“In any artist’s life, the impulse to make is one that you have your whole life; that impulse cannot be taken away from you, but the impulse to share what you make can be squished out of you, and you kind of have to be more reliant than that.”
Sarah Blackman is the creative writing instructor and the department chair for creative writing at the Fine Arts Center in Greenville, South Carolina.
About
Sarah Blackman always had a special connection to her love of writing. “Telling stories, thinking about stories, and looking at the world and trying to figure out how I see it through language has been something I’ve done since before I could write,” said Blackman, originally from Bethesda, Maryland.
Blackman’s career path, in many ways, began unexpectedly. “I had ended up in teaching high school by accident,” said Blackman. When she first started, Blackman had always known that she wanted to have a career in writing, so she completed her college undergrad with a degree in English and a minor in creative writing before attending the University of Alabama to obtain her masters. In the process, Blackman gathered experience teaching different courses as part of the university’s full tuition remission program.
“I realized even though I never intended to teach, and it didn’t cross my radar until it was something I had to do to get my tuition covered. I realized that I liked it,” said Blackman. Blackman mentions that she didn’t think about teaching high school but decided to do college teaching. While in the market for college teaching positions, Blackman became a full-time instructor at the University of Alabama until she found a job opening at the Fine Arts Center. At the time, Blackman was residing in Mississippi and took the job with the Center as a placeholder until something else opened in the academic field. But then things took an unexpected turn. “I realized I love teaching high school, like, I loved it. And I did not anticipate that at all,” said Blackman.
As a creative writing instructor, Blackman’s typical workday begins early and often changes from day to day. Beginning at 8:30 in the morning, Blackmans prepares for her day by catching up on grading and reading over the curriculum she’ll teach that day. From 9:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Blackman teaches a class of first-year students, introducing new concepts, reviewing the readings and class discussions, and, on occasion, has a writing day just for students and herself to write. In the afternoons, Blackman teaches a class of upperclassmen who follow a similar schedule as the first-year students. While loving to teach, Blackman says that one of the biggest challenges was adjusting her teaching approach from college to high school.
From Blackman’s experience as a creative writing teacher and being the department chair of creative writing at the Fine Arts Center, she gives advice to upcoming creatives interested in teaching creative writing and other up-and-coming creatives. “You’re going to get told ‘no’ a lot, and you have to be able to hear that. You have to be able to hear No and not feel like every time you hear it, you’re being rejected,” said Blackman.
“You need to get out there, doing things, while you’re a student.”
Cole Bullock is a Recreation Specialist at Perry Correctional Institution in Greenville, SC. He designs and runs creative and athletic programs for inmates.
About
Cole Bullock double majored in Bible theology, and sports and fitness, which he says basically translates to a sports ethics degree. “The biggest thing, for, I think, any degree, is that once you have it on paper you essentially have to learn how to put it into practice,” he says.
He says that his degree helped him understand why his job helping inmates is important, but it didn’t quite prepare him for the job duties. “There’s not really much preparation as far as what it’s like to train yourself for prison except to go to prison,” he says. “I had no idea what to expect, you know, I’m walking into a prison with Hollywood movies giving me the context for what I’m about to encounter.”
Bullock is a Recreation Specialist at Perry Correctional Institution, a close security facility in Greenville, S.C. He designs and runs the hobby-craft program for the inmates, usually violent offenders with longer sentences.
“Good programs create good security. I’m creating confident individuals that exert their energy in a healthy way, where they establish themselves some discipline, and also giving them something that they enjoy,” he says. “Oftentimes, we’ll get new staff members, and they’ll do their orientation, and they’ll kinda walk into our hobby-craft room and you’ll see their eyes get this big.”
He says that as long as the programs are organized correctly, these recreation programs do far more good than harm. Creativity and physical fitness are “two sides of the same coin.” “Probably the worst thing you could do to someone who’s incarcerated it put them behind a door, lock it away, and then in forty years, unlock it, and let them out, and see if they’re any better for society,” he says. “I grew great compassion once I learned the plight of someone that’s incarcerated. I’ve seen guys create things where I’m like, ‘there is no way you could’ve possibly made this behind bars. This is incredible. This looks machine made.’”
Bullock wants to highlight the creativity of the men he works with. “Some of these guys make amazing things,” he says. “Some artists here draw like you would print a picture off, you know, with the realism. I mean, it’s quite shocking the talent that happens when you have enough time and initiative.”
He wants to emphasize the importance of networking and practical experience over the importance of a degree. He also suggests people interested in working in prisons should volunteer and join programs that come into prisons to run support groups and classes. “You just gotta get your feet wet.”
“Take your work seriously so that your client does as well.”
