Blog Question 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?
During my first week at Seventh Circle Music Collective, I learned how to open the venue up to performers/audience members. I spent some of my time greetings and helping with donations at the front and later moved into the show itself and got to watch Poets for Peace which was rad!
Many things surprised me at Seventh. I was already aware of their attitude towards bigotry and hate, but they really walk the walk. It’s a space that values safe community seeing as it’s a DIY venue and most tasks like sound, lights, and donation collecting during shows fall on volunteers and Aaron. DIY really means do it yourself!
All of the people I met were volunteers, there was: Phoebe, Paul, Molly, Nick, and much more. Everyone is extremely friendly and I can see myself making long-term friendships.
As far as code-switching goes, I never had to actively take part in it. Seventh Circle is such a comfortable space, I never felt the need to change my disposition in order to be taken seriously or feel heard. As I mentioned before, it’s a no judgment space that I appreciate so much already. I’m so excited for the things that I’ll learn and what’s to come.
Blog Question 2: What was the best thing that happened this week at your internship? How did it make you feel? What else makes you excited about your internship?
This is a very hard question because a lot of things make me very excited about my internship. This week, while I was booking with Aaron on our typical Wednesday shifts, he mentioned that Westword was going to visit and interview him to make an article about Seventh Circle. This isn’t something that happens too often and not many get to witness the interview but I did! We continued to do work until Ben (the Westword journalist) arrived. That was when the real magic happened. Aaron retold the story of the origins of 7C and the impact of DIY venues everywhere. At the moment, Seventh Circle is booking an equal amount and sometimes a greater amount of shows than larger venues like the Ogden Theater all thanks to volunteers and the community. Observing him and the way he speaks of the love for music in such a passionate way makes me appreciate Seventh Circle even more. It’s an extremely special place, I can’t stress that enough. I’m so lucky to be surrounded by the community there.
Blog Question 3: How do your actions affect your workplace? Do you contribute positively? How do your co-workers’ actions affect your internship? Which co-workers are you connecting with?
I believe I’ve contributed to Seventh Circle in a positive manner. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s an exceptionally positive space and I’m always thanked for any sort of work that I do although it’s my “job.” I do my best to arrive with a positive state of mind whether I’m helping with a show or just booking shows with Aaron; that’s not exactly hard in a place full of acceptance.
I’ve had the honor of connecting with many co-workers so far. “Workers” at Seventh Circle are really just volunteers so they’re an eclectic bunch; all sharing the traits of helpful, kind, and thoughtful. The ones that stick to mind most are Ruby, Sharone, Josh, and Julian. Most of them are musicians of their own and perform at 7C regularly if they’re not volunteering. It’s been great to be able to network with the local music community and learn about art and expression altogether.
Blog Question 4: What are you responsible for at your workplace? What do you think is your main contribution to your work site? What do your day to day duties look like?
The main things I’m responsible for at the moment is booking and handling door during shows. My reason for participating in BBTA was because I wanted to gain firsthand experience in the realms of music business so, on Wednesdays, Aaron and I get together at Seventh and set shows up with bands/acts that are looking to play at 7C. In the very beginning, it seemed like a daunting and tedious task but I’ve realized how detrimental the whole process of scheduling and communicating is, especially in the DIY scene.
Usually, the rest of my time at Seventh is spent during show nights working the door and welcoming show attendees or navigating the load-in process for the bands/acts of the night. This procedure also calls for me to collect donations from concert goers. At the end of the night, I have to count out the cash box and split the profits with the touring band. It’s not difficult but also an extremely important part of my job that I don’t take lightly.
Blog Question 5: How do you feel your internship is going so far? What are the highlights and the “lowlights?” Do you feel like you are making a connection with your coworkers? What can you do to improve your experience?
So far, I love my internship! I love the atmosphere of the Seventh Circle crowd, volunteers, artists, and concert-goers alike. It’s a very tight-knit community or feels that way to me, and I’m grateful that I get to experience it first hand because it’s a true sight to see. My highlights are mainly thanks to the people that I’ve met but also the fact that my job is to propel the (most of the time) local music scene in Denver; something I paid very little mind to before the beginning of my internship. I’ve always considered the music scene in the states to be centered in New York or Los Angeles, and although that’s true for most popular music, Denver is ripping at the seams with all sorts of bands/musicians/artists of all and any genres and Seventh is an enabler of that sort of “revolution.” At this point in time, lowlights are minuscule and easy fixes which I am also grateful for. Usually, it’s about a clash in scheduling or it being cold in the record store. Although my experience has been great so far, I’m really excited and nervous to take the reigns of my internship inspired-project. I get to really show what I’ve learned and my capacity as a successful executive.
Blog Question 6: How do people at work 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 sponsors?
