Straight Copy and past from my word doc.
After our class last week I'm going to add in more about Bobby and what makes him a more reliable and credible source of information.
I’ve
always thought that when it comes to writing, it’s just authors, English teachers,
and students who do it. I reluctantly believed that this assignment wouldn’t
help me in the future and it was just busy work. However, I finally came to the
conclusion that everyone, even artists, have to be able to write and do it well.
Being a Professional Photography student, I decided to study the type of
writing a Photographer has to be able to do in order to help myself communicate
efficiently with future clients. I’m going to discuss these different types of
writing, conventions, and genres that even a visual artist must apply to
communicate effectively.
For
a Photographer, a job doesn’t start with an image that has already been shot,
edited, and processed, it starts with an email. In this email a lot of things
come together to not only provide effective communication, but also to give a
sense of who the individual is as a professional and artist. No one wants to
hire the person who starts an email with “bro” even if the Photographer shoots
beach/surf lifestyle exclusively because maintaining a professional appearance
is extremely important when dealing with clients, but you also don’t want to
sound like a robot either.
I interviewed
Brooks Institute alumni Bobby Curtis to explain to me how an email typically
looks with new and old clients in regards to formality. Curtis
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graduated Brooks Institute in the
visual journalism program. While he does do some visual journalism work, he
also does a lot of Photography and videography work. He
has worked with {INSERT WHAT BOBS
HAS DONE) making him the perfect candidate to help me learn and understand
writing that visual artists have to do. He gave me the example to think of a
new client as a new friendship; at first you are quite formal, but not
completely, but as the relationship grows and develops, so does the level of
formality. So when he begins communication with a new client he uses the same conventions
and genres as we leaned in class. So, the email begins with a simple greeting
before continuing on to state who you are, why you are interested in them, what
your job is, what you’ve done for past clients, who you’ve worked for, and
closing by thanking them or wishing them well. After Curtis has done this he then
proceeds to insert his personal signature at the end of his email that includes
his website link, email, back-up email, and phone numbers. He had also showed
me an example of what his emails look like and he also inserts a special
heading that displays his company name, Bobby Curtis Photography, at the top of
the email. Bobby also shared a story with me about an individual he knew who
tried to get a company to hire him by sending an email. In the story he talked
about how this Photographer seemed very self-absorbed, used vulgar language as
to “cut the bullshit”, and then would “kiss ass.” Needless to say, this
Photographer did not get the job. Bobby explained to me that it’s important to
be formal, but still casual, not to go out of your way to use big
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words, be yourself, be genuine,
research and understand the company you are trying to work for, and then your
work will speak for yourself. All of these things we
have discussed in class as the
correct genre and conventions to use in order to achieve of positive email in
return. As the client relationship grows it become less formal and maybe even
sometimes take he form of a text. However, the genre and
convention are still the same. So,
once the relationship has developed and the client emails you first, the email
will still have a greeting, explain why they are contacting you, ask if you’re
available, when the job will be, what the job is, ask if you’re interested, and
inform you of payment details. The email still has the casual greeting,
information on the assignment just like you provided information about
yourself, what they want you to do just like how you told them what you can do,
inquired for a job, and gave well-wishing.
After the emails
are out of the way and the photographer begins pre-production, the client and
the artist still have to keep close communication. Whether it be a last minute
change in set design, deadline adjustments, or even throwing out new ideas
because next to the actual images, client relationship and communication is
important. Bobby told me how there is a constant stream of emails, phone calls,
and meetings throughout the entire production all of which requires crystal
clear communication. While at this point, it’s far less formal communication
and more business, you still have to treat it with care especially because you
will encounter
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clients who know exactly what they
want and some who don’t. In order to assure you or the client knows what you
want or can do for them, the wording in the emails
must be easy to follow to explain
what you want to do in detail. I asked Bobby for any tips or advice on the
matter and he responded with, “Give
options, but give options you want to do. Always word it so it works in your
favour.”
I was able to
briefly discuss artist statements with Bobby Curtis. After reading his
statement, I recognized the conventions of it that we discussed in class. He
has why he does Photography, awards he’s accepted, jobs he has had, and clients
he has worked for. “[However,] I’m constantly writing and deleting.” He
expressed to me how it’s important to keep your artist statement current. As
your work changes, so should your artist statement in order to help it relate
to the work that if on your webpage or work that is about to be put up.
Lastly,
I asked Bobby Curtis the most important question; Do you think that being able
to write effectively and using the right genres and conventions holds an
important role in everything, including something as artistic as Photography? He
replied simply with “yes.” After listening to all of his stories and answering
all of my questions, I too believe this. At first, I thought that clients
believed that artists were sort of free birds so formality, or using
appropriate genres and conventions for communication, didn’t apply to them.
However, I have realized that everyone must
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acquire the rhetoric expertise for
their careers, artistic or not. Clients want someone they can clearly
communicate with who are able to deal with details and information. The initial
email is their first impression of you so you want present yourself as a
professional. As Brooks Institute faculty member Paul Meyer would say, this is
what helps separate amateurs from professionals. So, really the question is, Do
you want to be taken seriously?
In
conclusion, everyone has to write no matter the field and they have to be able
to write well. Understanding conventions and genres can really help someone
determine the correct way to handle writing in ultimately any situation.
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