Retuta's Tumblr

So I hear that Tumblr is hiring designers, and after talking to my friend Julynn, she recommended I start a Tumblr campaign to try and get the job. Although I’m not that openly desperate to just bombard mine and anyone else’s Tumblog with “HIRE ME! HIRE ME! HIRE ME!,” I feel I am adequately and professionally qualified for this position. It’s a long shot that they’ll read/find this post, and a part of me feels that applying via a form on a website will not make me stand out (and don’t worry, I already did apply online). Still, it’s worth a shot to find a design job utilizing a creative, and most importantly, expressive way within the ever-changing web/media environment. And not just for Tumblr, but any permanent design aka “Hey, I’m An Adult! I Have A Salary!” job out there.

So here we go:

1) Yes, I am a Jack-Of-All-Trades in all things art and design. Just check out my portfolio.

I can do motion graphics and video.

I can make web sites and do print.

I can do interaction and visual design (I mean, I went to Parsons’ Design + Technology program for graduate school… all most of us did was code, prototype, user-test, repeat). Some may say I spread myself too thin with all these different skills, but rest assured, assign me to complete a task in a specialized area, and I will do it. And if I can’t do it, I will learn how to do it.

2) I’ve been making websites since 1998, since my sophomore year of high school, so I am more than comfortable with HTML and CSS. The first website I ever created was, of course, hosted on Geocities. I believe it was called the “Guatemalan Insane Mediocrity,” named after The Simpsons’ episode with the Guatemalan Insanity Peppers.

3) I have a little knowledge of Openframeworks/C++/Xcode. Though I can’t design a complete, functional mobile application, I can learn how to.

4) I have a keen eye for color, space, type, and details, in general. You should get that mole checked.

5) I do have a good sense of humor. No, seriously, you should get that mole checked.

6) I love Tumblr — and pretty much all things blogging and social media. Not only do I run this blog, but Indie Rawk Jeffro’s Indie Rawk Blog, based off my comic character, Indie Rawk Jeffro. So I understand the social and even psychological logistics of internet virality — if it’s funny, popular, and/or speaks to the hearts of a selected niche or more — it will be reblogged. Also, my Masters thesis was all about the study of blogging and social media and their impact on human identity and computer interaction… check out CharnelHouse here or read 73 pages worth of thesis documentation here.

7) Lastly, I consider myself a decent human being. Want me to bake you a cake with a video inside it? Sure. Watch your dog while you go on vacation? Okay. Photograph or host your party? Certainly. Turn you into a comic character and make a subsequent animation? Why not. I try my best to be nice and fun, and having me in yours or anyone’s company (both professional and “in general” terms) is always a good idea. Just ask around, like him, him, her, or people from some of the Chicago Tumblr Meetups.

The point being, having a nice, full-time job working in the design field would be beyond awesome, so if you — Tumblr  — or anyone reading this in the NYC area who has connections to a web/design firm, company, or boutique, hit me up at retuta[at]gmail[dot]com.

-pr.