Matteo Miles, from Greenville, South Carolina is a self-employed and full-time traveling artist and painter. Specializing in painting murals, he travels around the region creating artwork.
About
Matteo Miles has always had a special relationship with creating art. “I loved it, I was always drawing since the second grade, and I was always just finding a reason to not do other homework and just focused on whatever required any kind of art,” said Miles. Throughout his grade school and high school years, Miles continued to hone his love of art and grow his skills by ensuring he took any advanced art learning classes he could.
During his time in school, he attended Greenville’s Fine Arts Center and later did a few years at Greenville Technical School. “That really helped me get a better gauge on the community. My mentors and professors were trying to engage their own work into real life and into career aspects. So that helped me take their work seriously,” said Miles.
After finishing school, Miles’s career path in the art world began by chance. While working as a bartender in a hotel, Miles volunteered to complete an unfinished mural in the bar. At the time, Miles had transitioned from doing canvas artwork to murals and was already creating art for Starbucks.
Miles’s typical workday includes starting his day by answering emails or phone calls from clients interested in having a mural, scheduling proposals, and trying to complete at least two to three murals a month. “Most of the time, its answering questions, especially for people who haven’t had any mural work done,” said Miles. In addition to his responsibilities, Miles has also faced some challenges in his career. “It took a while to learn how much things cost and underestimating what actually was required to get a project done,” said Miles. “But at the end, it was a learning experience.”
From Miles’s experience in creating murals and running a business, he offers his advice to upcoming creatives interested in the mural career path. “Special skills for like drawing and painting would be getting good exercise with large scale. Also you use your whole body, so exercise your whole body: stretch, make sure you’re able to have endurance whether its inside or outside,” said Miles.
Laura Ybarra-Kane, a native of Columbia, South Carolina, is the Manager of Education and interpretation planning at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. She holds an Anthropology of Education in Museum Studies degree from the University of South Carolina.
Laura Ybarra-Kane, a native of Columbia, South Carolina, is the Manager of Education and interpretation planning at the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. She holds an Anthropology of Education in Museum Studies degree from the University of South Carolina.
About
Laura Ybarra-Kane discovered her passion and career path at a young age. When visiting family in San Antonio at age four, Kane remembered walking into the planetarium and hearing Star Trek’s Captain Picard speak to her. She was in awe, she remembered, “I went into this planetarium and was like this it! This is what I want to do, this is amazing.”
From then on, Kane kept her passion throughout her school journey to follow the path that would lead her to a career in museums. When transitioning to college, Kane went with the mindset of wanting to be able to work in museums, but she didn’t have a clear understanding of the field. “I went into college with many different majors, but I ended up landing on the Anthropology of Education in museum studies,” said Kane.
After receiving her degree from the University of South Carolina, Kane began volunteering at her current job, the South Carolina State Museum in Columbia. As a volunteer, Kane gave tours and worked with the curating team for six months before being hired part-time. For five years, Kane traveled with a portable planetarium before transitioning to the EdVenture Children’s Museum, also in Columbia. After five years with EdVenture learning and working within schools, Kane returned to the South Carolina State Museum as Manager of Education and Interpretation Planning.
As Manager, Kane has many different duties and responsibilities, and so her typical workday includes wearing many different hats. As an interpreter, she observes how individuals interact with each exhibit within the museum and how they interpret the space they are in. As management of education, Kane assists with all things that involve teaching. “We do all things education and inspiring wonder,” said Kane. In addition, Kane is in charge of all the accessibility efforts at the museum and is the liaison for South Carolina for educational resources.
Throughout all her work and experiences, one particular project during her time with EdVenture that she is most proud of was opening up a MakerSpace, the first one in South Carolina. “That one stands out with me as the first time I got to do a lot of experience and a lot of mistakes,” said Kane. She offers advice to upcoming creatives interested in a career within the museum field and other up-and-coming creatives. “Just try it, see what you like because you never know what you might find,” said Kane.
“The more you push yourself out of your comfort zone and out of the box you’re used to, the more confident you get.”
Tori Hord is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Methodist University in Fayetteville, N.C. She grew up in Loris, S.C., and earned her bachelors in graphic design at Coastal Carolina University. She continued her graphic design with a Master of Graphic Design M.G.D. at North Carolina State University.
About
Tori Hord’s path to graphic design was not always clear. She began her studies at Coastal Carolina University as a biology major with thoughts of pursuing a medical career, her family remarked that she would make an excellent doctor. After a couple of semesters, she changed majors without telling anyone, giving them “small heart attacks” when they found out.
