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About Christianne
Christianne is a NYC based freelance costume designer who grew up in Nebraska. She received her BA in Theatre Studies from Northern Arizona University and her MFA in Costume Design at Rutgers University. Christianne's most recent design work includes Bitter Greens at 59E59. She has also worked as a Costume PA on the 7th season of Orange is the New Black. In addition to costume design, Christianne has an interest in wig construction and design. She enjoys the sculptural aspect wig design allows. Christianne has acted as a wig supervisor most recently for Classic Stage Company’s award winning revival of Carmen Jones. |
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How do you justify creating outside of work, but also justify being paid for what some see as a "hobby"As someone who works in a creative field, one would think I would want to come home and do some math equations or something; not want to create more. But, I find creating outside of work helps keep my mind excited and sharp.
This same feeling is true for many others working in the creative fields. Some try to take advantage of this feeling by asking creatives to do their work for much less than living wage or, heaven forbid, no pay at all. It is hard to explain the need/want to create combined with the necessity to be paid. Many people who have jobs in such fields as health, education, etc. get their creative fix through volunteering in creative areas. It is hard to explain that since the creative field is my job, I won't work for free. This is not to say I won't volunteer for a niece's school play, but if the position is more of a full fledged job than a few hours of pinning hair up, it should come with pay. But what of this need to create outside of work? How do I justify doing something creative without being paid? I tend to find creative outlets outside of my creative job field. As I am a costume designer I lean towards interior design, writing this blog, and drawing (I know costume designers draw too) to sooth my creative itch. I create interiors for myself and draw things I choose based on feelings, prompts I find, etc. My creative outlet also doesn't take up a workday's worth of time. I am not required to do it or be in a specific place for a strict amount of time. If I was, it would be a job and I should be getting paid a living wage to be there. While writing this blog I found if very hard to articulate my thoughts on the matter. This is something that wasn't discussed at school. As creatives we all have this drive to create, but when you pair it with our chosen jobs in what society calls the creative field, some easy to distinguish lines in other careers become muddled. I rarely (truly never) have an itch to perform surgery on someone, but a surgeon can have a creative spark in photography or sewing. Some see what I do as a hobby, because it is for others. It is very difficult to illustrate for those who did not go to school or costume design that I too have an expertise in something. This article was meant to be an exploration of how professionals in creative fields feel the need to continue creating outside of their work and fields, but has turned into a little bit of a fair pay stream of consciousness. I hope it sparks some creative juices in you one way or the other.
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Lately in my personal life I have been trying to live "Greener". I compost, always have a reusable water bottle and bag with me, and use scratch paper if possible. I have been thinking how to make my career more green as well. I wrote an article about the "green movement" in theatre. At the end of the summer I started a new job as a Costume PA and the costume department does a bunch of things to be more green. The easiest thing we do (that more costume teams should do too) is we reuse our bags. Whether they are the 99 cent ones you can buy at the register or the paper ones from places like DSW and Victoria's Secret, we reuse every bag. It's great! Our 2nd Assistant Costume Designer either refuses a bag and puts the clothing in her own (I do this in my everyday life) or when we have to return items we use the bags we got when purchasing them. Reusable bags come in so many sizes that you can always find one to hold your purchases. Here is a very short list of stores that give you a "reusable bag" at check out:
Are there any I have missed? This list is just one I have compiled from my time shopping and returning on many different productions. Once you get the reusable bags down, you can move on to reusing scrap paper for taping up your receipts, have a bin for recycling packaging pieces, etc. Let's make our passions and careers better for our earth! UPDATE! Aerie, the underwear store that is attached to American Eagle also recycles bras! Bring in old bras and get a coupon for a new one! Gently used ones go to Free the Girls, while older ones are sent to recycling; any brand, and style!
As a young professional it is important to have some big goals set for yourself. I have two big reach goals I would love to work towards.
The first being- To design costumes for the cast members/parade/new show at a Disney theme park. As readers know I worked for the Walt Disney World Resort after I graduated from undergrad. (Read about it here) I really enjoyed working for the Disney company and bringing magical experiences to those visiting the parks. While there I had the opportunity to go backstage and meet with other cast members working in the creative costuming area. I even got to see some costume renderings for new princess dress designs, parade costumes, etc. I have always loved Disney and the joy it brings to so many people. The second big goal for me is- To work on a show that transfers from Broadway to London (or is tested in London and then transfers to Broadway). Having lived in London for about 4 months as part of my MFA degree, I vowed I would come back to live there again. It is an exciting city and I would love to work and live in it again. These are my two big goals I have set for myself. Now I need to work on some smaller ones. |
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