My name is Tania Garcia and I am senior Photography major. This summer, I was an
intern at the No Pins Framing shop. I’d always been curious but not very informed about
the framing aspect of photography. I wanted to gain a more in-depth understanding of the
process and be able to understand it from both the production perspective and as a
client. During the spring semester when I was on the lookout for an interesting internship
and also developing my thesis project, I decided to reach out and see if interning would be
a possibility at the shop. I then submitted a resume and application, had a face to face
meeting with Alex Curtis, the owner, and subsequently began my internship.
The No Pins shop covers various methods of presentation and works with clients
from the initial design process all the way through the fabrication of the finished pieces.
Due to it being a small business, I got to learn directly with the owner and shadow him
through the different responsibilities involved in both the creative process and the
aspects related to running a business. I was excited to learn about both because being in
a transitional point in my life made it crucial for me to seek out guidance all the more
regarding my career post-college.
One of the most rewarding moments was being able to work with someone on the
design process and later hand them a finished product that I’d had a hand in making and
seeing their faces light up. Overall, I was proud every time I was able to improve on each
step of the fabricating process, but it helped to see all the ways in which I could grow and
apply my past experience to new pursuits.
One of the most enriching aspects of this internship was the confidence I gained in
not only my current capabilities, but also in my ability to take on a whole new challenge
and prevail. I now have a great foundation to continue this profession should I choose to,
and a great working knowledge for my own artist practice.
