Internship at Night Owl Gallery

 I first found out about this opportunity through the Gallery’s instagram page. I was already following them because I had some artwork in one of their previous shows, and so I emailed them and said I was interested in the intern position that they had open. They asked for a resume and an interview, and I ended up getting the position.

The owner of the gallery was my direct supervisor, who organized all of its events and coordinates with artists in order to hold shows at the gallery. I also did some work with another supervisor, who handled a lot of the gallery’s more technical work involving spreadsheets and advertising. On slower days, I worked the front desk at the gallery, and helped talk to other artists and potential customers, and helped to sell artwork. I also helped some with setting up their website and stock-keeping. Additionally, I was able to help out with some of the remodeling and setting up for their latest exhibitions, namely, I helped to organize the resident artist exhibition, and made all the vinyl cutouts on the walls for the exhibitions. 

I’m very proud of the organizational skills I developed while working at this internship, and I think that I’ve helped the gallery to be more organized in its operations due mostly to all of my pestering. My biggest takeaway from this experience is that being an artist means networking and meeting the right people and knowing a lot about the area you live in. Baltimore has so many different galleries and artists that I’ve never even heard of, and somehow everyone still seems to know each other. As artists, we have to work hard to be a part of the wider community of artists, so that we can continue to give each other opportunities and uplift each other.

From this internship I’ve learned about creating websites, networking with other artists, and the more technical and proper ways to sell artwork. This internship has really helped me with my career goals, and I think I would be really happy working somewhere like this in the future. Gallery work and selling artwork is just extremely fulfilling for me. If anything, I know that I will continue selling my artwork at art markets, and searching for a job that lets me interact with new artwork and other artists.

Artist Internship

I learned about this internship through the Practice & Pie event. I was spotted by someone who told me that an employer liked my handknit sweater, who then directed me to them. She connected me with this artist after the event and I later introduced myself via email. My supervisor is a working artist who addresses and creates conversation around racism in America–with a focus on Baltimore, through craft. Many of her works are woven photography, repurposed ‘trash’ items such as plastic bags, caution tape, and more recently fruit bags. She uses various weaving techniques, hand-sewing, and other innovative joinery to create large sculptural works. My responsibilities were mainly to assist with making tests, or sketches, as she calls them. “Sketches” were like prototypes of larger works or playing around with materials. The sketches I created served as smaller models for larger projects, scalable measurements, potential joinery methods, and/or to learn about the characteristics of the material.

My biggest takeaway from this internship is how to look at art from both a business and passion perspective. It is not difficult for me to schedule around my art-making for class but I am amazed at the drive and discipline of all independent artists. I learned a lot more about project management and how to present your art than I did about artistic processes. Although, she did expose me to many new methods of art making that covered a variety of materials. 

From this internship, I have learned that I do not want to be an independent studio artist. I would argue that this realization can be just as important as learning that you want to be an independent studio artist. I deeply enjoy crafting, but I would like to work with sculptural textiles collaboratively. Designing for the Annual Benefit Fashion Show at MICA clarified that I want to design garments but that I definitely need a team to produce something more amazing. Kim also introduced me to the idea of becoming part of an artist’s team. In conceptual art and other collaborative projects, a team is needed to fully realize the idea. I often struggle with creating concepts for my work and, instead, focus mainly on the craft portion of an assignment. I would like to learn more about assistant fashion designers, co-direction, and collaborative art as a whole!

Baltimore Tree Trust Internship

This semester, I got to work with Baltimore Tree Trust as their communication design intern. I was lucky enough to meet my supervisor, the senior communications director at Baltimore Tree Trust, at the fall semester Practice and Pie event hosted by Career Development. Immediately, I became obsessed with Baltimore Tree Trust and the work they do for the Baltimore community. Baltimore Tree Trust is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that is focused on providing trees, environmental education, and career pathways in forestry to the Baltimore community. The bulk of what they do revolves around their team of Neighborhood Forestry Technicians – an awesome team of people born and raised in Baltimore who go out into the community and plant trees in neighborhoods that need it most.

