This experience has been really rewarding towards me because I have met wonderful people and I have done stuff I usually would never do. I have shown Sean some of my Photos and I never would have seen myself doing that because Sean is an artist and I was never confident in my artistic ability so it was really scary. I also feel like I made friends with a lot of people and everyone is always so different and unique and it’s always fun to learn new things about them. I learned to deal with crowds of customers and I managed well under pressure which is a big step because I tend to under-estimate myself. This internship was a roller coaster from the beginning because I never joined programs or after school activities and it was nice to step out of my comfort zone. Through this internship I have been able to push myself to get past my limitations and I can truly say I can do anything when faced with a scary problem. It also has been fun being around so many different types of art. I enjoy seeing different people’s perspectives on the world and its problems. It has also helped me grow as an artist because other photographers have given me advice and have shown me different ways to do photography.
blog
At my Internship at CHAC I have met many respected local artists and they all have shared with me their experience trying to make it in the art world. I recently met Arturo Garcia and he was talking about how he never wanted to show anyone hes work and the different type of people he worked with. One thing that really stood out to me was his way of thinking when it comes to producing art work. He said he didn’t like to sell just originals because it takes a lot of materials to make just that one painting and he would have to sell it at a higher price. So he says he sells prints more because he can mass produce them and people are more likely to buy prints then a huge painting. It stood out to me because it made me understand the importance of taking in consideration my possible customers situation. Not everyone has room for huge art work and so I must have variations for them to choice from. Arturo Garcia was a really nice person and he gave me two prints as a gift just for helping him, I was beyond happy! I have made a few connections with artists who I feel like would really help me out and motivate me when needed. I have also made connections with people who aren’t artists and they still managed to encourage me to continue on a good path.
blog 8
My Internship project is going well but pretty slow because I haven’t had a lot of time to edit my photos. So at first I thought I was only going to make my photo essay mainly about the day of the dead event that CHAC does but now I am considering making it about CHAC. The conversation about the project with Sean went great he was really supportive about my idea and even gave me some suggestions on how I can improve it. My project well be about CHAC and since I am there 3 days a week surrounded by such beautiful art and people I want to show it all in my photos. In other words my photos well be like a way for people who haven’t had the experience to be at CHAC and to see what goes on behind the scene of events, like first Fridays and day of the dead, to get feel for it.There a few challenges I am experiencing while trying to do my project because I don’t have a camera and I don’t have Photoshop. I borrow my school camera but since I am only borrowing I don’t always have the camera when something cool happens. I feel like when I do have the camera nothing seems to happen or I don’t get any ideas on what I should photograph. Then when I do take pictures I am limited on my editing abilities because of the lack of Photoshop.
blog 7
The difference for me with working on a personal art project and working in a creative business would be all the different suggestions you have to take in consideration. In a creative business you have to remember that you’re not the only one that has a say in how something should be done so keeping an open mind is important. When working on a personal art project to me it’s more for myself and my own satisfaction so I can do and make whatever I want. unfortunately in a creative business it is not just about you and what you like it’s also about what well bring in the most customers, the most money, and how well it help us grow as a business. Also if you start a project in the creative business scene you have to finish it. You can not put it as something you can do last-minute because it takes time to get everyone’s different ideas into one big project. You have to plan every little detail out and even make sure you have a backup plan just incase something goes wrong with the original. If you’re working on a personal project you can come back to it when you feel more inspired or when you just feel like adding to it and no ones going to be rushing you for it to be finished.
blog 6
I can not express this enough but everyone at CHAC is extremely nice and welcoming. Everyone there makes me feel appreciated and cared for. Even small details that they do for me makes me happy. Like on my birthday they all stopped everything they were doing just to celebrate it with me. Last week I was fitting a cold and everyone was worried about me and it feels really nice to know they all care for me. Even the volunteers at CHAC are extremely nice. If I had an intern one day I would no doubt treat them the same way. Who wouldn’t want to feel special and appreciated every time they come into work? I have learned how being nice and friendly can benefit you when you are doing business with people.I have also learned to start projects early so that they could turn out to be awesome. I have also learned how important it is to treat everyone with kindness because we don’t know what they are struggling through.
blog 5
I feel like my internship is going well so far and I hope it continues to go well for the remainder of the time that I am there. The highlights of my internship would be all the awesome artists I am getting to meet. For example last week I meet this artist named Rudy and he is also from Guatemala. He was really nice and really interesting to talk too. I am noticing that most of the artist that come into CHAC look scary because they are covered in tattoos and have their ears gauged but once I talk to them they are so nice. There are always very different and unique people who come into CHAC and I get to learn a little bit about them each time. Something that all of them have in common is that they are all super nice. The low lights of my internship at CHAC is that sometimes its a slow day or slow week and so there is little for me to do. Another low lights for me is that sometimes I have to spend some time down in the basement and its creepy being there by myself. It’s not a big deal and I joke around with Sean telling him why it’s so creepy and he tells me its haunted. Luckily October is one of the busiest week at CHAC so I have plenty to do, which is great because I actually feel like I am helping out instead of just being there. I haven’t had a chance to talk to Sean about the final portfolio overview because he went out-of-town on Friday. I will talk to Sean on Wednesday because that’s when he comes back and I will see if he has anymore input about my photo essay. I will also ask him if I could enter some pictures into the show in February.
