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Artists: Can We Help One Another?
12/2/2008 9:37 AM By Sharon PotschThe student collaboration going on at Columbia College is inspiring enough as to how we can all help one another better ourselves for a prosperous future but is it possible to weave this betterment into the professional design community? How can we all help one another during this time? Yeah, complaining about the bad job market is one thing—but can designers and writers take a cue from the students at Columbia College and help one another? What if writers looking for opportunities partnered up with designers who badly needed editing on their website? What if programmers offered to help graphic designers bone up on their HTML skills? Is this too idealistic? What do you think—can Artisan help make this possible? Tell us what you think Artisan or the design community itself can do to hook up designers, programmers, or writers willing to assist one another in their down-time.
Tags: artists, columbia college
Perhaps there should be some "survival strategy" mixed in with all these "tactics" — an ongoing, robust online conversation about the mar-com and design landscape in which we now find ourselves. (Can also be punctuated by Webcasts in which industry vets tackle such questions.) I believe 3 processes are unfolding. First, an economic reality check in which consumer and corporate appetites have collided with finite resources, producing a recession. Second, a corresponding nose dive in demand for print design. Third, and least well understood: a permanent change in quality and content standards for the Web, including product promotion, eLearning, and other applications… If the first wave (Internet 1.0) was about folks getting access and everyone feeling enfranchised, we’re there and beyond. But what will characterize 2.0? It’ll take more than it used to for a Website to be truly effective, much less "stand out from the crowd." What will those criteria be? On what basis will we decide, from now on, what constitutes "good, better, best" — or "bad" or "run-of-the-mill" Web content?… "The times they are a’changin’." But how exactly are they changing? And what are the skills that designers and copywriters must demonstrate to get work in this brave new world?
I think the best way make this happen would be a networking party/get together sponsored by Artisan. I’d defiantly come.
Anything who would help people connecting better is good. It would be great to get some directions or advices about transferring from the print to the web, talking about the real needs in this market. Does a print designer is dying? How to get experience? How to work better together knowing who knows what.
I really like the idea that K had: "If you could add a program to the website that created buckets for each artists to add their name if interested in participating… ie graphic designers as one, writers another, etc…" technologically it would not be that difficult to develop a jscript form that would let people enter
1. name linked to email
2. pick a bucket from a pulldown
3. enter a list of skills they’d be willing to teach/trade
4. enter what they want in return
Hi All-
I think it’s a great idea, in fact I am personally interacting with others in our industry in that same way.
Several other industry copywriters, designers, programmers, etc. all helping eachother get work work, network, learn, etc. It’s basically just network building, but it helps – I know this cause I am making $$$ doing it :)
Here is a local event I will be speaking at to help students and young industry professionals in South Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Maybe this link will spawn more ideas!
http://www.insightdesignconference.com/
Anything I can do to help, or to help you, let me know please!
Atom Groom
http://www.atomgroom.com
I think that the barter system arrangement isn’t sustainable of the long-term. Ultimately most people need to work 40 hours just to pay the bills. Giving away large chunks of time even in exchange for services isn’t something most people can afford to do. I assume lots of us have developed free projects for family and friends and lost a lot of sleep along the way.
I do think it’s a compelling option for people who have time to give, like students. They have nothing to lose by interning and probably have a lot to gain by earning the respect of the firm for which they intern.
For the out-of-work-married-with-kids freelancer, free labor doesn’t work as well.
Hi Stu–this is great! Thank you for sending this.
You mean a bartering system. This idea is really taking off on the web frontier. I see more and more people bartering in general in this economy. It’s also a way to earn credits that cannot be taxed.
For eample,
[url]http://www.itex.com/[/url]
Hi Rob,
Thank you for sharing your experience with me. I am sorry that you’ve had a negative experience and I do feel like there may be other freelancers around the country working with agencies who might be able to identify or relate to what you’re saying. There are many factors why your representative might not get back to you: maybe the exact right opportunity hasn’t come in yet or maybe you and the recruiter are having trouble connecting. One unique component of Artisan is that even though you have a designated talent representative, all of the agents within Artisan work to find every registered freelancer an opportunity. So if you’ve not made connect with your original recruiter, email our office and let us know about it right away. We always strive to find the best opportunities for each talent that we work with. We certainly strive to assist each and every artist we register with us but we are limited to the types of jobs our clients bring us. Most of the opportunities right now are in web, so one way we can also provide value to our artists is through resume advice and portfolio reviews.
Partnering with the local colleges and graduating design students is our way of giving back to the design community. We are fortunate to see hundreds of portfolios a year, we’d be foolish to not give what we learn back to those just starting out in their careers.
Again, I apologize for your negative experience and we, along with other creative agencies around town, certainly do our best to make a good name for ourselves and the talent we represent.
Hi Paul–I totally agree with you. We will start thinking about a better way to approach online training. Thank you!
I think it’s an excellent ideas. Chicago is a big city, perhaps we can break it down further by locations. Get a group to meet once a month, have an agenda prepared beforehand. Discuss what the needs are. Then pair up on an as needed basis. Phone numbers and logistics can be exchanged at the meeting. I’m willing to help out!
Helping one another sounds great and seems like a viable option, but not everyone has the time. It seems more practical to have a better online training program for all Artisan employees to use & benefit from. Artisan offers online training for their employees M-F during normal business hours through Lynda.com, but only on their computer at their office. Since I’m currently on assignment for Artisan, working normal business hrs, this excludes me from participating in online training. I feel it would be more beneficial, practical & have a larger overall impact if all Artisan employees can improve their skill-sets through a better online training program.
This is a great idea.
It is essentially going back to a barter system, allowing for everyone to share their talents with others, while getting the best of somebody else’s skills back in return. No money exchanged; just ideas/talent.
Sign me up.
You’ve taken the first step. Taking our opinion into account. Communication. Reaching out.
http://camiloarmando.com
I am graphic designer, available.
Thank you,
Camilo
I’ll be honest here.
I’ve been registered with Artisan for well over a year as a senior art director. During that time, I’ve called in, emailed my recruiter at Artisan several PDFs of new work I’ve designed and produced while on assignments from other agencies. I’ve received zero calls from Artisan. And now Artisan would like me to shepherd in college newbies/grads under the auspices of them helping me? Um…no thanks.
I need Artisan to get out there and push my resume and PDF samples to their clients–not partner with colleges and ask me to mentor or solicit help from grads–the same kids that I’m fighting for the few available temp jobs I get. Does Artisan call up other creative talent agencies and ask them to help with Artisan’s website? I didn’t think so.
I think it would be great to host some seminars – have a rotating set of topics and have those who are experts in that area offer to share their knowledge. It could be tried just on a share-and-share-alike basis, but it might work even better if the people who volunteered to teach what they know were rewarded in some way (monetarily or not). With the pool of creatives working through Artisan we could grow all of our skill sets by sharing with one another.
If you could add a program to the website that created buckets for each artists to add their name if interested in participating… ie graphic designers as one, writers another, art directors etc…
this way anyone could log on and find a person they need and contact them through artisan
That sounds great. I think that coming together can help by making visible talents that otherwise become unknown. Would be cool to be able to showcase somehow these talented individuals and by doing that, other artists that need somebody in specific areas can get in touch for collaboration under the Artisan umbrella. my 2 cents :-)
I think this is great! I would love ways to make my content better on my website.
Hi Zach–Thank you! Do you have any ideas on how we can work together to partner interested parties up?
I think thats a great idea. I would defiantly join in to help. It would be a great way to network with other creative professionals.