Ask LaBricoleuse/Meta: Things I Totally Want to Know More About
I said yesterday that the main subject i wanted to address next was apprenticeships versus sole-artisanships, so here we go with that. This is another part of my ongoing series of posts in which i attempt to answer the Hard Questions: What do i wish my professors had told me when i got out of school? What advice would i go back and give myself, if i could, and what knowledge do i want to impart that i haven't already?
Everyone remembers from like, 3rd grade social studies class, the idea of the tradesman training model, back when you do that unit on Medieval Guilds and stuff, yes? How, used to be, young folks would learn a trade by first apprenticing to a master of the trade, where they'd do whatever was asked--grunt work, brute labor, cleaning the shop, inventory, finishing work, etc.--all the while learning the trade in a hands-on scenario. And of course, then after the apprenticeship, they'd become a journeyman, where they traveled around from town to town, picking up extra work with masters or on their own if there was no resident master of the trade. And, finally they'd settle down somewhere, join a guild, and be a master wheelwright or stonemason or vintner or whatever their trade was.
I believe that concept is a good lens through which to view a costuming career, in a sense, in that whenever you are working under another costume professional, your role is like an apprenticeship. Some jobs i think of as apprenticeship-style jobs are stitchers, milliner's assistants, generalists/"floaters"/swing workers (meaning, you do whatever's needed that day in whatever area of the shop you are assigned), crafts assistants, painter/dyer assistants, shoppers, interns, design assistants, and so forth. I'd put first-hands into this category, too, since they work under a draper, but i guess if i'm being a stickler about the analogy, they are more like journeymen, since being a first hand requires a higher level of patterning knowledge and skill.
So, to continue with the analogy, jobs which i think of as "master"-style jobs are drapers, designers, shop supervisors, lead crafts artisans, tailors, lead milliners, head painter/dyers, etc.
I think sometimes we (meaning, costume professionals in general) move too quickly into positions of "master" jobs and lose sight of the ongoing value of apprenticeship-style subordinate positions. I particularly see this a lot in folks coming straight out of graduate school, taking jobs as drapers before they've done a lot of first-handing, choosing to take low-level design gigs over higher-level designers' assistantships, and especially going into jobs as lead crafts artisans, milliners, and painter/dyers over working in assistantship positions.
Those "master level" positions can be seductive--you are in the right place at the right time, they need someone NOW and offer it, they might come with benefits, a high pay rate, they're going to look great on your resume...
...And, all of that is true. I'm not arguing that you not take those jobs if they come your way. Just understand what it is that you are undertaking, and don't presume that now, you've "made it" to the next level and there's no point in considering future positions that are a rung or two back down the metaphorical "Guild ladder." If you are up to the challenge, by all means, take the master job and do your best, but know that it's like learning to swim by leaping into the deep end without a float, and know that you might serve yourself well by looking for freelance assistantships in the downtimes or when the job ends.
Real-life example: Was i really experienced enough to take the Lead Crafts Artisan job at the American Repertory Theatre when it was offered to me at age 27? Well, no, not really, i can honestly say, in retrospect. (Insert cliche here regarding the vision ratio of hindsight.) I'd been the previous lead craftsperson's assistant and done some great work for him so when he left, they offered me the promotion. Ideally, i'd have liked to work for him for another couple-few years before taking on that kind of responsibility. But that's not how it happened, and did i take it? Damn right i did, and i don't regret it one bit. I got four seasons of great crafts projects out of it, produced some beautiful high-quality work (a lot of which is still in my portfolio, like the ass head mask in my icon), worked with a ton of world-class designers and directors and performers, and made a lot of professional contacts with folks with whom i still keep in touch. So make no mistake, TAKE those jobs if you think you've got the moxie for it, turning them down is not what i'm advocating.
What i am advocating is this:
Work as an assistant to a skilled artisan whenever possible.
Because crafts is such a wide-open field, you need a diverse skill set, and a lot of the jobs you get in university and regional and summer theatres are what i think of as "sole-proprietorship"--you do projects that you decide how they get done and see them through from start to finish. For things that are fairly straightforward--say, casting pieces of jewelry to create multiple chains-of-office--you can look up a step-by-step process and just do it. For things that are completely off the wall-- "we need a pregnancy pad whose water breaks"--you can ask around to your colleagues, but ultimately, you are figuring it all out on your own and good luck to you.
The skills that are themselves actual trades, though, that's where i advise finding apprenticeships whenever you can--millinery, leatherwork, cobbling/cordwaining, dyeing. Costumers and crafts artisans are called upon to practice these trades as part of the larger goal of costuming a show or film, but the folks you want to seek out and learn from are those who specialize. If you do luck into a sole-proprietorship/"master" job just out of graduate school or similar, chances are you will still have parts of the year in which you can work elsewhere freelance--summer Shakespeare festivals or opera companies, commercial shops, etc.--especially if you have one of those "swiss cheese contracts" that pandorasfox brought up in the comments to my previous post.
