Professional Practices 15/11

All done! The exhibition was a success although the amount of last minute running around I had to do was a bit of a worry. All the feedback I heard was positive which is great! and it looked good too. Once the report is out of the way today its all over and done with for good. Overall it was a good experience though, and I really did learn a lot so I am grateful for that.

Professional Practices 31/10

Exhibition space looks great.. now that we finally have the key. I had to chase down someone completely different to get it in the end. We spent a good hour or so in the room just talking plans out and working out possible complications. Jessi is going to talk to her dad about some big S hooks to potentially hang up the pallets in the space. I managed to get most of the info sheets back, including the ones i had to reprint and make some ppl do right there and then in class. I am excited, but also a little concerned that we arent ready at this point for anything, it wouldnt take much to derail this exhibition right now.

Professional practices 24/10

Today I handed out the info forms for my classmates to fill in, once they are returned next week the group can forge ahead with setting up our space in the arcade.. My portfolio is almost done as well, I think maybe a couple more photos and then its ready to print. It will actually be quite nice to have a physical book of high quality photos that I can show people at will. Im a little anxious about this exhibition, but thats just because this is the first public event that I have helped organise so I just have no idea how its gonna go. Fingers crossed though.

Professional Practices 17/10

Creating a physical portfolio from our websites. A4 in size.



What is in a good portfolio:

• Be thoughtful about what you include
• Select your strongest pieces
• Show your most unique work
• Decide how many pieces to include
• Go high resolution (300dpi)
• Non-client work is ok
• Show the design process
• Get a second opinion

I need to hunt down the raw files for my photos, so I can create 300DPI versions for my booklet. I also need to dig up the memories Ive got of InDesign from the start of the year.

The pop-up group had a quick followup today at the beginning of class to finalise our designs and confirm the directives given out yesterday. Now we have a poster, logo, and location sorted. I spoke to Leigh after she managed to get a result from Kari in less than a day compared to me trying for weeks, to try and find out what I could have done differently to get a better result. I believe to put it simply, Im too polite and wasnt assertive enough when communicating what I needed in regards to time restraints that we have. I kind of suspected that already, because my anxiety at talking to people I dont know makes me want to not to say or do anything that could be deemed annoying. Food for thought.

Professional practices 10/10

Website presentations and submissions today. It was cool to see such a varied approach to this task, everyone has their own style and vision for their site. The feedback was helpful also, Aaron made a comment about colour blind people and the red fonts on my site and it hadn't even crossed my mind til then. At least it was an easy change to enact, fixing the navigation error I kept having took a lot longer to figure out, and almost made me miss the deadline for handing it in. Turns out that if you change the homepage title from index to CLICK ME, it breaks all the built in page links. That wasn't too much problem to fix, but then my video file wouldn't play on the digital artwork page. It took me far too long to figure out that when you rename the main page, the folder with all the page files (images, buttons, scripts etc) gets renamed also which again breaks the built in coding. Lesson learned! Now its time to focus on the report that is due next month once our exhibition is complete. Im currently playing phone tag with Kari trying to nail down our location which is frustrating to say the least.

Professional Practices 3/10

I need to get in touch with Kari again to proceed with nailing down our location. This week is a bit slow due to the two designers both being away, and that is the main focus currently. Design wise, we are sticking with Stephens black and yellow, mirror image city as the consensus was that it fits more with the demolition/rejuvenation theme of our photography projects. Jessi's concept was nice as well, but didnt really fit our theme as well, however her logo was great so I split the design task up, Jessi has the logo, Stephen has the poster. The delay in finalising the designs are unfortunate but I dont think it will be a problem in the long run.

I have been neglecting my website the last week or so due to focusing on other classes, but I need to make it top priority in the next couple of days. I also need to make the creative version of my CV for the website, so this weekend will be the 1st of the busy final weeks lol. I am grateful that I found a theme I like so quickly, as it takes pressure off in that area. Im undecided if I will put my animation on the website as it is only finished as an animatic at this stage. I am definitely going to put some of my digital paintings on however, as a contrast to the photography pages.

