It is hard to believe that it is already November. A few weeks ago I was getting ready to go back to school, and reading about the new COVID protocols being implemented at Canisius, this week I am facing Daylight Savings Time and half-priced Halloween Candy. The Elmwood Bidwell Farmers Market is wrapping up, it will be finishing on the week of Thanksgiving. I have really enjoyed my experience working here. I had the opportunity to take lots pictures and make the posts for social media to promote the Farmers Market, developing my skills. I am lucky I had this opportunity, I will miss the Farmers Market when it ends in a few weeks.
The past few months I have had new opportunities for my internship. Last month, I made a two minute PSA video for my Motion Graphics class. Using photos I had taken, and photos from the EVA Membership brochure I had designed in August, I made a PSA video for the Elmwood Village Association, designed to be an video version of the brochure for class. My supervisor showed the video to the EVA Board of Directors. The video was posted to the EVA Facebook and Instagram accounts and they plan to use it for membership promotion. It is very flattering they think my homework assignment is good enough to use for promotions, and I am happy they think my work is at the professional level. Recently, the Elmwood Village Association had a virtual membership drive last month at the American Repertory Theater Theatreloft building, where I got to meet executive director Matthew LaChiusa. We promoted the event on social media, collected donations from local businesses, and I got the opportunity to film the live feed. It was a fun evening, and I got to add this video to my film reel. Another project I had was to create an informational graphic for a new solar-powered self-compacting trash compactor, with the flattering name “Big Belly”. After spending part of the day chasing the office cat around the shop and saying “Get in me belly.”, I got to do some research on photovoltaic cells and solid waste disposal, and created some graphics that will be used by the City of Buffalo.
One of our class projects this semester was to attend a networking event. I had the opportunity to attend a Happy Hour event held by YNPN (Young NonProfit Professionals Network) Greater Buffalo at Pearl Street Brewing Company. YNPN is a group of professionals in the nonprofit fields focused on professional development, and building a peer support network. The focus is to strengthen the nonprofit community by serving as a resource for networking and growth to empower young professionals. Ideally, after graduation, I want to work with a local design firm in Buffalo or with a non-profit organization. I was very lucky for this opportunity, as the event was for members only. Luckily, my sister is friends with one of the board members, so I was able to get an invitation. It was a bit intimidating, being with so many industry professionals, and not knowing anyone, but once I overcame my nervousness, I had the opportunity to talk to some very nice people about opportunities with non-profits in Buffalo. The YNPN has other networking events, including a Coffee Hour Power Hour held monthly that I am planning to attend. With recent events and the aftermath of the Global Pandemic, we are learning that a big part of the Digital Media world and Design work will be the gig economy and freelance work. Along with a good portfolio and strong recommendations, I am going to have to learn how to make connections and promote myself, and my work.
The past few weeks I have been working with the EVA website and social media posts. Sadly, one of the annual events, the Safe Trick-or-Treat was cancelled, but we are brainstorming for an idea to have Santa Claus make an appearance and have a live feed or video chat. We have moved to a new office, located above the Saigon Cafe on Utica and Elmwood. There are only a few weeks left of this semester, but I am happy for this opportunity to strengthen my design skills, learn more about the facets of non-profits in Buffalo, and meet some very kind and interesting people.
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