Robin Daniel is Girl Friday. Robin is one of my dearest friends. I remember meeting Robin our freshman year at OSU in Stage Tech. We bonded over sushi in the student union and became fast friends. She is funny, smart, creative and cool. Robin is the Marketing Manager for David Sutherland and lives in Dallas Texas. We spent an afternoon at the Nasher Sculpture Center.

An average day for Robin:

The average day for me begins with snoozing through at least three alarm clocks. I'm not a morning person. Usually my days are spent behind a computer answering emails, on conference calls or in meetings. I'm the marketing manager for David Sutherland - a luxury interior design and furniture/fabric company. Our marketing department functions as an in-house creative agency and my role is to direct our advertising program, manage our brand websites, eblast program and function as a sort of internal producer for photo and video shoots. This week I've been in Los Angeles working on a shoot for our newest fabric collection. This shoot is definitely the largest I've helped coordinate but it's also been one of the most fun. Monday was spent flying to LA, picking up product and scouting locations. Tuesday the shoot focused on Rodeo Drive and Wednesday was on location at a gorgeous ranch in Thousand Oaks where we worked with a real Hollywood horse and trick rider (seriously--Willow the horse has his own IMDB). Of course not every week is this exciting, but it's nice to have a job that isn't always spent behind a desk.

A few things that inspire her:

Creatively, I'm inspired by my incredibly talented group of friends. Most of my friends are artistically inclined in some way or another. They challenge me to think off the grid and not get stuck. Emotionally, I'm inspired by my family. My mother has been a teacher for twenty years, dedicating her life to enrich the lives of others. If that's not inspiring I don't know what is. My father has been everything from my volley ball coach, financial adviser, therapist and greatest confidant. My brother is in the navy and has done two deployments, one most recently in Afghanistan. He's just the best guy around and the smartest and funniest person I know.

How she centers herself:

I really enjoy laughing at myself. One of the worst things you can do in life is to take yourself too seriously. Sure, bad things happen and things aren't always perfect but I try to keep everything in perspective. Things get better. The freak outs you have last week or last year can be a fun story to laugh about at dinner with friends today. One of the best gifts I've ever received is a 5 year journal. The journal asks one question every day for five years. I've been filling out the questions for about three years now and it's so interesting to see how the things I was worried about two years ago aren't even a blip on the radar now. It's a mantra that needs constant repeating but things usually work out just how they are supposed to. If you can read this blog you have so much more than most people in this world. Reminding myself of that keeps me grounded.

Besides that, a glass of wine and a pedicure can do wonders for the soul.

Keep up with Robin on Instagram. Be sure to "like" David Sutherland on Facebook.

Girl Friday - Robin Daniel