Date: 1/1/18
Activities: Taking photos for BeYoga to use as an online gallery
Technical Information: Nikon camera, Photoshop, Phone (camera)
Reflection: Today was not like any other day I have worked in my internship this far. I met up with Brandy at her yoga studio with my camera(s) and not really sure what was going on. When I got there she told me she wanted to have a "photo shoot" with some girls doing yoga poses at the studio. Brandy thought it would be a good idea to have a gallery of photos that we could use when posting online with some information attached to it, or just to use as reference photos for perspective customers.
I took pictures of multiple restorative yoga poses because Brandy wants to focus mainly on restorative yoga. After explaining what I learned from the webinar she thought it would be a good idea to start with a narrow target audience and then expand further down the line. After all the photos were taken I went into Photoshop and did a few touch ups on the photos to make them look brighter since we had to take the pictures in a dark room.
My internship experience has had its ups and downs but overall it has been a great learning experience. It helped me narrow down what kind of job I might do after college. Not only did it help me decide on a career for the future, but also gave me a job I can still do while I am in college. I have learned how quickly plans can change in starting up a business and that you are going to have to roll with the punches. I have a better understanding on how social media is a major factor in creating an audience and attracting new people to the business everyday. My internship has shown me that it is okay to express your thoughts and ideas about something and that its okay if its not what you end up doing. Overall my internship has been a great experience and I am so glad that I get to continue this job now that the internship is over.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Entry #9
Dates: 12/29/17 - 12/31/17
Activities: Taking hand drawn logos and sketching them into vector graphics
Technical Information: Scanner, Monoprice Drawing Tablet, Photoshop
Reflection: After I had picked out the sketches of logos I liked best I went and scanned them in so I could open them up in Photoshop. Using the basic information I learned about Photoshop in Art 1 and my drawing tablet I was able to make logos look crisp and clean. I struggled a bit with the lotus flower that Brandy wanted. It has a specific shaped petal and there are eight equal petals that go around the flower. Multiple attempts later, I decided to take one good petal and copy and paste it and move it around to create the rest of the petals. When I was done with the logos I saved them as PNGs so there wouldn't be a background behind them so I could use the file to put the logo on anything I wanted.
I don't really recall any major problems or frustrations that I have experienced during my internship. With a small local business that is just starting up you have to be flexible. I guess at times it did frustrate me that we had to move a lot of meetings around or cancel them altogether. It never really bothered me that much since my boss had never done this before and she was learning as we were going. As she was learning what she needed out of media outlets she was able to give me more instruction. I'm sure I have mentioned this in earlier posts, but she doesn't know anything about technology, so I am out on my own for what she asks me to do. Combine that with not knowing what you need out of online platforms and it makes for a slow start. Now that I am much further into my internship I am able to be more flexible and cater to whatever she needs from me.
Activities: Taking hand drawn logos and sketching them into vector graphics
Technical Information: Scanner, Monoprice Drawing Tablet, Photoshop
Reflection: After I had picked out the sketches of logos I liked best I went and scanned them in so I could open them up in Photoshop. Using the basic information I learned about Photoshop in Art 1 and my drawing tablet I was able to make logos look crisp and clean. I struggled a bit with the lotus flower that Brandy wanted. It has a specific shaped petal and there are eight equal petals that go around the flower. Multiple attempts later, I decided to take one good petal and copy and paste it and move it around to create the rest of the petals. When I was done with the logos I saved them as PNGs so there wouldn't be a background behind them so I could use the file to put the logo on anything I wanted.
I don't really recall any major problems or frustrations that I have experienced during my internship. With a small local business that is just starting up you have to be flexible. I guess at times it did frustrate me that we had to move a lot of meetings around or cancel them altogether. It never really bothered me that much since my boss had never done this before and she was learning as we were going. As she was learning what she needed out of media outlets she was able to give me more instruction. I'm sure I have mentioned this in earlier posts, but she doesn't know anything about technology, so I am out on my own for what she asks me to do. Combine that with not knowing what you need out of online platforms and it makes for a slow start. Now that I am much further into my internship I am able to be more flexible and cater to whatever she needs from me.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Entry #8
Dates: 12/1/17-12/6/17
Activities: Updating the site/ Sitting in on an Marketing Webinar
Technical Information: Online Chat room system, Weebly, Facebook
Reflection: Nothing new this week besides a webinar. Brandy asked me to sit in on a webinar about marketing tips for yoga teachers. She wanted me to watch and takes notes if there was any advice and tips on online marketing for yoga teachers and how to brand yourself. Unfortunately the webinar did not cover online marketing very much, but I did learn great ways to create your audience and how to expand it. I learned that no matter how much you try you can't make a business that is tailored to everyone, and that is ok. For example; there are many different types of yoga so it is more beneficial to be an instructor to a specific type or maybe one or two. You could teach yoga that helps with back pain as your main focus. By doing this it creates a niche market, but if you can start with a strong niche market that have loyal consumers that seek this type of yoga, then you can slowly expand from there. Those loyal consumers will trust your skills and be willing to try the new classes and recommend them to friends to expand your business.