Beyond just planting trees, Baltimore Tree Trust also provides educational resources on the importance of green spaces in urban environments and seeks to unite different Baltimore communities through city greening. This sort of work was super inspiring to me, so I reached out to my supervisor not long after the event, and somehow managed to impress the BTT team enough that they took me on. The bulk of my work at BTT was centered around helping the current communications team – which consisted of my supervisor and two other wonderful people – by creating email and social media graphics, print material, and fun graphics for fundraisers and events. Other than my supervisor, most of the team didn’t have a lot of graphic design education, so I was there to help create visuals for some of their messaging. Most of their communications revolved around environmental education and fundraising, and I was able to learn a lot about Baltimore’s native ecosystems through my research for the different campaigns and events they were involved in. I was able to create a lot of really great work that I’m super proud of (and which will definitely go into my portfolio), learn a lot about Baltimore’s environment and the importance of green spaces in cities, and create connections with great people doing important work.

This experience has definitely helped me realize that I want to continue doing work in the realms of activism and education, and showed me what my strengths are as a designer as well as gave me the opportunity to work on my weaknesses. I’m super thankful for the team at Baltimore Tree Trust for giving me the opportunity to work with them this semester, and for Career Development for not only having this for-credit internship program, but also for hosting Practice & Pie! If not for that event, it would have been a lot more difficult for me to secure this internship.

Prop Up Shop Internship

Originally I was going to intern for someone else, but I expressed an interest in product photography and they introduced me to the Prop Up Shop–a product photography studio. Then, I was interviewed and I’ve been working there for the last four months.  

The Prop Shop is run by a prop stylist and her husband who is a graphic designer. The studio contains a gallery of props that clients are allowed to rent out. My direct supervisor was the studio manager and his role was to help manage the cleanliness of the studio, helping clients rent props, as well as documenting studio prop inventory to show up on the Prop Shop Website. I was also tasked with helping my supervisor and the past studio manager style props for a creative shoot. The Prop Shop is run by my supervisor who is a Prop stylist and her husband who is a graphic designer. The studio contains a gallery of props that clients are allowed to rent out. I was also able to shoot their fabric collections and was tasked with helping the current studio manager style them. 

I’m most proud of getting the opportunity to style props for their website. The most important thing that I’ve learned is learning how to collaborate with other photographers. This internship has helped with my career goals of learning what goes into product photography and working with other photographers and how important styling is to photography. These skills will very much benefit me not only in product work but my portraiture work as well.

BEGA Intern

During my internship with my supervisor, a remote, creative, professional specializing in graphic design and website development, I engaged in a diverse array of tasks that enriched my understanding of the field. As my supervisors direct mentee, I collaborated closely with him on various projects, including creating website mood boards tailored to clients' needs and preferences.

Despite the logistical challenge of being in different time zones, I learned to manage my time effectively and maintain open lines of communication to ensure seamless workflow. Additionally, I had the opportunity to expand my skill set by mastering Prezi, an AI platform, to craft visually compelling presentations for client pitches and project proposals. Under my supervisors guidance, I gained insights into the nuances of graphic design within a professional context, learning not only the technical aspects but also the importance of effective communication and client management.

As I navigated the intricacies of remote work, I developed a heightened sense of adaptability and resilience, quickly acclimating to the company's preferred project management tools and collaborative platforms. Reflecting on my experience, I take pride in my ability to deliver consistently high-quality work amidst the challenges of remote collaboration. This internship has been instrumental in clarifying my career aspirations in graphic design, providing me with invaluable hands-on experience and equipping me with the skills and confidence to excel in the industry. 

Studio Assistant for Tony Shore

Last semester, I was in Tony Shore's narrative painting class. I enjoyed his class and liked him as a person and artist. In January, he offered some gig work to help him move his then-current studio into his new one. I accepted and helped him for a few days while being paid for the time and effort. After working with him, he offered me a role as his studio assistant, which is how I got the internship.

