I am a success antihero.
I’m Jessica M.H. Smith, UX writer, copywriter, and content strategist. I’m a success antihero, unconventionally successful and fearlessly original. I didn’t always know it or embrace it.
I wasn’t always a UX writer, though. I grew up in an Air Force family. Although my home life seemed very conventional, very strict, I saw and experienced extraordinary things. I’ve had a passport since infancy. I’ve sledded on German mountains, swum in the Red Sea, and camped in Denali National park.
Oh I went there. No, literally, I went there.
[Pointing to a globe.]
My journeys took me to Seattle, Buenos Aires, London, Madison, and beyond, but the watershed moment for me was discovering my tribe at the Second City in Chicago. It’s there that my love of comedy came alive and I really learned to fail.
I’ve had successes, surely. People have always told me I’m a good writer and that I can speak or teach about anything. I blogged successfully for five years on a difficult niche topic, inspiring my followers and growing our movement. A TIME magazine journalist interviewed me for my innovative approach to writing about women’s wellness.
However, one of my greatest strengths is failure.
Second City lessons
My teachers at the Second City Training Center taught me that failure isn’t only good, it’s necessary. Failure is the means. It’s how you create. At Second City, there’s no such thing as writer’s block. If you have writer’s block while improvising, there is no improvising and no comedy. So you can’t overthink and you can’t be afraid. “There are no mistakes, only opportunities.” Unless of course, you’re a doctor. Don’t mess that up.
So that’s me. Well-traveled, living fearlessly, and not overthinking it. UX writer doing content strategy and quoting comedians a lot. I love meeting new people. Drop a line!