michaelsavage-ppp2

[michaelsavage-ppp2]

1000 Word Evaluation

     Though not a formal work experience or placement, fulfilling my self-directed brief has enhanced my awareness in many areas such as editing and sequencing, design and layout, personal promotion and perhaps most of all time management, completing the project alongside other course modules. Numerous on-going academic and personal projects have helped support and develop one another, such as encouraging students to contact practitioners who, in my case, strongly improved my people skills and overall confidence. It was, in fact, this confidence boost that then encouraged me to fully realise the project – a zine – and promote it as a self-publication.

     The photobook – and self-publication – has enjoyed a significant rise in popularity over the past decade in particular, and something I hold a keen interest in. Similarly has the photographic depiction of the nude proved desirable of late and caught my attention.      Significant contemporary practitioners who also work in such a way include Ryan McGinley, Synchrodogs and Ren Hang (with their photobooks Way Far, Byzantine and Republic) as well as lesser-known photographers such as Eleanor Hardwick (Celestial Bodies) and Sasha Kurmaz (Concrete and Sex).      The increasing popularity of this combination extends to many photographic artists, making it difficult to penetrate the glass ceiling, if you will, and stand out or define yourself amongst other practitioners. Many of these artists – and more – gain recognition through features with established arts institutions such as the British Journal of Photography or Dazed and Confused.

     Numerous publications by the referred photographers can be found in Village Bookstore, Leeds, who I approached with a copy of my zine and enquired about having them stock it. A few weeks later, they took five copies from me to be displayed alongside many editions from Pogo Books, my favourite small-scale publisher. A dialogue had been initiated and a rapport established, and so I hope said relationship can be maintained and improved over the years as I create more work.

     Looking back at the experience, delaying the promotion and “release” of the zine until I had confirmation from Village Bookstore may have been beneficial, as I could have approached for a launch party had it been unheard of. Perhaps unfortunately, I had sold a few copies at an art fair in Manchester a few weeks earlier, overly eager to try and spread my name; patience would have been an ideal trait to possess. A launch event could have been hosted and promoted by Village Bookstore, indefinitely reaching a much wider audience than my own platform allows (some 8,000 Instagram followers compared to my own 550).

     Whilst my patience may not have improved throughout modules, I gained many other skills such as learning to shoot HD video and use Adobe Premiere Pro during Responsive. Despite being unfamiliar with the more cinematic way of thinking, I could still construct a narrative, which then influenced experimentation with different angles and lighting.      It introduced a whole new way of seeing, which also helped my understanding of how sequence informs narrative for moving and still imagery alike.

     Meanwhile, Context of Practice informed my research, linguistic and analytical skills, all aspects which link to the publishing industry in some form. To write or photograph regularly for a popular publication alongside Uni work would be a great opportunity to further develop my understanding of and immersion within this practice. Publications such as Of The Afternoon, Hotshoe and PYLOT are perhaps most appropriate for my contextual awareness, given their critically analytical approach to contemporary photography (which, with a hint of irony, seems to be realised exclusively with analogue processes).

     An aspect developed from the PPP module is personal promotional strategies. Emphasis has been placed on reading your audience and selling yourself appropriately; ensuring your online presence is a reflection of the work you want to be recognised and indeed celebrated for. This takes place on multiple platforms such as Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram, which are neither strictly professional nor personal applications.      Although what I do post seems to receive positive feedback, I am aware the posts are not nearly as frequent as necessary to thrust myself into the limelight. Furthermore, the infrequent posts reach mainly my own active audience; submitting to heavily followed accounts and having work featured brings work to you and, as parasitic as it appears, is a useful way in broadening your audience (which of course translates to more potential sales).      This knowledge has encouraged me to be confident, set goals and thoroughly consider my approach to both projects and people. For example, when submitting a zine to a publication or gallery I may well do so by post or in-person rather than strictly email, offering the tangible object for review; however, I contact the more “approachable” artists (perhaps deemed so by their age range or social media activity) through more colloquial platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, where photographs and conversations can be shared across the globe instantly.      Overall, the PPP module has helped me better identify myself as a practitioner: my strengths and weaknesses have been constantly tested, evaluated and redefined as I bring the module and year to a close with much more confidence in myself as a person and as a photographer than in September. The encouragement to contact (and collaborate with) current practitioners within my specialism of “Fine Art” photography, as well as submitting to relevant websites, competitions, publications and exhibitions, has allowed for a holistic development of self which I can only hope to continually improve. It is my hope that this newfound confidence in my work and myself will extend into the upcoming PPP 3 module, as well as be evident when applying for work experience and internships within the near future.