Professional Practices 26/9

Update on exhibition group. Traci has given me the contact of someone who can help us find an exhibition space. We are still waiting to hear back about G3, so as a group we decided to backburner that option, and work on finding a new place so that we arent leaving it until last minute. The Cambridge Arcade came up as a potential space for us to use. My job is to get in touch with Kari tonight to find out potential costs involved, any red tape, and what our options actually are. Today we decided on the name of our exhibition, and after our meeting tomorrow, we will have finalised the colour scheme, design, and fonts for our poster/logo, and initial social media posts. Everyone now has a job, Dylan is in charge of recording minutes and documenting BTS, Jessi will be in charge of Instagram, Leigh is in charge of the install form, Stephen is in charge of the design, and I am in charge of the facebook event group and chairing the meetings. Once we have our location nailed down, we can start focusing on our budget, and gallery design, and pushing the event through advertising.

Facebook group is set up, ready to go. I am just waiting on the confirmed design and palette to finish the group off. I will be updating everything after the meeting tomorrow.

Professional Practices 19/9

Week 10 problem Solving.
What Makes a Good Problem Solver

1. They dont need to be right all the time, they focus on finding the right solution not proving themselves right at all costs.
2. They go beyond a fixated mindset and are open to new ways of thinking.
3. They see problems as challenges, and try to learn from them.
4. They know when to do systematic and complex thinking, and when to use shortcuts to find an easy solution.
5. They have a clear definition of what the problem is.
6. They use the power of words to connect with people. Good at finding the middle ground solutions.
7. They dont create problems for others. They understand that to have their problems solved, they cant create problems for others. They make a conscious effort not to harm others. They know there will be consequences even if the problem is temporarily solved.
8. They are more about prevention than intervention. Good problem solvers can prevent problems occurring in the first place. They usually face less drama, conflict and stress since they have clear boundaries, dont let their rights get violated, and dont violate others rights. Generally a positive thinker.
9. They explore their own options. They can see more than one solution to a problem, and find new productive ways to solve them. They also have a backup plan just in case.
10. They have reasonable expectations. They have reasonable expectations as to what the solution will be. They understand that there are many elements, and that ways of idealistic thinking is counter-productive.

Today we visited Steve Solomon in his galley residency. He is currently working on a commissioned Maori entrance way for the SIT main campus. After talking to him for a while, I really got the feeling of just how emotionally involved he is with his work. He takes great care with his choices and it shows in his work and the way he talks about it.

During photography class, we visited the gallery across the road to view the exhibition currently held there. It was a nice mixture of pieces hung up although the back felt a little cramped due to the low ceiling.

Professional Practices 17/9

Mid semester break over and done. Dylan has made contact with the person he is asking about exhibition locations, so we will get a report on that on weds. Originally for my website, I had chosen SmugMug as my web builder of choice, however during my digital software purchasing, I discovered that sometime in the past I had bought a bundle of software that included a web designer program.

Needless to say, it was a pleasant surprise and Ive found it pretty easy to use so far. Its not going to take me much longer to finish a website that Im happy with.

Professional Practices 5/9

As of today, we are officially off the Think and Create committees, and on to our own events. The class exhibition caught my attention from the get go, because I need experience with organising/running an event of this type. I do need to make sure I dont get railroaded however, and make sure everyone in the group gets heard but I think I can manage it. It is going to be good to actually have some involvement now, unlike the previous committee with too many people. This exhibition is gonna be awesome! *fingers crossed*

Professional Practices 29/8

Todays problem solving was creating the worst exhibition we could think of, individually and then collated into groups.Leigh, Aaron E and myself managed to win best "worst" ideas. I really need to finish my CV, but I am having problems with the fact that my work experience is not in the art industry. This makes filling in the skills section tricky. I really want to start my website, but due to Smugmug having a 1 month trial system, Im holding off until after the 14th so that when I hand it in, I dont have to pay to have the website up. Im definitely keen on the solo showcase option for our class moving forward, its a bit more varied in terms of experience options for everyone.

