I learned everything I know about my trade OUTSIDE of a classroom. Granted, I don't know everything there is to know, but I'm not a fan of learning useless things either. I grasped the concepts of my trade while I was on gigs, deconstructing and reconstructing into the wee hours of the night, watching real pros crank it out, following my gut and just plain getting things done.

The bottom line is, I need to understand my audience in order to do what I do. My audience is the consumer... Studies, polls, surveys, etc. may get you a little nitty gritty on the people who's money you're after, but how do you really get inside their heads?? You get into yours first.

Before anything else, I'm a consumer - a damn good one. I'm a woman; women are shoppers. I know exactly what I'm after, and I know exactly how to get to me... Know thyself - school won't teach you that.