Planning, Pricing, and Launching

Hey Everyone! The last couple of weeks Machele has had me do a lot of research for a few of her up coming projects. We have been working together to identify some of the issues that each project will face and how to work though through them. Here is a little break down of some of the process we have been going through for the past few weeks. 

• Planning: To plan for a product there are a lot of things to consider. Once the initial design process is over we have to make a plan for what materials are going to be used and consider the potential  constraints. Taking to consideration for example, how durable does this product need to be? how strong of an adhesive is necessary? what kind of printing process will be needed? what sizes will be appropriate?

• Pricing: After we have answered the questions of materiality and process we have to do extensive research on what the cost of the whole project would be and come up with a price to sell it at. THe pricing process can be difficult because we often have to go back to the drawing board if we find out a particular route wont turn out to be cost effective.

• Launching: Once we have all of the materials for a project figured out and the plan has been set in motion the product has to be launched. This includes updating social media and vendor websites to include and promote the new product. Online presence is important for a brand so that you can get the word out and generate traffic to your site when you have a new product. 

Lionie

                  

 

Here you can see how this huge installation started. Kay first had to collect many people's stories before she could begin the undertaking of creating them. This object was Brooke's stuffed animal, Lionie. As a 21 year old still painfully attached to her favorite stuffed animal, I understand where Brooke is coming from. Once again, this object was a two layer screen print on fabric. In the photo, I am in the process of registering the second layer of the print. Hopefully Brooke will see the installation at the Free Library in October and get some closure over her lost Lionie!

Screen Printing Process

The premise of Kay's project is to recreate lost objects that people wish they still had. This object, a stuffed animal Teletubby, was lost by Tatiana. 

Each layer is first printed on acetate.  The acetate is taped down to the table underneath the screen. It acts as a printing guide. Before I print, the fabric is placed underneath the acetate and maneuvered until it is in the right spot. This is called registration and is particularly important when doing a print that is more than one layer.

The Teletubby was a two color print on fabric. First, a red layer was printed (what I'm doing in the photo), then a black layer on top. The flesh tones and silver were hand painted by Kay after the silk screen process was finished.

This week in Kay's studios we had interviews with 3 women. Since Kay's project is all about lost objects that you wish were still around these women were telling their stories about their objects. One of the ladies had lost a glass vase that she had brought over from Germany when they had to flee from the Nazi's. After her sister took it when she married she died unexpectedly and the woman never saw it again. The way she talked about her experiences in Germany and then coming over here to Philadelphia was quiet amazing. At one point she mentioned how they wouldn't let you leave the country with more then ten dollars so her mother sewed coins in the hems of their dresses to conceal the money. All these stories showed me what this project is really about because when I am assisting Kay with her project sometimes I forget that it isn't about seeing if I can burn and print a screen in one day but more of the finished project and how it is going to impact people who see it.

My long term goals

I have a few goals as an artist.  I want to make a lot of work throughout my life, I want people to see that work, and to be able to live off of that.  I would make commissioned work for some outdoor setting, and sell individual works.  I would also make stuff out in nature or on the street that would be free to look at.  Most of my work will probably be like that.  Or I might just have a professional persona I put on for galleries, and have a whole different one for street or field art.  You can't sell everything you make.  Ultimately, by the end of my life, it would be pretty cool if I land an exhibit on the roof of the Metropolitan.  I could die happy after that point.
For now, I have so many ideas.  If I can manage to execute them while I am in school, that would be nice. A lot of them probably wont happen during that time though.  Some will, but I cannot always incorporate my own already solidified ideas into a project.  After I graduate, my plan is to go live in Croatia for a bit.  Probably a year or so.  My father emigrated from there while it was still communist Yugoslavia.  Now, however, it is a beautiful place.  It always was actually, there were just some bad ideas.  Anyway, I have a bed in the house my dad grew up in.  We live in a really nice vacation spot, it is packed with tourists and vacationers from May to October.  But the rest of the year, my town is pretty much locals only.  Which is good because I need to take a year or so just to isolate myself from people and institutions.  I have been in school for 15 years, pretty much all of my consciously aware life.  I need a breather, and I need to focus.  In school, I am trying to get a degree while making art.  But here, after I get my degree, I am simply making art.  However, in this setting, there is a whole new terrain, a whole new culture of people.  Different materials laying around, and different reactions waiting to happen.  Croatia has existed as a republic since 1991, so the art scene there is still pretty underground, or just not happening quite yet.  I want to start something there, I don't know about a life but a movement would be cool... I have a few friends there who are interested in the arts, so who knows.

