BRIDGET IRVING PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS
RESEARCH
Creative Industries: Professional Presentations Module number: 7FTC1029 Tutor: Matt Cooke 17th January 2019
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Bridget Irving Creative Industries: Professional Presentations 7FTC1029
Contents Professional Presentations
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Audiences and Messages
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Presentations and pitches - clients and employers
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Presentations and pitches - peer groups, academic and other audiences
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Who and where are my audience? - Peer groups
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Who and where are my audience? - Local, national and global
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Who and where are my audience? - The wider audience
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Professional audience feedback
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Who will listen to what I have to say?
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Who will listen to what I have to say? - Where can I present and discuss and who will listen?
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Digital presentations
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Case Study - Beatrice Alemagna
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Live presentations
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Pitching for funding
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Digital portfolio presentations
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Custom websites
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Blogging 21
Reflection and evaluation APPENDICES
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Appendix A - Questionnaire emails
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Appendix A - Questionnaire emails
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Bridget Irving Creative Industries: Professional Presentations 7FTC1029
Professional Presentations
‘Everything is communication’ (Clare Mann 2012)
Figure 1 - Idea generation (Irving 2019)
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Audiences and Messages Concepts and messages My main concept is centered on the visual representation of animals. For my Final Major Project proposal I am exploring animal representation and identity, through the picture book wolf, and illustrated stereotypes and conventions. I advocate for animals and I want to inspire and influence other illustrators to notice the real animals whose likeness we so often use. I am interested in academic studies that raise debate about the visual representation of nonhumans and, as an animal advocate, I want to contribute to those discussions. Furthermore, I want to emphasise the cultural influence of picture books; without that it would be hard to persuade an audience of the significance of animal representation within them. I am interested in the semiotic study of images and therefore the visual representations of the wolf and culturally universalised connotations of predator. Roland Barthes’ theories of mythologies and layered semiotic meanings in mass media triggered my interest in universal cultural belief systems, but I am also interested in how meaning is understood by a specific audience. Animal representations reinforce moral judgements made by humans and imposed upon animals; I want to explore and challenge this and demonstrate how visual stereotyping of animals contributes to justifications for the continuing use and abuse of animals. I want illustrators to notice when they draw another version of the president of the United States as a pig, or again imagine the picture book wolf as a lone looming shadow. I want illustrators to consider the animal when they illustrate a bicycling pig for a packet of pork sausages or depict a picture book sloth sent through the post in a cardboard box (both
Figure 2 - Representing animals (Irving 2019)
of these are real works). How can I do this without preaching, without blame but to raise discussion? Where can I learn more about this topic? Writer Alex Lockwood gives presentations about literary representation of animals and he introduces ideas, through workshops and discussion, for writers to, ‘slough of the old anthropocentric habits of representing animals’. (Lockwood 2018). I hope to do the same in context of illustration.
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Presentations and pitches - clients and employers Introduction Presenting and pitching are different approaches for different situations, and for different
Academic presentations have other goals - they inform, educate, persuade. They may
goals, but they are both opportunities to present ourselves and our ideas. This maybe a
be given to peers, collaborators, potential clients or agents and they fall largely into two
direct pitch for work to a client or agent or, it may be a broader, less targeted opportunity to
categories
put yourself out there. 1. The Informative presentation The term ‘pitch’ is often usd to describe pitching for work or employment opportunities and
These share information or research findings with peers or other interested groups.
is often associated with sales. Illustrators may pitch a book idea to a publisher or agent for
The goal of an informative presentation is to promote learning and understanding.
example and this type of pitch may occur face-to-face or remotely over Skype for example; it
An informative presentation would encouarge questions and answers during or, more
may be one-to-one or to a group.
commonly, after the presentation. This may be in an academic situation, to professional peers, employer, agent or publisher, or in a school or other educational environment.
During or after a pitch, fees, expenses and deadlines are also negotiated between illustrator and client, agent or publisher. Professional bodies and agents can advise and it can be
2. The Persuasive presentation
helpful have these facts to hand during a pitch or presentation.
The persuasive presentation also aims to share knowledge but it also aims to influence a change in thinking or beliefs, and to encourage action as a result of that persuasion.
In The Illustrators Guide to Law and Business (Figure 3 The Association of Illustrators advises
It is likely there is some element of persuasion in any presentation. A workshop or drawing
that It helps to have licensing information available and be prepared for a client or customer
class delivered to adults, or children, would be predominanlty informative and a casual
who wants to have more copyright access than you are prepared to give. They also advise be
presentation, but the presenter might wish to persuade adults of the merits of drawing to
nice, be upfront, be prepared. (Stern n.d.)
learn about animals for example.
Presentation guidelines • Be sincere, authentic • Knowledge - know your subject, know your technology • Practice, practice, practice • Don’t put everything into one presentation - edit, edit, edit • Humour may not translate across cultures Figure 3 - illustrators guide
• Be calm but use pace and rythmn to show passion and enthusiasm
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Presentations and pitches - peer groups, academic and other audiences
There may be this distinction between informative and persuasive presentations yet both
Figure 4 and Figure 5 relate to a children’s wolf drawing workshop where a mixed audience of
aim to bring light to a subject that is understood by a given audience.
adults and children could respond well to the holistic approach.
In a LinkedIn learning video, author and CEO Sarah Weiss, describes her thoughts on presenting research. She blurs the two styles of presentation, informative and persuasive, together, and suggests that ‘the goal of any research study is actionable results’ (Weiss n.d.) When pitching to a client, agent or potential publisher a presenter might want to comment on sales and similar books but the likelihood is that they already know that kind of information and more thoroughly and expertly than the presenter. In her LinkedIn learning presentation, Pitching Kills your Presentation, instructor Elizabeth McLeod points out how pitching to buyers might require a different approach - to not focus on sales but on a more conversational dialogue stlye between presenter and customer. McLeod recommends customising one’s presentation and asking questions to diffentiate yourself from other presentations. (McLeod n.d.)
