How It Started, How It's Going
I’ve romanticized writing and had contentious falling-outs. I think we should be friends.
I’ve always loved writing.
When I became a student journalist at the University of Utah, it was when I truly leaned into it and saw its potential. I remember proudly wearing our t-shirts emblazoned with our nickname–The Campus Storytellers.
My beat was arts and entertainment, mostly covering events like the Sundance Film Festival and interviewing musicians like the rap duo Atmosphere or the band Grouplove. At the time, it was something I did for fun. I made friends and got comp tickets to concerts where I could get free drinks if I wrote about them in our newspaper.
But the stories I enjoyed most were about everyday people in our community, like the Army veteran who taught yoga classes to fellow vets, or the local business owner who made elaborate artwork out of scrap metal. A particularly snooty editor once said they sounded like after-school specials. I rolled my eyes and laughed, but I guess it’s true, I’m a sucker for a heart-warming story.
When I began SEO writing, I pivoted to a mindset that balanced creativity and analysis. If I ever heard someone say they needed “placeholder text” or insinuate we were slapping content on a page, it was like nails on a chalkboard. While I had the best intentions of thoughtfully crafting a piece of content, I had to compromise for the deadlines and rankings of it all. There were some hard-fought battles.
By the time I became the team lead, I felt like a grizzled veteran, but I vowed to make it the best damn writing team that the company had ever seen. And that it is.
As I approach my seven-year anniversary, I’m reflecting on how that student newsroom experience became the catalyst for my professional journey. Especially now, back on campus in the MBA program, I’m rediscovering the power of storytelling across disciplines and how it adds soul to strategy and brings clarity to complexity. If data is the brain, storytelling is the heart. And business, I’m finding, needs both.
I’m Lauren Gutierrez. I’m here because I need an outlet where I can let my creative juices flow unabashedly. If you’re into writing, marketing, or business in general—I’m your girl. There will be a fresh post, hot off the presses, every other Monday. Paid subscribers, I’m assuming, you’re doing it out of the goodness of your hearts. But seriously, I’ll throw in an extra post and be sure to make it special for ya.