Blog 10
This experience has been rewarding to me in many ways. I have had a lot of fun getting to know Desiree and Adrian, and getting to meet to many awesome local artists. I have had a lot of positive experiences at my internship. I love meeting artists who design cool t-shirts and hearing about their process. Getting to see the Night Bazaar was really cool, and hopefully next weekend I will get to see the Denver Flea. Last weekend Desiree even bought my ice cream from Little Man. There are a lot of perks interning there; she also has given me a shirt and a tote bag. Learning about how much effort it takes to run a small business has really opened my eyes. They go through a huge process just to be open every weekend. They do not buy all their merchandise up front; they pay the artists when their work sells. They also have to rent parking spaces for the bus and the truck so they have a secure place to sit when they aren’t using them. You realize so many little details you would never think of when you are up close and personal with the truck. I think I did not expect how much effort and work goes into even a tiny business — in reality it is crazy! The most important thing I have learned is that even though starting and running a business is a ton of work, it is an amazing experience and definitely seems worth it in the end.
Blog 9
Lot of artists come in to the Fashion Truck to drop off their clothing or jewelry designs. It is really cool to see the evolution of their designs. It is also interesting to see what their different designs look like for different events, seasons, and holidays. During football season, we had a lot of awesome Broncos designs that were very unique and ones you would not find in a regular store. After we won the Super Bowl, Mile High Clothing even came out with Denver Champions shirts. For Saint Patrick’s Day, we also received some pretty cool Denver inspired shirts with beer mugs, among other things, on them. As the seasons change, we also are phasing out some of our warm cozier hoodies for new, cool tank tops that are better suited for the summer. All of this information and what I see at the Truck really inspires me to show how broad clothing design can be. It does not have to be all a cookie cutter design, and you can experiment with what you like and be inspired by the things around you. I love being able to intern at the Fashion Truck because of this. My other two jobs I have, one at a bank and one at a burger place, do not come anywhere near as close to being as fun and interesting as the Truck. I get to learn so much about the art world, which is really cool because my mom loves hearing about everything as well (seeing as she is a graphic designer). My internship really has inspired me on my artistic journey and introduced me to the art world.
Blog 8
So far, my internship is progressing pretty well. I have completed one design I think I could put on a shirt and am brainstorming ideas for another. The first one is a pineapple I drew by hand. I added orange and yellow watercolor to the background which gives it a cool looking texture. My inspiration for this is my recent trip in January I took to San Diego, California. The boho and beachy vibe really resonates with me. The second t-shirt design I am thinking of is some kind of mountain design or something that connects with Colorado. I think this would fit in pretty well with my internships because most of the clothing and items in The Fashion Truck are Denver or Colorado inspired. I have not yet talked to Desiree about my internship inspired project. I am thinking the next time I see her I can show her some of my ideas. I could also ask her if there is a print company that she could recommend to me or if it would be easier to order printing online. My project fits in really well with my internship. I love to design things in AP Studio Art or in my free time, and The Fashion Truck deals directly with buying and selling graphic tees. Adrian even designs some himself! Talking with my sponsors I really learn a lot about about the process because they give me insights into how they deal with printers and restocking inventory.it really shows me what it would be like if I made and designed my own shirts.
Blog 7
There are clear differences between working on personal art projects and working in a creative business. With a personal project, you are creating art solely because you enjoy it and love to make it. There are no deadlines when working on these projects. The art is for you, and is not trying to impress anyone else. It is just what comes in to your mind and therefore is very expressive of you as a person and your own imagination. Creating art can both be bad and good because you are doing it for yourself. On one hand, you have no boundaries and can create for the sole sake of creating. But with no cutoff point, the work can sometimes always seem unfinished. With a creative business, maintaining profit supersedes the importance of creating art for the exclusive purpose of self-expression. People have to want to buy what art you are selling, whether it is selling jewelry or tickets to a dance show. Supporting yourself through art can be difficult because of this. If something you really like and put a lot of work into does not sell, it can be disheartening that people would not want to buy it.
Working in a creative business like Denver Fashion Truck, I have learned the pros and cons of making and selling art for a living. You get to do what you love on a daily basis, and make money off of it. But, it can sometimes be hard to find consumers that consistently want to buy your art,
Blog 6
I feel very respected at my workplace. I get treated very well and never feel like I am inferior or lower than any of my coworkers. This week I worked with another intern, Erin, who has worked with the Denver Fashion Truck for a long time. She has been through it all and was very helpful and likeable and didn’t treat me like a newbie. Adrian and Desiree are always very kind and nice — I think that’s just how they are as people. They treat all of their designers who sell art in the trucks very well and are good friends with most of them. I enjoy my internship so much because of how close I am able to be with them and how well they treat me. It is very easy to like them. Even when I am assigned to do tasks like stamping or hole punching tags, I know they also have done it a million times because it always needs doing.
If I had an intern I would treat them similarly. Including people and treating them with respect is always a good way to build connections and put out a good image of your brand. I think it is part of the reason Adrian and Desiree have been so successful!
I have learned a lot from all of my coworkers. Erin was showing me the tricks of the trade, and how to complete things like returns through the Square. She also was sharing how she minored in art in college and what that was like, which is a good thing to hear about when I am trying to decide on my future!
