Throughout the course of this module, I have identified who I am becoming as a professional, how I can navigate the creative industries and how to shape my practice into something that can be commercially viable and still be something that I'm happy with and enjoy creating work for.
Creative Presence has forced me to look at myself in a professional aspect, something that I struggle with doing as I dont take myself very seriously. Its made me consider how I present myself and my work online, how to promote my work online and how to curate all these different aspects into one cohesive 'brand' as such. My website has been under development for the past few months and when published, will act as the central hub to my creative presence, containg links to other social media platforms and methods of contact.
The blog has always acted as a way for me to document my thoughts and interpretations of the world around me and how I fit into that as a professional, and thats how I've been documenting this module this year. PP3 has allowed me to evaluate my own creative strategies and how i'm going to progress into the next year and eventually into the Creative Industry. For the imediate future, I have recognised that I need to take a step back from Illustration and allow myself some room to breathe and figure out how to be a real person outside of university. When I feel the time is right, I am definitley going to come back to my practice and continue exploring and expanding it but for now, I feel I desperatley need the time away from it all.
My apsirations for the near future include being able to print and create products self-sufficiently, either investing in equipment I'd need or gaining membership at somewhere like Leeds Print Workshop. I then want to expand from my online store and see if I can get any local businesses interested and involved in stocking my work. Print and Zine fairs are definitley something I will be continuing to attend and hold stalls at, starting locally and then pushing myself further afield.
Monday 21 May 2018
Presentation Slides
Slide 1 - Introduction
Slide 2 - Who Am I? Personally and Professionally? Explain how the two work together
Slide 3 - Aims For Uni - Expand and Explore Practice - Understand the Industry - Networking - Professional Presentation - Develop New Skills
Slide 4 - Reflection on past three years - Developed practice - Recognised what I enjoy working with - experimented with industry sectors and process - made mistakes - grown more confident - identified goals
Slide 5 - Level 6 - external events - collaboration with professionals - set and managed own briefs - explored areas of personal interest - recognised goals for future
Slide 6 - COP - Responding to current topics - responding to personal experience - responding to the experience of others - produces more heartfelt work that has more of a voice
Slide 7 - Music and Image - exploration of the relationship between music and image - personal interest and influence - specific format and set of constraints. - personal project that has led to first comission
Slide 8 - Comission - Positive experience - email contact - weekly deadlines and progression - payment - exposure - networking
Slide 9 - Personal projects - more successful - bulk of my practice - tailor practice - personal and professiona interests - briefs i work best with - carry to post grad practice
Slide 10 - Failures - competition briefs - restriction of process - time management - inconsistent style - burning out - staying comfortable
Slide 11 - After uni - Climb into the hole - drawing has lost its fun - take a step back - figure out who i am and what i’m about - find my feet - find a better job - support myself etc
Slide 12 - after uni 2 - DIY press - gathering supplies - approaching local businesses - print and zine fairs - make it fun again
Slide 13 - Produce stock/product - local businesses - expanding practice - print and zine fairs - hope and pray that things happen - pay rent - buy food - etc
Slide 14 - Thankyou, good luck, questions - its over
Slide 2 - Who Am I? Personally and Professionally? Explain how the two work together
Slide 3 - Aims For Uni - Expand and Explore Practice - Understand the Industry - Networking - Professional Presentation - Develop New Skills
Slide 4 - Reflection on past three years - Developed practice - Recognised what I enjoy working with - experimented with industry sectors and process - made mistakes - grown more confident - identified goals
Slide 5 - Level 6 - external events - collaboration with professionals - set and managed own briefs - explored areas of personal interest - recognised goals for future
Slide 6 - COP - Responding to current topics - responding to personal experience - responding to the experience of others - produces more heartfelt work that has more of a voice
Slide 7 - Music and Image - exploration of the relationship between music and image - personal interest and influence - specific format and set of constraints. - personal project that has led to first comission
Slide 8 - Comission - Positive experience - email contact - weekly deadlines and progression - payment - exposure - networking
Slide 9 - Personal projects - more successful - bulk of my practice - tailor practice - personal and professiona interests - briefs i work best with - carry to post grad practice
Slide 10 - Failures - competition briefs - restriction of process - time management - inconsistent style - burning out - staying comfortable
Slide 11 - After uni - Climb into the hole - drawing has lost its fun - take a step back - figure out who i am and what i’m about - find my feet - find a better job - support myself etc
Slide 12 - after uni 2 - DIY press - gathering supplies - approaching local businesses - print and zine fairs - make it fun again
Slide 13 - Produce stock/product - local businesses - expanding practice - print and zine fairs - hope and pray that things happen - pay rent - buy food - etc
Slide 14 - Thankyou, good luck, questions - its over
Saturday 19 May 2018
Importance of Personal Projects
This year, the majority of my studio practice has been based around personal projects. I've found it a lot easier to work in this way, as I'm often more passionate about what I'm creating, more invested in the brief and the outcome, and usually happier with the direction the work takes.
Focusing on music mainly and dabbling in editorial has led me to develop and interest in layout and narrative within illustration as well as how image and audio can accompany and compliment each other. Through the development of personal projects, I've also managed to gain my first commission, which I don't think would've been as possible if I hadn't created the work I have this year.
I feel that after uni, my practice will mostly consist of personal projects that I can balance alongside other things that may be going on in my life, such as a job etc. These are some things that I'm planning on working on in the near future as a way to continue my practice and develop as a professional.
