As I near the end of my program at Rutgers I have been thinking about how to move all my belongings. More recently I found out I will be leaving my current home sooner than I had planned, so the theoretical idea has become much more tangible. Moving my everyday things isn't the hassle right now (it will be); it is moving all my costume design reference books, art supplies, and past projects. I am not a hoarder, but I find it very difficult to give up certain things especially if I put time and creative effort into them. As we speak I have all my sketches in a VERY large rolling tub under my bed and most of my costuming books in a roughly 18 x 18 box. So what is the problem you ask? Well, that is not taking into account all my art supplies currently living happily in my office at school. This is also not taking into account how heavy those two boxes are. Moving requires you to carry your things and I am not looking forward to carrying those boxes! But what can I do to make moving easier? The better question is what could I have DONE to make moving easier. Most solutions are preemptive ones. Something I have been doing over the past few years is scanning all my art work. Now, this is great if you use conventional sized media as well as flat media. If your design requires glitter, texture, or is on a large piece of media, you may be rethinking scanning. I tend to use a medium sized paper common from most art stores, and that size is too big for even most office and school scanners. I have gone to specialty stores, but if there is any texture to the artwork they will not scan it as it can ruin their equipment! Yikes! Luckily I have pretty passable Photoshop skills and can piece together a multi-scan of an image so my digital library of work is up to date. I'm just very sentimental so I keep most of my original works as well. But my books! Besides being heavy, it would take too long to scan them. I could have bought a digital copy in the first place, but I have a thing for physically turning pages. I also own a few vintage books that a cherish and wouldn't want to part with. So what is a costume designer to do?! The best thing I have found to do is go to the gym and build those muscles AND to pair down your collection. If you aren't showing the work on your portfolio site, or it doesn't bring you joy, give it away or trash it (some relatives would love your work as framed presents.....). If you don't do many 1930's shows maybe sell those books to a used bookstore or donate them to a library you go to. Finally, rendering supplies...those things just multiply! Sometimes you use only one color in a set or you move on to a different media. Again, donate those to a local school, art camp, etc. Put a blast out on Facebook to see if any other artists want to try a new brand or media for cheap. Another cool thing to do is challenge yourself to only use what you have...you could come up with an amazing design because all you had were green shades of paint and hot pink colored pencils (you never know!). So, for all of you packing or unpacking boxes starting a new journey, good luck! I am joining you a little sooner that I had planned. Do any of you want some art supplies? :)
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Back in April I had the opportunity to travel up to Salem, Massachusetts with my fellow Rutgers MFA Costume Designer, Taylor. We visited the Peabody Essex Museum to go to the World of Wearable Art exhibit. It was inspiring and mind boggling. It really showed me how much creativity is bottled up all around the world. Creators from wood workers to taxidermists had wearable pieces of art on display. World of Wearable Art (WOW for short) is a design competition where your artwork must be able to we worn. The competition takes place in New Zealand every year for the past 25 years! One of the designers I have had the luxury of working with, Mio Guberinic, was a winner with fellow designer Alexa Cach. (See their winning design here) Although their creation was not included in the traveling show at the Peabody, many other past winners had immaculate pieces on display. Taylor and I enjoyed the show; especially how the mannequins were posed and used to show off each work of art at its best. My favorite was Lady Curiosity (pictured above center). Her bustle is a curiosities cabinet! So cheeky!
The show closes June 11th 2017 (which is why this post is not on a usual Monday) so if you are anywhere near Salem go see it before it moves on! It is an amazing experience for any designer and really opens your tool box up to using "non-conventional" materials in your designs. I have about three out of nine answers when it comes to living life; which is fine. No one has all the answers. If someone tells you that they are trying to sell you something...or so I've been sold...I mean told. One thing I still deal with as a young professional in the theatre business is anxiety. Not about doing my job thankfully. I can stay calm and collected for the most part and have a healthy way of dealing with my job stress (more on that in another blog). No, my anxiety comes from the fear of not being able to support myself and those I love through doing what I love.
What we do isn't easy. Especially as an independent contractor, you are constantly looking for work, sending out inquiries, looking at job boards, etc. Sometimes the pressure of making bills and having "enough" money can get you down. Just recently I had a moment of doubt and anxiety while looking for my next gig. Right now, not much is available for someone who can't pick up and move right away. I still have one semester of a thesis to complete before I get my MFA secret club badge. They give you those things at graduation right? All jokes aside, I do struggle with the anxiety of doing what fulfills me as a creative person and what will put a roof over my head and food on my plate. As it just recently was graduation season, there have been many commencement speeches about a place the arts has in this ever changing world. How we as artists or creative people can make a living and a difference at the same time. I think it is all about building a network of people who can rely on each other and putting yourself out there as much as possible: sending emails to designers you admire, directors you have worked with in the past, theatres you know may be looking for someone to fill a position you know you are qualified for. For the past few weeks a video of Will Ferrell's commencement speech at USC has been going around social media. I watched it the morning after an anxiety attack and it helped bring a few things into perspective. Ferrell's "throw[ing] as many darts at the dart board" analogy gave me hope in my ability to persevere. Hey, I'm great at darts! The dart analogy was, to me, about getting yourself out into the field and saying "yes" as many times as you can (like in improv). Not to say "yes" to something detrimental, but to say "yes" to something that may scare you a little. Ferrell also mentioned having a supportive mother. I think it is very important to have a strong support system of people. I count my parents, sister, professors, boyfriend, and friends as a large part of why I continue to succeed in my chosen field. Without their support and occasional string pulling I would not be where I am today. Despite all this anxiety is something I still struggle with. It is something I don't have an answer for. But, it is something I can work on. As a theatre professional I will never have all the answers. That is the joy of life theatre. Each show, each performance, is different. You have to be an ever adapting organism. For the rest of you out there who struggle with aspects of our profession that leave you doubting from time to time, you are not alone. I'm right there with you. Maybe we just need to remember... Trust your gut, keep throwing darts at the dartboard. Don’t listen to the critics and you will figure it out."- Will Ferrell (click here for the whole speech) |
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