Upon switching to graphic design, she went all in, joining the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) and working at The Athenaeum Press, Coastal’s student-driven publishing lab. Specifically, she worked on the Gullah: The Voice of an Island with the Athenaeum Press and recalls the joy and excitement of getting recognition for work that she and her friends poured their hearts into — work for which they earned an national American Advertising Award, or ADDY.
Working as a professor is a career path that has allowed Hord to pursue the “best of both worlds.” She enjoys sharing her graphic design expertise with college students as she continues cultivating her own artistic skill. “I didn’t want to stop my design career to allow me to teach,” Hord said, so she leads two to three studio classes per day while carving out time to focus on her own projects as a freelance designer and consultant.
Professor Hord encourages other aspiring graphic designers to join professional groups like AIGA (American Institute for Graphic Arts) and to get some pre-professional experience. Her essential advice for college students is, “Listen to that little voice and go after what you do want, regardless of what other people might think.”
“Try to get as many different kinds of experiences as possible. I think a wealth of experiences is really valuable.”
Theresa Marchi was the Director of Strategic Marketing at the charity United Way of Greenville County. She takes a holistic approach to marketing, working to engage the community in different ways.
About
“When I was growing up and realizing I sucked at biology, I was just like, ‘What am I going to do with my life? I want to make something matter… I want to have a purpose, and I’m good at art,’” Theresa Marchi says. Now, as the Director of Strategic Marketing at United Way in Greenville, she’s found a way to use her artistic skills to help her community. Marchi graduated from Coastal Carolina University in 2017 with a degree in graphic design. She worked at an ad agency in Myrtle Beach and went from there to a company in Greenville that designed college athletic spaces. “At the time, that was my dream job,” she says, describing how enthusiastic she was about integrating brands into physical spaces. Her experience designing a museum exhibit with The Athenaeum Press, the student-driven publishing lab at Coastal, helped her get the job. “They saw that on my resume, and they were like, ‘You already have some of these skills that a lot of students don’t,’” she says. She went from there to United Way to try to help her community.
Marchi started as a graphic designer, but her current role involves planning out her whole year. She collects data about what marketing approaches are reaching donors and community members, and which ones aren’t. “A lot of the time we see that there’s a very high alignment that community members have with our work, they just don’t know it. They just don’t know what we do,” Marchi says. “So part of my role is really figuring out what’s the best avenue to reach them.” She says that marketing for a nonprofit is more difficult than marketing a product or service. “What we’re selling is not tangible,” she says. “So, it’s really laying into the storytelling, the impact, the strategy of how we’re doing this work that is most important in this space.” She says that seeing successful community events is the most rewarding part of her job. “The lives that are changed and the other resources that they’re connected to, that has been really special and really fulfilling.”
Marchi recommends that students who are interested in her role should diversify their educational and work experiences. “I think a wealth of experiences is really valuable,” she says, and describes that working in customer service helped her learn the lingo necessary for successful marketing. She says that the connections she made by being an active volunteer with the Rotary Club helped her get further than she would have otherwise. She also tells students to be curious. “It sounds overused, but I think curiosity, trying to understand why we’re doing these things that we’re doing, how is it going to further the mission, that is something that is really hard to find in others,” she says. “If you really want to be a standout, for me it’s that attitude.”
“In any career where you are engaged in growing, it’s going to be challenging at points.”
Lauren Rose is a Coastal Carolina University (CCU) alumnus with a degree in design. Originally from Longs, S.C., she is a publication designer and Design Editor at North State Media in Raleigh, N.C.
About
Lauren Rose has always had a special connection to art. “I’ve always been into art. I loved art sets and just being creative,” said Rose. Her career path started in high school when she was introduced to graphic design and digital photography. During high school, Rose took on side gigs helping friends with designing flyers(…).
When she started college at Coastal Carolina University (CCU), Rose initially didn’t know what type of design work she wanted to do. She gained experience working with the Chanticleer newspaper for a year and a half, where she became the art director and further solidified her love of design and the newspaper. After graduating with a degree in graphic design in 2016, Rose moved to Raleigh, N.C., where she began her position at North State Media as Design Editor.
Rose’s typical workdays range from day to day. “My work week is not a typical nine to five at all,” said Rose. As Design Editor for North State Media, Rose oversees all things design for the paper. With the paper being published weekly, most of her work happens Sunday through Thursday. Some of her responsibilities include basic housekeeping of the paper, formulating the paper’s layout, making new templates, exploring new ideas, and working closely with editors on designing paper layouts for stories.
Throughout all of Rose’s experiences in establishing her career in graphic design and becoming a Design Editor for North Sate Media, she offers advice to upcoming creatives and creatives interested in this career path. “It’s important, if you’re going to pursue this as a career, that there is some element of passion,” said Rose. Rose also suggests not letting certain issues or challenges get your way. “Let your ego go. Go into a job willing to learn, willing to mess up, and know that you’re not being judged,” said Rose.