[michaelsavage-ppp2]

IDENTIFYING A GENRE OF PRACTICE      For the past few years, my practice has been largely fine-art based, though through many parts of the spectrum. Conceptual portraiture has always been a solid through line in my work, however stylistically I have varied and developed over the years.     Nowadays, curating, publishing and self publishing are keen interests of mine. I look at many zines, magazines and books to learn about layout, sequencing, scale, continuity and proper context.       As a so-called “fine art” photographer interested in publishing and curation, my potential avenues could include writing for photobooks or magazines, creating my own briefs and self-publishing or exhibiting it to name but a few. As such, roles could include 

[michaelsavage-ppp2]

SETTING GOALS FOR 2016-17 // YEAR PLAN [goals] - First solo exhibition - Write / shoot / assist for a magazine such as PYLOT, Of The Afternoon - Fully-formed website - Intern at a publishing house or gallery - Complete Boys Don’t Cry / Bad Things / Price Charming / TAYTV by Dec ‘16 - Submit work to Open 3 at Open Eye Gallery. [plan] May - September ‘16 - website - human nature // BDC / Bad / Prince / TAYTV - book gallery space(s) for December, March

October - December ‘16 - scans and edits for solo show printing - curation and launch of TAYTV Exhibition - have Prince / Bad Things ready to send to print - launch party/ies - apply as writer / contributor / assistant to magazines (work from home) January ‘17 - March - solo show - apply for internships, if xp not already gained

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SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AND REFLECTION [skills prior to Level 5] - Narrative construction - Technical competence (digital cameras) - Adobe Photoshop [skills gained through Level 5] - Time management (numerous ongoing projects) - Confidence in self and work - Analog functionality - Film scanning and colour correction - Adobe InDesign, Adobe Premiere Pro - File management / Workflow efficiency - Collaborative practice [skills I aim to gain at Level 6] - Patience; ensuring a project is complete before publication, not rushing. - Analog efficiency (ensuring ideas explored thoroughly / frames not wasted). - Online presence; keep yourself current and relatable.

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PUTTING TOGETHER A WEBSITE  [why it would be useful] - A more “professional” platform than Tumblr. - Easily identifiable bodies of work, links to other social media platforms. - Relatively cheap (free Wix trial, purchase domain name). - Reflection of contemporary practice. - Additional online presence, opportunity to reach a wider audience. [things to include on the website] - An eye-catching homepage / banner image, archetypal of oeuvre. - Links to current / ongoing / upcoming bodies of work. - A link to my BigCartel store, where I can sell zines and prints. - A blog? E.g. book reviews, artist interviews. - “Contact” section, with various contact details - CV / List of exhibitions & publications. - “About Me”, as I am a person as well as a photographer.

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EVALUATION OF MULTIPLE STUDENT COLLABORATIONS

[skills gained from numerous student collaborations] - Confidence with the camera - Comfort in knowing practitioners have contacted me for a positive reason - Communication and Direction have improved - Workflow efficiency - Working from mood boards (often photographing for a fashion student) to            reach a mutually-satisfying outcome - Genre fluidity, understanding and applying a diverse visual language 

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CO-CURATING & HANGING “EVIDENCE” EXHIBITION // 02.05.16 [things I took from the experience] - Ensure you have full commitment from the participants when booking a venue, as often the space would offer discount if booked within a certain amount of days, which can be lost when participants are not fully committed. - A backup space is quite handy, as is forming rapport with the gallery owners. - Regular communication / meetings with curators was paramount in putting together a show we were all happy with.

As mentioned earlier, myself along with two third years have been working on putting together an exhibition, where I would organise students and co-curate whilst Anne and Ellie would organise the venue and main curation. The reason I wanted to put this together is that it’s an aspect of “fine art” photography I’d like to explore: that is, fine art / photography exhibitions. It seemed silly to jump into it without prior experience, and so I suggested the curation opportunity to two friends who I knew shared that interest. 