Figure 4 - Workshop Facebook post (Irving 2019)
These guides, like many online guides to presenting, are primarily concerned with marketing and sales but these skills are likely to be transferable across subject and medium, as long as you figure out who you are taking to and what they need to know. (Weiss n.d 2:33) For insight in to less ‘sales-ey,’ more academic or peer suited presentation styles, TEDTalks give guidleines and insights in to giving engaging presentations. TED curator Chris Anderson suggests that the one key common ingredient in all presentations is to transfer in to your audience’s mind an idea. (Anderson 2016). Figure 5 - Wellington lIbrary workshop (Irving 2019)
This is a much more holistic approach and is overlooked in the marketing style guidelines that concentrate on getting results and differentiating oneself.
These different audiences, peers, clients, and children require different presentation language, different timescales, and different styles of presentation but the core message
Workshops and tutorials offer opportunities for a different approach to presenting to all
doesn’t change. In this instance, the message is about the (mis)representation of wolves in
ages. This is also where the presentation’s audience is likely to be the presenter’s readership
picture books. For children, the approach is hands on, drawing, making, reading and talking.
audience.
The approach is different but the message is not.
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Who and where are my audience? - Peer groups
Professional peers The professional peer groups falls largely into two groups. Firstly, likeminded illustrators. For example, advocate artists meet at Animal Liberation arts festivals and animal advocacy fairs where presentations are held. These encompass talks, poetry, personal stories, and poster presentations about animal rights and creative work. The writer Alex Lockwood holds workshops at these events and presents on topics that engage audiences with his work and his message. He holds workshops to raise awareness with a supportive audience about animal representation in written and spoken language. Also, at these events, illustrator Vita Sleigh (Figure 29) gives live talks about the interconnectedness between veganism and feminism. These examples demonstrate that there is an audience interested in animal rights and illustration. The second category of peers would be those who are not actively thinking about animal perspectives within illustration and this second group can be divided further into those who are interested and those who would actively oppose ideas that challenge existing beliefs about the human-animal binary.
Academic audiences Figure 6 - Different types of audience (Irving 2019)
There are academic groups concerned with the representation of animals in contemporary and historical contexts. For example, The British Animal Studies Network, based at Strathclyde University, Glasgow hold annual conferences and ask for submissions for presentations. They recognise that, ‘animals are present in many and varied areas of human lives: as workers, objects for scientific inquiry, characters in stories, images, companions, food. To analyse the human relationship with and perception of animals . . . therefore requires interdisciplinary work.’ (British Animal Studies Network n.d.) Unlike any other rights movement, those at the centre of it can not be present or reached directly (Figure 6). Instead people have to stand for animals.
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Who and where are my audience? - Local, national and global
Local and national audiences
International audiences
Local audiences provide accessible opportunities for face-to-face presenting either
Similarly then, if a presentation is intended for a geographically distant audience, either in
in informal workshop environments or live stand-up presentations. Face-to-face
person or via online methods, it would benefit the presenter to research culturally relevant
communication is advantageous for illustration topics in that it enables presenters to
examples. Fairy-tales such as Red Riding hood are globally understood; ‘the revisioning of her
show images in the contexts in which they were intended, e.g when discussing picture
story is an international phenomenon in literature for all ages’ (Beckett 2008).
book illustrations the picture books can be made available and audience reactions and interpretations can be discussed in real time. When evaluating images, Gillian Rose (2016a)
So, it has been shown that customisation of a presentation can help reach an audience; it
asks what are the conventions for viewing the the image? For the advocate illustrator/
may help to research and recognise cultural similarities. Conversely, it may also be beneficial
presenter this is useful to understand; if the context of when and where an image is seen
to share a variety of culturally different examples of images, in order to emphasise the far
matters then the locale of the presentation about those images matters.
reaching significance of negative messages about animals.
Rose goes on to explain that whilst meaning can be encoded into an image, different audiences can decode an image in different ways and that culture and context are complicit in that decoding (Rose 2016b). Therefore, it is likely that a presenter and local audience will have a shared cognition of an illustration. At the very least they will have similar historical understandings of picture book interpretations. For example, UK audiences will be familiar with the same versions of fairy tales, such as versions of Little Red Riding Hood. This shared cultural heritage, whilst not assumed can be considered and more easily referenced in local and national presentations. In their book, Visual Research, Noble and Bestly (2018 p113) contend that ‘familiarity counts’, that audiences have exepectations of meaning in visual imagery, therefore a shared culture is likely to bring shared expectations. So, in a presentation about animal representations and stereotypes for example, it is helpful to acknowledge that a specific audience will recognise some, if not all of the stereotypes used as examples.
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Who and where are my audience? - The wider audience
Supportive audiences
Wider audiences
It may be said that the term local does not just refer to a geographically local audience.
These suggestions to consider different audiences in different ways might be said to
Local may mean, close to, close in thinking and understanding. For example, a geographically
be common-sense, and along with politeness and punctuality I think they are; however,
separated audience may share social and political beliefs and understandings such as
understanding the position of an audience is vital to being understood. In describing
feminism and veganism. It follows that a politically similar audience, one who is ‘close to
museum exhibition audiences Stuart Hall comments that more varied audiences may have,
home’ may be thousands of miles away from the presenter, and from each other.
‘more varied, even competing demands’ (Hall 1997). For animal representation that might correspond to traditions competing with animal rights and an advocate audience.
