Talking Heads 1

This is our first talk in a series of 5 talks we have given by people in the industry.

Rose Blake was the first to give a presentation, then our tutor Paddy gave a talk on his practice. Here are my notes and further research on their presentations.

http://www.iamroseblake.com

The first thing Rose Blake brought up was the question

Am I being hired for my brain or my hand?

If your being hired for your Brain you are expected to have an opinion and come up with ideas.

If your being hired for your Hand you are being asked to draw from a brief in your style

There are different ways of getting work, either though Agents or being contacted directly.

When discussing ideas with art directors 80% of interactions are digital and the other 20% is face to face.

When talking with a director make sure everything is figured out in the first meeting, so you don't have to keep emailing them with questions.

Create a small PDF with ideas, previous work and rough ideas to show when discussing your work.

Different types of commissions:

-Editorial

-Advertising

-Collaborations

-Childrens Books

-Print Making

-Gallery

-Design for Animation

-Charity/jobs for friends

Things to consider:

-Do I want to join the job?

-Will it help you progress?

-Is the pay reliable?

-Will I learn something new?

-Will it be a challenge, mentally and physically?

-Will it be worth it in the long run as well?

-Is the payment worth it?

-Having a good relationship with with Art Directors will lead to good things in the future-

Working with an Art Director:

-Be flexible

-Open to suggestions and ideas

-Don't be afraid to fight your corner

Contacting Art Directors:

-Be a sleuth

-Follow them on social media (work based instagram)

-Dont be too pushy

-Send physical work

-Communicate

-Be officiant and friendly

-Be prompt in replying

Paddy Molloy's presentation tackled a specific pitch for The House Of Illustration.

Things to consider when pitching:

-Bid writing

-Material cost

-Equipment hire

-Promotion

-Health and safety

-Artist and collaboration fees

If you convince someone your idea is good, they will convince others of its potential.

How to reject work?

-Politely say your busy and that you can work with them at a later date.

Whats the importance of having a style?

-Dont think about having a style

-Generate work you like

-The style is dependent of whether your being hired for your brain or hand

Balancing Personal Work:

-Aim to make all work personal

-They can feed into each other

-Make the work you want to make

-You want people to want to want the work you like doing

-Worth making longer projects

Ratio of income/Jobs (personal to Rose Blake)

Agent-30%

50% Gallery sells