Life's A Pitch: Funding Research

When thinking about funding for our business we honestly didn't know where to start, so simply by googling we came across the direct gov generator for business funding. 

Here are some suggestions we came across, based on our Business having 5 employees, and sitting in the start-up service industry category.

Arts Council Funding Programmes

Grants for programming costs, organising and running arts programmes through the year

• Building Repair Grants - Scotland

  Financial help for repairing historic buildings in Scotland

• CultureStep - Wales

  This scheme is designed to encourage new investment and develop established business engagement with the arts.

• Grants for historic buildings, monuments and designed landscapes (England)

  Grants for repair and conservation of historic buildings, monuments and landscapes

• Historic area regeneration grants

  Financial support for restoring and repairing historic buildings

• Regeneration Funding Support - Bridgend

  Support to businesses to help them secure grant funding
• Although alot of these programmes are location based (and not in Leeds, where our business would be located) this exercise was really useful in terms of getting an idea of what types of funding shcemes are available to businesses. Also knowing about the directgov generator is really valueable.
  
  Also in terms of drawing up our costings, I personally have no idea where to start with that, however team member Sol has informed us of a project she has previously been involved in, where she gained alot of experience with writing up costings etc,  which will be really useful for our presentation. 

Life's A Pitch: Research

I have already identified some existing companies that are similar to ours, whom we gained inspiration from. However, Mel has recently told us about the Turner Prize winners Assemble who have a really similar business concept to what we hope to achieve.

"Assemble have been nominated for projects including the ongoing collaboration with local residents and others in the Granby Four Streets, Liverpool"
Assemble are a group that regenerate rundown areas to create art. When their projects are complete they celebrate with a street festival.

The only thing that they do differently to our proposed business concept, is that they are based heavily on "fine art", installations and bigger scale projects that are more about concept than how it looks. We intend to base our work solely on contemporary illustration to help make it more accessible to the general public, in an attempt to help celebrate certain locations heritage. 

Other urban renewal projects that have similarities to our concept:
http://www.fodors.com/news/photos/worlds-coolest-urban-renewal-projects#!2-798-art-zone

http://bestiala.com/community/

http://little-people.blogspot.co.uk/

http://www.ghosttt.com/rainbow-neighbourhood-graffiti-urban-renewal-in-mexico/

A project that painted a whole village in a rainbow mural; the artwork had an effect on crime rates and found that it brought the town closer together, creating a greater sense of community; These are both benefits of urban renewal that we could include in our presentation.

LIfe's A Pitch: Business Concept & Manifesto

Once again our group took this session as an opportunity to round off our ideas and refresh our memories on what we want to achieve. Admittedly we haven't really been in contact regarding this project outside of the sessions, which is something we have agreed to work on - Facebook group? Also the poor attendance in our group is making it more difficult to keep a clear focus on what we are actually doing. 

Our Business Concept + Manifesto broken down

The breaking down of our business was really useful in helping the development of our business concept progress. Identifying where we would sit in terms of sectors and service categories will be helpful in researching funding. This exercise highlighted the areas that our business concept was lacking, needed more research etc, for example other possible industries we could belong to.

Our business manifesto - when writing it, we took inspiration from our haiku, in terms of tone of voice and choice of language, which is a really key element in communicating our business to clients. We Identified our target audience to be Councils of places that we intend to feature our work in, who we would have to approach and present to, basing our decisions on how they would be interpreted by this particular audience. We wanted to maintain quite a formal and professional feel, including elements of compassion, and highlighting our personal passions for the project. 

We included the term 'non-profit organisation' in our initial manifesto, which we were urged to change. In the real world, our team as the employees of the business would need some form of salary - we will revisit our manifesto before we deliver the presentation. Apart from that we received positive feedback on our manifesto, and it was said that our choice of language was really appropriate to the target audience, and convincing. 

Doug Hindson

Animation Showreel from Doug Hindson on Vimeo.

Life's A Pitch: Unique Selling Points + Business Haiku

After looking into existing companies similar to our own, we wanted to outline what made us different from our competitors; what is our USP?

