Blog Post One: 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?
I learned more than I was expecting to learn at the first week of my internship. Right off the bat, I was assigned an organizational/cleaning task which although I knew was coming, I still felt strange about. After spending the hour or so cleaning, I felt proud though because I successfully accomplished my first task, and was rewarded by gaining knowledge from my mentor in a one-on-one session about ink mixing and how it goes into the production process. Aaron taught me how to use the computer system for IndyInk to look through orders and see which need ink to be mixed/found for which orders. He then taught me how, to ensure colors are the same on final products as they look in mock-up designs, most graphic designers and artists use color books (like the ones at paint stores.) This is also how they label their colors, and how they use the color mixing system to weigh out and mix different colors to create the ink that is needed for any given order. It was super interesting to see this part of the process as it’s something I had never thought about before. The whole week also kept me in check and made me recognize and remember that as an intern, I may have to do things that are more boring like clean ink and de-clutter, but I’ll also gain amazing knowledge about one-of-a-kind skills and how real workplace environments work.
I was surprised this week by how many things go into the process of making and producing an order. The company has to order clothes from companies to print on, they have to work with clients both old and new on a daily basis, design, communicate with clients, make ink, print and package, and so many more other small things that I didn’t realize.
One person I met this week was Harold who when asked said, “I do a little bit of everything.” I thought this was awesome because I’m that kind of person who never really specializes but likes to do a little bit of a lot of things. I learned from Harold that sometimes customers are wrong, but customer service is difficult because you don’t want to loose clients, but sometimes the error was on their part, so you have to navigate a thin line in order to keep things in a calm space.
I engaged slightly in code switching this week. I think that I became a more outgoing individual which is hard for me sometimes, and I also projected a funnier and more laid-back version of myself, in order to match the feels of the others in the workplace.
Blog Post Two: 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 week was an interesting one, as my sponsor was on a trip so I’ve been working with other IndyInk employees. The best thing that happened to me this week was that I got to work out on the production floor! There was a huge order deadline coming up from a client who ordered about 2,000 shirts, so I assisted with folding, counting, and packaging the order to be shipped out. The packaging was especially tough with this order because the shirts were all going different places, so we had to package in new boxes and try to fit everything nicely. It was like playing a really hard game of Tetris.
Although it was hot and loud that day, it was a nice change of pace from the office, which was where I have been doing most of my work the past few shifts. While it wasn’t the most exciting thing I could imagine doing at IndyInk it was great to feel like the work I was doing was essential to the company, and I felt like a very valuable team member. I also got the experience to meet other people that worked there that weren’t just sales associates in the office which was great. Getting to see the printers in their element producing a lot of shirts was also really cool to see.
I’m honestly just very excited to see what I will be doing this semester at my internship. There are so many aspects of the company that are interesting, and so many things that I didn’t realize go into the process of printing that I’m curious to learn more about. If I had to choose one thing that I’m really pumped about though, it would have to be my project at the end of the internship. I’ll get to create a design and produce a shirt all the way from start to finish by myself.
Blog Post Three: 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?
My actions affect my workplace because whatever energy I put out into the workplace and whatever effort I exert directly impacts how I am perceived at IndyInk and how my experience is. I know that if I put 100% energy into my time at my internship, and if I am proactive and constantly involved, then I get more out of my internship and I positively impact the business.
I really think I contribute positively. I have been able to help in various different areas of the internship with moving things along. A few times I have been able to help organize and package orders that were on deadlines and without my help wouldn’t have been made in time. I’ve also been able to do small projects that help in the long run. I think my ability to be flexible and help out whoever needs my help is a very positive quality that makes me a good team member.
My co-workers are great! They impact my internship because they’re constantly friendly and open. If they have something for me to do they’ll approach me and teach me exactly what needs to be done in order to complete a task. Everybody is super accommodating and understanding which makes me more comfortable and confident in my experience.