“Just follow your path and there are some great opportunities out there for an artist.”
Kathy Phillips is the Creative Director for Springs Creatives and the Chief Curator at Baxter Mill Archive. She holds a degree in Costume Design in Theater and a Masters in Costume Designing.
About
Kathy Phillips was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but she has worked in the textile industry and lived in South Carolina since 1998.
Coming from an artistic family, Phillips was always encouraged by her mother to pursue something artistic. “I have a brother who’s an architect, another brother who’s a fine artist, a sister who’s an interior designer, and my father who’s a chief. We’re all very creative, but I love to sew, and I’ve been sewing all my life,” said Phillips.
In addition to her love of sewing, Phillips also harbored a passion for fashion and wanted to pursue a career in fashion design, but she found it difficult. “I felt like I didn’t fit in with the fashion design students, and so I wanted to try something different,” said Phillips. During that time, Phillips discovered and majored in costume design in theater and eventually received her Master’s in costume design.
Phillps worked in the costume design field for ten years in Connecticut, designing for Hartford Stage and Off-Off-Broadway until the fashion company Casual Corner, which had a job opening in textile design, found her. At the time, Phillips didn’t know what textile design was, so she learned on the job. Phillips later started working as a textile designer for the home industry, working with the Springs family of Springs Creatives. She created and designed textiles such as shower curtains, towels, rugs, and bedding.
As the Creative Director for Springs Creative, Phillips’s typical workday ranges from day to day. “Every day is a different day, every day, and that’s what I love about it,” said Phillips. Some of Phillip’s workload includes helping the trend forecasting company, Fashion Snoops, pull items for the company’s trend report. In addition, as the Chief Curator at Baxter Mill Archive, which has over one million pieces of antique archives from all over the world, Phillips invites retailers and designers from all over to use the space as a library of inspiration.
Eddie Howard, from Greenville, South Carolina, is the Director of the Recording Arts Program at the Fine Arts Center. Establishing the program in 2007, Eddie Howard works to teach both younger and older students how to record music.
Interview
Transcript
Edward Howard
Edward Howard and I’m from Greenville, South Carolina. I teach the Recording Arts program at the Fine Art Center in Greenville.
Haley Hansen
How long have you been working there?
Edward Howard
Well, I started the Recording Arts program in 2007 as an afternoon class teaching high school aged students the art of recording. It’s like a recording studio. And that’s what we have. And so I’ve been teaching afternoon class since then. But we just added a morning class, so that’s it’s doing I’m doing that full time now.
Haley Hansen
What’s your official job title at the Fine Arts Center?
Edward Howard
It’s Director of Recording Arts.
Haley Hansen
Can you walk me through a typical workday there?
Edward Howard
Okay. Yeah, we have a I have a morning class of younger students who are more on an entry level, just learning how to record the very, very basics. So I walk through and demonstrate different things they have, they do some book work, but it’s mostly hands on.
Edward Howard
And then my afternoon class are a little older students. They’re typically 11th and 12th graders, sometimes 10th graders and most of those students are already recording when they come into that class. They’ve been—they figured out ways to do it at home, and so they have some experience going in. So, they just kind of come in and take it to the next level.
Haley Hansen
How did you end up in this field?
Edward Howard
My uncles, my mother’s three brothers, four brothers built the first recording studio in Greenville, South Carolina, in 1958. And so my dad used to love to go hang out in studio when I was like, five or six years old. So we, for years, really all my life, we would go hang out at the studio, sometimes at nights and weekends when they were doing sessions. So, I kind of got the studio bug from that.
Edward Howard
And then later, last couple of years in high school, I was a guitar player. And that was involved in a couple of bands in between 1971 and ’74. We finished high school in ’72 and hit the road, and the band got very, very busy. And we were staying gone so much, I just I didn’t like traveling that much.
Edward Howard
And so I decided to come back to Greenville, and wanted to get into the studio business. And so that’s what I did, came back to Greenville in ’74, started hanging out the studio, and went to work there in ’77, spring of ’77.
Edward Howard
So, worked in the studio ever since I’ve been in recording business; I have owned three different studios, been part owners/partners, in three different studios. And I’ve built several studios for people as well. So that’s kind of what I’ve done. You know, for years, I
Haley Hansen
How did you wind up at the Fine Arts Center?
Edward Howard
Well, a friend of mine, Steve Watson, who is retiring this year, he has been directing a jazz program at the Fine Art Center for 27 years. He and I met in 1985 when he first moved back here from L.A., and he and I worked, we did a number of jazz records, together, a number of albums together in the studio. Became friends and just have ever since.
