Blog #10
Has this experience been a rewarding one for you? Why or why not? How has the reality of your internship matched or contrasted with your expectations? What is the most important learning you did during your internship?
I would definitely say that my internship at Wonderbound was a rewarding experience. Throughout my internship I have gained experience in a professional creative setting and been submerged into new experiences otherwise unavailable to me. Being able to work in Wonderbound allowed me to see the outside of the company along with the behind the scenes of what goes on there. Because of this dual view I was able to recognize and notice the smaller things that others would not. It was really interesting to be able to make connections with the dancers and staff of Wonderbound while at the same time seeing the feedback from newspapers and online articles about their shows. Having this experience gave me better insight into what the professional art and dance business looks like and what goes into the marketing of a creative business.
Before my first meeting with Amber I had no idea what to expect out of the months to come. After meeting with her on my first day I felt as though I was given a lot of responsibility and I would be working on many creative projects. As my internship progressed I got into the routine of things and knew what was expected everyday. I was expecting more diversity in my tasks at Wonderbound but I usually worked on similar projects. Although this was not what I expected, I was still very happy with my internship.
I think that the most important things that I have learned during my internship is just overall what goes into marketing and how important connections and relationships are. Wonderbound relies on business connections for ads, funding, and overall outreach. In addition to this, personal relationships are very important as well for donations, show attendance, and word of mouth. Although not EVERYONE knows about Wonderbound, the connections that they do have are very tight and important. I think this is the most important thing I have learned because it will help me outside my internship and in my future.
Blog #9
What have you seen or experienced in your internship that has inspired you the most on your own artistic journey? Has this experience changed your artistic ambitions? How?
Wonderbound works to help the community and involve the culture around them. For example, they work with the homeless and schools that don’t have arts programs. In addition to this, Wonderbound partners with local companies and artists to create unique experiences and to help with grants and funding. Seeing their involvement and collaboration with the community and other artists has inspired me the most on my own artistic journey. Seeing how all of the different styles and artists work together and help each other out influences how I want to carry myself as an artist and how I value the relationships that I make. Recently I have been contacting companies that have ads featured in Wonderbound’s program; this has taught me more about professional relationships along with how to make meaningful connections as well.
When I first started at Wonderbound Amber said to me that relationships and who you know is one of the most important things in the artistic business. In the beginning I mostly just wanted to get experience out of my internship; but now I realize that if I can make connections and relationships as well, this can help me get much farther in my artistic journey and help my future ideas.
Even just being in the downtown area and seeing all of the different influences and art inspires me. There is so much beautiful architecture and graffiti so close to Wonderbound (theres an amazing mural right across the street that I can see while I work).
Blog #8
How is your internship project going? Describe the progress of your project. How did the conversation about your project go with your sponsor? Did they have good insights into how to improve or expand the project? How does your project bridge what you do at your internship and what you like to create yourself? Has your relationship with your sponsor evolved as you have engaged in a creative dialogue about your project? Are there any challenges you are experiencing planning or doing your project?
One of my first (maybe my very first) day at Wonderbound, me and my sponsor talked about my internship inspired project and I planned it out. Amber already knew that I needed to create an internship inspired project and that I was going to take photos. Because I am not working on my photography directly in my internship, we set an amount of time every week that I would be able to take photos of the dancers. Amber had the idea to have an actual show with my photos and then market it to an audience (because Amber is the person in charge of marketing at Wonderbound). My project connects my interests and my internship because I am taking photos of the dancers at Wonderbound. As I spend more time with my sponsor, our relationship changes all the time. Talking about the project from the very beginning started our relationship off differently than others because she already knew my interests and wanted to talk about them.
The one challenge I have faced with my internship inspired project was finding time (and remembering) to actually take photos of the dancers. When I first started at Wonderbound the dancers were rehearsing for Rock Ballet and therefore were out of the studio for a couple of days. After these few days of break I have forgotten to take pictures. In addition to this, I get immersed in the work that I am doing and forget that I need to take pictures at the end of the day. This is not a very big challenge and I can easily overcome it.
Blog #7
What is the difference between working on personal art projects, and working in a creative business? What have you learned about working in a creative business?