I feel great about the way I’ve connected with Harold, Sarah, and Dave. At least one of them is always in the office when I come in and they are always friendly and welcoming. Recently as I’ve been working in the production area more I’ve also gained a good relationship with Pickles too, since he is in charge of overseeing production. Everybody at IndyInk is awesome though, they’ve all been super welcoming which I appreciate a lot.
Blog Post Four: 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?
I think my biggest responsibility at my workplace is myself. It is my job to come in every day ready to do whatever it is I’m doing that day, and find Aaron, Dave, or Nick in order to see what exactly I’ll be doing, because it’s always different. Some days I’ll be working on my design, other days I’ll be counting in (when you count incoming supplies to make sure there’s enough to fulfill an order) or stacking, (counting and stacking shirts after they’re out of the dryer so they’re ready to be delivered) or helping Aaron take shirts off the press and put them into the dryer.
Like I said, every day is different, so there’s not one specific thing that I feel I contribute to the most. I would say my biggest and main contribution is being an extra set of hands and an extra brain who can be taught almost anything on the spot and begin doing it. I’m surprised every day with how many different things go into an order and I’m usually learning at least one new thing a week. I think I’m viewed as someone there to learn and to help, so it’s awesome because I think everyone at IndyInk sees me as somebody they can utilize if they need help.
My day to day duties change every day! Usually I spend part of my time working with Aaron on whatever he’s doing. So sometimes that will be trying to find or mix paints, or sitting on on the daily production meetings, or taking shirts off the press for him. Then, I’ll spend some of the time with Nick and Andrea, so I’ll be counting shirts in, or putting tags on things, or sorting and stacking garments and boxing things. It really depends though, which is cool, because I love new experiences and I definitely get that at IndyInk.
Blog Post Five: 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 coworkers? What can you do to improve your experience?
I feel like my internship is going great so far! I feel like I’m learning a lot and I also feel like I’m not just in the way, but that I am a helpful team member as well.
I think a highlight so far was that last Thursday I got to stay late at the shop and watch Charles walk a group of kids through the process of screen printing from start to finish. This was really awesome because I got to see for one, how the screens are burned, and a little about the history of screen printing, and just could observe the process from start to finish which I hadn’t gotten to do yet. Also, I got to see how the small business reaches out into the community to help groups like the kids that were there. I also got to get my first experience on the press, printing my first shirt that night! I don’t really have any specific low-lights, but sometimes it gets really busy on the packaging end and I have to help out stacking, and there’s hundreds of shirts to be stacked and boxed so it gets a little overwhelming. Other than that, I can’t complain!
I really do feel like I’m making good connections with a lot of my coworkers. I know everyone in the office super well and we talk about music and senior year and they give me little anecdotes about being an adult. But I also have gotten to know Andrea, Melinda, and Nick who are out on the production floor well too. It’s awesome that I kind of get to do everything because it means I get to know more people well instead of just knowing a few if I was only doing specific things. It’s also funny because I met one of my coworker’s daughter’s last week and we found out we have a lot of the same mutual friends and are going to grab coffee next week! It just shows that it really is a small world.
Honestly I’m having a great experience and I don’t know what I would improve. I think the only thing that is ever tricky is the location, and the transportation. So, having a car would make getting there and home a lot easier but I make do with public transportation and everything always goes fine.
Blog Post Six: 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 sponsor?
People at IndyInk treat me fantastically! Everybody is super welcoming and friendly. I’m typically greeted by Harold and/or Sarah, Dave, and Charles who are often in the middle of obscure and funny conversations. Then I get to go on a fun little trip around the space to find Aaron, who’s usually at the press or mixing ink. Overall, everyone is super friendly and great, and it only gets easier each and every day!
The fact that my co-workers and sponsors are all so open and kind is great. For the most part, everyone is positive and high-energy, which helps me feel motivated to work after a long day at school. Plus, they’re understanding with me as I learn new things on the go, and are always willing to teach me and go through things step by step to ensure I’m doing what I need to be. When I work side-by-side with people, they treat me as an equal, not just an intern and make me feel like a valuable member of the team.
