“Wait, you’re not paying them?” were the first words a student proclaimed when they learned that the professionals who welcomed us into their workplaces were volunteering their time and expertise. Lesson number one: careers are guided by mentoring relationships; invest in building strong ones. Lesson number two: lead with gratitude. Thank you to the alumni and other professionals who strengthen the work of the CLS.
From October 19–22, I traveled with eleven students to explore career pathways in the Arts, Media & Communications Career Community on the Creative Careers Trek to the Twin Cities. This trek is part of a larger model for career-focused student travel in the CLS. Students spend time with alumni and external hosts to learn firsthand about possible career trajectories and the fields they work in.
When selecting hosts, I prioritized variety and professions that are not well represented on campus or locally—photojournalism, landscape architecture, progressive art studios, and nonprofit book publishing—alongside host availability.
On Monday morning we met Ben Brewer ’11, a Director of Photography and Photojournalist who creates stories for some of the world’s most recognized brands and agencies, as well as editorial giants like The New York Times, Reuters, and Bloomberg. The “trekkers” and I joined Ben at Slate Studios for a career talk, Q+A, and group portrait photoshoot. Brewer studied Biochemistry and Neuroscience at Grinnell, so he developed his photography practice outside of the classroom as a member of the Scarlet & Black, and through internships. Ben offered countless words of wisdom, but trekkers particularly appreciated his advice for effective storytelling. What is the story only you can tell? For students on the trek considering a freelance-aligned career, the gap between college and career seems especially daunting. Brewer’s advice: “Going from doing it for fun to doing it every day. That is what separates a hobby from a job.” Lesson number three: Consistency matters more than talent or passion alone.
Our portrait photo shoot provided a casual and participatory setting for group bonding early in the trek. Many thanks to Noah Biniam ’26 for the beautiful recap video.
As heavy rain began to fall in the afternoon, Laura Kamin-Lyndgaard ’00, Director of the landscape architecture firm Coen + Partners, welcomed us into the office as we shed our coats and umbrellas. We had planned a walking tour of the firm’s major projects in the city, including the landmark Peavey Plaza restoration and Minneapolis Central Library. It was Laura who first proposed that we monitor the radar and try to weave our way around the city. I took a vote amongst the students—nine to two in favor of a walk in a rainstorm toward Peavey Plaza. Kamin-Lyndgaard considers Peavey a “career making” project because of its locality and resulting improvements in sustainability, community use, and ADA accessibility. She has built her career on principles developed by studying theatre design and German at Grinnell. Adaptability is at the heart of her work; every design, like any good postgrad plan, should leave room for growth, change, and what cannot be projected. Lesson number four: Expect and prepare for the unpredictable.
Tuesday morning began with a visit to Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, a progressive art studio that provides workspace and professional development for artists with disabilities. Lizzy Hinman-LeDoux ’20 is a performing arts instructor and administrative assistant. Lizzy and the performers had just concluded their fall mainstage production, yet welcomed us with her contagious enthusiasm. We toured the Center’s performance spaces, studios, and spent time with works of art currently on view. We gathered in a circle of folding chairs in the gallery as Hinman-LeDoux carefully balanced sharing her immense love for her role and the realities of work in nonprofit institutions. Students presented questions on maintaining healthy work-life balance when working a job that is closely tied to one’s sense of self. Lesson number five: “There is a difference between hard working and overworking.”
Our final site visit brought us to Milkweed Editions, a nonprofit book publisher best known for publishing Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass. The impetus for this visit embodies a career development lesson in itself: we were there because of a cold call. Daniel Slager, CEO of Milkweed Editions, is not an alum or otherwise affiliated with Grinnell College. I emailed Anessa Ibrahim, Milkweed’s administrative coordinator, about my interest in bringing students to learn about nonprofit publishing from one of the best. To my surprise, Milkweed enthusiastically accepted. Lesson number six: take calculated risks.
Slager’s publishing career began with freelance reader reports, translation, and editorial work alongside his PhD. He shared advice on expressing “demonstrated interest” as an early career applicant and centered Milkweed’s mission to foster community development and mentor artists. Slager recounted the story of how creative director Mary Austin Speaker joined Milkweed. “Mary walked up to our table at the Iowa City Book Festival and pitched herself. She had worked at the best places.” Lesson number seven: put yourself in situations where opportunities arise.
Mary Austin Speaker joined the conversation on a Zoom call from California, where she lives full time. She designs the interiors and covers for all of Milkweed’s publications. Speaker holds an MFA in creative writing, but she “wanted to keep [her] writing brain for [her] own work.” As she held examples of her work up to the camera, she introduced important considerations, both haptic and practical. Mary considers a book’s form, most importantly, in relation to the body, but also to the size of a bookshelf in a bookstore. How to get started in book design? “Publish other people’s chapbooks. Working with an author is key.” Lesson number eight: collaborate with the people around you.
Our trek wouldn’t have been possible without our hosts, but it was made memorable by the sincere engagement of the students who attended. Over shared meals at local restaurants, we narrated childhood stories, reflected on philosophical questions, and prioritized being present with one another. We sat with the lessons our hosts foregrounded and practiced a few more. Lesson number nine: when you feel the urge to reach for your phone, resist it. Stumble through small talk with a peer. Scribble something in your notebook. Make a swan out of a napkin. Be here, now.
What have the trekkers been up to since mid-October? An artist and a poet are collaborating on chapbooks, as Speaker advised. A record label is in the works. Students are applying to graduate school, strengthening their portfolios, and thinking more sincerely about how to invest in their communities.
While our visit to the Twin Cities only lasted a few days, my sincere hope is that our hosts’ lessons will reverberate and shape these eleven students for the rest of their time at Grinnell, and perhaps beyond. Lesson number ten, then, is for each student to discover in the years ahead.
As Ben Brewer reflected after our visit, these are “the kind of conversations that remind you how much possibility lives at the start of a career.”