Future Projects:
Zines - Although production may be slightly more difficult, I want to embrace the full DIY nature of zines and begin to explore this as a process and a way of storytelling. I'm particularly interested in perzines and the concept of diary zines and feel that this will allow me to be honest within my practice, whilst providing a cathartic outlet for me in the coming months
Home - This project has been dancing around my head for a few months, but I've not really had the confidence to bring it to fruition. Home would be a print based project, focusing on the concept and interpretation of home, whether that be for me or for other people.
Research Led Project - Whilst working on a zine earlier this year based around the collection of items at The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, I rediscovered my passion for learning alongside creating and this is something I want to bring more of into my practice. I'm interested in mildly morbid and unusual history and feel bringing this into my work in form of print series or small publications could be something I benefit from
Products - Once I've found a steady way to be able to print goods, I will be looking into expanding my practice onto a range of products. I made some totebags this year and got a lot of satisfaction seeing my work on an actual thing rather than just a piece of paper. I want to expand on this by adding more fabric goods to my catalogue of stock and also look at producing fabric wall hanging pennants with screenprinted designs.
Folklore/Mythology - Following on from the cryptid brief I'm currently finishing off for 603, I'd like to expand this series into a few different sections, looking at other weird and wacky folk stories or mythological beings. This is something I've thoroughly enjoyed learning about and have produced interesting imagery for.
Focusing on music mainly and dabbling in editorial has led me to develop and interest in layout and narrative within illustration as well as how image and audio can accompany and compliment each other. Through the development of personal projects, I've also managed to gain my first commission, which I don't think would've been as possible if I hadn't created the work I have this year.
I feel that after uni, my practice will mostly consist of personal projects that I can balance alongside other things that may be going on in my life, such as a job etc. These are some things that I'm planning on working on in the near future as a way to continue my practice and develop as a professional.
Future Projects:
Zines - Although production may be slightly more difficult, I want to embrace the full DIY nature of zines and begin to explore this as a process and a way of storytelling. I'm particularly interested in perzines and the concept of diary zines and feel that this will allow me to be honest within my practice, whilst providing a cathartic outlet for me in the coming months
Home - This project has been dancing around my head for a few months, but I've not really had the confidence to bring it to fruition. Home would be a print based project, focusing on the concept and interpretation of home, whether that be for me or for other people.
Research Led Project - Whilst working on a zine earlier this year based around the collection of items at The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic, I rediscovered my passion for learning alongside creating and this is something I want to bring more of into my practice. I'm interested in mildly morbid and unusual history and feel bringing this into my work in form of print series or small publications could be something I benefit from
Products - Once I've found a steady way to be able to print goods, I will be looking into expanding my practice onto a range of products. I made some totebags this year and got a lot of satisfaction seeing my work on an actual thing rather than just a piece of paper. I want to expand on this by adding more fabric goods to my catalogue of stock and also look at producing fabric wall hanging pennants with screenprinted designs.
Folklore/Mythology - Following on from the cryptid brief I'm currently finishing off for 603, I'd like to expand this series into a few different sections, looking at other weird and wacky folk stories or mythological beings. This is something I've thoroughly enjoyed learning about and have produced interesting imagery for.
DIY Press
For a while I've been considering how I'll continue creating work/products once uni has ended and print resources aren't as readily available. I've got two solid options in mind in regards still being able to screenprint my own stock.
- One off large cost and then top up costs of additional inks, replacement medium, paper etc
- Maybe slightly more expensive to start with but allows me full access whenever I need
Going down either of these routes would be beneficial to me and my practice. After a discussion during a one-to-one tutorial about plans for after uni, I've really started to think about how I could make small printed goods and approach local buisnesses in terms of stocking and selling my products. As well as this, I'd still easily be able to create stock to sell online and at print fairs etc.
Leeds Print Workshop:
- Offer facilities for intaglio processes, relief printing and screen printing for fabric and paper
- £45 a year membership and an additional £3 an hour when using the facilities (induction included)
- Inks and paper are available to purchase although you can take your own
- Option to rent a planchest drawer at a small cost
- Good way to keep involved with the local creative community/meet new people
Screenprint Kit:
- £70 to buy a tabletop kit including screen, squegee, inks, paper and fabric medium, screen block and drawing emulsion
- Can work from that comfort of home and be self-sufficient in this way- One off large cost and then top up costs of additional inks, replacement medium, paper etc
- Maybe slightly more expensive to start with but allows me full access whenever I need
Going down either of these routes would be beneficial to me and my practice. After a discussion during a one-to-one tutorial about plans for after uni, I've really started to think about how I could make small printed goods and approach local buisnesses in terms of stocking and selling my products. As well as this, I'd still easily be able to create stock to sell online and at print fairs etc.
Thursday 17 May 2018
Portfolio Considerations
Portfolio is a scary word. Especially when considering my work, I don't feel that any of it sits particularly well together and worry that my 'style' is too inconsistent to have work sit next to each other page after page. I've not really given much consideration to how my portfolio could be layed out, and wory that I dont have enough good pieces of work to put something substantial together.
Tips I've Gathered:
Show A Breadth of Work - goes without saying but variation is good, and maybe the fact that my work can vary in style/process/production, isn't neccesarily a bad thing, it just shows that I can work on a range of different things I guess.
Less is More - my portfolio could probably benefit from a little minamilism in terms of layout and organization. Keeping the layout clean and allowing the work room to breath and speak for itself is probably beneficial. As well as this, the amount of content in the actual portfolio is probably best being kept to a minimum. Uni have given us an estimation of 15 - 20 pages but I think I'm going to stick more to the 15 page end of things.