First of all, I definitely want to have an intern one day, so when I do, I’ll definitely take things from my experience at IndyInk so far. I’ll make sure my intern gets a well rounded approach to whatever my company/organization does, like I’ve been getting at my internship. I’ll also make sure that like at IndyInk, the workplace is a safe and open environment where they will feel like they are learning and growing but also doing us a huge favor by being there and helping out.
I’ve learned so much so far! Harold has taught me how to calmly deal with not-so-pleasant customers. Aaron has taught me how to mix ink and use the color system. Dave and Sarah have taught me the importance of persistence in doing repetitive tasks. Andrea has taught me how to stack and count orders and to use a heat press. Nick has taught me how to count in orders. Charles showed me how to use the manual print. Keith taught me how to properly put a shirt through the dryer, and that’s not even it! I’ve learned a whole bunch from everyone so far and we’re not even close to done yet.
Blog Post Seven: What are the difference between working on personal art projects and working in a creative business? What have you learned about working in a creative business?
There are a whole lot of differences between working on personal art projects and working in creative businesses. First of all, there is a million times less pressure on personal projects than there are with projects for businesses. Personal projects don’t usually have deadlines, or if they do, they are set by the artist. Also, if personal projects end up being something you are unhappy with, they never have to see the light of day whereas projects for creative businesses have importance beyond just the artist. These projects are going to earn money and they have to be made to the satisfaction of the customer. Usually, this means a client will have a lot more guidelines and demands, which can either be frustrating or helpful, depending on the artist and whether they like a lot of structure or not. Clients having demands can be awful though, because especially in cases where they don’t have backgrounds in the arts, they may not understand how the creative process works and how some things aren’t easy to accomplish. Working on projects for businesses are great though, because they of course earn you money for your craft, but also can help you make connections and expand your brand.
Through my internship so far I’ve pretty much just learned a lot about the necessary evils of working in a creative business. At IndyInk, not everything is just designing and printing. There are so, so many other parts to producing a final product that aren’t glamorous and fun, per say. For example, you have to work with clients who are not understanding, or difficult sometimes, and if you want their business you have to learn to take responsibility and be a good businessman regardless of the situation. You also have to order garments, and deal with errors on the part of those suppliers. You have to count inventory, and keep the work space organized and safe so everyone can do their best work. I’ve also learned that things often happen unexpectedly and result in more work for you in order to make clients happy. Then, there’s also manual labor and labor that takes a toll on you physically and mentally. Although having a business that allows you to pursue your creative passions, the idea that artists and people that have jobs in the arts just sit all day listening to music and drinking fancy espresso and making art is a huge misconception. If there’s anything that I’ve learned, it’s that a job in creative fields is a whole lot of hard work, but also a whole lot of reward.
Blog Post Eight: 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?
So far, although my project is a little slow moving, it is still going well. My sponsor and I have decided that I will design and print my own shirt so that I am familiar with the whole process from start to finish. This means that I had to come up with a couple ideas (sketches) of what I wanted my shirt design to be. Then, with the help of Aaron, I chose the one that would work best as a first print job, and create a larger scale model to be scanned and digitized so that I can pick colors and shirt styles. So far, that is all I have done, but my next steps are as follows: I will, with the help of Charles and Aaron, burn my design into the screen and prepare it for printing. Then, I will mix the colors that I need, and prepare the printing press. Then, it’s time to print and run the shirt(s) through the dryer!
