Study Task 8 (Studio Brief 3) - Community Art

ABBIE

We are Muddle Collective!

HOLLIE

Who are we?

Muddle is a collective of students who aim to educate and promote the awareness of mental health, breaking the stigma that still surrounds it. We want to create an informal care network for students like us who would value from something like this within the university.

LUCY

Our business concept:

We intend to break the stigma around mental health through an informal care network - this will be made up of a quarterly zine and a weekly society.

LIV

Type of business within the current climate:

Muddle is a not-for-profit student community collective, run by students for students. There is no current society or student-based outlet of this nature. We believe that this is more approachable than a professional adult service, with the zine serving as a middleman between struggling and seeking professional help.

MEGHAN

Delivery system and platforms:

We are proposing a printed zine that will be distributed around the university and local businesses. A zine model would be sold as a starter kit to other universities who are looking for or would benefit from a mental health based society.

ABBIE

Potential partners:

Other local universities such as the Uni of Leeds and Leeds Beckett

Local charities such as Mind, Samaritans and Inkwell Arts Centre

We would also seek funding partners such as the Princes Trust or the Students Union

HOLLIE

How is it funded?

We aim to be a not-for-profit collective, but we realise that we can’t do everything for free. There would be a small charge per zine to cover the cost of printing, as well as an annual membership fee for the society. Weekly drop-in sessions would be held for free but there would be monthly sessions with talks and activities which can be attended for a small fee to those who aren’t members.

We would also earn money through selling the zine model to other universities.

LUCY

What does it look like?

The zine will have a playful yet sensitive aesthetic, promoting a supportive tone of voice. We each have our own individual ways of image making, but the tone of voice is often similar and so would work well together.

The society will be informal, welcoming and accessible. Both outlets will support and complement one another.

LIV

Promotion:

Both the zine and society will be promoted through social media and university emails, as well as in-house poster promotion and distribution of flyers within local areas.

MEGHAN

How is it structured?

Our zine will be published quarterly as part of the in-house society.

Management - planning and deciding on content for the zine and society

Promotion - having an online presence - social media, posters, emails

Finance - costs, budgeting,

Communication - ensuring that everyone is on the same page, organising society events

ABBIE

Personal goals:

Our main goal is to establish a service that can work as a model for other universities, that we ourselves could benefit from.

War Cry:

Muddle Collective; An open conversation, to break the stigma

HOLLIE

Thanks for listening!

The experience of working in an art community has improved my level of confidence when working in a group. I’m full of ideas and I’m always wanting to share them so having this opportunity has been useful for me. The group as a whole has made the experience better as we are a strong set of women that share a powerful work ethic. 

Sadly, I missed the planning of the final presentation but still had the opportunity to get my input to strengthen our pitch. Overall, the experience has helped me to become a team leader and I’d love to continue our work in Muddle Collective.

Study Task 7 (Studio Brief 2) - Contact Report

Questions and Responses:

Contact Report – Gerry Brakus (New Statesman)

1.    I’m personally quite a political character. Which sector of the magazine are you most interested in and why?

I work across the whole magazine, covering both politics and culture using illustrations and photographs to ensure it looks its best.  I really enjoy commissioning illustrations and working collaboratively with artists to get the best possible results for the magazine and find the political angles the most challenging to illustrate as they often require conceptual ideas – I hope this is something where the illustrator can come up with the bright ideas!  I think I probably veer more towards the cultural side;  music, art, books.

2.    I understand that you receive a lot of cartoons and designs every day. How do you select which work to use for the magazine?

For something to catch my eye, it usually has to be presented in a slightly unusual way and as I get so many emails, I often prefer to receive something by post.  Cartoons are sent on an almost daily basis, reflecting news and current events.  Very often they are sent after we’ve gone to press for that week’s edition so I can’t use them.  It’s important to find out what your target publications deadlines are so that you know your timing is right.  I often don’t have time to reply to everyone who gets in touch but if an illustrator/cartoonist/photographer keeps trying, eventually I’ll get back to them!

3.    Do you find it difficult to choose work for the front cover knowing that the magazine covers a range of subjects?

We almost always have one lead story (usually political) in the magazine and we use that subject as the basis with which to choose and commission an illustrator.  The cover art has to fit into a template and in some ways, this is the easiest thing to commission as we often have a pretty strong idea of what we need and want.

4.    I saw on your LinkedIn profile that you studied Photography at university. When did you become interested in illustration? And has illustration always been used in the New Statesman?

I’ve commissioned illustration on and off for many years.  When I first started working for magazines, I commissioned illustrations for food and wine articles mostly so have come a long way since then!  I’m really interested in the ways illustration can convey a message, often in a much more direct way than a photograph and that’s something I’ve discovered over many years and through experience.  I love photography and illustration equally and I think they can also work brilliantly together – I’m seeing more and more illustrators using photography in their work. 