This audience can be found online, they share digital spaces such as Facebook groups and forums.. Professional digital spaces such as LinkedIn and the Reddit forums have a global reach; they offer opportunities for groups and subgroups to form based on interests and not on location or language. There are also professional relationships that can be categorised as similar or distant, ranging from those nearby such as other illustrators, through artists and designers, to agents, publishers and editors, and further afield to marketing and sales personnel. Pitching or presenting to these groups, in and out of creative teams might require different technologies depending on geographical locations but they also affect how to approach a presentation. For example, it might mitigate the presenter to change their style of language; the presenter must be wary of jargon and subject specific language and terminology that could alienate those in ‘further afield’ positions. Whereas in a peer group or professional relationship subject specific terminology can demonstrate the presenter’s knowledge and help, ‘inform the process of negotiation with a client.’ (Noble and Bestly 2018)
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Professional audience feedback In order to gain some feedback about advocacy presentations I have conatcted by email a
Evaluation
small group of local illustrators and designers who are also animal advocates. All are local to
This is such a small group and therefore the results are limited and not in-depth but could
Shropshire and two have left the area in the last year. (Appendix i)
form the basis of further audience investigation. Also, as a positive outcome it can be the basis for a focus group interested in raising awareness about prejudice and stereotyping
Contributors • • • •
in picture books. Perhpas a local group or as part of disucssion forums such a s the Reddit
Artist and lecturer Katie Eccleston-Bokkor Artist, illustrator and co-author at Two Critical Vegans blog Vita Sleigh Illustrator and business owner Jay Charlton at Viva-La-Vegan Graphic Designer Caroline McDonagh
critical theory and critical animla studies groups.
The UK government website offers some insight into research, evaluation methods and focus groups. Focus groups ss a qualitative research tool have advantages for small groups
Questions/survey
with steered converstaions, they can be dififcult to establish data (Gov.uk 2018) but could
Q1. Would you attend a talk by an illustrator talking about animal representation?
be a group with shared goals to present to, to find collaborators to present with and to help develop and share ideas with.
Unanimous yes - but with caveats about it being relatively local to them Q2. Would it make a difference if you knew the speaker was vegan/animal advocate?
The group are all female and in age group 30-45. They work in the creative industries and are animal advocates and therefore would be a target audience. The goal here was to discover
Yes, although not essential
their interest in animal representation and listening to presentations. This enquiry was
Q3. Have you or would you attend a vegan/animal advocate art festival?
targeted at those involved in making images, and and therefore a presentation audience
Only Jay had already attended as an exhibitor and seller
rather than a buying or commissioning audience.
Q4. Have you or would you attend an academic conference such as this one at Strathclyde university? https://www.britishanimalstudiesnetwork.org.uk Q5. What other information do you think I could inlcude? On the whole people would, but it needed ot be local and they would watch recordings of presentations online.
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Who will listen to what I have to say? Script - my story Following feedback and reflection I focused on my approach to what is important to me and
START
the kind of illustrator I want to be. Barbara Bassot (2016) asserts the importance of reflecting
Hi there, I am an illustrator and animal advocate and I want to talk about how that has opened my eyes to the visual representation of animals.
on feelings, attending to them, ‘building on positive feelings and removing negative or obstructive ones’ (Bassot 2016 p68)
I have learned how culture repeats it own belief systems through art, literature, illustration and so on and how, generally, we don’t notice that. And I have learned that this is how I learned about my world, including those beliefs that surround the human-animal relationship. Then one day I asked if it was all true and I want to talk about it. But first, this short presentation is a beginning, a preface that asks, who will listen to what I have to say? I want to talk with academics at conferences. People such as The British Animal Studies Network, based at Strathclyde university. They recognise that animals are present and presen-ted as images and characters in stories. I want to talk to them to learn and to better understand and extend my own ideas. Currently I am exploring these ideas through the shape of the picture book wolf and so, I’d like to talk with readers of picture books, children and adults, and to pitch my ideas, a book of my own, to publishers and audiences. I want to ask children, through schools and workshops perhaps, what they think about real animals when they see picture book ones. Then, of course, I want to talk with illustrators, designers and artists and raise the subject of stereotyping animals in our work. I can find like-minded folk at animal liberation and vegan art fairs who welcome speakers - I can also find them online. This will be my primary audience, I think - those who are already asking similar questions.
Figure 7 - Representing animals, the audience (Irving 2019)
Audience Research Presentation Vimeo link - https://vimeo.com/370350833 Password: 7FTC1029
Then there are those who are not persuaded of the power of pictures and those who are not convinced that animal illustration needs analysing. Perhaps the most challenging audience will be those readers, publishers and artists who won’t consider that animals have any right to be represented differently, more fairly, more honestly and from their point of view. END
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Who will listen to what I have to say? - Where can I present and discuss and who will listen?
Figure 9 - Reddit discussion groups
Figure 8 - BASN home page
The British Animal Studies Network (BASN) (Figure 8) are based in Glasgow. They hold UK based conferences and are calling for papers for their 2020 conference.
Figure 9 and Figure 10 show the Reddit discussion groups. These include animal studies and critical theory and illustrationa nd drawing discussion groups. One favourite group is the Photoshop battle forum. These forums provide online opportunities to reach a variety of global audiences.
Figure 11 - Vegan arts night
Figure 12and Figure 12 show the Eventbrite listing for A vegan arts night in North London in January 2020. These types of events often call for speakers and presenters and would be a generally supportive audience.
Figure 12 - Vegan arts night details
These events would be opportunities to explore support audiences and their interests. By supportive, I imply that they are supportive of animal rights and interested in the positive representation of animals. Figure 10 - r-critical theory group
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Bridget Irving Creative Industries: Professional Presentations 7FTC1029
Digital presentations Introduction
This research explores, through online investigation, a range of professional and contemporary presentation methods. The focus is on digital methods of presentation such as websites and portfolios, and also online channels which enable distribution of off-line presentations. First, there is a case study review of the presentation approach by picture book writer and illustrator Beatrice Alemagna. Then, an evaluation looks at presentations within illustration, and encompasses conclusions to inform a personal approach to professional presentation.
Summary of project aims My main concept is centered on the visual representation of animals. For my proposal I am exploring identity and the picture book wolf amidst the current political and social movements that support animal rights. I advocate for animals and I want to inspire and influence other illustrators to notice the non-humans, the animal referent.
Summary of audience and message My potential audiences fall broadly into two categories. Firstly those with whom I would wish to share my ideas about illustrating animals such as academic groups concerned with animal representation and professional peers such as illustrators and designers. The second group is those audiences related to specific outcomes, for example publishers and child and/or
Figure 13 - Digital presentation (Irving 2019)
crossover audiences for books.