The dialogue between Aaron and I has been good so far, I feel like we are both fairly go-with-the-flow type people so it makes sense that we wouldn’t have any qualms throughout this process. This project is really nice because it combines my love for graphic design and visual art with my love for creating things with my hands, as well as my interest in color and shape theory. It’s exciting to be able to try something new in terms of art that I never really considered before, as well. I wouldn’t say that my project has changed the relationship specifically, but the longer I’m there I think the more comfortable I am in the environment and the more comfortable everyone is with me. As of now, I am only about 1/3 of the way through the process. The rest of it doesn’t take much time (mixing ink and printing and preparing the screens) as IndyInk does it in the span of a week or two on a regular basis, especially shorter if it’s a small order, but the main issue with finishing the project is planning times to complete each part of the process since Aaron and I have been gone a couple times for trips and such the past few weeks. I think we are both back for the inevitable future though so hopefully I’ll have a printed shirt within the next few weeks!
Blog Post Nine: 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?
Honestly, being at IndyInk is such a huge source of inspiration, it’s insane. Every day I walk in and I see Charles and Sarah and Harold working on really amazing artwork designs. Then, I put my backpack away in a locker covered in awesome stickers for all kinds of different artists and organizations and businesses. Then, I go into the production floor and look at the skateboards hanging from the back wall above an array of so many colors of inks. There is inspiration everywhere, and on a very basic level I am inspired every day to keep drawing and doodling and sketching. In fact, one day I was so inspired after my internship I went home and practiced writing different fonts and practicing calligraphy for two hours. On another level though, just seeing how many different kinds of companies are out there needing shirts printed–independent clothing brands, sports teams, dentist offices, designer ice cream parlors, and so many more–reminds me that my options in the future aren’t just starving artist, lawyer or doctor. It reminds me that I have a million and one options for my future, and amazing art can be incorporated into it a bunch of different ways. Additionally, talking to all my coworkers and learning that some of them are painters on the side, or musicians, or into fashion is super inspiring.
I’ve always believed in balance, and in the idea that I exist in spaces in between. I never like to check off boxes or stuff myself into just one identity, and working at IndyInk has solidified the idea that I can create a stable, adult life that way. I am currently more interested in film than any other artistic pursuit right now, which isn’t how I started out the year, but I know that those intentions will most likely shift again, which is fine, because no matter what I chose to pursue I know I can make it work for me.
Blog Post Ten: 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?
As exhausted as I am from my first semester of my senior year, and from all my extracurricular, I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to do my internship at IndyInk and I do feel as if it was a rewarding experience. I have gained skills and experience in a field that not many people get the opportunity to (screen printing) which I think has been one of the biggest things I have taken away from my time at IndyInk. Additionally, just being able to work in a small business has been great. I have been able to witness so many different aspects of running a small art-based company from the business and interpersonal aspects, to the technical and creative ones. Not only that, but I have been able to learn how to adapt to this kind of laid-back working environment and made positive connections with nearly all my co-workers while still being very productive. Even on days where I was tired or felt over-worked from school, after a few minutes at IndyInk, typically my mood improved, because it is such a wonderful and fun environment. Everybody was patient with me and encouraging, which is part of the reason why I learned and retained so many skills, and I am so grateful for that! By my last shift at my internship, I will have designed my own shirt and will have printed 14 garments with my own design, by myself.
I really had no expectations coming into IndyInk, because I was very unfamiliar with screen printing, which led me to be a little nervous about starting. I think my expectation was that I wouldn’t get to do much hands-on action, and that I would be more of a secretary than anything. The reality was that, while I started doing small tasks like cutting shirts and cleaning the ink station, I ended up becoming a vital part of the team, which felt great. On many occasions, my co-workers expressed their thanks for my help, because an order wouldn’t have been fulfilled on time without it. Times like these were the most rewarding.
I think the most important thing I learned while at IndyInk was that a small business is only successful with communication between all members of a team. Each day at IndyInk, there is a 3pm meeting so everybody can address needs or concerns for that day’s work. I learned from this, and from watching everybody interact, that whether your position deals with the customers, the ink, the garments, or the packaging, your job is crucial and your communication with team members is crucial as well. In other words, even those who aren’t directly involved in the creative/artistic aspects of a company or team are crucial to the product. It opened my eyes up to the possibility that even though I’m not super confident in my own visual art abilities, it doesn’t mean I can’t successfully work in a creative industry.