from FSU Art BFA ’21 Olivia Sanderford:
Throughout my time thus far at Cat Family Records, I have worked on several assignments. I have performed tasks such as creating merchandise, contests, and art resources directory. Currently my self-directed project revolves around creating contests. Every month I come up with a themed contest for visual artists, poets, and musicians to submit their work along with other information, including the piece’s description and an optional artist statement. So far, some of the themes that we have presented include ‘Quarantine Life,’ ‘Rhythmic Inspirations, and ‘Black Lives Matter.’ There are also incentives for artists to submit their work for each contest including free admission to shows, artwork featured on the website, free stickers, and more. These contests are presented to help gain more involvement and engagement while also sharing several creator’s work that will hopefully be on the Cat Family Records website soon.
I have gained several practical and professional skills from this experience. Some of the skills that I have acquired include problem solving, communication, responsibility, teamwork, and more. The most enjoyable part of this internship for me, personally, was being able to work with such an open, organized, and supportive team. Everyone is really focused on their goals and results while still having fun. It has also been a pleasure to see everyone else’s projects and ideas come to life!
Some of the challenges that I have faced revolve around the contests that I have created. Most of these challenges were regarding logistics. I have also had some difficulty grasping a larger audience, but I have been able to challenge that by networking and sharing the contests on larger social media platforms. I believe that my biggest challenge was working remotely due to the current pandemic. As this is a difficult time, it has been very interesting to see how everyone has adapted during this time. While the circumstances aren’t the best, Cat Family Records has done a wonderful job by still making their message heard, having all of their information accessible, and by incorporating interactive events such as Cat Family TV. Overall, the ‘challenges’ that I have faced have been very minuscule due to working with a great team that is always open and willing to help. I would definitely recommend this internship to other students or individuals that are interested. So far, it has been a wonderful experience and I have found it to be very enjoyable. There are also several different departments that are open for interns, including but not limited to: art, production, writing, photography/videography, and so much more. If you are not looking for an internship but still want to be involved, there is always room for more volunteers.