So far I have learned that working on personal art and in an actual business is very different. The actual work is the same but the aspects that go into it is very different. In a creative business the work must be done in a professional manner, on a time schedule, and to a certain standard. The dancers at Wonderbound do not come in to have fun and ‘play’; they are there to work and get as much done as the can. Of course this can be fun as well, but it is not the priority.
In addition to this, at a creative business everything is cataloged, monitored, and kept track of. The biggest thing I have learned from working in a creative business is the small things that go into it, that I have never even thought of. Everyday I am working with articles and observing all that goes into Wonderbound. I never realized that the articles were kept track of or anything was done with them; Wonderbound needs these articles for grants. I didn’t know anything about what went into doing interviews, or any of the little things that happen. I knew that these things were done, but I haven’t ever thought about how and who does them. I am only seeing the small tasks that Amber is responsible for, so I am sure that there are lots that I still don’t realize. For example: I never thought about how Wonderbound gets their programs and how they are made. If I would’ve guessed, I would’ve said that they hire someone to make them. Amber designs the programs and picks them up, along with handling the ads that are shown in them.
Blog #6
How do people at your internship treat you? How does it make you feel? If you have an intern one day will you treat them the same? What have you learned so far from your co-workers and sponsor?
At Wonderbound I am treated just like everyone else. Because I was able to see all the co-workers and my sponsor at Rock Ballet, I could experience our relationship outside of the workplace. It was really cool to see my sponsor and everyone all dressed up for the show and be able to talk to them outside the office. Being treated like this makes me feel like I belong at Wonderbound.
I am thankful that I am usually treated as an equal rather than someone with less experience. The dynamic is really cool because I am treated well, like an equal, but at the same time I am learning new things and being taught by my sponsor and co-workers. I think that this is exactly how I would treat an intern if I had one in the future.
Being invited to come with Amber during errands makes me feel more included. For example: today Amber had an interview and asked me to sit in during the process. It was interesting to listen to what they talked about and how they interacted. That is what I think I learn from my co-workers and sponsor; how to interact and balance professionalism with friendliness. There isn’t one huge thing that I have learned, just lots of small things. I have learned that relationships and the people that you know are important as well as how Amber goes about getting Wonderbound press (to name a couple). Because I don’t have any experience I learn lots of small, helpful things everyday (compared to someone who has experience with marketing).
Blog#5
How do you feel like your internship is going so far? What are the highlights and the “lowlights”? Do you feel like you are making connections with your co-workers? What can you do to improve your experience?
So far I think that my internship is going great.I have now been at Wonderbound for over a month, but it feels much longer. I am completely used to the schedule and the work that needs to get done. It is really nice to know everyone and to be able to come right in and start getting my work done. A definite highlight of being an intern at Wonderbound is being able to go to the shows. I recently went to Rock Ballet with my mom and it was an amazing experience to watch the show on stage and with live music (since I had only seen the dancers in rehearsal up until then). Seeing all of my co-workers there clearly showed me the connections that I had made. I loved being able to introduce my mom to everyone and hear what they had to say about my work at Wonderbound; everyone was incredibly nice and seemed to appreciate my presence.
The “lowlight” of my internship so far was when the dancers were gone because of the show. I love being able to see them through the doorway and hear the music while I work. In addition to this, I couldn’t take pictures of them while they were out; which I missed. Having the dancers at Wonderbound makes the space more lively so I am glad that they are back and rehearsing again.
I honestly can’t think of anything that could improve my time at Wonderbound. I started listening to music while I work, making every task more fun 😉 and I can’t think of anything I would do to make the experience better.
Blog #4
What are you responsible for at your workplace? What do you think is your main contribution to your work site?
At Wonderbound I am responsible for helping Amber get articles organized and cataloged, along with other small jobs when they pop up.
Because Amber is busy with the current marketing of Wonderbound, she needs me to finish the “Press Tracking Sheet” along with adding the articles to the Wonderbound website (http://wonderbound.com). For the first couple of weeks I worked on transferring all of the articles (from 2007 until 2015), and information to the Excel spreadsheet so that they were easily found and accessible. Now that I have finished that task I am again transferring this information to the website so that others can view the information, and read about Wonderbound’s past shows and community events as well.
