Free Range is located in Berkeley in back of a bakery. Here at Free Range the office is small but it fits everyone. In the office we have eleven people working for either the art department or writing department. I feel like the both departments are separated which I think is good that way if its art related they can help each other, instead of having to walk to the other side. Their are two large rooms. Since its in the back you have to walk up some stairs and you will see a table filled with awards,accomplishments and art stuff that they've made. On the left of the table you will see a room that you walk into is the first and their is Annie's desk (my main mentor) than you walk a little more and their is two red sofas and a table with magazines, so that you can wait. In front of the sofa is a desk and that desk has a desk to his left and right side. Now if your looking at your left you will see a another desk and next to that desk is a little storage place that's also covered with cardboard figures that they designed. Next to the little storage is a little table that has snacks for everyone and its next to the kitchen. The kitchen is very small but its useful and doesn't take up a lot of space. Now if you walk a little further you find yourself in the art department and you will see two desk to your left and to your right you will see two more desk. If you keep walking you will see a big window and a bike and the left to that bike you will see a big desk with a huge board full of pictures. (This is the boss desk) On the left of the desk is two more desks. If you walk straight than you will find a mini conference room with a computer and huge papers with notes. When you walk out of the conference room you will find yourself at the very beginning. In my workplace their are many posters even in the bathroom, their is also many plants everywhere around the room. The art department does graphic design and video animation and the other side of the room does the writing part like doing proposals and making sure that things get done. For the art department they employ graphic designers,animators,illustrators,computer graphics,cartoonist,creative directors, and web designers, in the other department they employ marketing, media production, business management and project managers.
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So the blogs I read were Scottie's,Lesly,Yessica,Joe and George. Most people seem like their not doing their blogs and they also seem like their not learning's more than I am but I feel like that because we are working in a different place. For example Lesly is working with children and in her blogs because their so detailed it seems that's shes getting a lot out of it but I'm not really seeing a lot from George and maybe he could write more or put more detail and it will be much better. I feel like Lesly is writing the best blog for the same reasons and because shes puts pictures which gives it a better sense of feeling. Something I can do to make my blogs better are put more detail and have pictures. OK so I haven't been in my WLE for two months but the time that I've spent here I've enjoyed because its really great here. I love being in a place that's surrounded by art, I think that's why I get along with the people I work with because we have something in common and their just funny around here. To tell you the truth I wish I would've started working here earlier so I could have had more experiences and getting to know the rest of the people here. I do something new everyday and I actually enjoy it and I'm juiced for next week. =)
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Annie Hughes
My mentors name Is Annie Hughes and she works as the Office Manager, as well as the assistant to the Creative Director at Free Range Studios. She has been working their for a year and a half and loves it here in the bay area. Some of the characteristics that she brings to Free Range is that shes flexible,a hard worker, detail-oriented, and really positive. Which makes it easy and fun to work at FR. Some of the main tasks that she performs is managing all things that keep the office flowing like ordering office supplies, managing the vendor relationships, invoicing Free Range clients and keeping their database up to date. She plans events, manages calendars which is filled with meetings and upcoming events/projects, sets up meetings and provide tech support, among many many other little things. Her typical day is spent in the computer and on the phone making sure evreything is going in order. She also sometimes helps the art designer by checking out what they're working on, and gives them feedback on her experiences of viewing a site or a video. Sometimes when a designer, illustrator or producer is spending day after day staring at the same thing, she's the useful tool to have a fresh, non-designer person come and take a look, and she loves being that person. Her dream job was to travel around the world as a singer and dancer but she would like to learn how to do both first. When she was in high school she was interested in social justice issues and in college she majored in community studies which is the "Theory and Practice of Social Change". She has had many jobs in the past that have gotten her where she is today such as a waitress to a farmer and today as studio manager. Some of the skills needed to work here at FR are administrative skills, creativity and flexibility are really the skills needed and their is also believing in social justice issues. She also said that if your interested more in graphic design/illustration/production roles that Free Range has to offer, her advice is to study up as much as possible, stay tuned to the websites, blogs and magazines relevant to this field, and to do a lot of internships! She loves it their because she like the art thats made but she loves the fact that they don't just make art for fun, but it helps the community and teaches people greatt stuff, thats the main reason why she is their. One project she is very proud of is a video called "The story of stuff" because it teaches you about what happens to things you buy and it makes you think of how you can make a change. Being here at FR and meeting Annie made me realise that theirs all kinds of people needed to have make the place running and I have got to say that they have the perfect amount of people neeeded to do what they want.
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So I told my mentor the idea of re-designing their workplace, to add a desk and having an area for their eco friendly things such as a recyclable batteries,cardboard and compost. She liked the idea and is going to support me in any way she can. Some of the stuff that I have done to work on my project is drawn out the workplace and where the desk are. I also took some measurements around the office and taught of where the other desk can go. What I'm planning to do next is measure the desk,the rest of the office, and plan how to have a organized Eco friendly space. Something that I have palnned to do is make a cardboard box divided into three and each have something they can recycle. Another thing I have planned is to put a sign that says what can be recycled because they dont really know where it goes. Something I planned to do to get my hours is come in the weekends when they're there and stay as long as I can.
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Blog 3 12/05/2010
 
Today I went on another job shadow but I went with my dad and cleaned. We went all over the place. First we started in Oakland and cleaned two big houses. We than went to Fremont to clean this warehouses. We finished around 4:00 and finally had a break. I ate and than made a couple phone calls to a place I had already visited called Eastside Alliance and to Photo Central in Hayward but both had me leave a message. I also e-mailed a lady back who wanted to interview me so I’m really hoping that I get the opportunity to get an interview with them. After my break at 7:00 we went to Oakland and cleaned offices but my day wasn’t finished yet, I had to go to Danville and clean a restaurant. At the very end of my day I was really tired.  I didn’t go to my WLE because the my mentor didn’t know I had to 75 hours so it got cancelled.

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The type of internship I want is an art but right now I'm open to anything because I need to start my hours. Some stuff I have done is made my resume and cover letter and sent it to companies and went to talked to the library and I also had turned in some applications but Im waiting on their reply. My next step is to keep looking and sending in cover letters and resume. The leadership skill you use to find an internship would be communicate effectively because you need to sound good in phone,person or paper.
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