Unused Steinway

One of my first jobs out of Ad school was at a small, nationally-known creative boutique in Minneapolis.

My book was great and I was proud to be hired there. The school was too, and used it to advertise themselves.

But the agency was heavy into healthcare and the Clinton Healthcare Act killed the appetite from clients to spend.

Assignments dried up and I competed with award-winning art directors and writers for even the tiniest jobs — weekly flyers for low priced strawberries at the local chain grocery store and direct mail pieces for tooth brushes.

I began to compare my salary to other things. Cars, vacations, furniture sets. Nothing seemed right. Then, I settled on the image of a baby Steinway.

That’s what I was. A baby Steinway that was being unused.

The negativity of my mind never ceases to amaze me.