It was really interesting to be able to see these articles when I first started, because I was able to learn more about my workplace, and was able to see what other shows and events they have done besides the current show, Rock Ballet. As I have continued to work with these articles almost every day at my internship, I have gotten familiar with the most popular websites and more familiar with Wonderbound itself. This can make the work feel monotonous at times, but it is a great reminder that I have already learned so much from when I started working at Wonderbound only about a month ago.
With all of that said, I think that my main contribution to my workplace is being able to help all of the employees at Wonderbound get their work done, and help organize things that they might otherwise have time to do.
Blog #3
How do your actions affect your workplace? Do you contribute positively? How do your co-workers’ actions affect your internship?
My actions at Wonderbound affect the workplace because my actions directly contribute to my co-workers’ actions. If I do not finish my work or I need direct supervision, it causes other staff to be unable to finish their work and they are therefore put behind because of my actions. If I do all of my work on time then I am helping Wonderbound as a whole, to run smoother, and takes some of the workload off others. At Wonderbound I do contribute positively because I am always on task and complete what I am tasked with. By doing what I am there to do, in a timely manner, my actions are positively affecting my workplace. In addition, my attitude affects Wonderbound because it changes the attitude of everyone around me. By coming into work ready and happy to be there, I am affecting the entire attitude of Wonderbound as a whole.
My co-workers’ actions affect my internship by affecting how I feel and what I do. For example: Sam and Eliza always greet me when I walk into the door at Wonderbound, making me feel acknowledged and puts me in a better mood to work that day. Also, my co-workers’ actions affect me in a more simple way as well. Because Wonderbound is a small company, everyone helps each other out with their work, and they are much closer than a normal business. Co-workers’ actions affect me because when they go on an errand or need help with something I do this task as well. I have gone on a coffee run with my sponsor Amber, and put up posters with Kylie another intern.
Blog #2
What was the best thing that happened to you this week at your internship? How did this make you feel?
The best thing that happened to me this week at my internship was that I was able to talk to Amanda Tipton the photographer at Wonderbound. Amanda began taking photos at Wonderbound without a lot of knowledge about dance or motion photography. As she continued to learn and work, her knowledge and skill increased. Amanda was in the studio taking photos of the rehearsals and was able to speak to me as she was leaving. Amanda gave me tips on shooting dance photography along with lighting and shutter speed. It was really helpful to get her feedback, and inspiring to be able to talk to a professional doing the same thing that I was.
In addition to talking to Amanda, I was invited to get some coffee with Amber. We were on an errand to pick up coffee for Dawn Fay at a local coffee shop a short walk away. Me and Amber were able to talk about school and my interest in photography. It was a really nice to be able to talk about something that wasn’t totally work related, and nice to get out of the office for a second. I also got to meet Jackie who works at the coffee shop we visited. Amber explained to me that getting to know local businesses and artists helps to get the word out and advertise about upcoming shows and events.
I was invited to “Rock Ballet” their upcoming show, and the teaser show before that. Im very excited to see the final product of the small parts that I have seen during my internship.
Blog #1
What did you learn from your first week at your internship? Did anything surprise you? Who did you meet and what do they do? Did you engage in any code switching?
In my first week at Wonderbound I learned the environment and how everyone interacts at the studio. I went out and put up posters with a fellow intern, in this experience I learned how to correctly go about asking store owners and where the best places are to advertise. I knew that I would be working at the Wonderbound studio but I was surprised and excited that I would be able to venture downtown occasionally. I started organizing the articles about Wonderbound in an Excel spreadsheet and adding the hardcopy articles to this as well. I started looking through the photos that they already had from previous shows and other events, to get a better idea of what made up a good dance photo. In addition to this I started planning out what I wanted to do for my project, and when I would get each thing done.
I met Sam Pike who does the video needed for Wonderbound, Kylie who is another intern with Amber. Kylie helped her friends advertise in Washington and is now working to help use her skills for Wonderbound. I also met Elaine who is in charge of getting grants for the studio, since Wonderbound is non-profit; along with handling ticket sales.
I did not have to engage in any code switching because I have come into the studio really excited and happy to do the work for that day, also everyone is very casual and welcoming. The environment is very light and everyone is there to provide assistance if I would need it. It was interesting being there without my sponsor because it allowed me to engage more with the other people working.