Importance of Personal Projects - being fresh out of uni means for me that I dont have much comissioned or client led work. Personal projects have become increasingly important to my practice and expanding how and what I work with other the past few months at uni. I think it's important to make sure I include a range of these projects and show how they've benefitted my practice.
Skill - if I'm not 100% happy with the piece of work I'm considering putting in my portfolio, it probably shouldn't be in there. I need to be confident and able to sell the work that I'm putting forward when constructing this, so making sure I'm happy with everything is important to me. I also dont want to include weaker pieces of work in general as I'm sure this would show up to prospective clients. I also need to remember that the portfolio isn't finalised just because I've handed in my work, I can still (and definitley should) keep my portfolio fresh and updated, its not an end point at all.
Tips I've Gathered:
Show A Breadth of Work - goes without saying but variation is good, and maybe the fact that my work can vary in style/process/production, isn't neccesarily a bad thing, it just shows that I can work on a range of different things I guess.
Less is More - my portfolio could probably benefit from a little minamilism in terms of layout and organization. Keeping the layout clean and allowing the work room to breath and speak for itself is probably beneficial. As well as this, the amount of content in the actual portfolio is probably best being kept to a minimum. Uni have given us an estimation of 15 - 20 pages but I think I'm going to stick more to the 15 page end of things.
Importance of Personal Projects - being fresh out of uni means for me that I dont have much comissioned or client led work. Personal projects have become increasingly important to my practice and expanding how and what I work with other the past few months at uni. I think it's important to make sure I include a range of these projects and show how they've benefitted my practice.
Skill - if I'm not 100% happy with the piece of work I'm considering putting in my portfolio, it probably shouldn't be in there. I need to be confident and able to sell the work that I'm putting forward when constructing this, so making sure I'm happy with everything is important to me. I also dont want to include weaker pieces of work in general as I'm sure this would show up to prospective clients. I also need to remember that the portfolio isn't finalised just because I've handed in my work, I can still (and definitley should) keep my portfolio fresh and updated, its not an end point at all.
Self-promotion and Branding
Self Promotion
- Keeping consistently active across social media platforms, promoting new products, new briefs and providing insight into process to engage the viewer more
- Joining up with other likeminded creatives under an umbrella name in order to gain more traction and recognition for work being done, as well as working with and supporting other creatives
- Creating small pieces of work (zines, stickers etc) that could be left in public places for free, providing an alternative way of promoting my own work whilst not confining it all to social media
- Website building is in progress, with the only real thing left to do being linking the domain up to the actual website and updating with some new work
Branding
- Using the handle 'leahroseillustration' across all of my social media platforms, email and website keeps everything consistent and easy to find across different platforms
- Appearing under the name 'Leah Rose' as oppossed to 'Leah Haywod'. This is personal preference and I am happy to leave out my surname out of any professional related ventures
- In terms of 'profile pictures' for Instagram, possible Facebook pages etc, I use the self portraits completed for 603 or selected pieces of work that fit well in that kind of format. This allows me to keep visually updating the initial look of my profiles, showcasing my best pieces of work first.
- Keeping consistently active across social media platforms, promoting new products, new briefs and providing insight into process to engage the viewer more
- Joining up with other likeminded creatives under an umbrella name in order to gain more traction and recognition for work being done, as well as working with and supporting other creatives
- Creating small pieces of work (zines, stickers etc) that could be left in public places for free, providing an alternative way of promoting my own work whilst not confining it all to social media
- Website building is in progress, with the only real thing left to do being linking the domain up to the actual website and updating with some new work
Branding
- Using the handle 'leahroseillustration' across all of my social media platforms, email and website keeps everything consistent and easy to find across different platforms
- Appearing under the name 'Leah Rose' as oppossed to 'Leah Haywod'. This is personal preference and I am happy to leave out my surname out of any professional related ventures
- In terms of 'profile pictures' for Instagram, possible Facebook pages etc, I use the self portraits completed for 603 or selected pieces of work that fit well in that kind of format. This allows me to keep visually updating the initial look of my profiles, showcasing my best pieces of work first.
Wednesday 16 May 2018
First Commission
So, one of my favourite bands (that have quite a cult following and a large presence in their particular scene) put out a call on twitter a few weeks ago asking for visual artists/illustrators/designers to get in touch with their portfolio of work as they were looking for a selection of people to work on merch designs for the new album release and accompanying tour. I bit the bullet, thinking nothing would come of it and sent over an email with a link to my Instagram account, and somehow got a reply back.
I'm currently in the early stages of creating an image for a pullover hoodie that will be sold on an upcoming EU tour and have been in consistent contact with the person in charge of the bands visuals for the past few weeks. The brief itself fits me and my interests well, and it's a bonus that it's for a band that I respect and look up too. The design is mainly for the back of a hoodie with assests pulled out of that to create an emblem for the front of the jumper. The comission is paid, and payment is recieved before the final files are sent over.
Due to the work being for an upcoming album release, I'm not allowed to share a lot of information on what it is I'm working on or who it is that I'm working for. I'm finidng the experience incredibly positive and seem to be on the same wavelength as the person I'm in contact with in terms of how the design is progressing. I'm thoroughly looking forward to seeing this project through and seeing what can come of this. Merch design and working with music/bands is something I've been very interested in and I'm astounded that I'm breaking into that before I've even officially left uni.
I'm currently in the early stages of creating an image for a pullover hoodie that will be sold on an upcoming EU tour and have been in consistent contact with the person in charge of the bands visuals for the past few weeks. The brief itself fits me and my interests well, and it's a bonus that it's for a band that I respect and look up too. The design is mainly for the back of a hoodie with assests pulled out of that to create an emblem for the front of the jumper. The comission is paid, and payment is recieved before the final files are sent over.