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Case Study - Beatrice Alemagna
I have chosen Beatrice Alemagna for case study because of her journey, her established and contemporary work, and her online presence. Alemagna is an international illustrator; she is Italian and moved to France twenty years ago because of the reputation of French picture book publishing. She speaks at least three languages and her books have been translated and published globally. For example, A Lion in Paris has been translated into twelve languages. (Alemagna 2018 07:33).
Figure 14 shows the homepage on Alemagna’s website; it is dominated by a large illustration from her latest book, Harold Snipperpott’s Best Disaster Ever.
Her website is uncomplicated, without animation or interactive elements. The menu is minimal although it is accessible and navigation is precise and effective. These elements ensure that an audience’s first needs are met. There are international standards for accessibility and, ‘making the web accessible benefits individuals, businesses, and society.’ (Henry 2019). Typography is clear, there are no spelling or grammatical errors and written content is easily understood. The bulk of the text is saved for her About page where there is a small biography, a photo of her as a child and a list of her achievements and awards. Also, there are links to her active Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Alemagna’s books are primarily for a child audience but her website does not actively reach out to children. For example, there are no animated or interactive elements and according to
Figure 14 - Beatrice Alemagna webiste home page 2019.
Nielsen Group, children enjoy interaction in a website (Cristall 2019a). However, the Writers and Artist Yearbook online advise that illustrator’s websites can be for both children and adults, including a commissioning audience, and ‘what makes a successful website does not differ between age groups as much as one might think’ (Cristall, 2019b).
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Beatrice Alemagna’s website is fundamentally a portfolio; it is possible to see the books she has made and generously there are many pages presented in detail.(Figure 15, Figure 16, Figure 17).
Figure 16 - (top) Beatrice Alemagna’s website shows the front cover of A Lion in Paris
Figure 17 - (left) Beatrice Alemagna’s website that show inner pages of A Lion in Paris
Figure 15 - Beatrice Alemagna Books.
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open and honest, and tells her story about struggles in childhood and struggles with making her work, and it is evident that her life and beliefs are in her story-telling. She acknowledges her child readers, an audience absent from the conference, and comments that children have no power, ‘no purchasing power and no social power.’ (Alemagna 2019 01:36) She also comments on how that sense of otherness can be transferred to those who work for children. ‘Writing and illustrating for children sometimes corresponds in the eyes of many to do essentially useless stuff.’ (Alemagna 2019 01:46). It is significant that throughout all her presentations there is a picture book aesthetic that unites all her approaches together. Her online presentations reflect her personality and her work. Beatrice Alemagna’s primary audience are children and she speaks out for them and their struggles. With this in mind, I want to explore the presentations and digital presence of illustrators who draw and speak for animals in order to help inform my own approach. Unlike other advocacy, animals can not be an audience but presentations can reach out to people about their relationship with animals. And like children, animals who appear so often in picture books, have no power.
Figure 18 - Beatrice Alemagna at Offset 2018
Alemagna’s site appears to be aimed, primarily, at a commissioning audience and adult
‘In a gentle way you can shake the world’ -
purchasers, although she doesn’t link directly to selling sites. This might not encourage sales but it keeps the reader comfortably within her website, and significantly she is already widely published.
Mahatma Gandhi
Beatrice Alemagna’s Offset talk was filmed at the live event and is provided free, with other presentations and via the Vimeo platform, on Offset’s website.
Alemagna’s workings and sketchbooks can be found elsewhere online, in interviews and videos that present her ideas, inspirations and some of her working methods. Examples
Beatrice Alemagna online presentations Interview with Beatrice Alemagna https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NG8f_DZgn0 March 2017
include a YouTube interview, ‘Inside the Artwork with Beatrice Alemagna’ for Harper Kids and a ten minute ‘day with’ tour style presentation video, in French, for Librairie Artazart. These are informal yet professional ways of presentation and although it appears a relaxed way
Inside the artwork of Beatrice Alemagna https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lwu-Jwyyfw February 2019
to communicate, ‘the Informal presentation still requires sufficient structure to guide the presenter and their audience from A to B.’ (Morton 2016). Whilst informal might not suit every presentation, this natural approach reflects Alemagna’s style.
Bologna Children’s Book fair https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfjiImArKMk February 2019.
In 2018 Beatrice Alemagna gave a talk at Offset festival in Dublin. (Figure 18). Through it she frequently apologises, she feels an imposter she says, but she is confident in her work. She is
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Live presentations
‘Don’t let fear or excuses dictate your opportunities’
“ . . .public speaking can be one of the most effective tools for self-promotion in a designer’s armoury, instantly giving you credibility as an expert and supercharging word-of-mouth about your services.” - Judith Sagar 2019
- Sara Andreasson of It’s Nice That
Glossophobia is the fear of public speaking and it is a common phobia, but with, ‘preparation and persistence, you can overcome your fear.’ (Sawchuk n.d.) In that process of overcoming fear or as an alternative to live presentations, it is possible to give talks direct to camera and upload a video. For example, some illustrators have Youtube channels where they offer tips and tutorials. Working illustrator Sara Faber explains in a video presentation how she became a freelancer and how she approaches commercial ventures. (Figure 19). She was, ‘getting tons of questions’ about going freelance (Faber 2018), so she made a presentation to answer those questions, and now has 123,000 subscribers to her YouTube channel and Vlog.
To compare, Chicago based iIllustrator and writer Matthew Cordell gives live presentations which are filmed and uploaded through Vimeo or YouTube. In 2018 he won the Caldecott medal for his book, Wolf in the Snow, and he presents that story in schools (Figure 20).
Cordell asks questions of the children, gives demonstrations and engages them with the themes in his books. An alternative approach would be to have tables for children to work on, to draw and make their own versions of the book perhaps. At the 2018 National Book Festival, Washington D.C, Cordell gave a more formal presentation where he explains a little of his background and how he came to make Wolf in the Snow (Figure 20). In the school presentation Cordell asks closed questions such as asking children if they like to draw or if they think wolves are bad, but in the Q&A session, at the end of his conference talk, he
Figure 19 - Sara Faber online presentation (2018)
provokes more inquiry through open questions.