     Granted, organising the student submissions was a nuisance, but organising a venue seemed even harder (especially when payments and time constraints were involved). When it came down to the space, we were slightly disappointed in the condition of the walls from exhibitions prior (ranging from blue tack marks to small chunks missing) - but, really, it didn’t matter once the work was up.

[michaelsavage-ppp2]

WORK EXPERIENCE APPLICATION // EVALUATION & TRANSCRIPT 18/12 - 03/02      Ellie Wintour is a fashion student from York, and a friend who worked with her recently (for HARD Zine) mentioned she was looking for photographers for her upcoming ‘Northern Youth’ fashion show. I contacted Ellie on Facebook - not as an “unprofessional” or “colloquial” approach, but as she had posted an open call for photographers on Facebook and so it seemed appropriate.       I spoke with Ellie, and I had a date set, where I would be photographing backstage at the fashion show with a film camera, something I’m actually quite interested in (the layers of creativity which form the final presentation; the catwalk model).       However, when the time came around (late January), I unfortunately came down with flu, severe jet lag (from New York), and was also going through a shitty depressive episode. This meant I hadn’t maintained contact with Ellie as much as I should have and displayed an incredible lack of professionalism.      After explaining to Ellie, she was more than understanding of my circumstances, having gone through a rough patch herself at some point.  She even mentioned how she would keep me in mind for her next project which is already in the works.

     A tough lesson I took from this experience was that the world stops for nobody. It doesn’t matter if you’re going through a rough patch or not, time goes on, and it’s up to you to rectify any predicaments which may have come about as a result of said circumstances.      Fortunately, (most) humans are blessed with empathy, and Ellie is a very understanding person; however it is important to bear in mind that the response could have been much different had it been with a “professional” agency or commission, for example.

[TRANSCRIPT / MS = SELF, EW = ELLIE WINTOUR)

MS: Hello! Hope you're keeping well. Olivia (Miller) told me you may be looking for an event photographer for The Northern Youth fashion show on 29th Jan and I'd just like to express my interest. I currently study at Leeds College of Art, so not too far away at all, and have experience photographing gigs, weddings, fine art and fashion.      If you'd like any further information or examples or work, please do let me know - figured I'd keep this quite brief as I imagine you're quite busy. Many thanks and hope to hear from you soon, - Michael EW: Hi Michael hope you've had a great xmas! sorry for the slow reply, I took a break at christmas. We're looking for some one to take some photos at the after party, unfortunately we've filled all our slots at the event.. but we're looking for an interesting, unusual take on the party. More underground than your usual club photos. Sounds like you could be perfect if you were interested? We'd promote all your photos on our page and a lot of the celebs will be there too. Unfortunately, we'll need quite a fast turn around with the photos, as we have a few magazine that would need access to them before they go to print. Let me know if you're still keen. Ellie MS: No worries! Don't blame you, tis (or t'was) the season and all that jazz. Sorry for the late reply myself, got a hand-in next week so trying to get on top of it all. I would definitely be down for that! If you could let me know times and locations that'd be great - fast turn around is no problem, if you know the file specs needed for the mags I'm sure I can get it sorted no problem  Hope you've had a lovely Christmas and New  Years yourself (and hopefully wherever you're at in York hasn't been overly affected by the floods!) EW: Fantastic! I'll put you down

No I'm all good, I'm on a hill so got lucky some people have been really badly hit and the traveller community have been completely washed away. So sad

Anyway I've hope you had a good Christmas too

I'll add you to a Facebook group where all the information will be MS: Thank you! Ah bloody hell that's such a shame. sweet thank you! I'll check it out soon, just have a heap of stuff to get through for a deadline before a lecture! EW: Sure no rush, hope it all goes well and I'll see you on the 29th

[fast-forward from 07/01 - 29/01] MS: Hi Ellie, Hope you're keeping well - first off I need to straight up apologise for my lack or contact. It's really out of character for myself and I'm just sorry I couldn't contribute properly. Had a week away in NYC and got struck by flu and an unfortunately shitty depressive episode on return. I noticed my name wasn't on the last update in the group, and so I really wish you the best for tomorrow and congratulations on putting it all together so professionally! If you do have any further events I'll definitely keep my eye out and would appreciate it if you'd consider me - again. Good luck once again and thank you for the opportunity x EW: Hi Michael I'm sorry I actually just forgot, come if you want!And don't worry about it, shit happens! Xx