When deciding on our USP we came up with the concept of using new, unknown artists and helping them to get recognition and work; Leading to the name of our company -

Hungry Space

Originally Hungry Murals, we decided that we didn't want to limit ourselves to just murals, and also space sounded better. The concept of 'Hungry' was inspired by the unknown artists in the world who are hungry for succcess. Also the idea of run down places that are hungry for regeneration. 

Our main USP is that we are young, fresh and creative practitioners, running a business for other creative practitioners and post grads. 

Haiku Task

 

Response to Haiku + Proposal task

This task, although quite constricting, was really helpful in terms of forcing us to refine our ideas in order to present them to the class, really thinking about the way we would be interpreted. The concept of a haiku really made us think about the language we were using and if it was appropriate to our brand values/personality. It outlined the importance of tone of voice and how we would be perceived, using certain words like 'Rad' to imply that we are young, fresh and fun. 

Using our experience making the Haiku we created a business proposal, that really just outlined our intentions in a simple and concise way, which is good preparation for our final presentation in terms of being professional, clear and to the point. We didn't focus too much on language within the proposal as the function was about purely conveying our ideas. 

Life's A Pitch: Second Meeting

Recently my group had our first meeting, where we really started the ball rolling in terms of idea generating for our business. Unfortunately, 2 of our team members were missing from the session however, we decided to carry on and do the best we could. 

The first thing we were urged to do, was to list qualities of each member of the group in order to get to know each other better and make working together a bit easier. (I'm warm, funny and digital which is nice i suppose) We also used the list to create an idea of the roles we could undertake in our company, and how we could utilise our skills to create a successful company. 

After snowballing on top of our initial idea from the previous session- murals, graffiti, unknown artists - we gathered a list of existing companies (mostly given by John), to receive an idea of what sort of market is available for what we were trying to create; these included OFFF + Design in Daba. We also came up with a line to enhance our presentation 'we will make you famous', which would be aimed at the artists, urging them to work with us. 

OFFF: Let's Feed The Future / Website

An event/festival that unites creatives in a three day journey of conferences and workshops. 

List of sponsors for OFFF - I felt it would be worthwhile to make a note of these, to see how our project could be sponsored if it was of a similar nature. 

Design In Daba / Website - features a blog/archive of interviews and featured artists.

Thoughts

At this moment in time, it is hard to visualise an effective business concept based on our ideas. We are clear that we are going to create a business that focuses on 3D spaces, using artists to help. We have come across the term Facilitators which outlines our intentions, to source and use existing artists to create artwork in outdoor spaces, in the form of murals and 3D installations. 

In all honesty this concept is something that I am not particularly excited about or interested in, however the process of setting up a business, funding it and promoting it, are key skills for any creative and will be a really valuable experience that I can apply to later life. 

Life's A Pitch: Intro + Study Task 3

Notes from the session + Intro to Life's A Pitch

I'm quite excited for Life's A Pitch as I think it will be really useful for giving us an insight into what setting up a business would be like, which is obviously useful for me if it's something I'd be interested in doing after uni. However, in terms of working in a group I am not that excited, as I am not a fan - having said that, I am still willing to give everything my best shot and keep an open mind, as the end product could be something interesting.

Sectors

From the session I gained an understanding of the different sectors that a service/product/company would fall into, in terms of Primary, Secondary, Tertiary or Quaternary. I found it slightly difficult to get my head around each one, however the notes I made during the session helped me. 

Primary - Extracts from the earth, Raw Materials
Secondary - Turning Raw Materials into Manufactured, Finished Goods

Tertiary - Service Industry,  retail and wholesale, entertainment, media

Quaternary - Intellectual Activities, generation of knowledge, culture, libraries, education, i.t (slightly confused about this one)

Which Sectors do your professional areas of interest fall into?

Publishing & Book Design

Tom Clohosy Cole & Charlie Roscoe - The Red Prince

Childrens Book - falls under Tertiary Sector as it has been created to be sold, and for entertainment purposes. 

Retail & Merchandise

 Caleb Heisey - Folksaga Liqeur Branding

This particular platform of illustration would be referred to as packaging/branding, however it falls into retail and merchandise also. I'd say that these products either fall into the Secondary sector, as they are using raw materials like glass to make their product, or Tertiary sector as once again, these bottles have been designed in order to sell. 