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Cordell was interviewed by Hong Kong based and public broadcasting service RTHK radio. He was invited as a guest from the Young Readers conference in March 2019. These interviews are interesting to a wide audience. He is talking as an illustrator to buyers of his book, to parents and guardians. The radio interviewer raises issues about responsibilities of parents and the different interpretations they bring to a silent, or wordless, book. Cordell also talks about meaning in his book; looking beyond stereotypes is the key theme in his book - for both people and animals. His research into wolves taught him that real wolves are very different to their picture book representations. This type of interview, the content of it reaches out to other illustrators and to those researching children’s literature. These presentations, of Cordell’s book, serve to help promote the book but also intentionally or not, he reaches a wider audience.
Figure 21 - Matthew Cordell at Young Readers festival Hong Kong 2019
Figure 20 - Author/Illustrator Matthew Cordell Visits Tioga School (BSD2 2018) Figure 22 - Matthew Cordell Wolf in he Snow book cover 2018
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Pitching for funding
Increasingly, there are online opportunities for crowdsourcing projects and pitching for remote working. Kickstarter’s pitch and pledge service is suited for all size projects looking for backers and could be a useful digital space for illustrators. Emily Hare is an illustrator who, after created her fantasy forest book, ‘Strangehollow’ successfully reached out to Kickstarter to raise the funds for printing and publishing. Statista website says, ‘as of October 2, 2019, the success rate of fully funding a project on the crowdfunding website was 37.30 percent. (Szmigiera 2019). This means that many more projects fail, so what makes Emily’s so successful? Firstly her work is high quality, the drawings are all complete. Therefore, her proposed outcome of a book is imaginable; it seems extremely likely that she will fulfill her part of the pledge.
Creative Bloq magazine recommend good budgeting research, commitment and building ‘some buzz’ around a project to build interest and momentum for a crowdfunding pitch. (Sagar 2018a). Emily committed three months to social media prior to launching her Kickstarter pitch. (Sagar 2018)
Patreon is an alternative crowdfunding site for visual artists. https://www.patreon.com Figure 23 - Strange Hollow on Kickstarter 2017
Strange Hollow on Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artbyemilyhare/strangehollow-an-art-book-by-emily-hare
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Digital portfolio presentations
Community portfolio sites offer a broader approach to presentation. Examples include, Cargo Collective and The Dots or Dribble. Polish illustrator and animal advocate Luiza Kwiatkowska’s digital portfolio is on Pictoplasma (Figure 24) which is dedicated to character design. Portfolios are supported by Pictoplasma’s offline global reach with conferences in Berlin this year and New York next year. Followers create a global community. Like many illustrators, Kwiatkowska also has portfolios on Bēhance and Instagram and her work often repeats between digital spaces. According to Revive Social, Facebook has the largest social media network in the world (Gunn 2019) and it gives advice on discovering demographics but there’s no statistics on whether freelancers spend time on demographics and adapting their content accordingly. A digital portfolio and social media presence can appear to be essential yet illustrators such as World Illustration award winner Carol Adlam have no social media presence except for a reluctant Twitter account for occasional promotions. (Adlam 2019) Bēhance is part of the Adobe suite of products and requires an Adobe log-in. It proclaims itself to be, ‘‘the leading online platform to showcase & discover creative work’. (Sloan 2019). These portfolio platforms are free, which enables students and those starting careers, access to a professional platform on which to share their work. These sites are designed well and showcase content in clean, minimal presentations. However there is no censoring of work, no control over content, so, despite search filters it can be easy to be lost in a sea of images. In contrast, customised personal websites give a customised, personal experience. The Association of Illustrators provide portfolio space to its members. They don’t censor Figure 24 - Luiza Kwiatkowska and Pictoplasma digital portfolios (2019)
work but the AOI specifically targets commissioning audiences and promotes portfolio work via Instagram and other social media outlets.
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Custom websites
It can be argued with so many choices, that an illustrator no longer needs a custom website. To make one requires other skills, they can be costly, and are not as easily updated as social media.
A Lion in Paris was published by Tate Publishing and a review of their recent picture books’ authors and illustrators shows that their contemporary illustrators do have individual, professioanl websites. For example, Poonam Mistry, (Figure 25), Helena Perez Garcia (Figure 26) and Lisa Stickley (Figure 27) all have simple portfolio style custom websites. In How to be
Figure 25 - Poonam Mistry website homepage portfolio
an Illustrator, Daniel Rees describes a personal website as, ‘the basic foundation of your selfpromotion’ (Rees 2014 p102).
Creative Bloq re-emphasise the importance of having a website and marking it with your personality. (Manning 2018). Design studio Pentagram consider illustrators’ websites as the places they go to see work and don’t recommend having overly experimental and potentially distracting websites. (Hayman 2014). Furthermore, leading illustration agency Lemonade, make it clear that their, ‘submissions department only accepts emails which are professionally presented, tells us about yourself and has a link to your own website portfolio.’ Figure 26 - Helena Perez Garcia portfolio
(Lemonade Illustration Agency 2019).
‘For illustrators a flashy website is not always the best solution more often than not, simple is best’ - Creative Bloq
Figure 27 - Lisa Stickley portfolio
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Blogging A blog can provide an opportunity to document one’s thoughts and ideas, share them and maybe open them up for comment with like minded people. ‘Blogging is a great way to build content, create authority and puts your name out there’ (Quevas 2019a). Nictus Queveus teaches on Linkedin Learning and is a designer and brand strategist with 15 years experience.
In her book Vystopia, Clare Mann, (2018) vegan, psychologist and communications trainer writes about the importance of speaking out for non-humans and this era’s ethical vegan movement. ‘I see the world now with opened eyes to the cultural messages I grew up with.’ (Mann 2018). Bloging is a way to reach out and write about these cultural messages. Amy Dover’s Wordpress blog, Man Beast and Bird, (Figure 28) documents her ideas about animal illustrations in historical and contemporary contexts, her own ideas and those from renowned sources such as Donna Haraway, commentary on conservation, animal trafficking, extinction and illustration. Inbetween are posts about her art experiments and sketchbook work. She keeps the text brief but asks questions of herself and others. She is using a global platform to highlight a global issue. Her own illustrations and artwork are exquisite; she uses ink and pencil, fine lines, detail, realistic animal likenesses with conceptual elements.
