to separate my life from work. This changed, as I am spending my work life and my personal life in the same space, they tend to collide into one. Therefore, I need to have order in my life, at least on paper.
The process of preparing my portfolio was harder than I firstly thought. During the summer, all I did was just to get a lot of freelance work in order to have something more professional looking to add to it. The longest and hardest part was to categorize all my artworks. I realized that I have so many styles, I experimented with so many materials and mediums that my work is anything but commercial. And I wanted to apply for studios where it seemed that this was a must. 

Some of the elements I put in my portfolio

​Surprisingly, I had 28 pages in my portfolio. The maximum was 10 pages. The content should show my skills, interest, experimentation, professionalism. I put so much pressure for it to be good. I was so upset that I did not have a certain style. That I was in too many places, in so many dimensions-from sculpture, to Blender, to stop motion to illustration and fine art.  Why am I not coherent?  Was the question that I was frequently asking myself.
It's been some time now since I started to reconsider the trajectory of my career. I want to use my skills for good. I want to spend my time knowing that my work can have some sort of positive impact. I knew how my dream Agency would look like. But I haven’t seen it yet. I was, at least, happy that I knew where to look for it.
In my process of searching for places to apply for, I suddenly came up on something on Instagram. It was a Romanian newsroom. I haven’t heard of it before, even it has a history of 11 years. It is usually known by its abbreviation “D.o.R”(from “just a magazine”) which is actually a word itself meaning the action of missing something or someone deeply.
Since I discovered them, the DoR Universe appeal to my exactly the work environment I wanted to be part of. Besides being so full of life in their visuals; their articles and content was focused on the issues that our society is confronting with, from racism to inequality, to abuse and environmental problems. They presented the problem from different perspectives, as well as offering solutions when were needed. I loved the energy and care they put in everything they did. My new goal was to work for them. 

The gift I made for them after one month of working together

I followed university advice and my curiosity and I started to look closely at what they publish, listening to their podcasts and digging for as much info about them, how is newsroom inside, who is working there, what they needed . I was getting more and more enthusiastic with every discovery. After 3 months I felt that I could find my words to write them a letter. My portfolio was ready. My Social media presence and blog updated. This was the last step. And, in the way I felt it, my favorite. It was my chance to express in words my admiration towards them and to raise a hand to use my super-powers to be part in this process of making a change in this country. It was my chance to be part of a healthy team. It was my chance to be part of something. Something good.
 
I sent them the letter besides my portfolio, links to my accounts, from Linked in, to Behance, Instagram, WordPress. Everything that made my virtual identity. After 5 minutes, I had a new follower on my Instagram. Then another one. Then another one. It was them. After 20 minutes of waiting, in agony and extasy, they replied to my email saying that they enjoyed “my experimental style”. Yes, there was it! A name that encompasses my style, my portfolio, my continuum looking for self-expression. Experimental! They proposed a interview for the next day. It was amazing. Definitely something else. They were excited by my excitement. They said I will fit well in their team.
I am working as an illustrator and animator for a 4-month Contract. I do illustrations for their articles; I also animate illustrations made by other artists in order to promote the content on Social Media. I do promotional materials from editable folders; I help with anything I can and it’s needed. Sometimes I propose stuff and they help me to make it happen. 

The illustration I made for an article, which was actually my favorite.

During those 3 months, I might have renewed my portfolio. I did more work now than I had in one year of university. I like that I need to produce things fast and I get an immediate feedback. I like that my work is shown in the world by them and not by myself. I like when, on Slack (the program we use for internal discussions) they use emoji to express their enthusiasm.
Cristi, the editor chief is almost all the time checking on us if we are okay as well as constantly reminding us, though his example, the purpose of DoR. To help people feel less alone and build communities. To show that we do mistakes as people and as a society, but there are ways to correct them. Anyways, in their organization, it a big focus on the people who are working. It is an inside community first.
As my time there finishes, I cannot be anything less than grateful for the experience and lessons learnt and I am now excited for new experiences and challenges. I am also working alongside with a writer to illustrate a book about “Famous Romanians” and With the new skills acquired in this role I am feel more prepared to go forward with the publishing process.
In conclusion, I think that the new agency that comes from a complete global reset should be like a DoR, a collaborative place where you all get along well, where there is no competition, where  help each other, know each other and you share a common goal that has the purpose to make the world, at least a little bit better.