It was my last week commuting to New York when I first heard about the coronavirus. If I wasn’t already excited to be ditching public transit for a new role just 10 minutes up the road from my house… I was now.

Something was comforting about getting out of the city during this time of growing panic. Surely this new, mysterious virus would only affect major metropolitan areas and not make it all the way into my little city in New Jersey.

Cut to two weeks later. I just started a new job at an eclectic advertising agency in Montclair, New Jersey. Everything about it was exciting, from the varied creative projects to the dogs running around the office to being employed by people who understand the importance of work/life balance. Did I mention it’s 10 minutes away from my house?

No sooner did I settle into my desk was I packing it up. That new nasty pathogen that was sure to not affect us in the 'burbs? Turns out, global pandemic! So off I went to experience this phenomenon known as “working from home.”

As I write this it is only my second week at the agency, and despite working out of my apartment for about 50% of that time, I was able to help launch an entire creative campaign for a client. I think that speaks to the level of passion and commitment that my new team has to their work and each other. Despite not being under the same roof, we’ve managed to collaborate and project manage (okay, and send a few funny WFH memes.)

Working remotely in a creative role is not always ideal, but I’ve learned so much already; new collaborative tools, how to adjust to changing client needs quickly, and... that if no one is around to bounce ideas off of, I will resort to seeking feedback from my cat. She has a lot of opinions.

I feel lucky that I can do my job remotely during this uncertain time, but I look forward to being back in the office with my fellow Looneys soon. Did I mention it’s only 10 minutes away?