I appreciate the way I’m treated at 7C. This question is timely because I just had this conversation with co-workers yesterday. The word collective is operative in Seventh Circle Music Collective. I always feel respected and welcomed whether I’m there for booking or volunteering on door or sound, my place and being are never questioned because no one has authority over anyone; we all just love music and 7C itself, whether we just started going there yesterday of have been in the scene since Blast-O-Mat. It truly is a community that thrives off of the participation of everyone in it, especially but not limited to the guidance from Aaron himself. I consider him a friend and mentor because he treats me as such. When I have an intern, I will definitely use the skills Aaron has used with me. I value that he cares about me actually learning and his respect for me as an artist and aspiring executive. He gives me space to fail but always has my back, and I know he’s one of my greatest supporters.
Blog Question 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?
DEADLINES are the greatest difference when comparing personal art projects and working in a creative business. They’re not necessarily a bad thing; more often than not they are put in place in order to promote effective creativity and keep momentum with a project, but sometimes they can be overwhelming. I can’t say I’ve run into many deadlines during my time at Seventh so far, I see them approaching in the near future with my internship inspired project in full swing.
Creative businesses, even DIY show spaces are a full-time job! That’s not exactly something new that I’ve learned but it is something that I’ve witnessed firsthand and always surprises me. When there’s not a show people are practicing day in and day out in the space. Booking happens almost 24/7 (depending on who’s awake) and the music never stops. Nothing comes easy and 7C challenges the odds constantly because it has to. Because it is a business and not everything can be fun and games, pulling through on a show night or even putting a show together is a sort of life or death matter in this industry; success and failure lie extremely close to each other.
Blog Question 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 for 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?
My internship project is going well! After discussing it with Aaron, he was all for it. We decided I would plan my own show and fill it with mainly local hip-hop/electronic-leaning acts. What we’ve done so far is set the date of the show for 11/18 and conspired a list of possible acts for the lineup beyond the ones that have already reached out for the date. I wanted the show to be a little different than most hip-hop shows at Seventh seeing as they aren’t the most popular so Aaron suggested making it a multi-genre show and adding complementary flavors to the pot. I thought that’d be a great idea because it would bring out a more eclectic audience than what we’re used to seeing at 7C hip-hop shows.
I think this project essentially manifests everything I’ve done at Seventh as an intern because I got to book my own show, create a lineup, interact with artists, and watch an audience interact with the art that I presented to them (in a direct or indirect way). I love doing that! It’s like finding a great new song and sharing it with someone and them telling other people about it and before you know it that same song goes platinum in 6 months but you shared it all that time ago. It feels important.
My relationship with Aaron has evolved a bit since our initial conversation about my internship project. He’s beginning to take the training wheels off, as mentioned before he gave me full control of this project and he even let me decide what to do with the 60/40 split between the venue and acts for the night (although I believe all artists should be paid for their art, 7C doesn’t pay locals so 60% of the door went to a local non-profit). At first, navigating the freedom was scary but he’s always accessible and has the answers to all of my questions!
Blog Question 9: What have you seen or experienced in your internship that has inspired you most on your own artistic journey?
What a question. So much has happened in my internship that has inspired me in my artistic journey. The main thing is probably the people that I have met. Whether they were touring and just passing through Seventh Circle or a fellow colleague serving a shift with me, I can easily say that everyone who I have come in contact with during my time at Seventh has impacted my musical journey in some way, shape, or form. Albeit most of my efforts were focused on booking shows and running door or sound, I learned so much about what it means to be a thriving creative/artist. I have noticed a shift within myself and a respect for any sort of artists’ grind, it’s not an easy one.
Above all, I appreciate music so much more because of Seventh! At the very beginning of my internship, I was a little nervous because I had never been exposed to the punk scene or much punk rock despite loving all types of music. Now I have seen the hard work that goes into keeping a scene like this one alive and I’m so grateful for the opportunity. It has shown me that authenticity and dedication to creation are vital to succeeding an finding happiness in any industry but especially as an artist.
Blog Question 10: Has this experience been rewarding for you? 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’ve done a lot of cool things during my high school career and this experience is definitely up there, amongst the coolest. I have absolutely loved my experience at Seventh Circle and am beyond happy that I got to participate in BBTA. I learned SO much about myself as a creator/music maker and about the music industry on a micro scale throughout my time at Seventh. I got to book shows, organize lineups, take care of social media events, coordinate finances during show nights between Seventh and touring bands, and so on!
I didn’t really know what to expect from my internship. I didn’t know what 7C was before I had arrived to the place. As soon as I did I feel like I was put on pretty quickly. I never imagined learning as much as I have. Along with forming part of a community I didn’t even know existed, I also got to work on developing the skills I will continue to use in my pursuit to becoming a music executive. Seventh is where it first really started for me, I will always remember that and hope to continue to work with the Collective long after my internship time is complete. I will cherish my time there along with the people I met through 7C forever (hopefully). Little things can go a long way.