'LIFE' @ The Sesh; Sticker Cover for Stew
Stew, LIFE & Warren Records
I met Stewart Baxter through a collaborative brief I'm currently completing (blog post to be published upon completion). He's not only the drummer for Hull punk band LIFE, but he also runs Warren Records. It states on their website that "The Warren Youth Project’s Music Service has supported vulnerable and marginalised young people and music creators for 33 years – launching Warren Records in 2009 to provide a professional platform for those creators and their music, particularly those to whom access has been denied by socio-economic circumstance. We differ from other youth organisations and music services primarily because we are constitutionally governed by young people – thereby ensuring empowerment is at the heart of everything we do.' Warren Records is a PRS for Music Foundation Associate Talent Development Partner." They've produced a lot of local records and have been in the business of music development for over thirty years, as I got to know Stew a little more through discussions of the brief he'd set for LIFE I got to know more about him. It was whilst I was on holiday I saw he'd bought a copy of 'Dear Self' from my online store, given my holiday status, I suggested giving it to him a the next Sesh night, as LIFE were playing, it would save him on postage and allow us to finally meet face to face.
With each copy of Dear Self sold, I include a small free sketch, and when thinking of what to do for Stew, I decided on something multipurpose. The design (shown above) was done with a black biro pen on neon yellow sticker paper, I then stuck the image on the front of the envelope. It made for a nice cover and way to store the zine, whilst also promoting their upcoming gig at The Sesh.
I posted the picture on instagram, with a little editing, a few hours before the gig. I tagged Stew and Mak (runs The Sesh) and they both asked for copies of the image to spread around on social media. It was a nice last minute push for the gig, and the DIY style of it fit in really well with LIFE's punk aesthetic.
Networking
On the night I met Stew and the rest of the boys from LIFE, it was really nice meeting the people I had been working for for the past couple of weeks, and hearing the positive feedback from the work I'd been producing for them was extra great. I think there's a certain importance to networking in the real world rather than just online. It gave me a chance to speak to them naturally and as people rather than just names of clients. Stew also spoke about the possibilities once the project I was working on was finished, he suggested they may send a copy of the final thing over to SoYoung magazine as they had a close link to LIFE. Having the right clients and networking web can open up a huge range of possible new contacts, and I'd really like to believe in notion of community and hard work paying off.
In all instances of commissioned work I've done, (both the good, the bad and the ugly) I've found that it's always best to be honest and open to your client. This allows for the good clients to feel trusted and more open, resulting in an often better working relationship and quality of work produced. It also allows me to weed out the not so great clients early (Mr Vague Idea, Miss Oh You Want Paying? ect). I hope that by treating the clients and commissioned work I do with respect, time and effort in each instance, over time I'll create a strong body of reliable contacts; I understand this sounds a lot like common sense, but I think acting and presenting yourself as a professional goes a long way in this industry.
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