I learned more about millinery on a three-month contract as a milliner's assistant than i learned in a graduate-level millinery course or in a half-dozen years spent making hats for shows. That's because in the average regional theatre production, i might make no hats at all, or i might make a dozen or more. As an assistant milliner, working on a team that did nothing but hats all day long, i had my hands on dozens of hats a week, depending on my job list. I learned trade tricks and construction tips, and was able to practice them over and over. Now, i'm not only a better milliner, but i'm a faster milliner; in fact, now i even teach my own graduate course in it, and i think my students get more out of the class than they would have, had i not worked specifically as a milliner's assistant doing all-millinery-all-the-time. And, next time i have the chance to work in a strictly-millinery shop, i hope to become even quicker and learn even more.
I could say the same for the two summers i spent apprenticed at a custom leatherwork shop--i learned construction techniques i never would have figured out on my own and which i've yet to read in any book on leathercraft. Some things are better learned by example and repetitive practice.
This isn't just limited to crafts, either. I met a master tailor in LA who took time out of entertainment-industry costuming gigs every so often to go work for a Savile Row tailor making bespoke suits. I've known drapers who take interim contracts as cutters and sample-makers in couture houses or custom bridal production, and designers who swap off between designing and assisting other designers.
As a crafts artisan, part of what i love about the field is that i'm not specializing. However, because i'm not a specialized tradesperson, i don't spend ALL my time on any one craft, and spending all your time on something for weeks at a time can be the best way to hone that skill. So, my second piece of advice to career costumers, especially career crafts artisans, is to consistently seek assistantship and "apprenticeship"-style jobs as a regular part of the palette of your work experience. It sounds kind of hippyish in a sense, but i think it's important never to lose sight of the idea of "collaborative art." There is always something else to be learned from someone, so open yourself to the opportunity whenever you can.
And (speaking specifically to crafts-artisan-focus folks here) who knows, you might take an assistantship job and realize that you DO want to specialize, that instead of being a Jack of All Trades you want to narrow your focus and become a master milliner. And if so, good luck to you! And, let me know when you need overhire! :D
On that note, tell me: what are y'all doing for the summer? Got paid work lined up? Volunteering? A series of bid jobs, or personal projects, or a total break from costuming? I want to hear all about it!
Everyone remembers from like, 3rd grade social studies class, the idea of the tradesman training model, back when you do that unit on Medieval Guilds and stuff, yes? How, used to be, young folks would learn a trade by first apprenticing to a master of the trade, where they'd do whatever was asked--grunt work, brute labor, cleaning the shop, inventory, finishing work, etc.--all the while learning the trade in a hands-on scenario. And of course, then after the apprenticeship, they'd become a journeyman, where they traveled around from town to town, picking up extra work with masters or on their own if there was no resident master of the trade. And, finally they'd settle down somewhere, join a guild, and be a master wheelwright or stonemason or vintner or whatever their trade was.
I believe that concept is a good lens through which to view a costuming career, in a sense, in that whenever you are working under another costume professional, your role is like an apprenticeship. Some jobs i think of as apprenticeship-style jobs are stitchers, milliner's assistants, generalists/"floaters"/swing workers (meaning, you do whatever's needed that day in whatever area of the shop you are assigned), crafts assistants, painter/dyer assistants, shoppers, interns, design assistants, and so forth. I'd put first-hands into this category, too, since they work under a draper, but i guess if i'm being a stickler about the analogy, they are more like journeymen, since being a first hand requires a higher level of patterning knowledge and skill.
So, to continue with the analogy, jobs which i think of as "master"-style jobs are drapers, designers, shop supervisors, lead crafts artisans, tailors, lead milliners, head painter/dyers, etc.
I think sometimes we (meaning, costume professionals in general) move too quickly into positions of "master" jobs and lose sight of the ongoing value of apprenticeship-style subordinate positions. I particularly see this a lot in folks coming straight out of graduate school, taking jobs as drapers before they've done a lot of first-handing, choosing to take low-level design gigs over higher-level designers' assistantships, and especially going into jobs as lead crafts artisans, milliners, and painter/dyers over working in assistantship positions.
Those "master level" positions can be seductive--you are in the right place at the right time, they need someone NOW and offer it, they might come with benefits, a high pay rate, they're going to look great on your resume...
