By Sydney Garde – Senior Account Manager

When I talk about how I got into PR and digital marketing, I usually start with this: I created my first Instagram account at 10 years old — during the platform’s first year in 2010. That tends to get a dropped jaw, but it was a very different era, when social media felt simpler and, in many ways, safer. Then, by the time I was 12, I had bought my first camera and was already experimenting with what we now call content creation, long before it became a buzzword.

But if we go back even earlier, creativity has always been a constant in my life.

My earliest influences came from my family. My late grandma and great grandpa were some of the most incredible artists I had ever seen, who flourished in all methods of drawing and painting. My grandma, especially, filled my childhood with hands-on creativity, from decoupaging Easter eggs to decorating candles and painting rocks we collected from her pond. She made creativity feel playful, accessible and part of everyday life.

That carried through with my mom, who kept our house stocked with endless art supplies and made sure my sister and I always had the option to create something. She took every opportunity to get us outside with sidewalk chalk — and in case you didn’t know, the best time to draw with chalk is right after it rains.

And as much as my dad tries to hide it, he is an incredible artist too. While we can rarely convince him to sit down and paint with us, he has always found practical outlets for his talents, like designing and building the most epic childhood swing set for my sister and me.

Creativity didn’t just surround me and my sister; it evolved with us. My sister now knows her way around a pottery wheel like nobody else and has recently started teaching classes. She was also the one who convinced me last year to take a jewelry-making class with her at her studio, which felt like a full-circle moment.

Looking back, I can’t help but think how incredibly lucky I am. It’s clear that the foundation my family built gave me the confidence to explore different creative outlets, from photography and modeling to journaling and writing poetry. None of it felt forced; it just felt like a natural extension of how I was raised.

What I didn’t fully realize at the time is how directly those experiences would translate into my career.

Modeling and freelancing taught me professionalism early on; how to manage my time, communicate with different personalities and understand the importance of building a strong personal brand. It also gave me an understanding of visual storytelling and how presentation shapes perception, which directly translates into marketing and PR today.

Journaling and poetry gave me the freedom to write creatively without the pressure of perfection. Over time, that helped me develop adaptability in my writing style and confidence in communicating ideas, both of which are essential when working across different brands, audiences and campaigns.

Years of experimenting with photography and content creation also taught me how to think visually and strategically at the same time. Long before I understood analytics or engagement rates, I was already learning what captures attention, tells a story and connects with people online. That made my transition into working at a digital marketing and PR agency feel seamless, allowing me to adapt quickly to different brand voices, perspectives and visual identities.

When I think about where I am now in life and in my career, it doesn’t feel accidental. It feels like the natural progression of everything that came before.

If there’s one piece of advice worth carrying through every stage of your career, it’s this: don’t stop trying new things. Your brain needs to understand that failure is part of the process and that everyone starts somewhere. Some of the interests or hobbies that seem small today may eventually become the very skills that shape your future career. And just as importantly, fill your life with people, environments and opportunities that challenge you, inspire you and align with where you want to go, both inside and outside of the office.