AHHHHH! Tracey Mammolito is one of my all-time favorite people. She and I met twenty years ago when we were starting out in our fashion careers — she a “junior designer” and I a “junior merchandiser” at the behemoth at the time, Liz Claiborne, Inc. We worked on the same brands, Lizsport and Lizgolf which meant we were in every meeting together, working together on samples, velcro paper dolls and prepping for finalization meetings. We quickly became great friends and spent almost every lunch huddled in a conference room discussing the day’s craziness. I SWEAR we coined the term, “Work smarter, not harder”.
We became friends not just in the conference room but in the dark room and the workout room, too. We took a photography class together as a hobby (you’ll see how this provided the seed for her new career) and she was also my first spin class instructor, back when it was just called “spin class”. Tracey is a hustler (in the friendliest of ways) which helps her in her new career, and always has something creative brewing up her sleeve. Get inspired by Tracey’s Transition Tuesday story:
Transition Tuesday: Apparel Designer to Photographer
What was your previous career / title? Apparel Designer & Merchandiser (escalating roles up to Sr Product Manager and Design Director).
What did your day-to-day look like in your previous career? As a designer and merchandiser, my days were spent either designing or managing an entire product line of apparel (including 250 items a year) and managing a staff. Plus meetings. Traveling. Presentations. Meetings. Putting out fires. Meetings. Making decisions. Meetings. Paperwork. Meetings.
What is your career / title now? Now, I’m a freelance photographer and fitness instructor.
What does your day-to-day look like now? My days are never the same. Some hours I’m shooting; some hours i’m scouting and brainstorming; some hours I’m editing images; some hours I’m self-marketing and some hours I’m networking and applying to gigs. Oh, and some hours I’m teaching fitness classes!!
Oddly, I’m thankful that I was laid off from my last full-time job. . .
What is your affordable luxury indulgence when you have alone time? Hmmm…probably either swimming or other exercise while tuning out to music. It sounds so basic, but as a fitness instructor I’m constantly “On” and it’s my job to motivate my clients, correct/focus on their form, ensure music, room conditions and equipment are all perfect and sometimes be their “therapist”. So it’s actually a luxury to just put headphones on and play: no competition, no one else staring at or judging me, no one expecting me to pick them up —> just me & the music.
Head on over to Tracey’s photography website and follow her @tracey_mammolito on Instagram.
Read the other Transtion Tuesday posts and get inspired by career transitions from Laura, Lisa, Chassidy and me!