Character & Narratives

Laura Carlin - Inside a rape Trial

This particular piece was created to go along side an article, and illustrates the idea of the victim being the one who feels completely isolated, despite their band of lawyers etc. 

In my opinion, this particular piece falls into the Quaternary Sector as it's purpose is to generate a feeling of empathy, therefore educating it's audience about a certain aspect of Rape Trials. 

PPP Seminar(19/10/15) + Study Task 2

- Can anything be an illustration? What can illustration be?

- Product / Context /  Function

- Drawing  - Recording, Idea generation, mark making etc.

- Illustration - Communication, Problem Solving

- Where is illustration?

- What do you want illustration to be?

- You have to be willing to grow and evolve as an illustrator. 

Some questions you will be asked at some point as an illustrator looking for work:

- What do you illustrate?

- What briefs have you worked on?

- Where does your practice exist within Illustration?

- Are you commercially/ethically driven?

Task

Publishing & Book Design

The Red Prince ; Tom Clohosy Cole

This Moose Belongs To Me; Oliver Jeffers

The Iron Man ; illustrated by Laura Carlin

Mrs Dalloway; Lizzie Stewart

The Dark; Jon Klassen

Retail and Merchandise

Greetings Card; Gemma Correll

Chipotle 'Cultivating Thought Project' Bag Design; Kristyna Baczynski

Folksaga Liqeur branding; Caleb Heisey

'Nanthrax' T shirt design; Michael Driver

Mug design; Louise Lockhart 

Character and Narrative

She & Him - Baby It's Cold Outside Music Video; Character Design by Elliot Dear

Zonzo comic book; Joan Cornella

Animated Gif; Tom Clohosy Cole

Asleep Versions Music Video; John Hopkins

'I Want My Hat Back' Book Illustration; Jon Klassen

Editorial and Reportage

'Inside A Rape Trial' Illustration for The Gaurdian; Laura Carlin

'Vineyard Drawings'; Lucinda Rogers

'Withdraw'; George Butler 

New Yorker Cover; Chris Ware

Big Heads: Kyle T Webster

I attended the first big heads session of this year, where I got to meet Kyle Webster and listen to him discuss life as a professional illustrator, and talk about his custom digital photoshop brushes. As a massive fan of his brushes and digital artwork in general, it was great to hear from him directly. 

Notes I made during the talk:

- He started out drawing figures with a lot of energy, but still kept it very minimalist. 

- Make work first and then find a market for it

- He has a very diverse artistic background.
- He feels that he owes his success to the diversity of his work, not having a style. Handy Man of Illustration.

It has really got me thinking about the digital vs analogue media argument. Does the work lose authenticity if it replicates the media digitally?

Made You Look - Hyde Park Picture House 1/10/2015

Made You Look is a documentary about the UK DIY graphic arts scene of the 21st century. Via candid interviews with top British creatives, publishers and agency owners we explore the fact that more people than ever seem to be turning to analogue means of creating things, even though we are living at the height of the digital era.

 

My views

The film, I thought, was extremely eye opening in terms of seeing the effects of disconnecting yourself from the internet and just getting work done, without the urge to compare yourself to other practitioners etc. It was amazing to hear from artists first hand about the struggles of not being good enough, and their opinions on using digital media to make work. As someone who is really enjoying using digital media at the minute, the film has really inspired me to draw using analogue media and get my ideas down physically, because the discussion of the importance of creating an object that you have invested time and craft in, has really made me think about the way I want to create work, as opposed to disappearing into the digital cloud. 

Level 5: Study Task 1 - Who Am I? Why Am I Here?

5 things I have learnt so far on the programme:

Discovered a wide range of existing illustrators and artists.

The kind of work I want to create, and some medias that I enjoy using. (how to use a cintiq)

How to use roughs and scamps effectively to aid my work. 

The importance of planning my time, using a diary etc. 

"Work hard + be nice to people." 

~

5 things I want to know more about:

How to create certain textures through analogue media. 

How to use colour effectively in my work. 

Analogue printing and the different processes.

Publications that display student work/ competitions.

Resources for news relating to the creative industry. 