Her blog is impactful, images are large and text is attention grabbing (Figure 28). Amy uses Figure 28 - Amy Dover blog 2019
an engaging mix of her own and others’ artwork; she has selected interesting historical illustrations. I really enjoy her work and her conservation ambitions so I am part of her audience. I would like to see more written content, for example, it would be interesting to read a deeper analysis of her historical discoveries, how they impact her work and what she can suggest that other animal advocate artists can do. I am mindful that Amy’s blog centres on advocacy for endangered animals, rather than animal rights. She is not vegan. This reminds me that not all issues can be addressed within one digital location, that I need to find my focus and seek other blogs to compliment the ones I read.
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Blogging continued
Figure 29 shows Vita Sleigh presenting at the Liberation Arts festival in Bristol 2019. This image is from her Instagram feed. Vita Sleigh is an illustrator, she studied at Bournemouth University, she is vegan and an activist. She presented here about the interconnectedness between feminism and veganism. I understand how illustration can lead to understanding the world - how illustration can act as a tool for research that informs and how illustration can stand in for other cultural influences such as written literature and advertising. At her presentation, Vita was clearly nervous but she was passionate, knowledgeable and engaged the audience. Two Critical vegans is a blog co-authored by Vita. Here she writes about visual communication and ideas around the interconnectedness of feminism and veganism and other rights movements. Although Vita is broad in her topics, they all reside within the feminist-vegan-capitalism discourse. How does Vita’s illustration education and background transpire through her blog?
Figure 29 - Vita Sleigh at Liberation Arts Festival 2019
Recently she posted about the Gillette advertising and its links with #MeToo movements she is concerned with how advertising links brands and branding with political and social movements. She also recently reviewed artist and disability and animal rights campaigner Sunaura Taylor’s book Beasts of Burden. I believe Vita is writing for a sympathetic audience -her blog is sincere, academic yet readable, passionate and she has a position, an opinion. Simon Sinek advises that the best presentations are made when we talk about something we care about and something we understand (Sinek n.d.). I see this in both Vita’s talk and her blog which, as Nictus Quevas comments, (Quevas 2019b) gives Vita credibility. She is eloquent, challenging and she stands for something - she is more than an observer.
‘Take a stand. Don’t be dry and objective. Audiences crave honesty about what you think’ - Simon Sinek
Figure 30 - Vita Sleigh’s blog Two critical vegans
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Bridget Irving Creative Industries: Professional Presentations 7FTC1029
Reflection and evaluation Effective communication begins with the ability and willingness to have an ongoing and self-reflective conversation with ourselves. - Clare Mann (2012)
Since this reflection, I closed my computer, buried my phone and read books and wrote, in biro and this has resulted in greater productivity. This better focus continued, for a while,
I have reviewed and analysed, through online exploration, examples of digital presentations
when I inevitably returned to the computer to write up thoughts and earlier notes. I need to
within illustration. This involved extensive computer time, time which I recognised has
recall my difficult experiences online and consider them when making content for others.
sapped my creativity and my energy, and induced periods of rudderless research and quite a lot of anxiety. At the same time, I acknowledge and embrace the scope of online research, the
Professor Alan Male writes that it is practice that ultimately informs the illustrator. Since
opportunities provided through online presentations and of course of on-line learning. This
‘drawing informs the illustrator’s inherent visual language’ (Male 2016), then making
part of research, reviewing and analysing was information gathering - but it is easy to become
presentations will also inform my presentation strategy. By this I mean, if I am considering
overwhelmed - unlike a library the internet and my resources are not laid out in front of me
writing a blog, my next investigative steps will be to start writing blog posts.
with clearly labelled sections and a helpful librarian.
Conclusion for reflection
I spent too much time online, looked at too many other illustrators’ work all at once; often examples are all on one page such as the web pages for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.
Professional illustrators websites don’t need to be complex, in most cases the opposite is
I quickly become overwhelmed but I kept returning to the internet again and again. I felt
true. Being too noisy or experimental can distract from the illustrations. Single large images
anxious, afraid and inadequate and all of that obscures the joys of curiosity and learning
can be impactful and custom websites provide the basis for other digital presentations. It is
and research.
important that presentations reflect the owner, their work and their personality.
I became frustrated and I know that both my research and my communication skills suffered.
Community portfolios feel like a repetition of work, and for now I won’t pursue this additional route. The gains are unclear and I risk not keeping them up to date. Going forward I will
A Guardian article summarised research that correlates internet use with a loss of
evaluate my existing website and I am curious to revisit blogging for targeted audiences and
concentration that affects non-internet behaviours such as reading a book. The internet,
for exploring my own ideas.
with its many access points, all open simultaneously, email, phone, laptop, forums and so on, cause interruptions and distractions that have, ‘eroded our ability to concentrate’ and
I need to focus on my strongest work, keep it up to date, include some of the creative process
that, ‘you cannot just go from a state of distraction to one of concentration’. (Griffey 2018).
and try to meet audiences in person. Also, I need to know my topic, remain passionate and
Exploring digital presentations quickly became a negative experience, one where I couldn’t
enthusiastic, know my audience and be brave.
hear or see my visual voice amongst all the others. However, I can find ways to focus, limit my time, return to known resources such as Studynet and my bookmarked resources. Also, using
Developing oral communication skills is a significant part of learning.
focus practice such as the Pomodoro technique has helped with concentration.
- (Pamela Doherty, lecturer, Edinburgh University 2017).