MS: Not to worry! But thank you for being understanding smile emoticon Hope the show went well, it really did look fantastic and I was v gutted not to be able to run around backstage with a film camera, would have been in my element! Xx EW: No literally, i've been there, happens to the best of people. really hope you're feeling better and are back on your feet ok xxx MS: Aye, that it does - just gotta take it as it comes I suppose. Feeling much better this week thank you, managed to identify and banish the irrational thoughts which plagued me and began to look at a lot of things in a different light smile emoticon hope you aren't too exhausted after all your efforts for Northern Youth / Hard Mag xxx

EW: sounds like you're a tough cookie, thats not an easy job. I'm getting some much needed sleep and food, and finally feel my sanity returning. There's already another project in store. I'll keep you posted xxx

MS: Well, worth mentioning all that came after I'd completely broken down haha, but I guess I spoke to the right people and was very fortunate to have such understanding and uplifting minds to help me back up again.      Ah that's great, definitely treat yourself!      Oooh, honestly I'd be thoroughly appreciative if you would! It all looked so exciting and it'd be great to be a part of whatever comes next xxx

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PERSONAL PROMOTIONAL STRATEGIES (INSTAGRAM, LINKEDIN, BIGCARTEL & ORDER FROM SUB-EDITOR OF PYLOT MAGAZINE)      I try to remain active on more photography-related social media sites such as LinkedIn and Instagram, where I keep followers up to date with my work (professional) and life (personal) respectively. I also promote my BigCartel page where people can purchase a copy of my self-published zine.      One morning, I woke up and shortly after received an email from BigCartel about a new order, from a “James Ross”, under the email address “maximus@pylotmagazine.com”. PYLOT Magazine is my favourite contemporary publication, and I know the editor’s name is Max (Barnett). Quickly checking an issue, I discovered James Ross is the sub-editor.      So, my favourite photography publication had just purchased a zine from me out the blue, which is most likely driven from my Instagram (where I promote my work, along with Tumblr and Facebook). It was quite odd to consider that you never really know who’s looking at your work; in which case, your online presence should be the ideal of how you want to be presented.      Not to quote American Beauty’s Buddy Kane, but “in order to be successful one must project an image of success at all times”. Right?

[michaelsavage-ppp2]

FORMING A CV

     Following our lecture on forming a CV, I began to list artistic achievements such as exhibitions I’ve been involved in, and features or publications where my work has appeared. I put these in reverse chronological order, as I learned during a Career Track Tuesday that employers are more interested in your contemporary practice rather than strictly past achievements; it shows you are active at the present time.

     Given I would be sending the CV to arts-based institutions - namely photographic publications - I tailored my personal statement and key skills to fit this context, omitting information such as three years’ experience working at Costa Coffee in favour of mentioning personal and collaborative practice.

     I asked two friends to proof read my CV and notify me of anything they would change. One mentioned the layout needed changing, along with a couple sentence structures (though the general content was okay). As such, I plan on contacting someone with more design experience for assistance.      Cover letters would be made and fine-tuned toward whichever magazine I am applying to. For example, I would refer to articles and editorials specific to the magazine-in-question in an attempt to express my awareness.

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SUBMITTING TO SELF PUBLISH, BE HAPPY’S BOOK DU JOUR      Self Publish, Be Happy have garnered a large following since their beginnings in 2009. Featured self-publications reach an audience of over 45,000 people (Instagram), and so the opportunity for exposure is incredible. The submission details are not available directly on their website, and so I sent an email (above) to selfpublished.behappy@gmail.com requesting this information.       When I ordered my edition of 50 zines, two extra copies were included, which I numbered as “DISPLAY” - these would never be sold. One sits in Village Bookstore, another with some curators for an exhibition the project was in. After the exhibition was over and I collected my display copy, I packaged it up and sent it to the SPBH address given to me.      Inside was a note thanking him for his time at Leeds College of Art in April, a brief statement about the project and an enquiry into feedback, whether that be positive or negative, via my email address.