Tony is a faculty member here at MICA as well as a practicing studio painter. While interning as his assistant, I worked in his studio. I made sure his studio environment ran smoothly. I continued to help him move his past studio into his current. I was organizing, inventorying, cleaning, and arranging his art supplies and objects in his studio. After the move was complete, I continued to assist with the organization and arrangement of the studio. Through this, I learned what it means to have a functional and organized studio while also being an artist who tends to take up a lot of space when working--a trait that Tony and I share.

Part of my role as Tony's assistant is to act as a sounding board and feedback source for project ideas and planning. This has been valuable to me as it includes me in the artistic process of a working studio artist. It allows me a look inside the world of art as a profession via gallery sales and commissions. This was inspiring to me as I aim to be an artist, supporting myself through my studio practice.

MICA RCCE E/Studio Internship

I was thrilled when my advisor introduced me to the RCCE E/Studio Internship that aligned perfectly with my interests in business and entrepreneurship. I quickly began preparing my application and polishing my portfolio to showcase my skills and passion for the field. This internship is eligible for credit which was another aspect that made it an ideal fit for my academic goals. It also provides hands-on experience and knowledge that will undoubtedly shape my future career in the business world, and I was eager to seize this opportunity to learn and grow. 

The Executive Creative Director at Andre Bean Brand served as our internship director at the RCCE E/Studio Internship. Throughout my time under his guidance, I gained insights into the world of marketing, drawing from his wealth of real-life experiences. The knowledge and personal stories he shared with us proved to be incredibly valuable resources, as they are not typically accessible within the confines of a traditional school setting. I deeply appreciated our director’s adept leadership skills, as he skillfully directed our team, fostering a collaborative and productive environment. Thanks to his mentorship, we were able to successfully tackle tasks for our clients and I am grateful for the opportunity to have learned from such a seasoned professional. I will carry the lessons I learned from him throughout my career in business and entrepreneurship. 

During my internship, I had the opportunity to take on significant responsibilities for both Oopsduck and ORA the Brand website deliveries. As a lead, I devoted much of my time to crafting engaging and user-friendly UI/UX designs for both projects, ensuring a seamless online experience for their audiences. Additionally, I contributed my photography skills to enhance ORA the Brand's visual appeal. Moreover, I collaborated closely with others, offering my insights and ideas for the motion graphics used in Oopsduck's captivating intro video. Being involved in these diverse aspects of the projects allowed me to gain hands-on experience and strengthen my skill set, making this internship an incredibly fulfilling and enriching experience. I am grateful for having had the chance to begin my professional journey at RCCE E/Studio and am enthusiastic about continuing to grow and thrive in the business and entrepreneurship realm.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO)

My experience as a Photography and Videography intern at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) was one I will never forget. The BSO is a non-profit organization that organizes orchestra concerts primarily in Baltimore. I found out about this opportunity through MICA’s photography department. More specifically, the former chair recommended I apply and connected me with the MICA Photo alumni who is the Art Director at the BSO.

My time as an intern at BSO was centered around working closely with the art director  as my supervisor and her colleagues within the marketing and communications departments. As an intern, I was able to learn about the passion and commitment that goes into managing the art direction of a large organization. This showed me how important it is to market as an entrepreneur as marketing is crucial in getting an audience to engage with created works.

Some of the projects I worked on included producing content that was used for the BSO’s social media. This included things like filming BTS videos of musicians unboxing a marimba, taking photographs of the orchestra rehearsing, and administrative tasks like organizing archival photo files. With these projects, my supervisor was able to show me how to utilize Adobe softwares, technical photo skills to edit photos, edit videos, and create storyboards.

I am most proud of how much I was able to push myself to try new things. Trying new skills often scares me but knowing I had the support of my supervisor and others in the department allowed me to trust trying new things. With this experience, I learned the importance of connecting with individuals and how it takes a team to achieve goals.

It has been a life-changing experience that has given me more clarity on what my life can look like post-graduation. I now have more insight into being a freelance photographer and filmmaker working with organizations. This experience has reminded me that my imagination can become reality and that with determination and patience I will thrive in my career.

