Category: Art Stuff

My First Paid Project

    Earlier this year I was in a VCD 3 (Visual Communication Design) class. During this course our instructor had everyone in our class work with multiple clients/organizations to design something for them. One of these clients included the Kalispel Tribe of Indians and Kalispel Natural Resources, which are both local to the Spokane area. Our instructor told us that the head of this project, Archaeologist, Kendra Maroney, would be choosing someone’s coloring book to use and distribute to local schools and children ages K-5th grade.

    For this project we were required to design a 16-page coloring book (including the front and back cover) with activities and images that relate to the Kalispel tribe. The native language of their tribe is Salish, and we were required to include some of the Salish words and spelling in the book. There was no outline or text for us to go off of other than “these are what we want to see in the coloring book” and we had to go from there. The endless possibilities were both a great opportunity but also frustrating since we didn’t know how to assess our work until group critiques and ultimately, when we’d turn it in to see whose work would get chosen.

    I remember thinking, “oh, I won’t get it. I don’t have to work hard.” Of course, I still had to work hard to get a good grade on the project, but having my coloring book chosen was way over my head. I knew that I was up against a bunch of other talented people. Some worked in groups, and others worked alone. Being me I decided to work alone. Throughout the few weeks we had to do this assignment we had benchmarks. I remember that during the first or second benchmark critique we were supposed to have all of our sketches done and at least half of our designs iterated digitally and printed. Well, once again, being me I embarrassingly only had two done. Everyone else had 8 pages or more printed out of their illustrations. Everyone else’s work drew up a lot of inspiration for me and helped me kind of see if I was on the right track with mine – although obviously I wasn’t because of how far behind I was! Luckily, I wasn’t the only one with only two prints done. Another girl, Renae, also showed up with two pages printed out. Our instructor told us that we don’t have to panic because we still had some time but to really pick up the pace with our work.

    By the next benchmark, everyone’s final coloring book pages were shown before the final viewing with Kendra (which would then be printed as an actual booklet). Everyone’s coloring books included a variety of images to color, mazes, crosswords, puzzles, “I spy” spreads, facts about the Kalispel tribe, and more.

    I’m sure that by the final presentation day with Kendra I was probably sleep deprived and stressed to the max. If I recall correctly, I wore just enough makeup to cover up the exhaustion and a red cardigan. I remember telling myself to wear red to stand out more. But why would I tell myself that if I knew I wasn’t going to get picked? Well, if I must admit, there was a small glimmer of hope that maybe my work was worthy. But I didn’t want to admit that to myself quite yet in case I wasn’t chosen and ended up being really bummed out about it.

    I already had three copies of my coloring book printed and I actually almost went home because I wasn’t quite sure that was our presentation day. Luckily I had the same instructor for two classes and confirmed it. By the time the presentation came around, each person had to go through a slideshow of their pages and explain their specific design choices. We were graded on overall completion, execution, cohesiveness, and if it met the requirements we were asked of.

    When it was my turn I nervously went up and tried to project my voice as I spoke. I’m sure that my voice was shaking and I stuttered a few times but I got through it. One compliment I got from Kendra was that she especially liked my archeology page. Yay! I cheered in my head. Even if I wasn’t chosen, at least I got a compliment. The funny thing is that the archeology spread was the one I did last and felt the least passionate about. I thought it was just “meh” and I wasn’t even sure if I was doing it quite right.

    Come two or three weeks later, I… wasn’t in class. I forget if I was sick or just plainly skipped class but I got a text from a classmate saying my coloring had been chosen! I felt bad that I wasn’t there but I was so excited. Honored, you could say. I also received a Kalispel Tribe cap and flash drive. Turns out I wasn’t the only one whose coloring book was of Kendra’s liking. Renae- the other girl who only had two pages during the first benchmark- had also been chosen! I had gotten to know her during the last few weeks of the quarter since we were in a final group project together. I was proud of us! Perhaps we have the same workflow and can produce good work under pressure, I thought.

    Before the end of the quarter I was back in contact with Kendra to talk about final edits for the coloring book before I’d get paid. Wait, what? Paid? I’m getting paid for something I did? Like what an actual designer would do? I was surprised and grateful in so many ways. Thankfully there were no crazy changes, just some things here and there that were requested and I chose to make a few extra adjustments myself.

    After filling out and emailing a vendor form during the summer, I was paid within a few weeks.

    I was recently updated that 3,000 copies of my artwork were printed just last month! The coloring books were shared with the Kalispel Tribe’s Language Program, the Salish Emersion School (K-5 grade), and the Camas Early Learning Center (Preschool age). They will also be distributed at the Museum of Arts and Culture for their annual Archeology Day on Saturday, October 5th , 2019. The coloring books will also be shared throughout local schools in Pend Oreille County, Bonner County, and Spokane County.

    Months later, I am still ecstatic about this achievement. I know that in the following years I will still be proud to be part of the project and have made a difference in my community. Being paid was just a bonus!

    Original sketches for back and front cover
    Images I took of my coloring book during the second to last critique

    Personal Glyphs

    History of Design Project

    We make marks in order to communicate thoughts, ideas, directions, feelings, and much more. This project was particularly interesting and meaningful for me because I kept in consideration my own culture -Hmong, which originated from China but now the Hmong people are mainly found in Laos. The Hmong people do not have their own country, and for a very long time we did not have our own way of writing either. This was due to many Hmong people being illiterate and uneducated. We adopted the English alphabet (glyphs) in order to write and communicate. Before that, the only other records we have are our traditional Hmong “pab ntaub,” meaning “story cloth” (although the literal translation is “flower cloth”). The pab ntaub is a hand-sewn cloth that tells the story of the Hmong people- often about escaping Laos during the Vietnam war. Often depicted are mountains, farms, rivers (the Mekong river in particular), soldiers, animals, etcetera. This is one way the Hmong leave their mark on the world, to say “This is what I experienced. I was here. I existed.” Since adapting to writing using the English alphabet, the Hmong have been able to record their experiences on paper, write each other letters, songs, and religious Bible verses. In every civilization and culture, being able to write allows us to share our stories and understand one another. 

    Other remarks: 
    In my logograms, the term “poj laib” with the literal translation of “gangster woman” more so means rebellious or delinquent woman. Describing those that are disobedient, dye their hair, get tattoos, and like to party (drink). 
    “Nkaujhli” is a literal translation of “girl of the moon” and is commonly used as a girl’s name. 
    The phonograms describe sounds used in the Hmong language.