Blog 5
So far, I really like my internship and feel like it is going well. I like all of my coworkers a lot and I have learned a lot about running a business and the fashion industry. I am always seeing awesome designs on t-shirts and jewelry that I never would have thought of. Some highlights are constantly meeting incredible designers who bring their products to the Fashion Truck. It is inspiring to see so many people doing what they love and embracing art as their passion and work. I have gotten to meet a guy who creates designs for Mile High Clothing t-shirts which was pretty cool. There aren’t too many lowlights, but one thing I do have to do a lot is stamping bags. It is an important task because any customer who buys something might want a bag to carry it around in, but it is not necessarily the most fun and enthralling thing to do. But, it must be done. I really do feel like I am making connections with my co-workers. Desiree and I can talk freely with each other now, almost like we are just friends. We update each other on our lives and the good things going on in them, and we celebrate when something cool sells! Just the other day, she texted me to tell me that some of the vintage viewfinders in the truck had sold. To improve my experience, I could try to connect more with the designers who come in – sometimes they can be intimidating.
Blog 4
At the Denver Fashion Truck, I am responsible for helping Adrian and Desiree in whatever ways I can. This week I helped a lot with inventory and making sure that there were enough sizes of each shirt and sweatshirt out in the bus. I also had to check that all of the sizes were in the right order because they can very easily get mixed up. They also had a lot of vintage items they had just bought so I helped with pricing and cleaning all of the pieces. Some of the little brass pieces had old price tag stickers stuck on them so I also had to make sure all of them were clean.
I think my main contribution to the work place is giving Adrian and Desiree some flexibility. Because I know how to run the Square and complete purchases, I am able to be left alone in the truck or the bus. This means that they can easily go run and get food, or take a restroom break, or send me to get coffee. This week I was with Desiree in the bus, and Adrian was in the truck in another location. When he needed a break, I was able to drive over to where he was and let him leave, whereas without me he would’ve had to wait or close up the truck for a bit.
The bus and truck always have to be set up and taken down, so my day-to-day duties always include this. I usually lay all of the jewelry out in all of the display cases and make it look pretty. Also, I help with setting up a clothing rack outside the truck or bus to help draw people in.
Blog 3
The actions I take in the workplace can affect many things. One thing it can impact is how customers see the Fashion Truck and whether they see the business as professional or not. I treat customers with respect and try to enhance their shopping experience so that they will have a great impression of the Truck and want to purchase goods. This positivity helps the customer want to come back and shop again and recommend our Fashion Truck to their friends is really important for keeping and running a successful business. If employees were to act badly and treat customers disrespectfully or rudely, that would definitely hurt the business and push customers away.
My coworkers affect my internship with their attitudes. They are always happy and excited for me to be there. Their good moods affect my attitude and make me cheerful and excited to be at the internship. I am always happy to be interning there and looking forward to each week. They always are teaching me interesting things about running a business and designing their own clothing and pillows and how much work that can be. I can always take their advice and apply it to my own design work.
I am connecting with both Adrian and Desiree at my internship. They are both very cool people who I enjoy talking with when business is a little slow. The couple is very artistic and I can learn a lot from both of them. Their awesome attitudes make the internship very fun and enjoyable!
Blog 2
The best thing that happened this week at the fashion truck internship was that I was able to use Square and complete a purchase all on my own. The customer had many items so you have to look them up by their code (ex. For a sticker the code would be “ST”). Once all the items are in the cart, you have to check and make sure all of the pricing looks good. The customer will then either give you cash or card, and you have to go through different processes for both. I was proud and satisfied that I completed the transaction correctly and that Desiree trusted me enough to do it! I am also excited to learn about how artists brand themselves in the Denver Fashion Trucks and how that portrays them to the rest of the world. I was given the task of creating some of Adrian’s tags and adding price tags and string to each of them. It was interesting to see his cool logo and how that relates and shows “Theme One,” his brand. The state of Colorado is in the logo with a star for Denver, representing when Adrian sells his clothing and also demonstrating that everything is made locally and even the clothing is made in the US with natural alternative eco fleece. All of the designs are even Colorado related. This just goes to show that every little detail impacts his brand and how the public sees it. I think this is an important lesson to learn.
Blog 1
This first week of my internship, I have learned a lot about what a huge responsibility it is to run your own business, especially a fashion truck. The time and money commitment is enormous, and it takes a lot of stamina to be successful. But it also can be a lot of fun! You get to meet new people all of the time and with the fashion truck, Adrian and Desiree also interact and get to know new artists all the time. Surprisingly, sometimes they even have to be selective with what art they agree to sell in their truck because so many people come to them and want to be a part of it! It is interesting to see all the individual artists and how they brand themselves. I would like to delve into this topic even more as time progresses. This week I was interacting with both Desiree and Adrian who both operate the trucks. Because they have two trucks now, sometimes they will both go out and park in different locations. It amazes me how in such a short time they have expanded from one to two. They are constantly doing fun events like the Night Bazaar to be seen even more. This week I did notice myself engaging in code switching when customers come in and look around versus just when talking to Desiree casually. With a customer, you have to act more formally so that they see the Fashion Truck as a nice and respectable place.