Edward Howard
And so when they built the new Fine Arts Center in 2006, I believe it’s when they were it was under construction, he called, and he said, “I think I can get the budget to put a recording rig in my jazz class, I just won’t be able to record my kids.” And so we met, and I consulted with some folks there about what kind of equipment to put in and you know, everything had gone ProTools and computers and stuff by then. So he did that. And they installed all the equipment.
Edward Howard
And every couple of weeks or so he would call and say, “Can you come by on Thursday afternoon or something and and record the kids?” And so I’d go over and do that every couple of weeks or so. And I will say recording one day in 2007, I believe it was, and Dr. Flour, the director at the time walked in and he said, “Oh my gosh, we’ve got $80,000 worth of equipment in this room and we’re not doing a recording program.” And so I said, “I’ll help you start it. And I give you the afternoons, that’s all I can give you: two-hour afternoons.”
Edward Howard
And so we did that and started our first semester started 2008. I think it was fall of 2008, and that has a two-hour afternoon class. And then we just added this past year, added the morning class. So doing a morning and afternoon class.
Edward Howard
And I have about 20 students now.
Haley Hansen
Are you still teaching out of the first studio you help design there?
Edward Howard
Where?
Haley Hansen
At the Fine Arts Center, like the one that you were hired as a consultant for?
Edward Howard
Yes, that’s our main control room. And since then, since we started the program, we’ve added two spaces. There’s two rounds that are about like 12 by 12 spaces. One of them has three workstations in it, the other one has four workstations.
Haley Hansen
Do you have a defining moment in your creative journey that made you realize this was what you wanted to do with your life like a particular project that you worked on?
Edward Howard
No, really I had always loved the recording process. And even when I was traveling on the road before I always had in the back of my mind that “You know one day I need to get into the studio that’s what I need to do.” And I really just kind of knew that. I had grown up around it, and had seen enough of it to know that that’s what I want to do. And so I did that and started in ’77. And been doing it ever since. So…
Haley Hansen
What was the biggest adjustment or challenge that you faced when you started your current role at the Fine Arts Center?
Edward Howard
Well, when, when Dr. Fluhrer, Roy, is what we always called him. When Roy asked me to start the program, and I said, I said, “Roy, I’m not the teacher. That is not something I feel like I do.”
Edward Howard
My biggest challenge was learning how to teach, learning to how to develop curriculum. I had done some workshops. Me and a friend of mine used to do some workshops in the studios, but it was mostly for adults, producers, and arrangers and musicians who wanted to learn how to record. They wanted to learn the technical side of recording.
Edward Howard
So I’ve never been in a position of teaching kids, you know, students. So that was, that’s probably the biggest challenge. Learning that, but the faculty, the the other teachers, these guys are just incredible people. And they were so helpful to help me to learn how to do stuff like that, how to develop a curriculum, how to teach, you know, how to teach a class. Yeah, it’s a whole different thing than recording with a bunch of professional musicians.
Haley Hansen
Do you recommend any specific skills that someone aspiring toward your, toward your field or position like yours should try to develop?
Edward Howard
Just learn, learn how to do it yourself. You know, most some of my best students, they come in, and they’re all they’ve found free software programs at home. And they found out ways to do it. And a lot of them are just doing stuff on their phones nowadays. And they come in with these demos, impressive demos that they’ve done with their, on their phone, with free software. And that’s, that just seems to be the best way to get started with it.
Edward Howard
And a lot of times when I’m interviewing students, and that’s one of the first questions I ask is, “Are you already recording?” And if they say, “No, I’ve not done anything yet.” So I’ll tell them, “Then find a way. Go out and find a way. There’s free software all over the internet, you could do it on your phone, you can do it on iPads, if you have the luxury of having a good computer available, you know, even better. But find a way to do it.” And that’s, that’s really the best way for them to learn the basics to start learning the basics.
Haley Hansen
What’s something that you want specifically your students to learn about pursuing a career in a creative field?
Edward Howard
The biggest thing you know, some of the biggest things I’ve tried to do with them is to teach them how to be self-discipline. Teach them how to manage projects, manage their time and do their best, you know, never settle for seconds, go in for the best sounds. And because that if they go out in this business as a recording engineer, or producer, or composer, that’s what the challenge is going to be in the real world.
Haley Hansen
What would you say is the hardest part of advising students for college and for career-readiness?
Edward Howard
In this kind of work, in the recording work, the college of choice has more to do with where do you want to be when you come out the other side? Because they’re their universities around the country. Almost all the universities have great recording programs now. Unlike when I came along, there were no educational, no colleges, were offering any kind of training in recording field, and audio or video. And so now just about every university everywhere has serious recording programs.
