Blog Question #1- What did you learn from your first week at your internship? Did anything surprise you or make you excited? Were there any challenges? Did you make any connections with co-workers? Did you engage in any code switching?
My first week at my internship for Bradley Allen Apparel was amazing! I learned so much about the importance of social media when getting your brand out there. They showed me a website called Canva, which is a graphic design software that allows you to create your own format when, for example, if your brand is having a flash sale, you can put together a format explaining the sale and add your brands logo on it.
What made me excited is my supervisor, Brandi Shigley, will be taking me to a bunch of fashion related events outside of the internship so I will be able to venture out and see and learn more about the fashion world which is what I hoped I would get out of this. For example, she is taking me with her to volunteer for a fashion camp for kids on January 27th, that will be super exciting and a good learning experience!
Some challenges that I may face is keeping up with all of the social media promotions because they are always doing sales, or promotions all over their social medias all the time so I might struggle with that a little bit but I believe I will get the hang of it eventually. After all, I still am a beginner at this.
My co-workers are super awesome. The environment is very professional but in the most fun, laid back way possible. My supervisor, Brandi Shigley, has an amazing personality and we connected right off the bat. Jessica Goellner, who also works for Bradley Allen, is also a very cool person whom I really enjoy. The overall environment is great, and I feel very comfortable being there. I didn’t really have to code switch because all of our personalities mushed really well so I didn’t have to talk or act differently which was really nice. The first day was mainly focused on Brandi and Jessica getting to know me which I think really helped with us building a professional yet friendly relationship.
Blog 2: Networking
Begin by interviewing 2-3 of your coworkers with the following 3 questions (about 10 minutes of their time). Time allowing: feel free to ask them more questions to get to know them better. Following the interviews answer the questions below for Blog 2.
Interview questions:
- Did you study art after high school? Art or traditional college? Internship or apprenticeship?
- How did you get your first job in the creative industries?
- If you were in an intern in this field, where would you focus your learning during your internship? What is the most important learning one can do when beginning a career in this profession?
- (Time allowing) Is there anything interesting about you that is non-work related that you would like to tell me about? Hobbies or interests?
Blog Question # 2: What co-workers did you interview? Did your co-workers study art after high school either through higher education or internships/apprenticeships? What recommendations did they have for what you should try to learn as an intern in this field? Did they have any advice on how to begin your creative career? Did you learn anything interesting about your co-workers that was non-work related?
The Co-workers that I interviewed were my Sponsor, Brandi Shigley, and her assistant, Jessica Goellner. Jessica studied Fashion Merchandising a liberal arts college in Nebraska and interned for Brandi at Fashion Denver and also interned for Hope Restored Thrift Store, proceeds went to domestic violence victims. Jessica also did social media content and blogging for a boutique called Vintage Fringe. She worked as an independent contractor. She got a job for Bradley Allen because she contacted Brandi for a reference for another job but Brandi offered her a job as an assistant. Jessica had some great advice. She recommended keeping my mind open, because I never know what i’ll gonna like so you always have to be open to trying new things, always be flexible with that. She also suggested to not be afraid to try something new/different or never be afraid to ask for help. When beginning a creative career you must think about the opportunities and to never not try something because you’re scared of the results, be courageous and put yourself out there. I learned that Jessica played the euphonium in high school and sang for her mom’s church choir for awhile. She loves accounting.
Brandi however, did not study art, fashion, after high school. She attended Metro State University and changed her major a couple times and eventually got a degree in communications. She did not do any internships or apprentices. Brandi created her own hand bag business, B Shigley Designs. She began by making her own hand bags and selling them online but it grew into an international business. Brandi also gave me really good advice. She recommended outreach. Connecting with others, learn how others started their business and learn more about them personally to gain more insight on how you could do that yourself but in your own style and to get inspiration to find what you like as a creative person. The most important thing is learn how to communicate. Communication is key. You cannot be successful if you do not know how to communicate with others. I learned that Brandi Raises money for orphanages in the philippines. She started two of her own bands. Currently not actively playing music but loves to sing especially in french and loves music. Loves going to different places and meeting new people. Loves to roller skate.
Blog Question #3 How do your actions affect your workplace? Are you able to be mindful and bring a good attitude when you come to your internship? Do you contribute positively?
Do you feel like you have a good work ethic so far? How do your co-workers actions affect your internship? Are you beginning to develop any work place friendships?
Your actions have a huge impact on your workplace. If you act in a negative way, you’ll receive negative feedback, but if you act in a positive way you’ll receive positive feedback. At my workplace, I am able to be mindful and bring a good attitude because my co-workers reciprocate that good attitude so it gives me more of a reason to contribute positively and have happy attitude. I feel as though I have developed a good, solid work ethic the past 2 years, and this internship is teaching how to further that to turn into excellent work ethic, they are teaching me new things and giving me challenges that are educational but also really fun so I am able to enjoy what I am learning when at my internship. My co-workers are hard workers but also very laid back which brings a really good vibe to the office which makes it super easy to get excited to go to my shifts and other events related to my internship. I am beginning to develop workplace friendships, my coworkers, Jessica and Brandi, are amazing people and we connected right off the bat. They both have beautiful souls and are super humble, creative, people and I enjoy them very much and I am so glad that I am able to have the opportunity to work and to learn from these wonderful people.