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Bridget Irving Creative Industries: Professional Presentations 7FTC1029
ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Irving (2019). Idea generation [pen on paper] Figure 2. Irving, B., (2019). Representing animals. (Ink on paper) Figure 3 Gauld, T., (2014). Cover illustration: How to be an Illustrator. London: Laurence King
Figure 4. Irving, B., (2019). Workshop Facebook post [Screenshot] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/events/2817178218344785/ [Accessed 8 December 2019] Figure 5. Irving, B. (2019). Wellington library workshop [photograph] Figure 6. Irving, B., (2019). Different types of audience. [Pencil on paper] Figure 7. Irving, B., (2019). Representing Animals, the audience. (Video online) Available at: https://vimeo.com/370350833 [Accessed 1 November 2019] Figure 13. Irving, B., (2019). Digital presentations [pencil on paper] Figure 14. Alemagna, B., (2019). Beatrice Alemagna website home page [Online] Available at: http://www.beatricealemagna.com. [Accessed 10 September 2019] Figure 15.. Alemagna, B., (2019).Beatrice Alemagna Books [Online] Available at: http://www.beatricealemagna.com/books [Accessed 10 September 2019] Figure 16. Alemagna, B., (2019). Beatrice Alemagna website shows the front cover of A Lion in Paris. [Online] Available at: http://www.beatricealemagna.com/un-lion-paris [Accessed 10 September 2019] Figure 17. Alemagna, B., (2019). Beatrice Alemagna’s website that show inner pages of A Lion in Paris [Online] Available at: http://www.beatricealemagna.com/un-lion-paris [Accessed 10 September 2019] Figure 18. Offset (2018). Beatrice Alemagna’s presents at Offset Dublin 2018 [Video online] Available at: https://www.iloveoffset.com/archive-2018 [Accessed 10 September 2019] Figure 19. Faber, S., (2018). Sara Faber online presentation [Video online] Available at: https://www.iloveoffset.com/archive-2018 [Accessed 10 September 2019] Figure 20. BSD2 Community Relations (2018). Author/Illustrator Matthew Cordell Visits Tioga School [Video online] Available at: https://vimeo.com/266906768 [Accessed 07 September 2019] Figure 21. RTHK radio (2019). Matthew Cordell at Young Readers festival Hong Kong 2019 [Video online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTRjtrZy0-A [Accessed 07 September 2019] Figure 22. Cordell, M., (2018). Wolf in the Snow book cover. London, new York: Anderson Press Figure 23. Hare, E., (2019). Strangehollow on Kickstarter [Screenshot] Available at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artbyemilyhare/strangehollow-an-art-book-by-emily-hare [Accessed 08 September 2019] Figure 24. Kwiatkowska, L., (2019). Luiza Kwiatkowska and Pictoplasma digital portfolios [Screenshot] Available at: https://pictofolio.com/artist/luikwiatkowska [Accessed 04 September 2019]
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ILLUSTRATIONS cont. Figure 25. Mistry, P., (2019). Poonam Mistry website homepage portfolio [Screenshot] Available at: https://www.poonam-mistry.com/ [Accessed 04 September 2019] Figure 26. Garcia, H.P., (2019). Helena Perez Garcia portfolio [Screenshot] Available at: http://www.helenaperezgarcia.co.uk [Accessed 04 September 2019] Figure 27. Stickley, L., (2019). Lisa Stickly portfolio [Screenshot] Available at: https://lisastickleystudio.com/ [Accessed 04 September 2019] Figure 28. Dover, A., (2019). Amy Dover blog [Screenshot] Available at: https://manbeastandbird.wordpress.com/ [Accessed 02 September 2019] Figure 29. Liberation Arts (2019). Vita Sleigh at Liberation Arts festival [Screenshot] Available at: https://criticallyvegan.wordpress.com// [Accessed 14 September 2019] Figure 30. Sleigh V.,, (2019). Two critical vegans blog [Screenshot] Available at: https://criticallyvegan.wordpress.com [Accessed 01 November 2019]
VIDEOS Librairie Artazart (2017). Interview with Beatrice Alemagna [Video online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NG8f_DZgn0[Accessed 13 August 2019] Harper Kids. (2019). Inside the artwork of Beatrice Alemagna [Video online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lwu-Jwyyfw [Accessed 13 August 2019] Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna. (2019). Bologna Children’s Book Fair | Beatrice Alemagna - Io sono una cerca cose Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfjiImArKMk[Accessed 18 August 2019]
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Bridget Irving Creative Industries: Professional Presentations 7FTC1029
REFERENCES
Adlam, C., (2019). Interview with B.Irving [Online] Available at: https://idi-study.com/module/28542/tutorial. [Interview date 26th July 2019] Alemagna, B., (2018). B eatrice Alemagna - Offset Dublin 2018. [Video online] Available at: https://vimeo.com/293325206 [Accessed 8 September 2019] 07:33 Anderson, L., (2016). TED’s secret to great public speaking. [Online] Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/chris_anderson_ted_s_secret_to_great_public_speaking?referrer=playlist-how_to_ make_a_great_presentation&language=en#t-82993 [Accessed 21 november 2019] AOI. (n.d.). T he AOI. Available at: h ttps://theaoi.com[Online] Accessed on 15 November 2019] British Animal Studies Network, (n.d). Rationale. [Online] Available at: https://www.britishanimalstudiesnetwork.org.uk/Home/Rationale.aspx. [Accessed 21 October 2019] Cairns, A., (2013). 1 0 ways to make your illustrations stand out. [ Online] Available at:https://www.creativebloq.com/illustration/make-your-illustrations-stand-out-7133542. [Accessed 17 November 2019] Cristall, S., (2019a). S etting up a website. [ Online] Available at:https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/artists/advice/164/preparing-your-portfolio/creating-a-website/setting-up-awebsite[Accessed 20 November 2019] Cristall, S., (2019b). Setting up a website. [ Online] Available at:https://www.writersandartists.co.uk/artists/advice/164/preparing-your-portfolio/creating-a-website/setting-up-awebsite[Accessed 20 November 2019] Doherty, P., (2017) Discussion and presentation skills [Online] Available at: https://media.ed.ac.uk/media/Discussion+%26+Presentation+SkillsA+Tutors/1_0ch5b1sm [Accessed 12 November 2019] Faber, S., (2018). H ow I quit my job to become a full-time illustrator + Q&A + Speedpaint. [ Online]. Available at:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJyRmcSXgG4[Accessed 21 November 2019] Griffey, H., (2018) T he lost art of concentration: being distracted in a digital world.[Online] Available at:https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/oct/14/the-lost-art-of-concentrationbeing-distracted-in-a-digital-world. Gunn, D., (2019) H ow to find social media audience for your business. [Online] Available at:https://revive.social/find-social-media-audience. [Accessed 20 November 2019] Henry, S., (2019). Introduction to web accessibility. [ Online]. Available at:https://www.w3.org/WAI/fundamentals/accessibility-intro. [Accessed 15 September 2019] Howoldistheinter.net (n.d.) Internet Timeline [Online] Available at: https://www.howoldistheinter.net/[Accessed 21 November2019] Jeffreys, T., (2013). Representation for Animals - An interview with Dr Brett Mills. [Online] Available at: https://www.wildculture.com/article/representation-animals-interview-dr-brettmills/1142 Accessed 21 October 2019] Kwiatkowska, L., (2019). Luiza Kwiatkowska[Online] Available at: h ttps://pictofolio.com/artist/luikwiatkowska[Accessed 14November 2019] Lemonade Illustration Agency., (2019). A rtist submission information. [ Online] Available at:https://www.lemonadeillustration.com/content.aspx?content id=ArtistSubmissions[Accessed 15 September 2019] Lockwood, A., (2018). Collaborating with animals. [Online] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/Liberationartsfestival/photos/pcb.304442313591689/392328778201035/?type=3&theat er [Accessed 23 October 2019] Male, A., (2017a). Illustration: A theoretical and contextual perspective. London: Bloomsbury [Kindle location 539] Male, A., (2017b). Illustration: A theoretical and contextual perspective. London: Bloomsbury [Kindle location 250]Postman, N., (1989).