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"HUMAN / NATURE” STOCKED AT VILLAGE BOOKSTORE, LEEDS      Around late March, I approached Village Bookstore with a copy of my zine in-hand and enquired about them stocking my work. Village are are a renowned artist bookstore up North, with over 8,000 followers on Instagram and stock ranging from small-scale self-publications to books by large-scale publishers such as Aperture and Editions du Lic, with artists including Ryan McGinley, Synchrodogs and Olivia Bee. Below is a rough transcript of our dialogue. ms: Alright, how’s it going? vb: Not too bad mate, yourself? ms: Yeah, not too bad myself [we discussed the zines I purchased] ms: While I’m here, I’ve just recently self-published a zine, a project I’ve been working on since last Summer - I was wondering maybe if you’d consider looking at it and stocking it? vb: Sure, sure, have you got a copy on you now? ms: I do, actually, if you want to take it off me. vb: Sure, and how much are you thinking of selling them for? ms: Six pound a pop, for the zine. vb: Cool, so what we do is a 60:40 split your way, if we like it when we’ll take five copies for a 90 day period, if they sell then we’ll take more and if not you take whatever copies are left back. ms: Sweet, alright man thanks. Do you want to take my email address if you need to contact me? vb: Yeah, that would be helpful [takes down email address]. ms: Alright cool, nice one! I’ll catch you later then, thanks again!                                   [a few weeks later on 07/04/2016] ms: [To Joe, who I haven’t spoken to] Hey how’s it going, I left a zine with you a few weeks ago to see if you’d like to stock it, I don’t suppose you’ve had a chance to look at it yet have you? vb: What zine was it? ms: Human / nature. vb: Oh yeah, I think that’s something we’d be interested in stocking. Do you know about the 60:40 split and the 90 day thing? ms: Oh sweet, nice one. That’s pretty class, I’m chuffed, nice one. Yeah the other guy [no, I didn’t research the co-owners names, how professional] explained that to me when I last popped in. I have five copies on me now if you’d like to take them then? vb: Awesome, so if you send us an invoice - have you got our email address? the hello@villagebookstore? - for... £18 and we’ll get it sorted. ms: Yeah sure, will do [hands over zine copies] - nice one, sorry for overreacting but yeah, pretty chuffed about that actually.      We discussed artists we liked, such as our mutual appreciation of Ren Hang, and he shown me some artists on Instagram to check out. It was very colloquial from the off. I told him that, with the invoice, I would send a description of the work, to which he replied “that would be great for when we put it online”. It isn’t online yet, as they are redesigning their website I believe.      Given the relationship now established, I feel much more confident in approaching them once more, when some projects in the pipeline are complete. One of my goals for next year is to have my first solo exhibition, and one of my plans is to extend the human / nature project. It seems only fitting that, once their gallery space is up and running, I could approach them for the opportunity. This means I must maintain contact in order to sustain the rapport between myself and the bookstore, and also create work of a high enough quality that they would care to have it on their walls.

[michaelsavage-ppp2]

”HUMAN / NATURE” // “A TO ZINE” ZINE FAIR, LEEDS 10.04.16      Another standard submission to another zine fair, this time based in Leeds. I submitted my PDF during the Easter break, and Megan (the host) seemed really keen to have my work there, too. We discussed further on Facebook, and I gave her five copies of my zine in uni.       Unfortunately I couldn’t be there for the event as I was shooting - an extension of the project at the fair, funnily enough - but Megan was more than understanding.      I managed to sell another zine here, which again I was relatively disappointed by, until Megan told me that not much sold at all with it being a very student-participated event, and apparently my zine seemed to be a favourite amongst the attendees. I even got a couple of messages after the event from people saying how they liked my work, which, if nothing else, gave a nice little ego boost.

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“HUMAN / NATURE” @ LEEDS END OF YEAR SHOW / ART MARKET      This was simple enough: the Marketing team sent an email to all students, mentioning the end of year show and art market, which attracts hundreds of visitors each year. They called for submissions and, if the work was “deemed a high quality”, could be sold - with all profits going to the artist.       I submitted the usual PDF of my zine as usual - there are a total of 50 to sell from an essentially unknown “artist”, after all - and received a response stating, “ensure you attend the seller’s meeting on 25th May”. I assume that’s a yes.      The end of year show and art market is a great opportunity for local artists to sell work, even if it is only annually. The fact we get to keep 100% of our sales is incredible, especially as the marketing is practically done for us. Not only does it raise the profile for the institution, but for myself as well, which can only be a good thing. Plus, the sooner I get my money back from these zines, the better.