Due to the work being for an upcoming album release, I'm not allowed to share a lot of information on what it is I'm working on or who it is that I'm working for. I'm finidng the experience incredibly positive and seem to be on the same wavelength as the person I'm in contact with in terms of how the design is progressing. I'm thoroughly looking forward to seeing this project through and seeing what can come of this. Merch design and working with music/bands is something I've been very interested in and I'm astounded that I'm breaking into that before I've even officially left uni.
Plans for After Uni
TAKE A BREAK:
- Drawing for me has lost its fun a little bit over the past few years. Its become something I have to do in order to pass a module and progress to the next step rather than something that I'm doing naturally for fun. In the past few months that fun has come back a little because I've been working on self-directed briefs but I think I need some time away from it all before trying to submerge myself fully into the industry.
- Taking a step back and finding what makes me tick again. The course has completley taken over the past three years of my life, which is neccassary but has also meant i've lsot a lot of the things that used to inspire me. Reading is not something that there's been time for. Visiting new places, taking time to be in nature, all of those little things that feed creativity and feed who I am as a person have taken a back seat and I think it's about time I go back to trying to figure out who I am, what I'm about and letting that feed into my work.
- Finding my feet in the adult world. Everything that I've known and has given me comfort is changing over a very short space of time. I'm both terrified and excited but I know I'm going to need time to adjust to how things are going to be rather than trying to adjust and pressuring myself to be getting comissioned Illustration work. I'm lucky to have found a bartending job just before uni finishes but this wont suffice forever. I need to be steady on my own two feet before I can pick this up again as something that brings me joy and hopefully at somepoint starts to pay the bills.
AFTER THE BREAK:
- Gathering supplies. Without the sweet help of student discount and free paper and pencils at uni, I can imagine I'm going to be a little stuck for supplies sometimes. I think it's important for me to invest in these things as soon as I get the opportunity, just so I can securley know I'll be able to continue making with materials at my disposal. I've been looking into purcahsing a screen printing kit so that I can continue to create work in this way aswell. It'll all become a very DIY approach but I'm excited to see what I can make completley off of my own back.
- Approaching local businesses. During a tutorial, I discussed the idea of approaching local businesses with prints/zines/products that I'd made and asking if they wanted to stock them. I think this is a good route for me to go down and will help build relationships within the local creative community. I imagine with that kind of thing as well, its beneficial to both the maker and the stockists, as with more stock, surely the business owners are getting more footfall/customers coming through? I'm not entirley sure how this works, I think i need to have conversations and do research into figuring out how I'm going to go about this but that'll happen in its own time.
- Print and Zine Fairs are still an option and still something I want to participate in. Even though not always successful, I think participating in this kind of thing will help me keep my head in the game and my allow me to network with local creatives and people who will be going or already have gone through a similar experience to myself.
I NEED TO FIGURE THIS OUT AT MY OWN PACE. TOO MUCH PRESSURE IS PUT ON US TO ACHIEVE EVERYTHING IN OUR EARLY 20'S AND PEAK EARLY BUT IT'S NOT REALISTIC OR EXPECTED.
- Drawing for me has lost its fun a little bit over the past few years. Its become something I have to do in order to pass a module and progress to the next step rather than something that I'm doing naturally for fun. In the past few months that fun has come back a little because I've been working on self-directed briefs but I think I need some time away from it all before trying to submerge myself fully into the industry.
- Taking a step back and finding what makes me tick again. The course has completley taken over the past three years of my life, which is neccassary but has also meant i've lsot a lot of the things that used to inspire me. Reading is not something that there's been time for. Visiting new places, taking time to be in nature, all of those little things that feed creativity and feed who I am as a person have taken a back seat and I think it's about time I go back to trying to figure out who I am, what I'm about and letting that feed into my work.
- Finding my feet in the adult world. Everything that I've known and has given me comfort is changing over a very short space of time. I'm both terrified and excited but I know I'm going to need time to adjust to how things are going to be rather than trying to adjust and pressuring myself to be getting comissioned Illustration work. I'm lucky to have found a bartending job just before uni finishes but this wont suffice forever. I need to be steady on my own two feet before I can pick this up again as something that brings me joy and hopefully at somepoint starts to pay the bills.
AFTER THE BREAK:
- Gathering supplies. Without the sweet help of student discount and free paper and pencils at uni, I can imagine I'm going to be a little stuck for supplies sometimes. I think it's important for me to invest in these things as soon as I get the opportunity, just so I can securley know I'll be able to continue making with materials at my disposal. I've been looking into purcahsing a screen printing kit so that I can continue to create work in this way aswell. It'll all become a very DIY approach but I'm excited to see what I can make completley off of my own back.
- Approaching local businesses. During a tutorial, I discussed the idea of approaching local businesses with prints/zines/products that I'd made and asking if they wanted to stock them. I think this is a good route for me to go down and will help build relationships within the local creative community. I imagine with that kind of thing as well, its beneficial to both the maker and the stockists, as with more stock, surely the business owners are getting more footfall/customers coming through? I'm not entirley sure how this works, I think i need to have conversations and do research into figuring out how I'm going to go about this but that'll happen in its own time.
- Print and Zine Fairs are still an option and still something I want to participate in. Even though not always successful, I think participating in this kind of thing will help me keep my head in the game and my allow me to network with local creatives and people who will be going or already have gone through a similar experience to myself.