Blog Question #4: Freestyle blog week. Write your own blog prompt about your internship, then answer it in 200-250 words. What have been the highlights of your internship so far? Any setbacks or challenges? Is there any upcoming events for internship you are excited for?
I love my internship so far, I’ve gotten really close with Brandi and Jessica and they have been teaching me a lot. Some highlights of my internship have been the event I attended on January 27th. It was a fashion camp for kids ages 5-11 and I had so much fun. I got to teach kids about fashion and about what I love about fashion, I also got to watch them create their own designs for T Shirts which to me was really cool. There hasn’t been any setbacks or challenges yet, so far everything I have done or learned has been extremely fun and educational. My sponsor Brandi and Jessica make sure that the environment is fun and they make sure I am comfortable at all costs. Some upcoming events that I am excited for is the photo shoots for our proto type polo shirts is coming up and I have never been to a photo shoot before so this will be an amazing opportunity. There will also be a ton of events happening for Fashion Denver that Brandi will be taking me too so this will also be an incredible opportunity to learn about the world of fashion and how it all works. My internship has been amazing and I have learned so much and it’s only the beginning so I can’t wait to see what the future holds. I have no complaints so far.
Blog Question #5 How do you feel like your internship is going so far? What are the highlights? What are the challenges? Do you feel like you are making connections with your co-workers? Are you using your internship inspired project as a creative connection between you and your supervisor? What can you do to improve your experience?
My internship is going amazingly. I enjoy it a lot, I have learned so much and have grown closer with my supervisors. The highlights of my internship is the hands on experience of the fashion industry and learning about social media when promoting your product/brand. I have learned how to design posts through a website called Canva, which guides me through graphic designing for different social medias, such as Instagram, twitter, and Facebook. I have also learned a lot about scheduling posts and marketing to costumers through email blasts, etc… My coworkers and I connected right off the bat and continue to grow closer every shift. My inspired project will be a documentary of my experience with Bradley Allen Apparel. I have talked to my coworkers about my idea and it has built a creative connection between me and them because it allows us to communicate our personal ideas and collide them into something amazing. There is really nothing I can say to improving my experience because my experience has been nothing but good so far, and I don’t have anything negative to say, therefore there is nothing I would change about it.
Blog Question #6 End of the quarter check- in. OK to do 150 words this week. Please do an inventory of your hours completed up until now and make sure your electronic time card is updated coming into the end of the quarter. How are you doing so far on completing your hours? Do you have the amount of hours complete that you should have at this point in the internship? If you are behind on your hours, what is your plan to make up the hours you are missing? How are you doing with the challenge of maintaining your intern work schedule? Are you using your google calendar to keep track of your intern schedule and homework assignments? Is there any other challenge you feel the Internship Program Director should be aware of at the end of the first half of your internship?
I have completed 46 hours as of now. I have done pretty well with completing my hours, I have showed up to every shift, however I did not go to one shift on Feb. 14 because my sponsors were in the office that day. I believe I do have the correct amount of hours I should have at this point in my internship. I plan to attend multiple events with Bradley Allen Apparel such as upcoming photo shoots and their launch date on May 26, 2018. There hasn’t really been any challenges in with maintaining my intern schedule and homework, I have stayed on top of it for the most part. The only thing I would say is a bit difficult with my internship hours, is I have become a little bit behind in my CEC class due to having to leave an hour early every Tuesday and Thursday. I am still getting used to using a calendar because I have never, up until this internship, used a calendar so I have been struggling getting use to that.
Blog Question #7: What is your favorite part of working on personal art projects? What challenges do you face on personal art projects? What have you learned about working in a creative business? What is your favorite part of working in a creative business? What is the difference between working on personal art and working in a creative business?
My favorite part about working on personal art projects is that I get to express myself with no rules. Meaning it is what I want to do, it is my ideas, it is me, no one told me to do it, it was all me. Some challenges that I face on personal art projects is that I sometimes have an artistic block, and cannot seem to get my ideas flowing, I also struggle in sticking to just one idea when I do have ideas flowing, I will have an idea but then change my mind multiple times until I feel it is “perfect”.
My favorite part about working in a creative business is the many creative souls I get to connect with. So many of the people I have met have beautiful, exciting, and creative personalities that connect with mine. I also love all the cool things I have the opportunity to learn. I have learned so much about social media and about the fashion industry and how it all goes down, I plan to major in Apparel and Merchandising so this has given me the opportunity to learn a little bit about merchandising as well as the fashion industry. The difference between working on personal art and working in a creative business is that I have people around me to share ideas with in a creative business, we communicate with each other about what each of us feels about a certain project or promotion, when working on personal art, it is all my own ideas and what I feel about certain aspects of it, there is no one else’ voice through them, only mine.