After listening to the webinar I learned that you can't please everyone and to be accepting of that. Also, I learned that you need to be confident in the skills/products you are sharing or selling even if the audience is small, and not worry it will expand with time.
I mentioned in the last post what I want as a career, webpage/graphic design of some sort, not sure if I have anything specific yet in mind. As for things I have learned about myself, I am fidgety. I know that seems wonky, but I noticed I was having issues just sitting down and listening to the webinar. When there wasn't notes to be taking I was antsy and impatient. When I felt this way I started mindlessly doodling in the margins of my notes, and surprisingly I was able to pay attention more to the webinar. I think I am more of a hands-on learner than I thought, and I am glad the webinar helped me notice this so I can learn better.
Activities: Updating the site/ Sitting in on an Marketing Webinar
Technical Information: Online Chat room system, Weebly, Facebook
Reflection: Nothing new this week besides a webinar. Brandy asked me to sit in on a webinar about marketing tips for yoga teachers. She wanted me to watch and takes notes if there was any advice and tips on online marketing for yoga teachers and how to brand yourself. Unfortunately the webinar did not cover online marketing very much, but I did learn great ways to create your audience and how to expand it. I learned that no matter how much you try you can't make a business that is tailored to everyone, and that is ok. For example; there are many different types of yoga so it is more beneficial to be an instructor to a specific type or maybe one or two. You could teach yoga that helps with back pain as your main focus. By doing this it creates a niche market, but if you can start with a strong niche market that have loyal consumers that seek this type of yoga, then you can slowly expand from there. Those loyal consumers will trust your skills and be willing to try the new classes and recommend them to friends to expand your business.
After listening to the webinar I learned that you can't please everyone and to be accepting of that. Also, I learned that you need to be confident in the skills/products you are sharing or selling even if the audience is small, and not worry it will expand with time.
I mentioned in the last post what I want as a career, webpage/graphic design of some sort, not sure if I have anything specific yet in mind. As for things I have learned about myself, I am fidgety. I know that seems wonky, but I noticed I was having issues just sitting down and listening to the webinar. When there wasn't notes to be taking I was antsy and impatient. When I felt this way I started mindlessly doodling in the margins of my notes, and surprisingly I was able to pay attention more to the webinar. I think I am more of a hands-on learner than I thought, and I am glad the webinar helped me notice this so I can learn better.
Entry #7
Dates: 11/18/17-11/26/17
Activities: Creating logos to make the company more memorable
Technical Information: Facebook, Weebly, Instagram
Reflection: Nothing really big happened with Be Collected during this week with the holiday break running right through it. I did my usual, which includes checking the website and Facebook to make sure all the information is correct and up to date. Over the last few weeks I have started to pay attention to the trends on Be Yoga's Facebook page and taking note on which post had the most views, likes, and shares. I made little notes to track this so I could use this information for future posts so I can get them to reach more people and create a larger audience.
Since I was on Thanksgiving break for a large portion of this week, I was without my technology. Our family tends to stay away from our devices during the holiday so we can spend more time with the rest of the family we don't see very often. Most of my mom's side of the family are artists (hobby), so I know where I get my interest from, and with every artist there is paper. After dinner one night I grabbed some paper from a little sketch book I had and started some rough drafts of potential logo ideas. Like I mentioned in last weeks posts, Brandy wanted logos for each of her businesses and she wanted them as an online graphic. I really wanted the logos to capture the passion and professional level that Brandy had in mind for her businesses, so it took a lot of sketches for me to find what I liked best. I marked what designs I liked the most so when I could go home and draw them online I knew which ones to draw.
My internship so far hasn't really changed my career/college plans since what I am doing in my internship is similar to what I had in mind for a career. After taking Multimedia and Webpage design along with E-Commerce I was interested in webpage design and graphic design. Now that I have some first-hand experience in a job that uses some of those skills I know that I am still interested in doing something similar. I think my internship has made more confident of what I want to study when I attend college.
Activities: Creating logos to make the company more memorable
Technical Information: Facebook, Weebly, Instagram
Reflection: Nothing really big happened with Be Collected during this week with the holiday break running right through it. I did my usual, which includes checking the website and Facebook to make sure all the information is correct and up to date. Over the last few weeks I have started to pay attention to the trends on Be Yoga's Facebook page and taking note on which post had the most views, likes, and shares. I made little notes to track this so I could use this information for future posts so I can get them to reach more people and create a larger audience.
