As part of an ongoing series highlighting young talent in the industry, Branding in Asia presents “One Under 30” – a special feature focusing on up-and-coming talent in the ad world, one person at a time.
This time we talk to Skolastika Rosari Rustian, a 22-year-old Copywriter at Lup Weiss in Jakarta.
Over the course of our conversation, she talks about her first break in the industry, what she loves about the work, what she’s not so crazy about it, and more.
The Basics
Name: Skolastika Rosari Rustian
Age: 22
Agency: Lup Weiss
Position: Copywriter
Hometown: Jakarta, Indonesia
Current Location: Jakarta, Indonesia
Education: Atma Jaya Catholic University, Bachelor of Law
Seven Questions
How did you get your first break in the industry?
I love writing and I’ve always loved it ever since I was a very young child. Turns out, I’ve been doing copywriting my whole life without knowing it. When I was in elementary school, I sold stationery to my classmates at three times the original price.
I don’t remember precisely what I wrote back then, but I managed to convince people that it is a must have item. I also made quite a lot of money for a 4th grader.
So, I continue to sell stuff with written words until I discover that this thing is called copywriting. I have my way with words and I am excellent at convincing people. Might as well make money out of it, right?
What is your personal mantra?
“Now if you never shoot, you’ll never know.” It’s my favorite lyric from my favorite band. It means if you never try, you’ll never know what could have been.
Isn’t that the worst feeling in the world, to never know what could have been because you were too scared to do something out of your comfort zone. If we never take risks, we’ll never know what we’re capable of.
This mantra motivates me to shoot my shot to be a copywriter at LUP Jakarta. Now, I’m able to say that I’m so happy and proud of the decision I made.
From what person, place or thing have you drawn your greatest creative inspiration?
My greatest creative inspiration comes from two words: anywhere and everywhere.
It can come from conversations I have with my friends and family that provide new perspectives. It can also come from books I read, films and TV shows that I watch, music, nature, and basically everything I see in my daily life.
Sometimes it also comes from unexpected sources, like that one time I got an idea just by looking at my dog sleeping peacefully. So, it’s important to keep an open mind and be open to new ideas and experiences.
What do you love about the job?
I love what I do. Being a copywriter includes getting super excited about closing a new project and then freaking out about all the work that you have to do. It is a whole roller coaster ride and I enjoy every single bit of it.
I love the burst of inspiration I get when a great idea seems to come out of nowhere. I love laboring over an idea or a copy so much that the final product looks so easy, so effortless, when it wasn’t at all. I still get energized by a looming deadline, often creating some of my best work.
What about your job are you not so crazy about?
Definitely the unending back-and-forth revisions, it’s exhausting.
What is some work you’ve done that you’re most proud of?
From the moment I joined Lup, out of all, The “Stuck by Fortune” or “Durian Runtuh” campaign has got to be the one I dare to call my most proud work so far, because this was my first ever project i’ve done with minimum knowledge and a fraction of the experience compared to what I’ve gained while working in Lup. On top of that, I know close to nothing about stock trading.
Saham Rakyat by Samuel Sekuritas is a stock trading app that wants to educate Indonesian people about trading to make trading a lot less complicated.
We created this campaign to let people know that by trading stocks in Saham Rakyat, they can get an extra fortune because Saham Rakyat collaborates with Ultra Voucher. Wiith every trading transaction within the app earning points that can be exchanged for a variety of shopping vouchers from Ultra Voucher.
If you had to choose another career what would it be?
Probably a forensic psychologist/criminologist as a career path because it’s the main reason I majored in law.