I NEED TO FIGURE THIS OUT AT MY OWN PACE. TOO MUCH PRESSURE IS PUT ON US TO ACHIEVE EVERYTHING IN OUR EARLY 20'S AND PEAK EARLY BUT IT'S NOT REALISTIC OR EXPECTED.
Peter and Paul Collaboration
I decided to take part in the Peter & Paul x LAU collaborative brief that was sent out view the university opportunities email. The brief asks for an image, based around a quote, to become part of a large scale mural in the new building of Blenheim Walk. Murals have been something that I've been interested in for a little while and that i feel my work would sit well with. As well as this, it gave me an opportunity to experience working collaborativley with someone that wasn't a student and wasn't directly involved with University.
The whole experience was positive, I submitted drafts and final images on time and to the brief requirments, and in return I got prompt email replies, with specific adjustments that needed to be made. This worked well for me after hearing hell-ish stories from visiting professionals on dealing with tricky clients, to my surprise, it all went okay.
Another thing thats held me back from trynig to get any kind of work outside of uni or from working collbaortivley is my own confidence and anxiety issues that rear their heads when I have to physically stand in front of someone and talk about myself and my work. This wasn't a problem at all in regards this brief as all communication was conducted via email, giving me time to collect my words and process my thoughts and ideas, all in all, allowing me and the client to communicate effectivley. I dont think this is something that I'm going to worry about going into the future, as completing work and working with other people is something that I can do comfortably without having to do terrifying pitches in front of clients (yet).
The whole experience was positive, I submitted drafts and final images on time and to the brief requirments, and in return I got prompt email replies, with specific adjustments that needed to be made. This worked well for me after hearing hell-ish stories from visiting professionals on dealing with tricky clients, to my surprise, it all went okay.
Another thing thats held me back from trynig to get any kind of work outside of uni or from working collbaortivley is my own confidence and anxiety issues that rear their heads when I have to physically stand in front of someone and talk about myself and my work. This wasn't a problem at all in regards this brief as all communication was conducted via email, giving me time to collect my words and process my thoughts and ideas, all in all, allowing me and the client to communicate effectivley. I dont think this is something that I'm going to worry about going into the future, as completing work and working with other people is something that I can do comfortably without having to do terrifying pitches in front of clients (yet).
Over the past three years at uni, I've been trying to maintain a professional online presence in the form of Instagram.
My professional account has come into fruition more this year, with me activley using it more often regularly than I have done previously, connecting with other creatives and posting relevant and consistent content. It's currently gathered just under 500 followers and work seems to be getting seen by people when I post. As a disclaimer, I'd like to say I dont think followers necessarily matter for anything on any kind of social network, but in terms of using this as a tool for self-promotion, I do think it plays into it a little.
I try integrate both my personal and professional account, posting work on both accounts and one day hope to merge them into one cohesive, consistent account.
CONTENT - I noticed earlier in the year that I was posting only final, digital versions of my work. This wasnt too much of an issue as it made everything look quite clean and professional but I felt that my voice and my personality were being lost within that. Since then, I've started posting more product photos, images of process, and sketchbook pages in an attempt to vary the content and tailor it to who I am.
PERSONAL VS PROFESSIONAL - For a while now, and especially after going to the AOI talks, I've been debating the idea of keeping professional completley seperate from personal accounts. I think to an extent, keeping your professional life and personal life seperate works, but only to an extent. Being a creative individual and someone that is heavily influenced by everyday life, emotion and music, I feel it's unnatural for me to keep these completley seperate. Ideally, I would like to be able to merge the two together in a way that still allows me to keep up professional appearances but that also doesn't make me into some souless, image creating robot.
My professional account has come into fruition more this year, with me activley using it more often regularly than I have done previously, connecting with other creatives and posting relevant and consistent content. It's currently gathered just under 500 followers and work seems to be getting seen by people when I post. As a disclaimer, I'd like to say I dont think followers necessarily matter for anything on any kind of social network, but in terms of using this as a tool for self-promotion, I do think it plays into it a little.
I try integrate both my personal and professional account, posting work on both accounts and one day hope to merge them into one cohesive, consistent account.
THOUGHTS:
PERSONAL VS PROFESSIONAL - For a while now, and especially after going to the AOI talks, I've been debating the idea of keeping professional completley seperate from personal accounts. I think to an extent, keeping your professional life and personal life seperate works, but only to an extent. Being a creative individual and someone that is heavily influenced by everyday life, emotion and music, I feel it's unnatural for me to keep these completley seperate. Ideally, I would like to be able to merge the two together in a way that still allows me to keep up professional appearances but that also doesn't make me into some souless, image creating robot.
Print Stuff
Print Stuff has been a bit of strange experience for me. Firstly, after undergoing surgery a couple of days prior to the actual event, I couldn't manage to attend the event as a stallholder or a customer, leaving me a bit out of the loop in terms of how the day went, set up, networking, and selling my own products alongside others. Secondly, from the feedback I got from the others in our collective, the Print Fair wasn't a huge success for us leaving me to question if I'd have fared better if I'd have been able to actually attend and weighing up the pros and cons of Print Fairs as a whole.
THOUGHTS:
Presentation:
In terms of table presentation, I understand that there were 5 of us displaying work collectivley and that space wasn't as adequate as it could have been, but I do think the space we did have could've been organised in a way that was a little more appealing. This is in NO WAY detriment to the girls who did attend and were running the stall, they did a fantastic job making everything work, maybe I'm just a bit pedantic over this kind of thing. I feel that some kind of crate for similar sized prints/zines, or a tiered stand would have worked well in utilising the space and maximising opportunities for display. Similarly, I think reserving space behind the stall to hang for similar products as opposed to a collection of everything could have worked well. This is something that I am specifically interested in though, and is not a dig at anybody in any kind of way.