Since I was on Thanksgiving break for a large portion of this week, I was without my technology. Our family tends to stay away from our devices during the holiday so we can spend more time with the rest of the family we don't see very often. Most of my mom's side of the family are artists (hobby), so I know where I get my interest from, and with every artist there is paper. After dinner one night I grabbed some paper from a little sketch book I had and started some rough drafts of potential logo ideas. Like I mentioned in last weeks posts, Brandy wanted logos for each of her businesses and she wanted them as an online graphic. I really wanted the logos to capture the passion and professional level that Brandy had in mind for her businesses, so it took a lot of sketches for me to find what I liked best. I marked what designs I liked the most so when I could go home and draw them online I knew which ones to draw.
My internship so far hasn't really changed my career/college plans since what I am doing in my internship is similar to what I had in mind for a career. After taking Multimedia and Webpage design along with E-Commerce I was interested in webpage design and graphic design. Now that I have some first-hand experience in a job that uses some of those skills I know that I am still interested in doing something similar. I think my internship has made more confident of what I want to study when I attend college.
Friday, December 29, 2017
Entry #6
Dates: 11/4/17-11/11/17
Activities: Reviewing the plans for the rest of the year, talking about what is missing and what needs to be done better
Technical information: Google Calendar, Weebly (Bluehost), Facebook, Pen and Paper
Reflection: This week was a lot more of talking through plans and dates for the rest of the year rather than pushing new products or posting more to social media sites. Over the last few weeks Brandy had been dealing with some health issues and needed to step back from working for a while. While she was away there wasn't a whole lot of new stuff to do so I just kept the site updated and posted any blogs she had and other pictures to social media.
On 11/11/17 we met up to have lunch and chat about Be Collective since it has been a while since we last seen each other. Brandy started off telling me what she had liked so far with the online stuff and what she didn't like and thought we don't have to keep doing. Then she told me what she needs to do to keep the business updated and constantly posting new material and gave me a head's up on all the content she would be sending me. Her new yoga studio would be opening soon and she really wanted to post a lot of content to promote the opening and get people interested.
She then told me she wanted logos for all the separate businesses within her collective and talked me through some of her ideas so I could get a rough sketch of what she wanted. Once she was happy with those she asked my if I could draw them somehow online so she could use them on her site and put them on business cards and other potential merchandise.
My duties have changed since I first started. When I first started I was just in charge of the social media and online website site, but now I am in charge of all creative content that will be posted or used for all of Brandy's businesses. So yeah, I guess I would say I have been given more responsibility. Sometimes all the added responsibility intimidates me, but most times it makes me feel valued and respected as an employee. I enjoy the fact that I'm not treated like a child or a student rather treated like a creative individual whose ideas and opinions matter.
Activities: Reviewing the plans for the rest of the year, talking about what is missing and what needs to be done better
Technical information: Google Calendar, Weebly (Bluehost), Facebook, Pen and Paper
Reflection: This week was a lot more of talking through plans and dates for the rest of the year rather than pushing new products or posting more to social media sites. Over the last few weeks Brandy had been dealing with some health issues and needed to step back from working for a while. While she was away there wasn't a whole lot of new stuff to do so I just kept the site updated and posted any blogs she had and other pictures to social media.
On 11/11/17 we met up to have lunch and chat about Be Collective since it has been a while since we last seen each other. Brandy started off telling me what she had liked so far with the online stuff and what she didn't like and thought we don't have to keep doing. Then she told me what she needs to do to keep the business updated and constantly posting new material and gave me a head's up on all the content she would be sending me. Her new yoga studio would be opening soon and she really wanted to post a lot of content to promote the opening and get people interested.
She then told me she wanted logos for all the separate businesses within her collective and talked me through some of her ideas so I could get a rough sketch of what she wanted. Once she was happy with those she asked my if I could draw them somehow online so she could use them on her site and put them on business cards and other potential merchandise.
My duties have changed since I first started. When I first started I was just in charge of the social media and online website site, but now I am in charge of all creative content that will be posted or used for all of Brandy's businesses. So yeah, I guess I would say I have been given more responsibility. Sometimes all the added responsibility intimidates me, but most times it makes me feel valued and respected as an employee. I enjoy the fact that I'm not treated like a child or a student rather treated like a creative individual whose ideas and opinions matter.
Entry #5
Dates: 10/13/17-10/21/17
Activities: Updating the website and collecting more emails
Technical Information: Weebly, Instagram, Facebook, Mail Chimp
Reflections: Nothing really new happened this week from last week. Just getting the Be Boxes site up and running. I ended up making a whole new domain for the Be Boxes site since she wanted to sell a whole lot of products and wanted to keep that separate from the main web site. I started to create item numbers for her boxes and other potential products so it would be easier for her to figure out what people had ordered.
Other than creating the new website for the Be Boxes it was just the normal routine of updating the site and other social media.
