Weekly blog questions: Week One
-What did you learn from your first week at your internship?
I learned about all the work it takes to be able to run a gallery. No one person does just one job, everyone is responsible for a wide variety of tasks and have something to be doing at all times. I learned about the responsibility that comes with gallery work. I learned about the gongbi brush technique and the importance of it in the current exhibition, A New Fine Line.
-Did anything surprise you?
I was really surprised by the fact that all of the pieces in the current exhibition, A New Fine Line, features the work of nine contemporary Chinese artists. When I think of the CVA, I think very local artist, modern pop culture, and of course higher education. When I looked into the exhibition, I found that the pieces are a mixture of modern technique and gongbi brush technique, an ancient and meticulous brush technique.
-Who did you meet and what do they do?
I met Lauren Barnett, event coordinator and communications person, I met with her and she told me about the social media work she does to promote the CVA and get in touch with the urban populace of Denver. I met Cecily Cullen, managing director and curator for the CVA, she comes up with the exhibitions,contacts artists, and manages the front desk. I met Sarah Knutson, assistant curator. I met Jenna Miles, Gallery Manager and coordinator, she teaches the students about proper gallery management and exhibition installation.
-Did you engage in any code switching?
I did have to code switch, not so much with those I already knew, but with all the other new faces. I have learned how to talk to professionals and peers thanks to previous internships, and thought of Vanessa Roberts’ lecture when I needed direction. Still, I found it difficult at first to find a happy balance between professional and playful when working with the Young Artist Studio (YAS) after school program. However, in my first week alone I found that working in a professional environment amplified my ability to communicate.
Weekly blog questions: Week 2
-What was the best thing that happened this week at your internship?
The best thing that happened was that I was introduced to the holy grail that is Google Calendar. Now I can set dates, reminders and manage my to do list all at one website. It may seem like a silly thing to gush over, but this week was short in terms of internship hours and I really love the ease that comes with it.
-How did it make you feel?
It made me feel organized. I have memory problems, and often rely on others to fill in the gaps where I need to remember events and deadlines. I felt relieved too, I have trouble keeping my stuff organized, so Google Calendar was a real godsend.Thank you, Talya!
Weekly Blog Questions: Week Three
-How do your actions affect your workplace?
My actions have little affect to my workplace, I am responsible for documenting my experience and offering my service to anyone who needs help. The work I do is valuable to me, and I am learning more and more as I talk with and observe the people who work here, and I have made connections with the after school program leaders. I feel the affect I have on my workplace is mainly being a resource for knowledge on the summer internship and being a ready participant for events and programs.
-Do you contribute positively?
I feel that I do contribute positively, I work with the after school programs, give my opinion when asked for it, and am always willing to do any grunt work needed.
-How do your co-workers’ actions affect your internship?
When my co workers are positive and willing to work, so am I, and they are always willing to work. I observe them and learn from them, they carry out their work and I can see how much they contribute to the gallery. I try to work around the very busy schedules of my co workers, and they are always open and welcoming, so they make my internship enjoyable and positively teeming with knowledge and experience to learn from.
Weekly Blog Questions: Week Four
-What are you responsible for at your workplace?
I am responsible for documenting my experience, and documenting the groups of students that come to the CVA’s after school programs. I offer up my help to the Art Education students who lead the programs, and work with Talya to better my work ethic and scheduling methods. I keep track of my hours and keep Talya up to date on what projects I am working on and my progress on the projects.
-What do you think is your main contribution to your work site?
My main contribution would have to be my availability. I am always asking the staff if there are any tasks or jobs they would like me to take care of, or if they need anything in terms of supplies or grunt work. I contribute by being an extra and being ready to learn anything I can from the staff. I do anything from assisting the program teachers and their students, to preparing materials, documenting, and giving insight on what I experienced/learned from other CVA programs I have been a part of.
Weekly Blog Questions: Week Five + Six
How do you feel like your internship is going so far?
I think my internship is going well,I am learning something each day, improving my interpersonal skills, and handling more and more responsibility. I am making great connections and developing an idea of what I can and should do to land a fulfilling career in the art industry. It goes very well so far.
Are you forming good relationships with your co workers?
I do think I am building good relationships with my co workers. I have met personally with a few of them and feel like I am making lasting connections. I was intimidated at first, knowing that I am rather inexperienced compared to them, but we show one another mutual respect and courtesy.
What can you do to improve your experience?
I think I should try being the person to initiate conversation. I have been introduced to staff and artists by other members of the staff, and would like to try doing it myself. I also want to start working with the staff in installation, and general gallery work.
What do you think is your main contribution to your work site?
My main contribution is my availability. As I said before, I am always asking the staff if there are any tasks or jobs they would like me to take care of. I contribute by being an extra and being ready to learn anything I can from the staff. I do anything from assisting the program teachers and their students, to preparing materials, documenting, and giving insight on what I experienced/learned from other CVA programs I have been a part of.
Are you proud of your contributions?
I am very proud of the work I do. I know it is not very much, and that the important tasks are done by the experienced staff, but the work I do is valuable to me. I am learning so much more that I thought possible, and am working my way up. I do the small things, but I do many of them.
-Is there any way that you can self- motivate to contribute more?
I know there is a way to self motivate myself more. Perhaps I could talk to the staff again, maybe more in depth and ask what inspires them to work everyday. I could always just take a look over my work and find the gaps in it and convince myself I need to fill them. I have an excellent work ethic, but am easily discouraged, I could always ask for help from my Intern Sponsor. I think that is what I will do, I will ask for advice and take it seriously.