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REFERENCES cont. Mann, C., (2012). Communicate [pdf online] Available at: https://communicate31.com/product/communicate-pdf/ [Accessed 24 November 2019] p13 Mann, C., (2018). Vystopia Sydney: Communicate 31 McLeod, E., (n.d.) Pitching kills your presentation [Video online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/craft-your-sales-pitch-with-competitive-differentiation/pitching-kills-yourpresentation?u=49485105 [Accessed 1 November 2019] Morton, S., (2016). F ormal, Interactive or Informal Presentation – Which Type Is Best? [Online] Available at: https://www.presentationmagazine.com/formal-interactive-or-informal-presentation-whichtype-is-best-20583.htm. [Accessed 18November 2019] Moyers, B., [ Transcript online] Consuming Images: [Online television debate with Bill Moyers]. Available at:https://billmoyers.com/content/consuming-images[Accessed 20 November 2019] Nolan, T., (2013). The ABCs of Contemporary Creatives. [Online] Available at:https://www.slideshare.net/timnolan1/ab-cs-bookweb?[Accessed 12 November 2019] Foreword 5. Osterman and Kottkamp (2004). Reflective Practice for Educators California: Corwyn Press p24 Quevas, N (2019a). To blog or not to blog [Online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/defining-your-creative-edge-to-promote-your-work/to-blog-or-not-to-blog?u=49485105 [Accessed 27 November 2019] Quevas, N (2019b). To blog or not to blog [Online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/defining-your-creative-edge-to-promote-your-work/to-blog-or-not-to-blog?u=49485105 [Accessed 27 November 2019] Rees, D., (2014). Promoting yourself. How to be an Illustrator. London: Laurence King Publishing. p102 Rose, G., (2006a). Visual Methodologies London: SAGE p190 Rose, G., (2006a). Visual Methodologies London: SAGE p190 Sagar, J., (2018a). H ow to Launch a successful Kickstarter. [Online] Available at:https://www.creativebloq.com/advice/how-to-launch-a-successful-kickstarter[Accessed 26 November 2019] Sagar, J., (2018b). H ow to Launch a successful Kickstarter. [Online] Available at:https://www.creativebloq.com/advice/how-to-launch-a-successful-kickstarter[Accessed 26 November 2019] Sawchuck, N., (n.d.). F ear of public speaking. [Online] Available at:https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/specific-phobias/expert-answers/fear-of-public-speaking/faq-20058416[Accessed 20 November 2019] Sinek, S., (n.d). How to share ideas [Online] https://www.skillshare.com/classes/Presentation-Essentials-How-to-Share-Ideas-That-Inspire-Action/285436623/projects [Accessed 1 November 2019] Sinek, S., (2018) Skillshare: Tips and Tricks: How to share ideas that inpsire action [PDF Online] Available at: https://static.skillshare.com/uploads/attachment/285436623/fc82fd83/Simon_Sinek_ Skillshare_Tips.pdf [Accessed 23 December 2019] Szmigiera, M., (2019). K ickstarter: project funding success rate 2019. [Online] Available at:https://www.statista.com/statistics/235405/kickstarter-project-funding-success-rate. [Accessed 20 November 2019] Weiss, S., (n.d) Presenting your research. [Video online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/market-research-foundations/presenting-your-research-a-crash-course-in-persuasive techniques?u=49485105 Weiss, S., (n.d) Presenting your research. [Video online] Available at: https://www.linkedin.com/learning/market-research-foundations/presenting-your-research-a-crash-course-in-persuasivetechniques?u=49485105 [Accessed 20 November 2019] 2m 33s
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Barthes, R., (1957). Mythologies. Translated by Jonathon Cape 1972. (Reprint 2012). New York. Hill and Wang. Cameron, J., The Artist’s Way New York: Penguin Putnam Cole, M., Stewart., K (2014) Our children and other animals Abingdon, New York: Routledge de Bono, E., (2016). Lateral Thinking (5th ed) London: Penguin Lockwood, A., (2018). Writing for Animals Ashland: Ashland Creek Press Rose, G., Visual methodologies London: SAGE Haraway, D., (2016). Staying with the Trouble Durham, London: Duke Univeristy Press
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APPENDICES
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Appendix A - Questionnaire emails A-1
A-1
Appendix A - Questionnaire emails A-2
Email reply from Katie Ecceston-Bokkor
A-2