Professional Practices 22/8

Todays class was a short problem solving task based around a group setting, definitely a handy skill considering the current committee situation. Its to be expected in a committee of 30-40 odd people planning a small event, that there will be headbutting and different levels of enthusiasm. There has been a couple of alternatives put forward, and I really like the idea of our class creating a showcase amongst ourselves. That way we can have a go at all aspects of a committee, instead of just sitting and watching essentially. I had a meeting with Chris on the friday, so he could show me some behind the scenes stuff of Smugmug.com, to help me decide whether I will use that site or not. From what he showed me, I think it will fit my needs at least for while I am studying, and theres room to upgrade the account if I change my mind on what I want the website for later on. Now that I have made that decision, I can crank out my website.

Professional Practice 15/8

Southsure frustrations were a big topic for the start of class today. Interesting how a problem solving exercise can bring out the courage in someone to broach the subject.



Serif is the little flicks at the bottom of the letters. Serif fonts for printed documents, Sans serif for online documents.

Make sure your font choice for the website is web safe.

Web safe fonts - Arial, Helvetica, Times New Roman, Times, Courier New, Courier, Verdana, Georgia, Palatino, Garamond, Bookman, Trebuchet MS, Arial Black, Impact.

Artist Statement.

• Keep it short
• Grab attention with the first sentence
• Introduce personality and enthusiasm
• Give hints at "why" for the artwork
• Use first person. (I, me, mine)

They dont

• Summarise resume
• Give a physical description of the work
• Sound Generic
• Use "art speak"

Questions to think about

• What keeps you coming back to the studio
• Whats the best way someone has responded to my works
• What am I asked most frequently about my work
• Whats my artists story(not biography or resume, how i got interested in art, what ive learnt)
• Who is my art for. (family - less stress, love based)

Artist Statement

Art is an escape from reality that I love to explore. Mixing colours for a perfect sunset, interpreting my photography with pencil and paint, creating an imaginary world where I control all of the dimensions. My family are the biggest recipients of my art, our bond over the years is displayed over their walls for everyone to view. This support from my family is what helps me continue to create, even through the patches of lesser inspiration.


CV is complete, about time, my previous CV was written 5yrs ago lol. It now has my NZCDMD qualification on it, the first thing that is 100% relevant to the career Im angling for.

Leigh brought up in class a discussion about our roles in the committee meetings and the uncertainty surrounding them. I brought it up today at the full committee meeting during general discussion. Unfortunately there was no straight answer today, but there were steps put in place to hopefully nail down exactly what is expected of us, because the entire project belongs to the 2nd yrs so we are only included in certain things/information sharing. A few of us continued the discussion after the meeting and it turns out there is quite a bit of unrest with a decent chunk of our class. I really hope we can figure this out, because it currently feels like an "us and them" situation with the 2nd years and Im not sure whether we will actually get much experience other than "do as your told" grunt work. Only time will tell. Either way I suppose its experience in dealing with potential workplace situations in where I will be the bottom of the barrel staff member. 

Prof Prac 9/8

This week was the website proposal. I was a little lost at first as to what I actually wanted to do because a website wasnt really in my initial plan. However, after doing some research, I have come to see how beneficial it can be. A portfolio was something I didnt have until I had to create some things to apply at SIT, so having a digital record will be a step in the right direction. I think I will try and get the website out of the way asap so i have more time to focus on everything else.

As to the Southsure awards, I have had 2 Advertising subcommittee meetings and 1 installation meeting so far. Its been a learning experience for sure, and the next few weeks are going to be interesting. I just hope the few classmates that arent taking it as seriously as they should, pull finger and actually help out.

Professional Practices 1/8

Researching the Job Market

- do your research and know what you want
- have realistic expectations
- set meaningful job search goals
- look for opportunities to network
- continue to expand your horizons

What Do I Need To Know About the Job Market

- what industry do i want to join
- what country would i like to work in? city? area?
- how much money does that industry make?
- what are the job forecasts for that industry for one year? one decade? twenty years from now?
- what position would i like in the industry?
- what is a typical salary for that position?
- what skills does this position require? what skills am i still learning?
- what or who do i need to know to enter the industry
- where does the company stand in the industry?

What Do I Need To Know About a Company?

- what's their financial situation?
- what's being said about them in the news?
- what does their website say?
- what do their customers say?
- what do their employees say?