*(Please read below now in preparation for Blog 8)
No Blog Next Week- you will need to use the week to work on your Internship Inspired Project in preparation for blog 8. You cannot write blog 8 if you have not talked to your supervisor about your internship project. Make talking to your supervisor about the project #1 priority if that hasn’t happened.
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? (If you haven’t discussed the project with your sponsor yet, how do you plan to do so?) 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? Art there any challenges you are experiencing planning or doing your project?
My internship project is going well. I had different ides for what I wanted to do for my project and how I wanted to execute them but after talking with my sponsors, I think I finally know what I would like to do for my intern project.
My supervisor, Brandi Shigley, gave some great insights on what I should do for my project. My first idea was to create a documentary of my journey throughout my internship but after speaking with Brandi she suggested I should make a book with all the things I’ve learned from this journey including pictures my everyday tasks that I do during my shifts, and include mini descriptions of what it is I a doing in each photograph. I think this is a great idea because it bridges what I do at my internship by showing all of the things I have learned and have gotten to experience, it is also helps me to express what I truly love and who I am by being able to create something showing how this internship has pushed me to grow into a stronger, more creative person.
Since the beginning, my sponsors and I have had a connection. We all clicked right away and have continued to build our relationship professionally as well as friendly, I have a lot of respect for Brandi and Jessica and believe they are beautiful, intelligent, creative women who have helped me to continue reaching for my goals. They have guided me to see my true potential, and by them helping me with not only my project, but with everything else, I can definitely say our relationship has continued to grow. I have not yet experienced any challenges so far in creating my project and I hope I do not, but if I do I will work through it and I know that my sponsors will help me.
Blog Question #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? Have you used this experience to diversify your skill set? What skills have you added?
I have experienced so many incredible things while working for Brandi and Jessica. I have had the opportunity to meet a variety of people such as photographers, social media influences, fashion influences, models, and business owners. This has inspired me the most for my own artistic journey because I love the variety of people I have been able to interact with and share my creativity with theirs, so it has really driven me to be more excited for the people that I will be able to make connections with later on in the future to really jump start my career after college. It has changed my artistic ambitions, before I became an intern for Bradley Allen, I did not think that people would have that big of an influence on my future and my art. But, after everyone I have met and the vents I have been able to attend with them, I have learned that in order to get my name out into the world and to be successful, I need to connect with others who can connect me with more and more people to help me become successful. I have gained a lot of great skill sets in communication, writing, problem solving, etc… and these opportunities have allowed me to diversify these skill sets with code switching, blogging, social media captions, e-blasts for promotions, graphic design, etc…
Blog Question #10 : Has this experience been a rewarding one for you? Why or Why not (keep it positive, if you had negative experiences, focus on what you learned- make yourself look good!)? How has the reality of your internship matched or contrasted with your expectations? What is the most important learning you did during your internship?
This has been the best experience and I can proudly say it has been rewarding for me. I was a little nervous to do this internship and almost talked myself out of applying to it but I am extremely happy I did. Since the first time I met my sponsors, it was like we knew each other forever. Our connection was so strong, and it has only continued to grow stronger. I can honestly say that they have become my second family, and I will be very sad to be leaving. I have been able to learn so much from Brandi and Jessica. I have learned minor graphic design for social media posts through Canva, a graphic design website. I have been able to create blogs using word press for the Bradley Allen website (check em out on the Bradley Allen website in the style tab, you can find them on the bottom of the style page: “The Brains behind Armbrust Gym”, “Top Must Have Men’s Fashion Trends for Spring Summer ‘18”, “Top 5 Date Ideas for your special someone while rocking your Bradley Allen Apparel this Valentines Day.”) I have been able to communicate with customers through social media and infusion soft, a private company that offers an e-mail marketing and sales platform for small businesses. Through infusion soft, I have learned how to create e-blasts. For example, I just created one yesterday which had information about our spring sale, and the Bradley Allen affiliate program. It gets costumers up to speed with what our promotions are at the time and other important information about Bradley Allen. I have learned how to manage all social medias at once with hoot suite, a social media management platform, which allowed me to schedule certain photos for certain social media pages for a set time and date. I have gained experience in public relations by creating interviews for some of our customers that are also social media influences. I was also able to write a press release for Bradley Allen about their upcoming launch on May 26th. I could continue on and on for how much I have learned but it would end up a novel. Everything I have learned has been the most important because it all relates to what I want to do as a career. Coming into this internship I expected to be more of an assistant and get them coffee or whatever they needed but I ended up doing everything that they were doing so I was able to get hands on learning experiences so that was awesome. I am so so grateful I had the opportunity to meet Brandi and Jessica and to be able to learn from them. They are the smartest, most beautiful, kind hearted souls I have ever met, and I am honored to say that I had the opportunity to work with them.
Sincerely,
Madyson Rhody.