Category Archives: Projects

Projects

Blog, Business, Collaborations, Excursions, Fashion, Lifestyle, Luxury, Projects, Publications, Snapshots, Travel, ◆◆◆

Stonington, CT – A Day in the Life of…

Leave a comment

Tuesday of this past week, a colleague and fellow entrepreneur invited me to be her assistant for a cover shoot for a luxury magazine that she is building. The team she built was coming from New York to Stonington, CT. She had booked a mansion that was on the market (which was actually right across from Taylor Swift’s!), an up and coming pop star – Kristine Elezaj for a cover girl (who made iHeartRadio’s Top 20 Rising Star competition), fashion designers; Carmen Marcvalvo, Bibhu Mohapatra and Slyvio Kovacic. It was a great day for a shoot.

I woke up very early on Thursday for the cover shoot and drove to my colleague’s house. Then we drove to Stonington, CT for the day. 13533150_3145000224227_2026566947744880184_n

 

We had gorgeous weather for the shoot and it was fun to meet and network with like-minded individuals and creatives. Sometimes if you are not living in New York or LA it’s hard to network with the right crowd. I don’t have any connections in the creative industry in New York so it was great for me to network with these people but also to have this experience. I hope something will come out of it! FullSizeRender

As an assistant of my colleague, I got to help out with the little things; a main job was to hold the reflectors for the different looks and shoots, but also to take behind the scenes pics and other miscellaneous things. I’d love to do more things like this. It’s a nice balance of contributing and being a part of a major production. Maybe something I can add to my repertoire of my visual marketing brand.

The biggest surprise and fun of it all was literally the day after the shoot, I woke up to find my instagram feed from the people I’ve followed from the shoot flooded with press buzzing about it! The photos were featured on Enquirer, OK, Star and Radar magazines.

 

Check out my behind the scenes short:

SaveSave

Art, Articles, Blog, Business, Collaborations, Design, Editorials, Interviews, Projects, Published

Interview with Meghan Widger, textile and fiber artist

Leave a comment

Interview with Meghan Widger, textile and fiber artist

12985347_3074752308073_8999664223126705948_n

In the past 6 months I had the pleasure of working on a collaboration with another artist. While I work with other people consistently in my visual marketing career, I never thought to work with others in my personal artwork. I’ve been in a collaborative mood lately, and decided to take a page out of what many people on instagram and social media do – collaborate!

I had been following Meghan Widger, or Hills and Thread on instagram for awhile, as I admired her work and skill with fabric and quilting. Then an idea struck me as I was working with the mandala form with my images and thought that they’d look awesome with a quilting technique, closely linked to traditional tapestries, so I reached out to her and we scheduled a Skype meeting.

One of the things I love the most about the internet is being able to network and connect with other like minded individuals. I, for one, wouldn’t have a career, if it weren’t for the internet, or maybe I would but it wouldn’t be where it is today. Anyway, I’ve successfully used the internet for networking and collaborations regarding my work, and when done ‘right’ can be a really amazing tool to help you in proceed your career.

I’ve sat down with Meghan Widger, owner of Hills and Thread and asked her a few questions about the work she does today.

10300425_3033096746710_6723044646097716898_n

1. What made you start the work you do today?
As far as I can remember, I’ve always loved creating. But my sewing journey started at age 14. I got really hooked on the show Project Runway and just felt like I wanted to do what the designers did. I felt a spark, like this was something I could be good at. I wanted to learn, so my awesome parents gifted me with a sewing machine. I taught myself to use it and designed my own garments. However my interested shifted from fashion design to quilting, and has been evolving and expanding ever since.

2. Do you have a vision, goal, or destination in the work you do?
My main destination is to someday teach my own workshops. I want to teach people not only the skills and knowledge to sew or paint, but how to enjoy the process and how therapeutic it can be. I’d also like to travel around to display and sell my work at different festivals and shows. Basically I just want to learn, share, and teach.

3_Beisecker_Pineneedles

3. What did you enjoy about working with me/us?
I enjoyed getting to know a new artist and learning about your Electrography project. Collaborating two completely different skills and talents is such a fun experience. Not only did I learn a lot from you but I also gained a lot of inspiration from this project!