blog 4
I am responsible for all the task Sean and Crystal assign to me. For example one day I could be at the desk greeting costumers and other days I could be putting stuff away or pricing them. My main contribution to my work place is just to help with small things so that Sean and Crystal can continue to do their important work. I just help take some things off their plates since they are busy all the time and can’t do everything by themselves. I don’t really have day-to-day duties because each day is so different. It all depends if Sean or Crystal have something they want me to get done and if they don’t I go around and ask my co-workers.
Internship Inspired project
For my Internship Inspired Project I talked to Sean and he gave me the idea of creating a photo essay. At CHAC gallery October is one of the busiest months they have there and its all because of the day of the dead event that they make. I would like to document the experience from start to finish. It would be a cool way to see how an idea can come to life when everyone comes together to make it happen. Sean gave me some advice and told me that I could write a short poem with some of the pictures I told him I would think about the poem but I am not certain I will include them. In order to know how much time I will need for my project I need to make a schedule for October to see when is the busiest so that I can take photos of everyone being productive. Some of the materials I would need would be a camera and just a computer that has Photoshop on it so that I could edit the pictures. I would also need day of the dead props or like small details I could use in a photo shoot. Another thing I would need is somewhere I could print my photos and maybe some frames to make them look nice and professional. When I am out taking Photos my subject well change and maybe some pictures will not be mainly about the day of the dead but they will still be about CHAC or just art in general.
Blog 3
My actions affect my workplace because if I don’t listen or do what I’m supposed to it affects my co-workers who would feel like they have to babysit me. They might even get in trouble because of my bad behavior. I feel like I do contribute in a positive way even if it’s sometimes small. For example on the 15th it was my birthday and everyone there signed a card, gave me flowers and we ate ice cream together. It was honestly unexpected and felt amazing how they kept telling me they appreciated me there and how much I have helped them out. This also brings me to the third question about how my co-workers actions affect my internship. Since everyone there is super nice I feel like I am actually needed there. Even if I am doing simple tasks like putting away bubble wrap downstairs Cynthia always tells me,” Thank you, You really help me out a lot, I appreciate the help.” I sometimes feel bad because everyone always tells me Thank you and I don’t know if I should say you’re welcome because honestly I should be thanking them for allowing me to be there. When Sean and Crystal are not around or are busy with a customer I go to Cynthia and Amelia to see if they need my help with anything. They’re kind of my example on how I should act around the gallery and what simple task I should do without anyone telling me to. I feel like I am connecting with all of my co-workers because everyone at CHAC is so kind and out going.They are all so easy to get along with I feel like it’s not as hard to connect with them.
Blog 2
So this week at my internship the best thing that happened was not really about the gallery but more about myself as a person. I didn’t feel as out-of-place as I did the first two weeks there. I felt like I was talking more with Sean and Crystal, I wasn’t as awkward as I was the first two weeks. I noticed this because Crystal asked if my parents and I ever traveled to Guatemala and we had a whole conversation about it. I shared a lot with her and for me that’s a really big step in trusting her and feeling comfortable talking to her. I realized that she is a really nice person and the conversation we had made me realized we had some things in common. The conversation might not sound like it was such a big deal but since I am so shy it took a lot for me to open up, especially about my family. This week made me feel confident in myself and that I can eventually get out of my comfort zone even if it’s just for a little bit. I feel more confident in starting and continuing conversations with new people. Even though to people it may not sound like a big accomplishment, to me it felt like I was a different person. I am excited to see how being at CHAC can help me not be as closed off and shy. I am also looking forward to making connections with new people and hopefully being able to share a little bit about myself with out feeling uncomfortable.
Blog 1
This week for my internship at CHAC Gallery I learned how much work is actually put into making an event. CHAC Gallery makes an event for the day of the dead every October and the fact that Sean and Crystal have already started planning since school started just shows how much work is needed to pull of such a huge event. They also do education workshops were they teach kids more about culture and the art world. I was surprised by the different things CHAC does. They not only show off art but they also do workshops where students get to create different things, for example sugar skulls. On my first week there I meet this artist named Miguel but his artist name is MPEK and he does Murals around Denver he also sells his paintings at CHAC. He was a really nice guy and we connected really fast because I speak Spanish and his English wasn’t that good. His paintings are really amazing and he talked about the meaning behind them with me, he also wanted me to name one of hes recent paintings but I had no idea what to name it. I guess when I was talking to Miguel I engaged in code switching because he wanted to speak in Spanish instead. I also engaged in code switching when I met another Artist, Felipe. He was very cool and would cuss now and then so we didn’t talk in a professional manner like Sean and Crystal would with me. Overall I had a great first 2 weeks and I cant wait to continue through this journey.
v