Submersive Productions

Submersive Productions is an immersive experience company based in Baltimore. Artists, writers, dancers, and musicians collaborate to make site-specific immersive experience productions. In their work, audience participation is centered as an important role in unfolding the narrative of a show. I found this internship through a professor of mine who introduced Submersive Productions’ work in her class and helped me get connected. When I had an opportunity for an interview with Submersive, then after I secured the internship.

I was able to experience various parts of Submersive Productions’ work—from idea devising, concept research, venue-searching, fabricating samples and props for an upcoming show, and material researching. I assisted in an idea for one of their projects, The Boundary, which is an immersive experience piece that deals with death and grief.

My direct supervisor was one of the co-artistic directors. They participate in collaborative devising works for immersive experiences and supporting artists in their production with administrative matters and more. My supervisor and I both had a great experience working together and I am proud that I got an offer to work with them for an additional month after my internship ended.

I was able to work with such a supportive, talented, generous, and creative group of people throughout my internship. The most important lesson I learned is that we should always proactively seek ways to build a healthy community where the artists collaborate in equal positions and can support each other when feeling vulnerable during the production process. I am grateful to experience a community where everyone is invested in what they create and genuinely cares about each other.

I had more chances to meet, talk, and collaborate with many people through this internship, and I feel less intimidated by networking and meeting new people. Also, I now have a better understanding of how to manage and plan a project in an organized manner. This skill is especially valuable because I will be able to apply this skill in various projects that require many people’s collaboration.

Through this experience, I have realized that I value a sense of community more than I thought. I value genuine and collaborative connections with people and it is important that I feel this connection in my workplace. I want to continue to find ways to pursue my interest in immersive experience art because I enjoy working as a team.

SpliceToday

I found out about this opportunity through a friend of a friend. I was asked to provide live visuals for a local musician. After their set, a friend recommended I talk to this one person who works at Splice because he was looking for a camera operator. I later met that person when that same friend’s car broke down near my house. We hit it off and the rest is history. 

This person who became my supervisor works for his father at Splice as a managing editor. He writes regular reviews for a few different platforms (The Spectator, Counterpunch) and makes his own films independently. He has a strong work ethic and occupies himself completely with his work and, when he’s not working, he’s watching more movies. I’ve never met anyone so well-watched.

My main responsibilities ended up being a camera operator and editor, with some content aggregation for Splice on slow days. I helped shoot and sort footage for You’re Going to Live and did some fine-tuning on Hasn’t Been Grounded (My supervisor’s first two features). Under his direction, I had a lot of freedom to experiment with lighting and camera angles that I never got the chance to in my MICA cinematography class. I felt capable and confident, especially when my supervisor would tell me how happy he was with the shot. It made me very proud of my work and myself.

My biggest takeaway is that collaborative relationships can be extremely fulfilling when you find the right fit. I felt challenged and supported at the same time, as my growth was beneficial to his work. He pushed me to watch more, study more, suggest more. I feel that I have developed my on-set communication skills as well as my camera and lighting skills. I know now more than ever what I will be doing after college and where I fit best.

The Valerie J. Maynard Foundation

The Valerie J. Maynard Foundation is dedicated to sustaining, expanding, and preserving the legacy of Valerie J. Maynard, her art, and her ideals. I got started with this internship through an initial connection with a photographer at a show opening in New York in February. We later connected in May through Instagram where I eventually interviewed for a position. At The Valerie J. Maynard Foundation I worked alongside board and foundation members as well as other legacy interns.

Some of what my role and responsibilities included was cleaning, organizing, and archiving art materials, sculpture, tools, and photography within the home studio space. I also helped with creating an archival organization system to preserve archival artwork materials and worked on administration aspects like file naming and archiving. I attended group meetings to work with board and foundation members, and legacy specialists and interns to assist workflow and give updates. After a work session each day I would document tasks that were done for the foundation and record the locations of items. 

I am most proud of my skills in connecting with folks by pushing myself out of my comfort shell. I was able to have new experience of being a part of the inaugural cohort of legacy interns. This experience has given me a clarity of what kind of artist I hope to be that is committed to building community and working collaboratively with others and leaving behind a legacy of great character, reverence, and using my voice to advocate for the well being of those subject to the margins. I have left this experience with a stronger confidence in wanting to pursue being an educator as Valerie was with how she was committed to sharing skills with her community to support the growth of the next generation of artists.