Illustration has always been featured very strongly in New Statesman with Ralph Steadman being a particularly loyal and long-term contributor. We have regularly used illustrators at the beginning of their careers who have gone on to greater things, David Shrigley for example and it’s great to be able to really build up a connection with an artist and work with them regularly.  This is tradition at New Statesman!

5.    Being in my 2^ndyear of my degree, what is the best way for a recent graduate to get themselves out there and their work known?

Degree shows are important.  Send your work and ideas out to Creative/Art Directors and try to arrange meetings so that you can show your portfolio.  Make the most of your contacts and always stay optimistic!  You may experience a few knockbacks but a positive attitude will take you a long way.  It’s not just about your talents as an illustrator but also your ability to collaborate with the editor commissioning you.

Good luck and stay in touch!

Contact Report 

I decided to get in touch with Gerry Brakus (creative editor for New Statesman) to develop an understanding of how the industry works and how she personally chooses pieces of work/illustrators to create a piece for the magazine.

Asking a number of questions, Gerry responded very quickly and allowed me to have more of an awareness of how I can make it as an editorial illustrator. Knowing that Gerry started off as an editor for mostly food and wine is definite proof that she has had to push and challenge herself to get to where she is today. This is reassuring as a student as before this small interview I wasn’t entirely sure on what I’d be faced with when I graduate next year. 

I understand that getting my work known will be important for my professional practice but it’s just a case of how. The last question allowed me to understand that having a positive outlook on my work is extremely important if I want to make it in the future, even when faced with a lot challenge.

New Stateman is a magazine that I would like my work to appear in one day. Now knowing that the best way to grab Gerry’s attention is to use a more unusual method of approach when contacting her or sending work feels like a foot in the door. Also, being a lot surer on reaching the deadline before the magazine goes to the press. This is something I’ll definitely be able to consider more in the future when sending my work to newspapers/magazines. 

Gerry also commissions photography and in one of the responses she mentioned that photography is being used more and more in illustration, which is something I’ve noticed slightly myself. Although, when hearing it from a professional, it makes me realise that trends in illustration are moving forward fast especially with advanced technology which made me realise that I need to step my game up and get better at working digitally, even if it’s using an analogue and digital approach combined. 

Overall, contacting Gerry has made me a lot more aware of how working as a creative editor is an exciting and extremely busy job, and to get to where you want to be you have to work your way up and get your name out there by contacting professionals, knowing to never feel knocked down if you don’t get a response.

Review of the Year - Final Presentation

‘Review of the Year’ Script

1.   Review of the year 

From Britney to Slim Shady – is that a good thing?

2.   Things I wanted to achieve last year, this year

 Quick insight

Not really explored more (YORKSHIRE)

3.   How I’ve developed over the year: 

Professionalism

Improved on my time management, self-confidence, first live brief

4.   How I’ve developed over the year:

Knowing where I sit 

Way more aware of my practice – focused, naïve, satirical 

Definitely editorial 

5.   How I’ve developed over the year:

Print room

Love screen-printing 

A small, innocent, nervous first year

This year – striding in and getting it done

6.   How I’ve developed over the year:

Digital work 

Photoshop in particular (evil)

Used it for 2 briefs to get the screen print look (time saver)

Cintiqs, After Effects

7.   Successes 

503

Love reading 

So much experimentation with screen printing, photoshop and animation 

Shined through in my work 

8.   Successes 

Cop

SHOCKINGLY enjoyed it 

Improved my writing and research 

AND I know more about clowns 

9.   Successes 

Independency

Thanks to the X-Files I’ve learnt to trust no one 

Useful for the future as a professional 

10.Failures

504 

Challenge on hookworms – not enough time on political poster 

Didn’t start on my self-directed for ages BUT enjoyed it when I started

Domino effect on the rest of the module 

See what the results hold…

11.Chance to talk about veganism 

Bursting at the seams

Been vegan for over a year and I haven’t spoken about being vegan much yet and I’m vegan. 

Something I said I wanted to talk about more last year (being passionate)

504 gave me the chance – not to my full potential

12.Time management 

Been up and down all year

Started off really well at the start (only research for COP so 503 was a breeze)

Got caught up towards the end of the year (PP, COP and 504)

13.Treat it like a job 

9-5 every day and keep the weekends for play

The sunny weather is the devil when you’re still trying to get through the year

14.So that in the future 

Hopefully be in editorial 

The New York Times, The Guardian, New Statesman 

Balling 

15.So next year I need to 

Keep an eye on all my peers 

Be more confident when entering live briefs and communicating with professionals to really push myself out there 

16.And find a new buzz cut lady to idolise (fight those demons)