Weekly Blog Questions: Week Seven
-How do the people at work treat you?
The people I work with are always kind and willing to help me. They treat me the same way they did when I was an intern in the summer program, only now they reach out to me more and trust me with more responsibilities. They treat me with the kind of respect I could only expect out of professionals, and good friends. They are patient and more than eager to help me learn the skills necessary to complete my work, both present and future.
-How does it make you feel?
It makes me feel like I belong. I feel like my work has meaning, and I feel like I’m finally laying a solid foundation for my future in the art industry. At first, I found it difficult to understand how I could ever fit into the gallery staff, but the staff’s openness is helping me ease into my workplace. I feel appreciated and respected.
-If you have an intern one day will you treat them the same?
If I was lucky enough to have an intern of my own one day, I am more than sure I would treat them the same. I have been treated with nothing but respect and have met some incredible people, I can only work to get to the point where I can offer the same to an intern of my own.
Weekly Blog Questions: Week Eight
-What is the difference between working on personal art projects and working in a creative business?
With personal art projects, I can set my own standards and deadlines. I can add whatever I deem appropriate. I can work as little or as much as I want and stretch my ability to whatever fits. It is all fun and expression. Hardly any real work except drafting, planning, and finding time for work. In a creative business there is emphasis on the business aspect. In a creative business there are deadlines,expectations, and skills everyone is expected to meet/master. It is all rather overwhelming, but it is positively the most interesting side of the Center for Visual art that I have seen. The amount of work everyone is responsible for is incredible, and the ease that it is done with is for more impressive. Creative Business is fun and expressive, but all the fun comes after all the work.
-What have you learned about working in a creative business?
I have learned that for a successful business, it takes work. Work on top of work. I have learned that you have to be self-motivated, prompt, open to critique, proactive, and always able to accept failure and move on. I have learned that asking questions is always a good thing. In business not knowing what to do and assuming you do is a recipe for disappointment. I have learned that finishing one task means starting immediately on the next. I have learned that writing and social skills are not only essential, but absolutely necessary. Procrastinating is not really an option, everyone depends on each other and themselves to get anything accomplished. It is stressful work, but the end result is well worth it, and it is a continuous cycle. No one here is at the pinnacle of their career, you never have just one career, there are so many more opportunities within one career to transfer to another or create a new title for yourself. However the most startling thing I learned was that there is no sure-fire way to land a career in the arts. No how-to guide, no step by step, it is all work, persistence, set backs, failures, work, work, and more work. I can be no more horrified than I am enthralled by these discoveries and lessons.
Weekly blog questions: Week Nine
-What have you seen or experienced in your internship that has inspired you the most on your own artistic journey?
At my internship, I have watched on as the people around me work on one thing and move on to the next, hardly stopping to do anything else. In between the work, I have heard conversations consisting mostly of ideas for improving the work, and casual ‘how are yous?’. I have seen the stress of work, and I have seen the fulfillment of work. I have met accomplished artists at the top of their career,students with incredible skills and ambition, and patrons with unmatched appreciation of art. I have felt work anxiety, followed by accomplishment. I have learned about the real skills necessary for not only my educational life, but in my professional and personal life.
-Has this experience changed your artistic ambitions? How?
This experience has changed my artistic ambitions in that I now know there is always more to do. I can not just rely on one talent or skill in order to accomplish what I want to, but I need to expand my array of skills and master more than a few. There is more to art than just visual, more than just making something and presenting it. There are social skills I need to learn, writing skills, and other skills I have to teach myself, like researching and building a positive self-image. I now know that I do not have to limit myself or work towards just one career path, but to open myself up to all the options and branches coming away from my future career.
Weekly Blog Questions: Week Nine
- Has this experience been a rewarding one for you? Why or why not? This experience has been incredibly rewarding for me because I learned skills I would never have learned by any other means. Being surrounded by professionals in a professional environment, is nothing compared to what I’ve learned in school, any other internship, or from any adult in my life. I have seen the kind of work that is expected of professionals in the arts, I have seen the joy that comes from inspiring others with art, and I’ve met some amazing people who are interested and believe in my work. Through this experience, I’ve strengthened my communication skills, my work ethic, and my self confidence. No work experience I have ever had before ,could compare to this internship in terms of how much I have learned. This experience has given me so much, work experience, educational resources, networking opportunities, and so much more. This experience has been more than rewarding for me, it has completely changed the way I look at artistic professionals. It has completely changed the way look at myself.
- How has the reality of your internship matched or contrasted with your expectations? In all honesty, I expected to be doing much more grunt work that I am doing. I thought as an intern I would have to take on all the small hardly meaningful tasks that were left over, but really I entered as more of a student than anything. I was tasked with documenting and listening very early on in my internship. I am so grateful I did. I know it was laughable that I thought I would start off doing real work, like installation or administrative work, I have always expected more out of my work then there really is. However I can see now why it is good I did not, I’m inexperienced, but working towards something bigger.
- What is the most important learning you did during your internship? I learned to be resourceful. I learned to figure things out and not let one minor inconvenience get in the way of my work or stop me from doing work. I learned how to look at a situation from another angle and figure out a way to fix it. Before this internship, I was not self-motivated, I did not practice my communication skills as often as I should have. This internship as open my eyes to a different way of working. Instead of working to me what I think others expect of me, I have learned torch and meet my own developing professional standards.