Pricing:
Whilst pricing my products I took a multitude of things into account such as medium, production, labour, longevity, and product type. I also took into account conversations had with peers, tutors and visiting professionals about pricing and therefore tried to price my work accordingly. I was disheartened to hear that some professionals and stallholders there seemed to be undervaluing their work my quite a large amount, leaving me quesitoning whether this was a problem with my prices, or a problem with under-pricing within the industry, something that a variety of lecturers and tutors have spoken about at length.
What Sells and What Doesnt Sell:
From conversations had with fellow stallholders, it seemed that wearable goods are very popular, alongside enamel pins which I know theres a huge market for at the minute. Product is something that I'm interested in so to hear that wearable goods such as tote bags, t-shirts etc and smaller accessories such as pin badges are appealing to buyers is reassuring for me in that I feel a little more confident to continue pushing my practice in this direction at some point. In terms of prints, they dont seem to sell as much but I think this just depends on the type of people your selling too and the type of product your selling.
Website Development
I've been trying out a few different website platforms such as Cargo, Squarespace, Wix etc and have found Wix to be the best for me to move forward with. This is because of it's ease of use, drag and drop layout features, and customisable options.
This is the current set up of the landing page that I've chosen to stick with. My name and email adress are clearly displayed at the top, with the three different pages Work, About and Contact, clearly available to the user. The website then turns into a gallery of my work that users can look through at their own pace. Upon clicking on an image thumbnail, the website takes you to the project page where a brief description of the project is given, alongside a selection of other relevant images from the project that the user can scroll through.
In terms of the About and Contact page, I've kept these relativley simple. I thought it best to include some kind of picture of myself on the About page and a short description of who I am and where I've studied in order to make it seem more like theres a person behind this work, adding a kind of personal touch, if that makes sense. The contact page again is simple, with my email address, a link to my instagram and a link to my etsy store at the top of the page. Theres then an enquiry form below if the user chooses to use this.
Domains
I have bought the domain 'leahroseillustration.co.uk' for a very reasonable price, thinking that I'd be able to just link this up to the website and start publishing my website on other platforms BUT Wix is a little bit sneaky, and in order to connect the domain, and rid myself of their ad's I need to pay for a plan which is £5.99 a month. This would be fine if it was just £5.99 coming out of my bank every month but they want it all in one go and i just can't afford to do that right now. This will be something I look into when my finances aren't awful.
Temporary Link: https://leahroseillustrati.wixsite.com/mysite
Print Fairs and Art Markets
I've been trying to compile a list of local and further afield print fairs, zine fairs and creative events to take part in if the opportunity arises. I'm finding it quite hard to find things outside of Leeds as I get the impression that print fairs, unless organised by a well established event company or organization, tend to be very local based, making it a little difficult to figure out exactly whats going on and when. Manchester seems quite active in the whole DIY community, with zine fairs and prints fairs going on quite frequently. For now, I've got a list of things together to keep my eye out for and consider other the next few months. Even though Print Stuff wasn't a huge success, I still feel print/craft fairs are an important part of my practice, giving a chance to meet other creatives, engage with the public and network in a more relaxed manner.
LOCAL:
Print Stuff - Applied, accepted and attended
Northern Print - Applied, no response
Leeds Zine Fair - Awaiting Applications to open
Leeds Print Fair - Missed applications for summer, try again in the winter
OTHERS:
Hepworth Print Fair
Shake Bristol
Manchester Print Fair
York Zine Fest
Northwest Zinefest
LOCAL:
Print Stuff - Applied, accepted and attended
Northern Print - Applied, no response
Leeds Zine Fair - Awaiting Applications to open
Leeds Print Fair - Missed applications for summer, try again in the winter
OTHERS:
Hepworth Print Fair
Shake Bristol
Manchester Print Fair
York Zine Fest
Northwest Zinefest
Print Stuff - Production
Tote Bags:
- Ordered 10 x Natural Canvas Tote Bags
- Used leftover designs from an album cover brief for 603 to create big cat based imagery to print
- Alongside a peer, these were screenprinted onto the bags during a drop in session
- 5 x Black designs (4 sellable) and 5 x Pink designs (4 sellable)
- Ordered 10 x Natural Canvas Tote Bags
- Used leftover designs from an album cover brief for 603 to create big cat based imagery to print
- Alongside a peer, these were screenprinted onto the bags during a drop in session
- 5 x Black designs (4 sellable) and 5 x Pink designs (4 sellable)
Screen Prints:
- Two colour, A4 screenprints
- Printed on Snowden Cartridge
- Two designs, 17 of each produced and suitable for sale
- Created two different designs on the same theme
- Prints were packaged, labelled and priced up accordingly in order to have a professional quality about them
Zines:
- Existing zines 'Mixtape' and 'Pup Classics' packaged and priced accordingly
- Reprinted copies of 'Implements of Magick Zine
- Yellow cover and cartridge paper inner
- Handsewn
- Packaged and priced accordingly
Print Stuff - Preparation
In terms of creating goods to sell at Print Fairs, I have some minor experience (and a minor amount of stock leftover) from a Print Fair I participated in at Level 4. When considering my own practice, I am content creating imagery that is applied to product, or that could take on a life of its own and become a product in its own sense. I've toyed with the idead of creating t-shirts/tote bags and think this is an avenue I will pursue.