...And, all of that is true. I'm not arguing that you not take those jobs if they come your way. Just understand what it is that you are undertaking, and don't presume that now, you've "made it" to the next level and there's no point in considering future positions that are a rung or two back down the metaphorical "Guild ladder." If you are up to the challenge, by all means, take the master job and do your best, but know that it's like learning to swim by leaping into the deep end without a float, and know that you might serve yourself well by looking for freelance assistantships in the downtimes or when the job ends.
Real-life example: Was i really experienced enough to take the Lead Crafts Artisan job at the American Repertory Theatre when it was offered to me at age 27? Well, no, not really, i can honestly say, in retrospect. (Insert cliche here regarding the vision ratio of hindsight.) I'd been the previous lead craftsperson's assistant and done some great work for him so when he left, they offered me the promotion. Ideally, i'd have liked to work for him for another couple-few years before taking on that kind of responsibility. But that's not how it happened, and did i take it? Damn right i did, and i don't regret it one bit. I got four seasons of great crafts projects out of it, produced some beautiful high-quality work (a lot of which is still in my portfolio, like the ass head mask in my icon), worked with a ton of world-class designers and directors and performers, and made a lot of professional contacts with folks with whom i still keep in touch. So make no mistake, TAKE those jobs if you think you've got the moxie for it, turning them down is not what i'm advocating.
What i am advocating is this:
Work as an assistant to a skilled artisan whenever possible.
Because crafts is such a wide-open field, you need a diverse skill set, and a lot of the jobs you get in university and regional and summer theatres are what i think of as "sole-proprietorship"--you do projects that you decide how they get done and see them through from start to finish. For things that are fairly straightforward--say, casting pieces of jewelry to create multiple chains-of-office--you can look up a step-by-step process and just do it. For things that are completely off the wall-- "we need a pregnancy pad whose water breaks"--you can ask around to your colleagues, but ultimately, you are figuring it all out on your own and good luck to you.
The skills that are themselves actual trades, though, that's where i advise finding apprenticeships whenever you can--millinery, leatherwork, cobbling/cordwaining, dyeing. Costumers and crafts artisans are called upon to practice these trades as part of the larger goal of costuming a show or film, but the folks you want to seek out and learn from are those who specialize. If you do luck into a sole-proprietorship/"master" job just out of graduate school or similar, chances are you will still have parts of the year in which you can work elsewhere freelance--summer Shakespeare festivals or opera companies, commercial shops, etc.--especially if you have one of those "swiss cheese contracts" that pandorasfox brought up in the comments to my previous post.
I learned more about millinery on a three-month contract as a milliner's assistant than i learned in a graduate-level millinery course or in a half-dozen years spent making hats for shows. That's because in the average regional theatre production, i might make no hats at all, or i might make a dozen or more. As an assistant milliner, working on a team that did nothing but hats all day long, i had my hands on dozens of hats a week, depending on my job list. I learned trade tricks and construction tips, and was able to practice them over and over. Now, i'm not only a better milliner, but i'm a faster milliner; in fact, now i even teach my own graduate course in it, and i think my students get more out of the class than they would have, had i not worked specifically as a milliner's assistant doing all-millinery-all-the-time. And, next time i have the chance to work in a strictly-millinery shop, i hope to become even quicker and learn even more.
I could say the same for the two summers i spent apprenticed at a custom leatherwork shop--i learned construction techniques i never would have figured out on my own and which i've yet to read in any book on leathercraft. Some things are better learned by example and repetitive practice.
This isn't just limited to crafts, either. I met a master tailor in LA who took time out of entertainment-industry costuming gigs every so often to go work for a Savile Row tailor making bespoke suits. I've known drapers who take interim contracts as cutters and sample-makers in couture houses or custom bridal production, and designers who swap off between designing and assisting other designers.
As a crafts artisan, part of what i love about the field is that i'm not specializing. However, because i'm not a specialized tradesperson, i don't spend ALL my time on any one craft, and spending all your time on something for weeks at a time can be the best way to hone that skill. So, my second piece of advice to career costumers, especially career crafts artisans, is to consistently seek assistantship and "apprenticeship"-style jobs as a regular part of the palette of your work experience. It sounds kind of hippyish in a sense, but i think it's important never to lose sight of the idea of "collaborative art." There is always something else to be learned from someone, so open yourself to the opportunity whenever you can.
And (speaking specifically to crafts-artisan-focus folks here) who knows, you might take an assistantship job and realize that you DO want to specialize, that instead of being a Jack of All Trades you want to narrow your focus and become a master milliner. And if so, good luck to you! And, let me know when you need overhire! :D
On that note, tell me: what are y'all doing for the summer? Got paid work lined up? Volunteering? A series of bid jobs, or personal projects, or a total break from costuming? I want to hear all about it!