Saint Lucy Books

Last fall the founder of Saint Lucy Books was invited to MICA to talk about his recently published book. In the spring when I was trying to find an appropriate internship site, I was urged to reach out to the founder about possibly assisting him with some work. I was incredibly excited about the idea of working with a small Baltimore-based publishing company, especially as Saint Lucy’s focus is on female artists and the collaboration of text and images.

The founder Saint Lucy was my supervisor and I joined him in May to help with current and future titles and the brand identity of Saint Lucy. We attended ICP’s photobook fest where we were one of over 50 independent photobook publishers. Once back from NYC, my supervisor and I started working with a past faculty member at MICA on her upcoming book. During this, I helped with image selection, essay editing, and even some of the early ideas pertaining to the physicality of the book.

In early June I began working heavily with my supervisor on transforming the Saint Lucy website and brand identity. I completely overhauled the design of the website which hadn't been changed since 2016. I also designed digital and print PR materials for a recent book as well as set up templates for my supervisor to use in the future. During all of this, my supervisor and I would meet regularly to discuss future books and artist collaboration. These conversations and stints of research were by far the most exciting thing for me personally as I felt I was on the ground floor of the type of thing that I hope to do in the future.

The best thing that I got from this experience was a real assertion of my own knowledge and value in these spaces. My supervisor and the artists and people we met (both during meetings with artists and at ICP) seemed to not only respect my presence but my ideas and writing as well. Through this experience, I feel as though I have really improved in my professional skills and communication methods, as well as more technical things like using online business platforms and bookkeeping. My time at Saint Lucy stretched how I see research and writing as not only something I want to continue for my future professional career but my art practice as well.

Blue Light Junction

I found out about the opportunity to intern at Blue Light Junction through word of mouth and social media. I first learned about the organization through a couple of field trips during my freshman and sophomore year. I had followed them on social media, saw them posting about having interns, and decided to apply. I contacted the founder/director of Blue Light Junction to inquire about the opportunity and after a brief interview, we determined that it would be a good fit for me and the organization. She wound up being my supervisor throughout the internship.

Blue Light Junction is a community arts organization with a studio space and an annex garden for growing natural dye plants. They grow, process, and sell natural dye materials and seeds, run workshops teaching about natural dyes and occasionally other gardening and craft skills, and are beginning to work with local businesses to create naturally dyed products for display and sale. They additionally collaborate with local farmers involved in the Baltimore Farm Alliance to expand growing capacity.

Over my two and a half months as an intern, my responsibilities shifted overtime to meet the needs of the organization. They ranged from cleaning and organizing the studio and garden supplies, planting, weeding, and watering the garden, going to partner sites to plant, weed, and harvest, dyeing products and samples for workshops and sales, assisting with workshops, and accompanying my supervisor on meetings with local partners. I am personally most proud of my improvement as a dyer after being given many opportunities to test new dyes and techniques. Some of my samples even became part of the set of examples shown to visitors and workshop attendees. I am also proud of the breadth of knowledge I accumulated about the garden, plant care, and identification.

My biggest takeaway from this experience was the importance of creating strong networks of partnerships. The reason Blue Light Junction is able to be such a flourishing organization is because of its relationships with local businesses, farmers, artists, and volunteers. These relationships are mutually beneficial and create a vibrant community around urban agriculture and cultural preservation.

I have found this experience to be deeply moving and motivating. I have learned that my interest lies in community oriented work and building community around craft and culture. I would love to come back and work at this organization, or a similar one in the future.

Monique Crabb, Artist

I acquired an internship as Monique Crabb’s studio intern after approaching her at a local art gallery and asking her if she needed an intern. She was hesitant at first but eventually came around to the idea. Monique works in a variety of mediums including but not limited to natural dye, quilting, and sculpting. While working with Monique I had the chance to help lead a natural dye and eco-printing workshop, make floral arrangement sculptures, prepare natural dye vats, apply upholstery to material, sculpt with clay, and learn rug-making. 

