And the Results are In!

As you may know, last summer I had the amazing opportunity to intern with Lilly Pulitzer (there's a nice long post about the experience here). For a print designer who likes flowers and bright colors, Lilly was a paradise. By end of my time there, one of my prints, "Hush", had made it into the Fall 2012 line. And I have been waiting eagerly for this August when it would finally hit stores!! A print that's 100% my creation being sold to Lilly-lovers everywhere. It's things like this that remind me why I love creating prints. Here it is, from artwork to print to product!

The Importance of Keeping a Notebook

If there is one thing I have come to understand in my many years of art schooling, it's that notebooks are pretty important. Full of sketches, doodles, words, etc., they hold all your ideas and dreams in a nice little bound package. Which is both cute and good for helping you communicate and work through your ideas.

In all honesty, I struggled with notebooks for a long time. This struggle can be traced back to 2 things. 1.) Each class had so many requirements as to what had to be in the notebook that often times keeping a notebook felt like a chore. A chore that was really easy to get behind on and then slap something together right before the due date. 2.) The perfectionist in me was afraid of messing up, of not creating a book that flowed from one page to the next and told a beautiful story. It wasn't until my senior portfolio class that I really understood how I functioned in the realm of notebooks. Because in that year long class, we were only told to keep a notebook. No requirements. No guidelines. No rules. My notebook for that class actually ended up being mostly words. Which is very appropriate because at the time I was having a lot of conceptual ideas and trying to plan out my future... and also I am one of those people who makes lists.

The notebook I kept this summer during my internship at Lilly turned out almost completely opposite from my senior year notebook. Which is crazy interesting when I think about the type of work I was doing and my state of mind during those two different periods. And well... I'd like to share a few pages with you.

Fibers Open Studio 2011

Well, hello there. The past 10 days sure have been crazy. Let me tell you why.

Every year the Fibers department puts on a big show in our building showcasing all the amazing work our students have produced. Usually, each room/studio corresponds to a class, and seniors get display priority throughout the building and all the responsibility that comes with it. So as a senior, this was kind of a big deal. The show was this past Friday, and I spent much of last week setting up the building alongside classmates and faculty. And, you know, it was stressful and time-consuming, but I secretly loved every minute it. Fibers Open Studio really unites our department in a unique way, and I love being a part of that. It was incredibly rewarding to be able to help set up not only my work but the work of others.

Alongside all the work, we had demos going on throughout the evening: weaving, spinning, indigo dyeing, screenprinting and more! What's nice about the demos is that people get the chance to interact with us and learn about the processes we've used to create our work.

I even volunteered to do a print demo on Olga during Open Studio because I really enjoy talking to people about what I do. Even though I'm not a public speaker by any means, there's just this satisfying thrum that happens when I can connect with people about the things I am passionate about.

At the end of the night we raffled off a quilt made by various members of the department. All in all, we had a great turn out, and it was a really fantastic event. I am so proud of everything we do!

Sometimes Olga and I Make Things

After quite a few samples and test prints, I printed my first yardage print on Olga today! This photo was taken before steaming and washing of course, which means my colors have gotten crazier and brighter. All according to plan.

Olga

Internet, meet Olga. (And please pardon the very candid photo of her.)

I've spent the last week or two learning all about her, and today we finally were able to spend some quality time together, just the two of us (and the lab tech). It was pretty great, and I am completely certain that in 8 weeks time we will be the best of friends. Here's what we made today!