Existing Stock:
- Divination Postcard Packs
- Screenprinted Hotdog Book (1 colour)
- A4 Digital Prints (3 different designs)
- Mixtape Zine
Stock to be produced:
- Two different screenprints (traditionally printed matter should be included)
- Tote bags
- Another zine?
With us sharing a stall between 5 of us, I dont want to create an excessive amount of things to take, as table space wouldn't allow for it and there needs to be consideration on everybody having a fair amount of space to display their work.
Existing Stock:
- Divination Postcard Packs
- Screenprinted Hotdog Book (1 colour)
- A4 Digital Prints (3 different designs)
- Mixtape Zine
Stock to be produced:
- Two different screenprints (traditionally printed matter should be included)
- Tote bags
- Another zine?
With us sharing a stall between 5 of us, I dont want to create an excessive amount of things to take, as table space wouldn't allow for it and there needs to be consideration on everybody having a fair amount of space to display their work.
Print Stuff Application - It's Art, Karen
A group consisting of myself and four other level 6 students have recently applied to Print Stuff, under the collective name, 'It's Art, Karen'. Run and managed predominatley by one of my peers, It's Art, Karen stemmed from a quick, joking fix to what name a group of us could appear under and soon took on a life of it's own. It's Art, Karen started to manifest and become something that represented a DIY ethos, with a tounge-in-cheek approach to creating and engaging with the creative industry.
My housemate, Bronte, has been really pushing the idea of this as a small brand and through conversations we have at home, It's Art, Karen looks like it could become a kind of umbrella name for a rotating group of DIY based artists and illustrators. For me, working in a collective this way in which we are all independent and create our own work as opppossed to creating collaborativley suits me a lot better. Having the support, encouragement and shared ethos of like-minded individuals works a lot better for me as a way of being involved within different communities and collectives.
Now we've been accepted onto Print Stuff, my main focus is to figure out what stock I already have that can be used for the print fair, what stock I need to create, and to curate myself an inventory of items that will be suitable for sale.
My housemate, Bronte, has been really pushing the idea of this as a small brand and through conversations we have at home, It's Art, Karen looks like it could become a kind of umbrella name for a rotating group of DIY based artists and illustrators. For me, working in a collective this way in which we are all independent and create our own work as opppossed to creating collaborativley suits me a lot better. Having the support, encouragement and shared ethos of like-minded individuals works a lot better for me as a way of being involved within different communities and collectives.
Now we've been accepted onto Print Stuff, my main focus is to figure out what stock I already have that can be used for the print fair, what stock I need to create, and to curate myself an inventory of items that will be suitable for sale.
Wednesday 28 February 2018
AOI Talk - Lou Bones
AOI Talk - Lou bones
Websites:
- Get a website
- Cargo Collective, Domain Name, Professional - Do It Now
- Image Based Website
- Name, Work, Email - Contact page should have no contact form
- No Text/Minimal Text: Work should speak for itself
- Personal Projects - Work on them all the time, should be the work you'd produce for 'dream clients'
- Should form bulk of practice
- What do you enjoy, what do you want to work on - creates the best work
- Brings in best suited clients
- Get your work in front of the right people - lists of clients you want to work for - tailor work to them
- Study the industry and discover where your niche is
- Research clients carefully
- Select clients you work is appropriate for based on their past/current output
- Avoid: Dear Sir/Madame - Address people properly - Use their name - Casual but professional
- Client lists
- Marketing material
- Printed material for Grad Show - use a quarter for the show, send the rest out to client list
- Print less at a higher quality
- If you want to catch big fish you need good bait - quality over quantity
Social Media:
- Professional Social Media - Build around personal stuff - Make it as professional as possible
- Twitter - Avoid negativity - Progressive for business and nothing else
- Instagram - Twitter - Website
- Keep legalities off of Social Media
- Handles need to be the same across all platforms - Self-promotional strategy - Easy to find
- Facebook page with Illustrations - Dont need to update - Free portfolio
- Instagram - Viable route of commissioning - Most important piece of social media in the illustration industry - Follow ideal clients - Try close ups, sketchbook pages, videos, time lapses etc - Seperate from your personal - Fluid and Creative
Freelance:
- You are a business, you are your own boss
- Have to be a book keeper for their own registered business
- Register for income tax with 3 months of starting - 3 months after first commission
- Keep up to date accounts
- Retain all claimable receipts
- Keep paperwork involved with every job
- Keep a record of all your licenses so you can follow
- Tax Return is currently once a year at the end of Jan (changing to 4 times a year soon)
- Cultural Expenditure - Claim back on materials, laptops, software, trips, understanding pop culture
- Have a personal project to work on after uni - keep working, keep going, drive your own career
- Apps for Tax Returns - Zero or Quickbooks
Copyright:
- the right to copy
- Property Right that protexts any work by a 'creator'
- Lasts for 70 years after the creators death
- It does not require registration or a copyright symbol to exist
- Independent of physical artwork itself
- Copyright/Licence-based industries: Illustration, Music, Photography, Publishing
- Where, when, how it will be used
- Lend or license out the right to copy to the client
- Copyright infringement
- Refference imagery - Use multiple refferences
- Copyright can be assigned by you to a client. We very rarely advise that this should occur.
- Money: A fee for an assignment of Copyright must cover all possible and future uses of the illustration, fo ryour lifetime +70 years
- Loss of Control: Illustration can be used wherever, on whatever without your permission or additional fees. It can also be re-sold to third parties
- Clients: They dont need copyright to use an illustration how they want to. Licensing is mutually beneficial to an illustrator and a client, they only pay for actual use, not possible use.