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“HUMAN / NATURE” AT MANCHESTER ZINE FAIR      Around February, I had just about finished my zine “human / nature”, and saw on Facebook that one of my friends was attending a zine fair in Manchester the following week. Investigating further, I learned that the host - Liam Bonham, a third year BA (Hons) Photography student at the Manchester School of Art - was still taking submissions, and so I contacted him. 

      Responding to the PDF I sent, Liam immediately gave some positive feedback and said he would like to have my work at the fair.      We arranged to meet up so that I could drop off zines and prints the day before the fair itself, which would involve me travelling to Manchester and back (twice, after I had picked up the remaining copies).       All in all, I sold two copies of my zine and one print, equating to a student debt-relieving £19. At first I was disappointed, but, even Michael McIntyre sold just one ticket to his first stand-up show.       Above is a photograph of the zine fair, where my work is clearly visible in the foreground bing handled by a couple of people. Looking back, the fact my prints still have a magnificent curvature is appalling, despite my best efforts to eradicate this detracting quality. However, I still got a very positive response on social media, gaining new followers on Instagram and Tumblr (where I am most active), with one person actually photographing my work at the fair and uploading it to Instagram with a very complimenting caption.      Liam seemed like a very genuine, down-to-Earth guy from the off, and was very accommodating with my work. I actually saw him again when Bruno Ceschel came to talk at LCA and had a little catch up later at Village Bookstore. He told me that he and his girlfriend, Harriet, are planning on putting another event together, and asked to send him some of my recent work, which can only be a good thing.      I plan on completing the seemingly infinite amount of photographs to edit as soon as possible to send him whilst the topic is still relevant. He and his girlfriend are extremely interested in artistic events and curation, and with their heads seemingly screwed on tight, could be a useful contact to have in the future - if I can maintain it now.

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1:1 TUTORIAL w/ ROSS // 04/02/2016 Points discussed in my tutorial with Ross on 04/02/16 included: - Thorough consideration of online presence and appropriate bundles of work, reflective of how you want people to read you as a practitioner; - Analyse experiences (e.g. skills developed, knowledge gained, and how these gained skills would be applied in real life); - ARTIST PROFILES: Who, and why? - Analysis of influential galleries / guest speakers / books etc Current Student Action: - Contact more artists and/or practitioners; - Submit more work to more places, grasp every opportunity; - Continually reflect on personal and professional practice      These points and actions were discussed and agreed on by both myself and my tutor. To consider my online presence is an important thing as a contemporary lens-based practitioner, as my online presence is how people will read and interpret me. For example, I may not post photographs online (on “professional” platforms such as my website or LinkedIn) of certain “cool” images, as I want an audience interested in my art.      I feel I’ve had many photographic experiences this year, and plan on making a short checklist of skills old and new, with a quick synopsis of their validity in the real world.

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EXHIBITION SUBMISSION // VANGUART COLLECTIVE THE CONSCIOUS ART EXHIBITION @ LS6 CAFE LEEDS, 29.4.16      Around Leeds College of Art are many posters calling for submissions to publications and galleries, and one by “The Vanguart Collective” particularly caught my eye. It mentioned raising global issues, in particular those of politics or the environment, through artwork consciously created with this purpose in mind. My now-complete project and zine fit the bill perfectly.      Above is a record of the initial dialogue with the curators, who seemed to love my work from the off, which is always promising.       Having my work selected is a great opportunity to curate my own work - what with it being displayed as prints on a wall, not sequentially - and hopefully sell some zines, not only getting my name out there and making some money back for future projects, but also raise money for a humanitarian charity.      I felt confident submitting my work to the Vanguart Collective, as it seemed to be of a similar ethos to their own. It was also interesting to experiment with the selection process of my work, being limited to four prints out of a 24 page zine. [POST-EXHIBITION REVIEW]      My first impressions of the space at LS6 were that it had a great atmosphere - chilled, yet sophisticated - although the lighting wasn’t particularly great (fortunately we had a bright evening, however the internal lighting is quite dim and warm). Another thing that bothered me were the marks (in) and chunks (out) of the wall, however, you get what you pay for.       Regarding the curation, I wouldn’t have said much work complimented nearby work, however nor did it detract. The audience wasn’t particularly large, but there is the potential to garner many more visitors in that space with the proper promotion techniques. It was great to see so many people throughout the night look at my work whilst smiling and nodding. I actually sold one copy of my zine on the night and another copy via word of mouth, and so the exhibition submission definitely paid off.