One main thing that Shelley and I have been working on is making a visual sketch of what her exhibit will look like.  We are creating in her studio what she will hope to have set up in the museum, in the same fashion.  For example, she has some work that she wants suspended from the ceiling.  So in order to do that, we had to do a few things.  We went and bought a bunch of cheap two by fours.  Then we had to locate the wood studs on the ceiling, so that the wood is firmly attached, not hanging loose in a plaster ceiling panel.

Another big part of this project is the actual creative process.  Her exhibit is in a year from now, but there is still stuff she has not made.  That is because she is still finding her material.  She uses all sorts of found wood.  Some of which is due to my presence.  Since I too am a collector and finder of things on the street, I take note of things Shelley also might want.  It is as easy as taking a picture and texting it to her.  It is a cool feeling to contribute ideas and actions towards someone else's potential art exhibit.

Studio Art: The Financial Issue

      After spending time with Shelley, I made note of how she deals with the economic side of being an artist.  She was doing things that I have not really thought a whole lot about, such as saving all of the receipts from her purchases for tax purposes.  She also told me about the process of applying for grants when dealing with museum exhibits, for sometimes your ideas cannot be fully executed with sole monetary contribution.  A helping hand never hurt anyone.  I still have much to learn, however.  I have not been tossed into the ocean just yet.  I am perfecting my stroke, but, I am still in the pool, in the shallow on the shelf.  I can always wade back to land if need be.  I never forget where shore is.  But soon, I will be able to proceed into the deep blue, where only the cunning can evade the hooks and traps and predators.  To glide with vigor; silent rage.

The End of the Road...

My last day in San Diego was yesterday. I made new friends, had good Mexican food, enjoyed the beach and learned about dance from a totally different aspect. 

Here's a recap on everything that happened during my internship...

Week 1: The first week was a little rough. I did not end up staying where I thought I would stay. After about 2-3 hours of complete chaos, I checked into a hotel room in Pacific Beach. Then came the dance part...I had no idea I was so out of shape! My body became numb by the third day of intense training. Every muscle in my body was sore. 

Week 2: The second week was all about learning choreography for several performances. This part of the internship was also tough. Learning multiple pieces of choreography worked in my favor. I developed different strategies for retaining the material. After hours of rehearsal it was finally time to perform! My favorite part! 

Week 3: The third week was all about the business of dance. I must admit sitting in an office for several hours a day was not the most exciting part of my internship but I definitely learned a lot.  I did not know having a career in dance was this complex! I'm so thankful for this opportunity and I'm ready for the next journey! 

Happy Independence Day!

This summer has really taught me that no  matter what day it might be there's always work to do! I am helping Peter develop a spreadsheet for his last three shows. The spreadsheet will tell what type of people enjoy coming to see his work. The data we've collected separates people by location,age,race and gender. Hispanic women between the ages of 51-65 seem to attend Peter's shows more than anyone else. The PGK Dance Project goal is to make world class dance performances, training and appreciation affordable. Peter is currently working on a performance in a neighborhood in San Diego County where dance is not easily accessible. The PGK Dance Project works hard to make their performances available to everyone!

The Business of Dance..

Now that the dance intensive is over its time to learn more about the business of dance. Investing in a dance company requires a lot of hard work and money! Peter is teaching me about grants and catering to the needs of the audience. I honestly did not think operating a dance company would be so hard! From the outside looking in, it seems like a fun and stress free job! Owning a dance company is more than having great dancers and lovely costumes. What I've learned so far is not even half of what it takes to run and operate a dance company. I'm excited to learn more about the business of dance!

Update!

Hey, everyone! This summer is going by really fast and I've already learned so much. Working with Mechele is going great and I'm learning so much about the behind the scenes of bringing a design to market. From getting price quotes to identifying material costs, getting a product up and running is a lot of hard work. I am so glad that I have been able to work side by side with Machele and see this long complicated process first hand. The experience that I'm getting, like researching and contacting suppliers is really valuable to my education as a designer. I've learned you can have the best designs in the world but if you don't know how to bring them to life and work out all the kinks along the way your not going to get vary far. The summer is not over yet and I am exited to learn more and gain more experience!