WHAT I'VE BEEN
up to:
A small selection of the most relevant projects
Sometimes not even full projects, but rather endeavours I’ve been more enthusiastic about. You’ll see it ranges from art, prints, experiments and even the admin part, for instance. Being a freelancer can have all those sides to it.
A bit of admin on Instagram @zemonteir0
Now there is a nice @chimpan_zine page, but not back then, in the summer of 2019. In facft, it’s one of the reasons I’ve created this magazine in the first place. Realising how not savvy I was with online content creation and posting, I created the CHIMPAN printed zine instead. A platform for me to share projects, what I’ve been doing and who have I been meeting with. Therefore, a printed first side of a “let’s catch up” conversation. A little more on why I started publishing a zine here.
Regardless, it is often that I hear that social media is a great working tool.
Unbeatable reach and instant access content might be the hardest for a magazine to outplay.
It is definitely a terrific way to showcase and get in touch, but not as in depth. As a mobile-oriented platform, it also has to compete with our short attention span and all the little rings and bleeps of every other notification, for example. Smart Insights shares some overwhelming stats.
- The number of internet users worldwide in 2019 is 4.388 billion, up 9.1% year-on-year.
- The number of social media users worldwide in 2019 is 3.484 billion, up 9% year-on-year.
- The number of mobile phone users in 2019 is 5.112 billion, up 2% year-on-year.
I did not know this could be a full-time job
Until I tried and struggled with my own account. I mean, I knew it, yet I had to feel it to really give it the importance it deserves, as you might be expecting. As a result, I have a newly found respect for people who deal with social media at the core of their primary daily tasks. Whether for a business of their passion projects.
Luckily, there is a lot of help for anyone that, like me, needs a push in this direction. I have found that watching a ton of videos and reading a few articles helps, for instance. Yet you may have to choose just one approach to start off with, and then figure out your own rhythm. Additionally, it is a great strategy to use some management software for your project’s posts. Planning ahead takes a lot of the strain away, as you don’t need to be constantly chasing a schedule. There are plenty of platforms or apps around, so take your pick and stick with it for a while, figure out if it makes sense for you. Honestly, I’ve been having some fun with putting the social media manager hat on lately. Plus, it makes me and my project feel (and look) legit.
Lemon Air Balloon screen print project
Research showed me that a lemon can be a symbol for Union, Purification and Wealth. These three sentiments are at the base of this print, a gift for my two friends to open on their wedding day. You might notice that fruit is starting to appear here and there in my work. I find it a very good constant in my daily life, so why not share it?
Paralelly, the illustration is about taking “it” to new heights. What better illustration to go with this issue’s theme of Scaling Up?
Working at Print Club London
Now I’m also assisting and teaching workshops
I’ve recently joined the ranks of the workshop tutors at the Print Club London. “Staying one step ahead” is the name of the game there. As I am taking the assisting role, I need to be constantly thinking about what is the next step the class is going to take and prepare for it. In short, making sure it runs swiftly and smoothly. Furthermore, the printing part when everyone gets to screen print their editions is also proving to be of some challenge. The better I can anticipate the participants’ inexperience-due shortcomings, the better I can help and teach. Staying one step ahead and therefore avoiding a few punches, or misprints in this case.
This being said, troubleshooting is also part of the game, it surely helps to make everyone understand what can go wrong and how to fix it.
Will I go back to teaching my own workshops?
Yes, definitely. Taking it from the myth patterns scholar Joseph Campbell and his regards on The Hero’s Journey narratology template, I would say I am enjoying this Meeting the Mentor phase. However, feeling ready for the next Crossing the Threshold part, where I am to leave the known limits of my world and venture into mystery. I like this theatrical way of saying I’ll give it a good try soon.
Juice prints exploration
If you enjoy a particular fruit juice, will you like it printed? I’ve always loved some beetroot and carrot juice in the morning.
I was wondering if I’d like the print that those two ingredients could turn into.
Picture a section of your fruit juice glass.
All cloudy and not fully blended, displaying those burgundy and orange colours, for instance. Sounds tasty to me! And so the inky experiments began.
You can see on the image above that I’ve started to test a few swatches, displaying two different recipes on that image. B1 on top of the right notebook page is definitely winning.
Coincidentally, this leaves me toying around with natural inks. I’d want the beetroot and carrot juice to be authentic, not adding any unnatural or inedible ingredients to the mix. This was when I discovered the project Kaiku you’ve read about in the WHAT I’VE BEEN looking at section.
Date: 6th Dec. 2019
Category: What I’ve been
up to
Author: Zé Monteiro