Edward Howard
But each of the universities tend to steer students in a particular direction. So if you go to Nashville and go to Belmont, you’re probably going to end up in Nashville, you know. So, different universities and different programs tend to guide the students in different areas into different parts of the country. So, you have to kind of look at their programs, and look at their internship programs, and see where do they push students at the other end? You know, and where do you want to be? You want to be in New York, you want to be in Dallas, LA, you know, or in a small town somewhere, like Greenville?
Haley Hansen
What part of that process of preparing students for college and career readiness would you say that you’re very successful at?
Edward Howard
Just teaching a commercial-level, recording. Teaching them how to how to record music, you know, live music and digital music. And how to produce music. How to work with people, you know. I really encourage my kids to collaborate on projects because they will learn 10 times more collaborating with someone else than they will if they they just sit down at their computer and work in a bubble. The progress they make will be very slow for most students, generally, but they will they will progress much faster if they work with other students creating music projects. And that prepares them for the for university level.
Edward Howard
Most of the college programs, that are doing recording programs, I constantly get feedback from people from the universities, that will tell me that my, my students that go into those programs, they’ll tell the students, you’re gonna be bored for the first semester or maybe for two semesters, because it takes that long for, for my students to catch up with where you are. So, they’re getting like a real boost ahead in the recording program, you know, if they decide to enter a four year program of recording.
Haley Hansen
I know that some of the colleges in South Carolina have like an arrangement with the Fine Arts Center, that the classes there count as a college-level course. Like I took creative writing there, and I got credit for a creative writing class at Coastal [Carolina University]. Does your program has anything set up with colleges like that?
Edward Howard
Yeah, we we try to get colleges to do as much of that possible we have actually have a contract with Clemson for a number of our programs, with Clemson University. Where with a Recording Arts, they can test out of a semester, or they might test out of two semesters. So if they decided to go into the Recording Arts program, depending on what level that they’ve learned in my program, they might be able to skip a semester at Clemson, for instance. And we’re working on more universities that do that there. A lot of universities will talk about that. And they’ll say, oh, yeah, that’s a great idea. But it’s a very time-consuming thing to put together an agreement like that. It’s a very complex agreement.
Haley Hansen
Are there any organizations or programs or events that you recommend for folks in South Carolina who are interested in your field?
Edward Howard
For universities?
Haley Hansen
Universities, or like summer camps, like getting involved in the community, anything like that?
Edward Howard
Well, I encourage them to get involved in the community, all they can. They can go to other studios and hang out, or they go hang out some live concerts and just kind of get the feel of live music as well. But there’s not a lot of programs, summer camps, for that kind of thing.
Edward Howard
We are actually doing a thing this summer, called Summer Intensive, where a number of our programs at the Fine Arts Center are doing a one week, three hours a day for a week. Four days, it’s just four days, not a week. And so it’s kind of like a icebreaker for a student that would be coming into my program. And I’ve got several students that have enrolled in my program next Fall that are coming to the Summer Intensive thing, just to kind of get a leg up on it, you know, get ahead of the game. So that’s that’s a particular thing.
Edward Howard
But you got universities, like in this area, immediate area, you’ve got UNC Charlotte, you’ve got Francis Marion, I think Coastal Carolina has a program, Clemson has an incredible program, the USC [University of South Carolina] has a program. And so most most of the universities nowadays are doing really good Recording Arts programs.
Haley Hansen
Before we end the interview, do you have any advice for current students or young adults who are pursuing a creative career?
Edward Howard
You know, Dr. Fluhrer, the guy who started the Fine Arts Center and ran the Fine Arts Center for years, he always had this whole…. All the time I’ve worked around him, he had this little saying, and he would say he would just say, “Do the work.” You know, just a simple thing. And that’s come to school every day, do the work, you know, not lollygag, not hang out, just talking.
Edward Howard
But you know, I think for the Recording Arts Program, I tell parents and students, this is not if you’re not a very self disciplined program, this is not for you. Because we don’t have a class where I gather everybody up every day. And today’s students, this is what we’re going to do never happens. Everybody works at their own pace at their own level. And that’s the way the real world works. In the recording business.
Edward Howard
You know, the nobody in the recording world wants to be paying a studio musician or a recording engineer or producer and have to say, “Come on, guys, let’s go for it. Let’s get this done.” You know, they don’t want to be pushing people. You know, they want people to be working there because they love what they do, and they do it well. And that’s what I try to get my students to learn, learn how to do the work and do it well.
Haley Hansen
Is there anything else you think it’s important you say before we end the interview?