In addition to learning various practical skills during my internship, I was also exposed to the importance of networking and working collaboratively with other artists. We attended gallery events, worked with a local farm to organize a workshop, and consulted with other artists to inquire about framing. I was able to be immersed in the social network of other artists and see them talk about their practices with one another.

The process of interning taught me the importance of writing as an artist, keeping an updated website, documenting your work, how to find and applying for grants, and it gave me a clearer vision of my possibilities post-graduation. Maintaining an art practice goes far beyond just producing work, it involves a great deal of focusing on the “business” aspect of your practice, as well as keeping up on networking while consuming new media and researching to generate new ideas. 

This internship allowed me to get a general understanding of how the art gallery scene operates on a local level. I was given insight into how galleries often accept artist exhibition proposals and what that process would usually look like. I was able to see interactions during studio visits between Monique and a local gallery curator.

This internship also gave me a better understanding of a schedule an artist might follow and how that timeline stretches out over months or even years; with many short-term goals in between. The art process is heavily influenced by planning, testing, and experimenting and often seems slow but is really an accumulation of skills and knowledge.

Anchovy Press

During the spring semester, my illustration professor had our class attend an artist presentation of an artist who mentioned that she runs a small publishing press called Anchovy Press. I followed Anchovy Press’s page on Instagram that day and eventually when I was looking for internships, I reached out and luckily for me they were able to take me on.

That artist (and my supervisor) is the founder of Anchovy Press and runs it with their co-founder. In their words, Anchovy Press is “an independent publishing company based in Baltimore, Maryland, dedicated to storytelling that centers BIPOC experiences.” They publish children's books and family friendly zines. 

One product they offer is the Zine Subscription Box for children. I was tasked with creating the activity for one of these boxes. I created a paper doll which was in some way related to food. Throughout the internship, this grew into two paper doll projects which specifically focus on wild harvestables from Maryland. Inside one of the zines are my illustrations of the dolls which can be cut out and assembled, as well as several pages of instructions and information about the food. My supervisor and I worked together throughout the creation of the zines. She initially gave me a lot of freedom to come up with the concepts for dolls, and from there they supervised and directed me on how to revise, clarify, and develop the final products. 

I am proud that I was able to double the scope of the project, while still meeting deadlines. I am also happy with how complicated my idea was with it still being functional and clear. Working at Anchovy Press has broadened my scope of what book illustration and publishing can mean. It can include games, zines, and 3D art. I didn’t consider the versatility of children’s publications before this. 

Working with my supervisor felt like working with an art director and that was a very educational experience. I hope to be commissioned by art directors in the future so this was a helpful test run. Finally, the most helpful aspect of this internship was working directly with a professional illustrator and printmaker working in the sub-field, book illustration, that I would like to work in. It was very helpful to see how printmaking and illustration can be used in tandem within this field.

Filmico Pastiche

I first found out about this internship opportunity when my professor told me he was working on a feature film called Stealing Cars and was looking for interns. He said I could request any position I wanted to learn more from. A few months prior, I was on set with him and his wife where I was in charge of Art/Continuity. He told me I would be a good script supervisor, a position I didn’t know existed, so I requested to be script supervisor on his feature.

As script supervisor, my job was to be the link between the director(s) on set with the editor(s) in post-production. Luckily, both my professor and his wife were the directors and editors of Stealing Cars so my job was a little easier than normal. I had to take notes on each take that was shot so when they edit the film later, their process will move faster. I also had to make sure each scene and take were consistent; it’s very easy to get mixed up with props and wardrobe during filming. Everyone on set is so focused on their job that it can be hard to notice if someone moves their arm differently in a take or if they aren’t wearing a backpack that they should be wearing, so it was my job to notice what everyone else wouldn’t.

I prepared by buying books about script supervision and was a little nervous about doing my job correctly. After all, this was my first time doing this job and my professor and his wife were relying on me to keep track of crucial continuity aspects that might ruin their movie. However, everyone on set said I did a great job and even said they’d like to work with me again.