~

5 skills that I think are my strengths:

Pencil work in sketchbooks.

Getting ideas down quickly. 

Digital skills?

Working under pressure?

*NOT SURE AGH*

~

5 things I want to improve on:

Speculative Drawing, and the ability to make sense of a written text through drawing. 

Sketch booking.

Being less precious when getting my ideas down.

Making time to sit down and draw.

Engaging with illustration outside of my course, entering competitions etc. 

~

5 practitioners that demonstrate my interest in Illustration:

Michael Driver - mikewdriver.tumblr.com

Tom Clohosy Cole - tomclohosycole.co.uk

Sari Cohen - sari-cohen.com

David Doran - daviddoran.co.uk

Marina Muum - marinamuun.com

~

5 websites/resources that demonstrate my interest:

Wrap Magazine

It's Nice That

I follow a lot of practitioners on Instagram + Tumblr

Colours May Vary/ Village bookshop

OUIL402 - End Of Module Evaluation

1.  What learning have you inherited through this module and how has it impacted on your own understanding of professional practice? Consider yourself as a student at University as much as an illustrator

This module has been so useful in terms of driving my practice forward. It has motivated me to look into existing artists and really reflect on my intentions and aims for the remaining of the course. Through this module I have really sculpted an idea of what I want my work to look like, gaining inspiration from a variety of contextual sources. It has helped me to capitalise on my strengths and reflect on why sometimes things didn’t go completely to plan, and most importantly think about what I want to get out of the course, and set up goals in order to achieve it. Another thing I have thought about during PPP, is how I would market myself as an artist, especially in the Advert task. Although I took it quite light heartedly, I feel like I managed to convey humour and a sense of playfulness in my work, which when eventually coming down to it is how I would sell/show my work, something that I am thinking about investigating over summer.

2. What approaches/ types of research have you found most valuable over this module? Why did they have such an impact? Throughout this module I have gained a lot of inspiration from social media sites such as Instagram and Tumblr, which I discovered during Study Task 4 where we were asked to create a number of lists of where we could find Illustration. Although I found the task quite simple, it was very beneficial in terms of just getting ideas down. I also learnt about pinterest for the first time in study task 3 which is now my go to source for inspiration when starting a project.

3. In what way has PPP informed the way your work in other modules and your illustration practice as a whole? The main way that PPP has informed my work would definitely be through contextual research. With knowledge of existing sites such AOI, pinterest and other various publication websites, I have been able to explore in depth artists that create the kind of work that I feel inspired by. In relation to my practice as a whole, I haven’t really explored illustration outside of modules, which is something I am definitely starting to work on, beginning with personal sketchbooks. In other parts such as Big Heads, I have learnt so much about existing artists and noticed patterns as to what contributes to your success as an illustrator, for example collecting small items/treasures that you can gain inspiration from, something I never would have thought about.

4. What weaknesses can you identify in your PPP submission and how will you address this in the future?

The main weakness I can identify is perhaps my lack of research and depth when blogging. When recording artists on my blog I haven’t really spoke about them in a lot of depth, mainly because of the way that I use my PPP blog to merely look back for inspiration. To work on this I intend to add to my PPP blog daily, which would be really straight forward, especially when I have signed up to things like It’s Nice That newsletter, that provides me with daily inspiration anyway. The next year will really be about utilising things like newsletters and websites to help shape my practice further. I am really looking forward to a fresh start in level 5, especially now that I know I will be able to bog consistently, for all aspects of the course. 5. What communities of practice and professional contexts do you intend to investigate further as you approach level 5? Why do they appeal to you? Something that I have been thinking a lot about lately is making a zine or maybe a book, based on my experience in Visual Narratives, and how much I enjoyed creating it. I really loved the feeling of investing a large amount of time into an end product like a book, as opposed to posters and postcards. I feel like I am really starting to get a taste of what kind of illustration I want to produce and enjoy creating, which I am so grateful for. I intend to start investigating using shape and texture so much deeper as I really enjoy the tone of voice/aesthetic it creates. I have mainly discovered this through PPP tasks, looking at artists like Michael Driver, Tom Cole and Brian Edward Miller, who’s work all fall into the category of digital and analogue media combined, something that I am currently really interested in.