Jill Barlow-Kelley

Her Work: Internship program director and works with career services and career development at a local college.

“I am always excited to drive to work” says Ms. Barlow-Kelley. She then says that often times “when I pull into the driveway in the morning I’m like ‘hey, I hope people are noticing that I work here.’” She says this job “really feeds my soul… It’s really my identity in some ways and it’s a very positive thing for me.”

She tells me with her words and her hands that “the free flow of space and air in this office is really perfect. I don’t need a view of the ocean because this office is most of the time light and airy from outdoor light.” She tells me how “light and space has a lot to do with my sense of well being.”

Ms. Barlow-Kelley addresses a subject not talked about in any other interview. She says “It’s a very upbeat floor here we have the lights on in the half as opposed to the other floors of this building that are kind of dark and dreary.” She explains to me how throughout the day she is walking to other offices and how the whole floor feels like her domain. She tells me she likes the fact that she works in an office but that she’s not confined to working just at her desk all day.

Her large desk surface has several small piles of paperwork that all signify things needing attention. She purposefully organizes her paper work this way so that these things are present but she can still work on what is directly on her plate at the moment without feeling cluttered. Ms. Barlow-Kelley says the workspace “matches who I am.”

Themes: perfect, so me, challenging, rewarding, stimulating, educational, fun, variety, comfortable, identity.