Making making

Been so busy making work for my new job that I haven't had any time to photograph/post any of my new work yet. I'd love to invest in a wordpress portfolio/blog so I am looking into that. But stay tuned!

Summer Wedding

Finally got around to posting images of the work I did for a wedding last month. I designed all the creative, from the bar menu to the table cards. The wedding had a laid-back, fun beach vibe, so I wanted the work to reflect that.

Stay Tuned

Been very busy putting together a new site for my work on branding/invitation design... Stay tuned... !

Front Row Seats

Last week for July 4th, we went to my brother and sister-in-law's apartment in Hoboken, NJ. They have an unbelievable view of Manhattan. Since the Macy's fireworks launched out of Hoboken, we had the best seats in the house.

Took these shots with my Canon Digital Rebel. Took a little bit to figure out the right exposure/shutter speed settings, but eventually I got it right.

great view of the city

getting ready for the fireworks show

favorite pic.

Thesis Website

Just updated my website for my thesis so I can have one place to house the sound piece, book, and images I made for the project. Check it out!

http://livingwithoutdoorknobs.com/

NYC Alliance for the Arts

The guide I am designing for the NYC Alliance for the Arts is in its final stages. I took some shots for you to see.

NYC-Arts is responsible for publishing all of the cultural and art information for NYC. The guide is about 125 pages long, and includes hundreds of NYC museums and organizations for seniors, including the Guggenheim, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and MOMA. The guide lists senior discounts as well as information about disability access. The guide is meant to work in both printable and PDF formats.

I made sure the PDF version of the guide has hyperlinks all throughout so that you can easily click to the organization's websites. The index and contents are also interactive, so you can quickly navigate through the PDF.

This guide will be widely available on the NYC-ARTS.org website, and will be sent to over 5,000 arts funders, cultural leaders, policymakers, bloggers, and other media.

Take a look!

I'm Back!

Even though my thesis is complete, I'm going to continue blogging on a regular basis. Since graduating last month, I have been really busy interviewing for jobs, meeting people in the creative industry, and creating work on a freelance basis.

Right now I'm working on an assignment for the NYC Alliance of the Arts. They are responsible for publishing all of the cultural and art information for NYC.

Radiohead - MK1 [National Coalition for the Homeless Ad]

Advertisement I just saw on HULU by agency Knarf.

ACLU

Photo courtesy of ACLU

ACLU Alarmed By Threats to Arrest Homeless People in Ann Arbor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 28, 2010

CONTACT: Jessie Rossman, ACLU of Michigan staff attorney at 313.578.6823

ANN ARBOR, MICH. – The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is gravely concerned by plans to evict about 20 residents of the local homeless encampment Camp Take Notice from public land near Interstate I-94 and Ann Arbor-Saline Road. The Michigan State Police posted signs in the encampment yesterday warning residents that they must leave or risk being arrested for trespassing.

“It’s no coincidence that police are threatening to arrest homeless people who have nowhere else to go ahead of President Obama’s visit to the University of Michigan,” said Jessie Rossman, ACLU of Michigan Staff Attorney. “Rather than sweeping the ugly problem of homelessness under the rug, federal, state and local governments should work toward
commonsense solutions to the problems facing Michigan’s poorest.”

Yesterday afternoon, the Michigan State Police posted “No Trespassing” notices throughout the camp. According to the notice, the Michigan Department of Transportation, which owns the property, asked law enforcement officials to enforce the trespassing laws. In addition, the notice states that “continuing to occupy this area without lawful authority or permission is a crime, and may result in your arrest and prosecution.” The notice instructs homeless individuals to remove their property immediately.

Camp Take Notice is one of at least three tent communities in and around Ann Arbor. It was established to provide a safe, sober and drug-free environment with food and shelter for individuals and has strict rules prohibiting panhandling in the vicinity of the campsite.

“It is not a crime to be homeless in Michigan,” said Rossman. “There is perhaps no punishment more cruel than arresting individuals for something that is out of their control. As long as the economic crisis and resource shortages persist, there will continue to be people who have no choice but to live on the streets throughout Michigan.”

In December, the ACLU of Michigan filed a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf Caleb Poirier, a member of Camp Take Notice who was arrested for trespassing after admitting to police that he lived in the camp. Charges against Caleb were later dismissed.  In its brief, the ACLU of Michigan explained that when a city does not provide sufficient shelter to house the homeless, it cannot then punish the homeless for not having anywhere else to go. According to homeless advocates in Washtenaw County, between 2007 and 2008, there was a 30 percent increase in homelessness amongst families and individuals.

In addition, the ACLU warned that punishing harmless life-sustaining conduct, such as sleeping in public, constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the U.S. and Michigan Constitutions.

E-mail from Brian

Yesterday I received this e-mail from Brian Nord, a volunteer for Camp Take Notice.

Good evening,

As some of the journalists that I've been in close contact with about Camp Take Notice, I wanted to keep you up-to-date on its activities.

I received a call this morning from Lt. Sturtivandt of the Michigan State Police.  She informed me that within 24 hours, the 20 residents of Camp Take Notice will be displaced from their current location at Ann Arbor-Saline Rd. near Applebee's.  They've threaten to confiscate all property and arrest any trespassers.

You know the issue, you know the need.  Some people arrived there just a few days ago, seeking and finding refuge from a crisis -- that of housing, joblessness, or a consistent personal one.  The camp has consistently fulfilled a need for housing and community since its inception.

Unfortunately, just as Washtenaw and Ann Arbor are making difficult cuts, another challenge has been placed in front of the camp citizens--- individuals who already vulnerable and fighting to start again.