I’m most proud of my willingness to grow and learn because it’s impossible to keep track of every small detail. I could see my progress as time went on and there was always an immediate emotional reward for when I caught something. Each time, I felt like I saved the movie. My biggest takeaway is my understanding of the script supervisor role. A few months ago, I didn’t know it existed. Now I feel like script supervising is a viable career path for me.

Lion’s Wood Banquet Furniture

The organization I interned with was a banquet furniture manufacturer called Lion’s Wood. They specialize in crafting elegant and functional furniture pieces for the food service industry. Their commitment to blending creativity with functionality resonated with me. They are known for their attention to detail and innovative designs that elevate event spaces. The journey began when I discovered this internship opportunity through MICA Network. After thorough research and preparation, I applied and successfully secured the position.

Throughout the internship, the marketing director guided and mentored me. Her expertise in the field, coupled with her willingness to share insights, played a pivotal role in shaping my learning experience.

My responsibilities were diverse and hands-on. I learned positions within the company, gained insights into their business model, and dived into the fascinating world of link boxes and induction. I had the opportunity to create new spec sheets for the company's bars and serving carts, which involved formatting and attention to detail. Additionally, I undertook the task of editing photos to align with customer design options, contributing to the visual consistency of the brand. Crafting labels for sample materials enhanced my communication skills, as these materials were intended for customers and clients. One of the highlights was adding technical drawings to spec sheets, enriching my understanding of furniture design.

Among the projects I was involved in, I am particularly proud of the collaboration with the marketing team. I helped refine the visual elements of marketing materials, ensuring they accurately portrayed the essence of the furniture pieces. My biggest takeaway from this internship was realizing the importance of holistic collaboration within a creative organization. Effective communication between different departments is vital to ensure that the design concepts are translated accurately.

This experience expanded my skill set significantly. I honed my technical proficiency in Photoshop and LightRoom software, developed a keen eye for design aesthetics, and enhanced my ability to adapt to the evolving needs of a dynamic industry. Furthermore, my exposure to the small business work structure provided valuable insights into the importance of agility and adaptability.

The internship has clarified my career goals by reaffirming my passion for product design within the furniture industry. It highlighted the significance of attention to detail, creativity, and collaboration in bringing ideas to life. As I move forward, I am excited to pursue a career that seamlessly blends my design skills with my newfound insights into business operations.

Danae Industrial 3D Printing

Danae Industrial 3D Printing is a 3D printing lab run by a MICA Alumni and winner of the MICA START. Originally beginning as a company focused on the creation and design of 3D printed prosthetics, they have since expanded to become a printing and prototyping service with SLA, SLS and FDM capabilities, taking clients from the medical/pharmaceutical industry, large sports companies, and companies on the fortune 500. I found out about this internship and applied for it through the MICA Network’s list of posted internships. The internship was secured through an email application and zoom interview.

My direct supervisor was the founder and CEO of the company who oversees the management of the company and works creating processes to improve the workflow of the company, as well as securing production deals with potential clients. My main responsibility was to assist the production floor printing technicians with the slicing, printing and post processing of incoming jobs.

Projects I was involved in:

- Creating a pitch for 3D printed products to produce as Danae products

- Prototyping a part for a home tools company as a pitch.

- Designing and printing my own lightsaber

- Post processing parts for various companies (Under NDA)

I am most proud of the design and creation of my lightsaber. I’m really happy with how it turned out, and super grateful to have had the chance to use such high quality printers to be able to print the parts plus learning tolerances and material limitations and possibilities. The biggest takeaway I have had would be the goal setting and career advice I received at my time there. The best advice I received was that to get to a goal faster, setting it clearly in your mind as what you want will help you unconsciously work your way towards it even when you’re not actively trying to.

Some new skills I have acquired as a result of this internship are learning SLS and SLA 3D printing processes. I also learned about tolerances in 3D printing and the potential and limits of several 3D printed materials. This internship has made me even more certain of my goal to become a prop maker, with how much I enjoyed the design and production of the lightsaber, to how comfortable and happy I was with the post processing work.

Photos courtesy of Andrew Copeland