Edward Howard
No, just self-discipline and do what you love. My dad used to tell me, “Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s what you love to do.” There’s no reason why anybody should hate their job and hate their career. And so when you choose students when they choose, we just try to encourage them to choose the right career for the right reason. And choose something that you love to do. You know, not something that your parents want you to do, or somebody else is pushing you to do. Or not because you think, “Oh, I’ll look that career because you can make a lot of money.” You know, you can’t do it for the money. You know, the recording business is a very lucrative business for people who are very who are self-disciplined and are determined. It makes a great career. And and if you do that for the right reason, the money is always there.
Haley Hansen
Well, thank you for taking the time to speak with me.
“Try to get as many different kinds of experiences as possible. I think a wealth of experiences is really valuable.”
Theresa Marchi was the Director of Strategic Marketing at the charity United Way of Greenville County. She takes a holistic approach to marketing, working to engage the community in different ways.
Interview
Transcript
Theresa Marchi My name is Theresa Marchi, originally from Connecticut.
Emma Plutnicki Perfect. And can you tell us what you do for work, and where you’re currently working from?
Theresa Marchi Yeah, I am the Director of Strategic Marketing here at United Way of Greenville County. So located in the upstate of South Carolina, Greenville.
Emma Plutnicki Perfect! How long have you been working there?
Theresa Marchi Yeah. I’ve been here two years.
Emma Plutnicki Okay. And your official job title is…
Theresa Marchi Director of Strategic Marketing.
Emma Plutnicki Perfect. Well, how did you end up in the job that you have today?
Theresa Marchi
Yeah, so I got my degree from Coastal [Carolina University] in graphic design, in 2017. And then from there, I had been working at an ad agency in Myrtle Beach, which was a fantastic opportunity. But at the time, my dream job was to create college athletic spaces. And there was a company in Greenville, South Carolina that was doing that, and I was just obsessed. And so at the time, that was my dream job. And I wanted to go into that field, because it kind of blew my mind that there are designers that design beyond this flat surface of logos and videography and pieces like that, elements of advertising like that. And they really are almost like engineers and architects where they design a whole facility, and they help tell a brand’s story, an athletic’s story about what makes their space special, and why athletes should be part of their program and the history and the legacy that they get to be a part of. And so that was really intriguing to me, that kind of storytelling.
Theresa Marchi
And I had moved up to Greenville to accept a role there as a designer and learned a lot. What helped me at the time was, the Athenaeum Press program at Coastal Carolina had, I had been part of helping develop a museum exhibit. And so this company in Greenville, they’re called Jack Porter, they saw that on my resume, and they were like, “you already have, like some of these skills that a lot of students don’t.” So that really helped me start thinking about design differently and storytelling, a lot different than, I think, a lot of other designers at the time. And from there, I just got really interested in marketing as a whole, how we’re telling stories and this holistic piece of the journey that people learn about a brand and get engaged in it. And so I had an opportunity to work at United Way of Greenville County, I started as a graphic designer here, and just asked a lot of questions, and then kind of seeing that potential and that, like, quality in me, and poking holes in things and trying to understand and build something really meaningful and intentional with our community, they asked me to take this role, which is, takes a holistic approach to that to our marketing efforts. And we just figure out how to engage the community in different ways. So kind of how I got to this role.
Emma Plutnicki
Nice, amazing. So nowadays, what do your day to days look like? What are you responsible for? And what are you working on?
Theresa Marchi
Yeah, so, day to day looks a lot different than it did when I first started. So as a designer, I used to be in the art aspect of things and making sure that the art pieces kind of resonate and tell the story that way. And now my role is a lot more different, and it’s a lot more planning, and it’s fighting for the whole year of all of these touchpoints that we’re going to have with community members, special segments, doing a lot of data interpretation. So collecting all the data, what’s reaching our donors, what’s, what’s not, what’s reaching our community, what’s not. Figuring out what’s working, a lot of A/B testing, and just trying to figure out the best messaging positioning for different groups to try to engage them in the work. And a lot of the times we see that there’s a very high alignment that community members have with our work, they just don’t know it, they just don’t know we do. And so part of my role is really figuring out what’s the best avenue to reach them, and to get them plugged into our work.
Emma Plutnicki
Nice, that’s awesome. So you mentioned the project at the Atheneum Press. And is there any other like defining moment in your journey so far, whether it’s at your job now, or just a project that you’ve worked on, that kind of sticks with you as something like meaningful to you?