As MISSION continues its search for more stable footing for camp,  hope that our community can keep working together so that someday a Camp Take Notice won't be necessary.

Until that time, please keep your eyes open for more updates and the news of camp's eviction and exodus: many of the campers have agreed to move to a new spot, but we are not sure where.  Some will stay until forced to move.

If you're aware of available property or a willing sponsor, Camp Take Notice's growing population can use your ideas.

Regards,

Brian Nord on behalf of MISSION

www.tentcitymichigan.org

PS, a new camper just called to let me know that notices of trespass have been posted, indicating the veracity of the MSP's intent. Campers are packing, and MISSION will be assisting in a move within the next 36 hours.  Camp and MISSION can use any help and assistance you might be able to lend over the next few days.  Feel free to call or email at any time.

Unforgettable Weekend

Opening weekend was amazing. There was a great turnout and all of the work looked great. Joseph Gill came for two hours and loved the final result. Here are images of my gallery space in Work: Ann Arbor. 

I was unsure if people would listen to the sound piece on opening night- but to my surprise, many people listened! It was great to have the two headphones and a splitter so that people could listen at the same time and talk about it afterwards.

Overall, a weekend I will never forget!

Sound at Gallery

At the gallery, I am going to have 6 of the images blown up, the book on a stand, and the iPod. The iPod will include the "Doorknobs" sound piece, as well as the two voicemails Joe left me, on February 17 and February 20, in the midst of winter:

Sound Piece- I think it's complete.

This past week Stephanie and I went into the V-room so that I could rerecord the intro. The goal was to sound more natural and less stiff than the previous recorded introduction.

I am going to have a slide that says "Doorknobs", followed by a slide that says "an audio story from a homeless tent community on the edge of Ann Arbor."

Any last comments/suggestions before I burn to a DVD for Monday?

Presentation for the Gallery

I like this grid- it is a happy medium between blowing up 3 large photos, and printing all 30 small.  I think this is a nice number as it gives you a good sense of the tent community.

I think a title panel is necessary in the grid.  If I was walking past this, I would be a little confused and assume this was a piece on camping.  Tonight I am going to work on the title panel.  It needs to blend into the grid, but I think a pop of color is good.

Adrianne and I spent some time today talking about which images work best for the gallery & the whole homeless experience.  I have edited it down to these.

"Walking home from Whole Foods- I live just past the horizon":  the establishing image; sets the tone, mood, and gives the tent community context.

"My stately home and storage tent":  Shows the tents and his ironic captions off the bat.

"Inside my tent looking out": The most important photo, and my favorite. Love the caption, too.

"Organization is Key": Gives you an insider's perspective of the inside of his tent, details in this photo important

"The Essentials": Another insider's peek into the communal tent kitchen.

"Yes, I have to wash all these, but not in the fire pit."  Great perspective, not an image we see often.

"Snow Crushed the Tent":  Highlights the drama, struggle, and it's a strong image.

"My new place- had to downsize":  Shows his sarcasm and most importantly, his determination to move on.


All photographs will be printed on matte paper, 22x17, and hung with thin silver pins.

Book Sent Off

Fixed changes to the intro. and just sent it off today.  I know there will probably be more changes to be made in the future but I am excited to get the book next week!!!

Living Without Doorknobs by Megan Flood | BOOK INFO

Momentum for the Last Week!

I am obsessed with quotes & my brother just saw this one on the street and sent it to me.

Changes to Book

Thank you Blurb for letting me cancel my order upon seeing a typo!

Cover is DONE!

To Do...

Had a meeting with Hannah today which was very helpful. There are no major changes, but several minor ones. Tomorrow I will work all day to make sure these changes are made.  

Weekly Update March 25

This week I spent about 20 hours on my book.  I created sentence breaks for all the quotes, figured out the sequence of images, and resolved all of the spreads.  I edited all the images and resized the captions, which took the most time.  I wanted to be sure the images were crisp with high contrast, yet not overexposed.  

My book is 99% complete.  I am currently working on finessing the intro/conclusion of the book. Today in critique we went over specific details I need to change; I am going to make those changes tonight because tomorrow I am meeting with Hannah to go over the book one last time. I am sending off the book to the printer on Tuesday.

Here are two spreads I resolved this week- they are the only spreads without an image (besides intro/conclusion). 

I also went to Groundworks this week and they helped me upload Joe’s voicemails onto the computer.  In the messages he talks about how the Michigan Department of Transportation is forcing Camp Take Notice to leave in 30 days.  This will be one of the sound clips in the gallery.  He left me two voicemails- so I need to decide if I want to keep both in raw form- or combine the message to be one direct voicemail, combining the most important spoken elements.

I also presented this sound piece in critique today.  It is during an interview with Joe when  I asked him if he wanted to participate in my project and take pictures.  He was so excited and I thought it would be interesting to show a behind-the-scenes of our dialogue and see his reaction when I asked him to collaborate on the project.  Everyone really enjoyed the sound piece, but after a few minutes of discussion, we realized this might in fact take away from the gallery space.  This piece is almost too laid back and doesn’t fit as well as the other sound pieces.

I guess I really liked that piece because of the part where he talks about competition in the work place.  He basically says to pursue what you love and don't doubt your abilities because ultimately in any job there will always be someone better than you.  I think it’s great advice.    

This weekend I am going to work non-stop on the book until it is absolutely perfect.  I'm also going to rerecord the introduction to my "doorknobs" sound piece.  

I also plan to meet with Stephanie to go over the sound I want to use in the gallery.

We have two weekends left to finish this project- scary & exciting!

Down to Two

Okay I am trying to decide between these two covers.  The first one is more direct, to the point.  But in the second one, his handwriting sets the overall tone of the book.