My main contribution to my internship is creating the online platforms for the business so Brandy can connect to her customers/consumers easily and attract a bigger audience for her businesses. The web sites are what I am most proud of because I have used Weebly before and knew how to do some of the basics so I could post information for my teachers, but I had never had to use the marketing and shop features of the website. I am really proud that I was able to get the shop set up and be able to set up a simple and easy layout for customers to buy the products online.
Activities: Updating the website and collecting more emails
Technical Information: Weebly, Instagram, Facebook, Mail Chimp
Reflections: Nothing really new happened this week from last week. Just getting the Be Boxes site up and running. I ended up making a whole new domain for the Be Boxes site since she wanted to sell a whole lot of products and wanted to keep that separate from the main web site. I started to create item numbers for her boxes and other potential products so it would be easier for her to figure out what people had ordered.
Other than creating the new website for the Be Boxes it was just the normal routine of updating the site and other social media.
My main contribution to my internship is creating the online platforms for the business so Brandy can connect to her customers/consumers easily and attract a bigger audience for her businesses. The web sites are what I am most proud of because I have used Weebly before and knew how to do some of the basics so I could post information for my teachers, but I had never had to use the marketing and shop features of the website. I am really proud that I was able to get the shop set up and be able to set up a simple and easy layout for customers to buy the products online.
Entry #4
Dates:10/6/18-10/11/18
Activities: Posting pictures and updates to social media, setting up online store, adding emails to a subscription list
Technical Information: Mail Chimp, Weebly, Facebook, Instagram
Reflection: Going back to a week or so ago Brandy wanted me to create a way to capture people's emails so we could send them information about new products or classes. We ended up using mail chimp to do this and create a pop-up box that will ask people for their names and emails if they want to subscribe to Be Collective. After a little bit of reading up on Mail Chimp I figured out how to add people to a list and send mass emails. Most of this work week was made up of me taking the emails that Brandy had sent and adding them to the list.
After I had inputted all the emails Brandy asked me if there was anyway for me to send them all an email with her guide, "Ten ways to Be". In Mail Chimp I went to the email template and added the guide she wanted and then changed the template to have the company name, and other information and stylized the template with some other colors. Once I was finished I went ahead and sent it out and I sent one to myself beforehand to make sure everything looked okay and to double check spelling.
Besides the emails, there wasn't really anything new that I was doing, I was updating the Facebook page and posting to Instagram, and adding blog posts to the site and checking the sales of the Be Box.
This internship is meeting my expectations because I am thinking of having a job very similar to this after college. I wanted to know what webpage design and online management would be like and I feel like my internship will be very similar to this job. This internship is for a collection of local businesses and I happen to know my boss very well before I started so the environment is more casual and relaxed than I imagine a more corporate business will be. I have a lot of control in my job mostly due to the fact my boss isn't tech savvy, but at the same time it makes it harder. Some of my tasks are to do things I have never done and I am learning as I am going. Brandy can help me with content that she wants but anything tech related, or just getting something running I am on my own. Although, I think this has held me be a better problem solver and a quicker learner.
Activities: Posting pictures and updates to social media, setting up online store, adding emails to a subscription list
Technical Information: Mail Chimp, Weebly, Facebook, Instagram
Reflection: Going back to a week or so ago Brandy wanted me to create a way to capture people's emails so we could send them information about new products or classes. We ended up using mail chimp to do this and create a pop-up box that will ask people for their names and emails if they want to subscribe to Be Collective. After a little bit of reading up on Mail Chimp I figured out how to add people to a list and send mass emails. Most of this work week was made up of me taking the emails that Brandy had sent and adding them to the list.
After I had inputted all the emails Brandy asked me if there was anyway for me to send them all an email with her guide, "Ten ways to Be". In Mail Chimp I went to the email template and added the guide she wanted and then changed the template to have the company name, and other information and stylized the template with some other colors. Once I was finished I went ahead and sent it out and I sent one to myself beforehand to make sure everything looked okay and to double check spelling.
Besides the emails, there wasn't really anything new that I was doing, I was updating the Facebook page and posting to Instagram, and adding blog posts to the site and checking the sales of the Be Box.
This internship is meeting my expectations because I am thinking of having a job very similar to this after college. I wanted to know what webpage design and online management would be like and I feel like my internship will be very similar to this job. This internship is for a collection of local businesses and I happen to know my boss very well before I started so the environment is more casual and relaxed than I imagine a more corporate business will be. I have a lot of control in my job mostly due to the fact my boss isn't tech savvy, but at the same time it makes it harder. Some of my tasks are to do things I have never done and I am learning as I am going. Brandy can help me with content that she wants but anything tech related, or just getting something running I am on my own. Although, I think this has held me be a better problem solver and a quicker learner.
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