Theresa Marchi
Yeah, I think there are a lot. I work in a nonprofit space. And so, truly, what’s been special is seeing pieces come to life and see– it sounds cheesy, but the lives that are being changed because of it. So one of the projects that we have here at United Way is this event called School Tools. And it’s hundreds of people lined up starting at four in the morning, and they will line up and get a backpack full of school supplies. And it’s not just school supplies that are just from all over the place. We work with Greenville County schools to make sure that these backpacks are full of items that the students are actually going to need. They’re organized by elementary school, high school, middle school and families who come and get backpacks they need. And I think you know, there are a lot of really great pieces of my job, but the moments where I get to go to School Tools and see the work really play out and people that have been waiting there since 4am to get a backpack and the lives that are changed and the other resources that they’re connected to, that has been really special and really fulfilling in my work. Because when I was growing up and realizing I sucked at biology, I just was like, “What am I going to do with my life? I want to make something matter in our community, in this world, I want to have a purpose. And I’m good at art. And so, how does that translate into the work?” And I think I’ve really found that here working in the nonprofit space and using the skills that I do have to help change lives. So that’s been really special to me.
Emma Plutnicki
Amazing. So working in the nonprofit, is it challenging? Like, what challenges do you face that you might not see in other areas?
Theresa Marchi
Yeah, I think what’s so challenging being in marketing in a nonprofit space, compared to the for-profit, is usually there’s a product in the for-profit. You are selling, you know, a better experience or something. And in the nonprofit space, what we’re selling is not tangible. So it’s really laying into the storytelling, the impact, the strategy of how we’re doing this work that is most important in this space. Whereas with the for-profit side, you can use a lot of different marketing tactics to sell a product, and its physical, and someone’s going to get it. And then the other side of it in the nonprofit space is, it’s just a lot more complex, and trying to find these allies and cheerleaders for your work, and really figure out how to engage them, it just really feels like a completely different ballgame. You use different kinds of tools. Some things are very similar from a marketing perspective, but I think it’s, to me a lot more challenging, in a good way.
Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, that makes sense. So you also mentioned that one reason that kind of helped you in the job process was having that real world experience. Are there any other skills that an applicant should have that would increase their chances of getting a job in a field similar to yours?
Theresa Marchi
Yeah, I think, you know, in the marketing field, one of the skills, traits, that I find most valuable, especially where I’m at in my career is curiosity. And it sounds, I think, overused, but truly, when you’re in marketing, I really feel that everything needs to have a reason, especially in the nonprofit space, when you’re having to utilize resources very intentionally, I think curiosity, trying to understand why we’re doing these things that we’re doing, how is it going to further the mission, what is that experience that people are going to get when they interact with our brand, with our work? That is something that is really hard to find in others, in candidates? And if you really want to be a standout, for me, it’s it’s that attitude, that, you know, always striving for more. Asking questions. And I think as you get into adulthood, and the space is is different from college, it’s not as like, safe, still keeping curious. And asking the questions and trying to make the work better, is really something that I second guessed a lot early in my career that I just at this point, I just am who I am. I’m going to ask the questions. And that’s how I think you can make the most difference in your your work.
Emma Plutnicki
Yeah, perfect. And within South Carolina, have there been any programs or organizations or events that you’ve gone to that have helped like progress your career, either that’s like through making connections, through specific clubs or groups or organizations? Can you think of any events like that?
Theresa Marchi
Yeah, I think there are a lot. So to begin with, rotary was a very pivotal organization that I was involved with in college and transitioned into, you know, my adulthood and real girl career. And that had really helped me network with a lot of people that got me into the rooms where I had a lot more options than I probably normally would have. And I just think taking the leadership opportunities in rotary helped me work through managerial challenges and working with others that kind of helped push my work forward some more. Another one is the association, or American Marketers Association, that one is full of resources and tools that has really helped me and kind of shaped my strategy process and what those materials look like, and the training opportunities. That’s been huge. And then, recently, I’ve started working on my MBA, and that’s kind of furthered a lot of my thinking, as far as marketing goes, and kind of the business end of things. So those are a few areas that have worked really well for me. I’m a big learner. So I’m game for all of it.
Emma Plutnicki
Yeah. Perfect. So just as we wrap up, do you have any advice for people who are trying to get into your field?
Theresa Marchi
Yeah, I think try to get as many different kinds of experiences as possible. I think, you know, one thing that, silly in hindsight, that has actually helped me a lot because it was just a different experience, was I spent the summer working for Chant 411 [the university’s information desk] on campus. And it was an opportunity where I learned all about customer service and, that you don’t use the words “I don’t know” you just kind of use other language to kind of work through it. And I think I use that all the time. And I think about that training and really just kind of diversifying your experience in that way is really helpful. Because then when you step into a situation, especially a work situation, you can see different perspectives and new things that you wouldn’t have brought to the table, had you just solely focused on one thing. So I think a wealth of experiences is really valuable.
Emma Plutnicki
That’s great advice. And is there just anything else you’d like to add about anything?