Job Market Research Exercise

What industry do I want to join? Graphic Design/Advertising, Animation
What position do I want to hold? Animation artist, game developer, graphic designer
What skills do i have and what skills do I need? Have - Drawing, photoshop, toon boom animation, story telling, problem solving, Maya, Unity. Need - Networking, professional presentations, work experience, long term experience with maya, photoshop, unity, toon boom.


Generate a list of 3 companies that you would be interested in working for locally, nationally, and internationally.

Local
- Emotive Design
- Back9 Creative
- Market South

Nationally
- Weta
- Kaleidoscope 3D
- Rocketwerkz

Internationally
- Disney Pixar
- Nickelodeon Animation Studios
- Dreamworks Animation

There is a distinct lack of animating studios in invercargill, however Rocketwerkz in dunedin has been a gaming company that Ive been keeping an eye on since I heard they were setting up there. Partially because my other half played DayZ a lot when it first came out. Im definitely torn as to exactly what direction I want to take career wise, but it is definitely in the digital art stream.

Professional Practices 25/7

Southsure Emerging Artist Awards 2018 committee meets 10am fridays.

Why is a CV important?  It shows what you have accomplished, and where you can go.

Applicant Tracking Software - www.jobscan.co/blog/8-things-you-need-to-know-about-applicant-tracking-systems

Traditional CV vs Video CV - www.careeraddict.com/the-cv-debate-round-5-traditional-vs-video

What job am I after?
marketing, advertising, graphic designer, photgrapher

What standards does this industry have?
High level of visual art ability
technical knowledge

What experience do I have?
creating "specials" ads for my old job
10yrs managing a team at Hell Pizza
customer service

What education/skills do I have?
NZCDMD
painting

Who do I know?
SIT Tutors
Sylv
Adam

What do I have to offer?
Patience
logic
artistic ability
intelligence
team worker
initiative

What do they have that I want?
money
challenging work environment
creativity

What words tell my story?
assuredness
creative
artistic
graphic artist
advertising
drawing
colourful


What job industry am i interested in?
Design, Photography,

Who does what I want to do?
Chris Macdonald

What does their website look like?
Stylish, bold, simplified.

What is the purpose of their website?
To attract clients, and sell prints of his photography

What do I want people to know about me?
That Im passionate, capable, creative.

What images tell my story?
Aurora, landscapes, sunset/sunrises, nature.

Summary Statement
Im a passionate photographer that specialises in nature and nighttime photography.



Websites examples I like

Chris Macdonald - https://www.cml.nz/
Enrique Pacheco - http://www.enriquepacheco.com/
Michael Frye - https://www.michaelfrye.com/
Max Rive - https://www.maxrivephotography.com/index
Daniel Kordan - https://print.danielkordan.com/
Ted Gore - http://www.tedgorecreative.com/

Websites Im not so fond of

Guy Tal - https://guytal.com/gtp/
Sean Bagshaw - http://www.outdoorexposurephoto.com/
Matt Donovan - http://www.itsworthashot.com/

Professional Practices 18/7

Networking.

What do I have to offer? Gratitude, civility, respect, listening skills, logical thinking, patience.
Find a higher purpose.. How can the network benefit both parties, not just me.

Preliminary tree for my current networking status.

Expanding networks locally and nationally

- Otago Art Society

- NZ Art Guild

- Southland Chamber of Commerce

- Glass Elevator professional women's group

- Rotary Club

- Art Bash

- NZ Film Commission

- Young Professionals Group

LinkedIn profile for homework

Professional Practices 11/7

The result of this class will be an artist webpage, and experience setting up an exhibition for the art competition. Im really looking forward to the "becoming a professional" side of things, Ive never considered myself even close and had no idea where to start so this will be a perfect addition to my knowledge. We went and observed an exhibition at the pop up gallery as well, good way to start thinking about exhibitions, layout, location etc. The different styles and subjects of the paintings were alternated almost, to give a range of types on each wall, instead of creating inclusive sections, making it more likely for the viewers to look at everything instead of seeking our their own favourite art styles. This exhibition was all about the unknown.. unknown date, unknown author, unknown title. This leaves room for the viewer to interpret  each piece without any potential bias from the name or author. A rather cool way to make the viewer interact with each piece.