I just finished my second to last week of my practicum at porchlight press, and this will be my last blog post. This past week went very well for me! Heather offered me a position as an Illustrator and press operator starting after my practicum! For a minute there I didn’t have a job or place to live but considering I moved into a new place this weekend, I’m back on my feet!

Last weekend I was panicked. I had to pack up my entire apartment, on top of, an assignment Heather asked me to take on last minute. This was an unusual rush job since there had been a lot of back and forth on the direction of the style and the deadline was close. Despite this, I managed to pack all my things in one day and made time to finish the illustrations.

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And Heather loved the finished pieces. When the client got back to us he said the new illustrations were well worth the wait and that he had no notes. I feel like I’m crushing it this week.

Not much else happened this week, but I did fill some orders for the website. Some of the pieces ordered were not in stock so I made the missing notebooks. I did the whole process on my own now that I have it pretty much down: collate pages, get a cover piece, change staple colour, fit the stapling machine to fit the size of the notebook, staple, flatten, cut, bellyband, and voila.

The existential dread about finishing school has calmed down as I slowly get used to this whole new arrangement. But it’s for the better because big changes are a chance to grow as a person! And make new friends?

See you in the 1000-word report,

Naomi

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IG: nomi.evers

naomievers.com

This week things were busy as heck at Porchlight. To make these prints for a client, the new plate maker needed to get installed which has been keeping everyone’s hands full. The new plate maker is much bigger and can make bigger plates. And typically porchlight uses the Heidelberg press but it cannot handle anything bigger than around 8.5 x 11. But a big poster can be put through the Vandercook press. The Vandercook is the press that I used in the Porchlight workshop back in February 2020.

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There were also a few wholesale orders of stationery made through the website. I was able to help put together a bunch of stuff. Mostly stapling, since the already bare-bones crew already had their hands full this week.

I also did a handful of drawing this week. Heather had an illustration that she planned to use but it needed some tweaks so I took care of that. Seeing the old version and my updated version side by side is pretty cool, it’s like a lesson in creating good compositions. I also created another Christmas card but this one was cozier and dreamy. So not as many bows and bells. I really liked how it turned how. I drew a lot of trees this week. If you need an illustration of a birch or a yellow pine tree then I’m your girl.

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After things went well with my remake of the old deer illustration, Heather tasked me to fix an illustration this weekend that a client was not happy with. It felt good to know she trusted me with something like this. And I definitely think it is something I can handle! (She also said she would be able to compensate me for this work, since it will be outside of practicum hours.)

Also is this my last blog post? I’m not sure, I think I’m writing one more since next week is my last week of practicum. Okay, see ya!

Naomi

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IG: nomi.evers
naomievers..com

Another week over, and the existential dread of finishing school is starting to set in. A lot of things are coming to a close for me in the coming month. But I have been able to focus my last remaining time at University. And so far, so good. Things went pretty smoothly this past week.

I Finished 3 card illustrations and packaged all the files. I got to learn the best practice for sending files to print. Heather wanted me to indicate in what order each colour needs to be printed on the press. Black is usually the last colour unless, however, there is a foil layer. The foil must be printed last because any colour printed on top of the foil will stick to the foil and not the paper.

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In the past month, heather has also brought on Alex to take charge of porchlights social media. And one day, the two of them needed a caption for their easter post on Instagram showing the “hoppy easter bunny card.” I suggested ‘hop off the presses, ’ which was a slam dunk IMO.

Heather and I also had a check-in with Judy about the practicum, which led to a good talk between Heather and me about transparency and communication especially considering my ongoing mental health struggle. It felt good to talk that openly with Heather. An employer needs to trust their workers and vice versa, just like any other type of relationship.

The last thing that happened to me is that I almost choked to death at my desk. I was fine but, Marcel sure got a scare. It turns out you shouldn’t multitask while drinking water. If you don’t pay attention while drinking, the flap protecting water from entering the trachea (epiglottis) might not close, and water could get in. That’s what the saying ‘went down the wrong pipe’ means. The intense coughing got all the water out of my trachea, but I still called my nurse mom to make sure I didn’t give myself pneumonia.

Next week will be my last blog post, I’m worried, but all I can do is keep going. Everything about my future feels unsure, but I take comfort in knowing I’m not alone in this. All eighteen of my idea 2021 classmates are in the same boat, and we can support each other.

See you next week,
Naomi
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IG: nomi.evers
naomievers.com