- Moral Rights are automatic but can be waived
- Right of Paternity: The right to be identified as the creator of a work
- Right of Integrity - The right for you work to not be subjected to any derogatory treatment (cropping, editing, colour changes, additions etc.)
- The right to not have work falsely attributed to you
- Read your contracts
- Protect work online so you can always be indenitifed as the author
- Low res files (72dpi) and name as part of file name
- Use copyright symbol on every page, blog, social media
- Read Terms and Conditions of: website/social media image use/filename
Contracts:
- Better to write contracts verbally
- No matter the size of the commission or client, accept the commission in writing everytime, before you strat any work (Acceptance of Comnission Form)
- WHO is going to be doing WHAT by WHEN and for HOW MUCH - state basic rights
- Licenses on invoices
- Acceptance of Comissions Form - available from the AOI
- Do not start any work till you've sent a negotiated contract
- Pay for actual Illustrations and promotion/expenses - one doesnt compensate the other
- Do not work for free or undervalue - detrimentle to self and industry
- Quote accurately
- No day rates - No hourly rates - Always based on licenses
Fees/Pricing:
- Where are they going to use it
- How long are they going to use it
- What is the exist size and purpose of the illustration
- Above the line advertising - paid for space
- Below the line advertising - publicity material that is not paid space advertising
- Editorial - series of three - put into context - concept driven (already a personal project)
Websites:
- Get a website
- Cargo Collective, Domain Name, Professional - Do It Now
- Image Based Website
- Name, Work, Email - Contact page should have no contact form
- No Text/Minimal Text: Work should speak for itself
- Personal Projects - Work on them all the time, should be the work you'd produce for 'dream clients'
- Should form bulk of practice
- What do you enjoy, what do you want to work on - creates the best work
- Brings in best suited clients
- Get your work in front of the right people - lists of clients you want to work for - tailor work to them
- Study the industry and discover where your niche is
- Research clients carefully
- Select clients you work is appropriate for based on their past/current output
- Avoid: Dear Sir/Madame - Address people properly - Use their name - Casual but professional
- Client lists
- Marketing material
- Printed material for Grad Show - use a quarter for the show, send the rest out to client list
- Print less at a higher quality
- If you want to catch big fish you need good bait - quality over quantity
Social Media:
- Professional Social Media - Build around personal stuff - Make it as professional as possible
- Twitter - Avoid negativity - Progressive for business and nothing else
- Instagram - Twitter - Website
- Keep legalities off of Social Media
- Handles need to be the same across all platforms - Self-promotional strategy - Easy to find
- Facebook page with Illustrations - Dont need to update - Free portfolio
- Instagram - Viable route of commissioning - Most important piece of social media in the illustration industry - Follow ideal clients - Try close ups, sketchbook pages, videos, time lapses etc - Seperate from your personal - Fluid and Creative
Freelance:
- You are a business, you are your own boss
- Have to be a book keeper for their own registered business
- Register for income tax with 3 months of starting - 3 months after first commission
- Keep up to date accounts
- Retain all claimable receipts
- Keep paperwork involved with every job
- Keep a record of all your licenses so you can follow
- Tax Return is currently once a year at the end of Jan (changing to 4 times a year soon)
- Cultural Expenditure - Claim back on materials, laptops, software, trips, understanding pop culture
- Have a personal project to work on after uni - keep working, keep going, drive your own career
- Apps for Tax Returns - Zero or Quickbooks
Copyright:
- the right to copy
- Property Right that protexts any work by a 'creator'
- Lasts for 70 years after the creators death
- It does not require registration or a copyright symbol to exist
- Independent of physical artwork itself
- Copyright/Licence-based industries: Illustration, Music, Photography, Publishing
- Where, when, how it will be used
- Lend or license out the right to copy to the client
- Copyright infringement
- Refference imagery - Use multiple refferences
- Copyright can be assigned by you to a client. We very rarely advise that this should occur.
- Money: A fee for an assignment of Copyright must cover all possible and future uses of the illustration, fo ryour lifetime +70 years
- Loss of Control: Illustration can be used wherever, on whatever without your permission or additional fees. It can also be re-sold to third parties
- Clients: They dont need copyright to use an illustration how they want to. Licensing is mutually beneficial to an illustrator and a client, they only pay for actual use, not possible use.
- Moral Rights are automatic but can be waived
- Right of Paternity: The right to be identified as the creator of a work
- Right of Integrity - The right for you work to not be subjected to any derogatory treatment (cropping, editing, colour changes, additions etc.)
- The right to not have work falsely attributed to you
- Read your contracts
- Protect work online so you can always be indenitifed as the author
- Low res files (72dpi) and name as part of file name
- Use copyright symbol on every page, blog, social media
- Read Terms and Conditions of: website/social media image use/filename
Contracts:
- Better to write contracts verbally
- No matter the size of the commission or client, accept the commission in writing everytime, before you strat any work (Acceptance of Comnission Form)
- WHO is going to be doing WHAT by WHEN and for HOW MUCH - state basic rights
- Licenses on invoices
- Acceptance of Comissions Form - available from the AOI
- Do not start any work till you've sent a negotiated contract
- Pay for actual Illustrations and promotion/expenses - one doesnt compensate the other
- Do not work for free or undervalue - detrimentle to self and industry
- Quote accurately
- No day rates - No hourly rates - Always based on licenses
Fees/Pricing:
- Where are they going to use it
- How long are they going to use it
- What is the exist size and purpose of the illustration
- Above the line advertising - paid for space
- Below the line advertising - publicity material that is not paid space advertising
- Editorial - series of three - put into context - concept driven (already a personal project)
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