Advice I gave to a recent Syracuse Alum. (That's where I went to school)

You have some pretty boss work on your website. It's also easy to use. Both are very important.

One of the things that helped me was to continually work on new projects for my portfolio. Sometimes it can be frustrating. You can feel like you're putting in all this time and effort into things that aren't real just to impress people who have no idea who you are. But by doing so, you're constantly becoming better, more agile, more thoughtful, and most importantly, more mature.

Finding work in this business is not always easy. People will be able to tell if you don't have the drive or the devotion, or if you have no problem being complacent. Sometimes, it isn't always about pure skill or experience, but the hunger you have to constantly be better.

That being said, cast a wide net. Not everyone is going to understand you or your work. And that's okay. But don't set your sights on only the big shops or the little shops. Think of bad ass campaigns you like, national or local, and try to get in to those places for an interview. I applied to an agency in Colorado once based on local ads created for the craft brewer Breckenridge. I've never even been to Colorado, but those ads are amazing and I wanted to be a part of them.

I think most importantly, love your work, but also hate your work. When you go into an interview or a sit-down with someone to go over your work, you have to be proud of every single piece that's in there. Not pretend to be, but actually be. When sharing it with others, you have to be 100% confident about what you're showing. And then as soon as all of that is done and it's just you and your work, you have to almost hate it so that you won't be afraid to make it better or to take the criticisms others have into consideration. And again, always be thinking of new, bitchin' work to do. Doesn't even have to be advertising. Creative types these days love to see how you think and problem-solve outside of the world of advertising. If you have drawings, stories, poems, or a blog that you're okay with sharing, do it.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a copywriter. And as such, I apologize for the lengthy response. Hope it is helpful. Best of luck to you in NYC. Take care,