4. What do you do outside of when you’re not designing/creating?
I spend most of my time creating. If I’m not sewing then I’m painting or making something else. But If I’m not making something then I’m taking care of my plants, practicing yoga, or listening to music/podcasts. I love being outside, reading/writing, and thrift store shopping.

5. What made you start Hills and Thread?
Starting Hills and Thread was actually a huge step for me. As an introverted person who used to be painfully shy, I never liked to draw attention to myself and was never one to show off my work. I realized that starting my own business would be constantly challenging me to go outside my comfort zone and, in turn, help me evolve and grow. It took a lot for me to just start posting things I made on social media for exposure, then I was terrified of starting an Etsy shop. But every time you do something that scares you, you take control and the fear loses its power little by little. I decided I wanted to overcome as many fears as possible not only for myself, but to inspire others to do the same.

I, myself, enjoyed working with Meghan and Hills and Thread and look forward to see how this project develops. We have plans to develop our collaboration down the road, possibly supporting a cause that helps Kenyan women through sewing and other awesome ideas. If you are looking for a unique gift idea, or a new home decor piece; check out our work at at: SHOP K GLYPHICS (http://www.facebook.com/electrography) and Hills and Thread (https://www.facebook.com/hillsandthread).

Be on the lookout for future articles by Kristi which will feature ‘tips and tricks for artists to get ahead,’ Artwork ‘currently on view,’ Projects ‘in the studio,’ Travel Stories ‘on the road and in the air,’ and finally ‘lifestyle’ adventures. You can find more about Kristi, and her work on her blog:  http://blog.kglyphics.com.

Art, Blog, Business, Fashion, Projects, Retail

New Project: Quilt Mandalas

Leave a comment

Last summer I participated in the Hyarts Artist Shanty program in Hyannis, MA. Since then I have maximized my experience by writing down inspiration, tidbits and things people have said to me, that came to my mind and random things. I usually do this with action-packed experiences because if I have a lot on my mind I tend to forget it!

While working on this experience I experimented a little bit with my artwork on clothing and I really like how it turned out. It was really sell-able as well and seems to be the most cost effective way to produce artwork prints. However, getting into clothing manufacturing is a bit tricky. I’m not a seamstress and can hardly cut a straight line so I wouldn’t be the one making the clothes. I have to find a manufacturer that will do private labeling… essentially I design the clothing and claim it, but it will be manufactured in a factory, or something like it. Part of me wants to collaborate with others on the fashion line but part of me doesn’t want to split the credit…sounds selfish but I want it to make it my own, but without doing the dirty work! Only because it’ll just be another thing to be added onto my plate so I want to focus on what matters, the artwork.

So, I started searching on instagram for artists whose work will mix well with my owIMG_0272n. Since my mandalas fit the hippy, new agey vibe and I’ve been wanting to market to this crowd more. I connected with a fiber artist and designer from Missouri whose done some awesome incredible things. She made a whole bunch of bags, filled them with school supplies and then sent them off to a non-profit organization – Generation Next, for students in Africa.

She owns a small etsy based business called, Hills and Thread, and designs bags and other fabric based items with quilting techniques.  I contacted her if she wanted to collaborate and she was ecstatic to! We skyped the following week and came up with a bunch of ideas. It’s nice seeing my work in a different form with color and in a completely different light.

We have other plans to expand this project if successful. BUT I’m happy with the current progress.

 

10300425_3033096746710_6723044646097716898_n

Business, Projects

New Client: Diane Darling

Leave a comment

Meet my newest client, Diane Darling.

We will be working on a direct mail project with Diane. Helping her audience be directed to her website after presentations.

Diane Darling knows the value of relationships and how to build them. The author of McGraw-Hill’s definitive book on networking,The Networking Survival Guide. Diane speaks and trains thousands of people each year on ways to build relationships, leading to opportunities and growth. She believes that now, more than ever, in today’s fast-paced competitive world, anyone can leapfrog their way to successful relationships once they master the art of networking. http://dianedarling.com/

Blog, Business, Design, Projects

New Client: Style for Bliss

Leave a comment

I recently had the opportunity to present my portfolio and proposal for a social-enterprise brand based in Marlborough, MA. They are part of the UN and help train women with marketable skills in jewelry design to change their lives. Our proposal was to conceptualize a package design concept for their jewelry brand – Style for Bliss. When I got the invitation to present my portfolio, I was stoked as their work is right up K Glyphics’ alley. I spent a few minutes researching jewelry packaging and drove quickly down to Michael’s to purchase some packaging supplies to put together a few prototypes – and it definitely paid off!

The creative director of Style for Bliss and I spoke for 2 hours about their work, my work and the proposal. The over all the presentation went way better than I anticipated as that is always a good thing. As the CD and I got talking and sharing our ideas she ended up really liking my portfolio and proposal and said I was her favorite :).

I am happy to announce that my proposal was accepted for their Packaging Designer position! My role will be to develop and design a package for their jewelry that communicates their brand through design and materials. I am excited to take on this endeavor as it is something entirely new to my skill set and for K Glyphics. But there is a lot of growth and opportunities from this.

Blog, Excursions, Film, International, Italy, Live/Work, Movie, Projects, Residencies, Travel, ◆◆◆

Florenza with Love

Leave a comment

film2

Monday and Tuesday of this week I worked with the film crew in Florenza. Tuesday I made an appearance in the movie… Monday I worked behind the scenes and most of my free time earlier this week was taken up by them. It was awesome working on a movie in a different culture and the story is interesting as well. Click the above image to see more photos on the K Glyphics facebook page.

Projects, Residencies

Grape Leaf

Leave a comment

Here is an image from the first set of negatives. No portfolio pieces yet. The setup up for making these seems to be working so far. Although I found the voltage to be lesser here than in the States. Not sure if it’s for economical reasons or just the area I am in.

Art, Blog, College, Projects

Bow and Arrow Press

Leave a comment

I apologize for the lack of updates but this month I took a class on the letterpress at Harvard and it was an intense crash course, 4 hours a day for 4 days for 3 weeks straight. Waking up at 6 am finally caught up with me this week… but the class is over! So next week will be back to regular schedule. I have posted below a few images my letterpress instructor took of the work that was done. The pic below is of the background of a poster I did of Carl Sagan’s “We are star stuff which has taken its destiny into its own hands”… as a conclusion of the class, I am now ‘officially’ trained on the letterpress and can attend the Open Press Nights on Wednesdays during the spring semester. So now I think I know what I’ll be doing on my wednesday nights 🙂

B7PfEQrIQAA60Dh

B7Z_fV4CcAAmdHe

Art, Blog, Business, goals, Ideas, Inspiration, Projects

Believe! in the things you can do

Leave a comment

This is more apt for a New Year’s post, but I feel inspired to write it now. I keep a physical journal on my desk with the word “Believe” on it that I have stored away for use for writing down project ideas. My intention is to use it as an idea journal. But this is for projects only, not necessarily for career goals and accomplishments. I’m getting a better sense of my direction as an artist, where my artwork falls and who appreciates it, and what to do with it and as a result finding opportunities that are more apt to my interests as an artist.

I believe in the spoken word rule, meaning if I speak it before I have solid foundation on the opportunity, I more often than not will loose that chance! So I have given up on the Art Contest series that I was doing in the fall and will just keep quiet on the things that I do submit to – these opportunities below I have no submitted to but plan to.

On facebook there is a nice way to save links now and I have been saving things that I want to do as an artist in the future – gives me ideas to keep busy!

 

Continue reading Believe! in the things you can do →

Art, Blog, Projects

Yay!

Leave a comment

10864787_735021453240879_1938084366_nI’m getting really excited for some the things I’ve been doing at work. I started to work on a product catalog but that catalog will be in a more artistic slight than interior design/’professional’. The website for them is going well too and I’m excited to see that taking shape.

It’s interesting working for someone whose so visual because I’m so used to working with people who aren’t as visual. It’s nice in a way because usually when I show him the work I do, he generally likes it. When I try to explain it to him sometimes the idea doesn’t come across as appealing as when I translate it into visuals. When I work on a project, I look for that. When the client starts to not like what I’m translating into visuals, that’s when the project starts to fail and crumble. I think it’s also because he has a clear idea of where the direction of the store is heading in and based on my design style and his idea it’s a good fit.

I had a phone interview yesterday with a start-up travel/lifestyle blogger position. I reached out to them because I wanted to get more experience in this area of my skills. And I figured a start-up would be a good place for that. I am also in the middle of doing an infographic for another blogging position and recently reconnected with a design group out in philly for a project to start in January. Lots of things going on!