Creative Presence

Website: iamchriscooper.com

Creative Strategy

Portfolio

Creative CV

Summer Action Plan

Over the summer I plan on further expanding my contacts list into specific areas of the industry I am interested in and feel are relevant to my practice

Experimental Print

After my exhibition at Constellations I am keen to try and get more gallery connections, specifically in relation to experimental print. This is due to the fact that they allow for great exposure and can increase interest in your practice through the production on non-client orientated personal projects.

At the moment I am planning on contacting both Yuck Print House And B and B gallery Sheffield, both of which I think aesthetically are in line with my practice. Furthermore the former is based in Manchester where I am moving to later in the year and the latter has a personal connection to Peter and Paul in Sheffield

Music

Currently I am talking to both the music related clothes company Black Acid and Sheffield based electronic music venue The Night Kitchen about potential collaborations over the summer. Both have good followings within the electronic music scene and seem like good platforms through which to produce and promote my work.

I am also playing at Gottwood music festival and therefore will be able to network with a lot of different UK based music promoters, labels as well as well as internationally renowned artists.

Narrative

Given that much of my work is narrative based I want to build a connection with platforms that promote this kind of work. In particular I plan on sending work to Hato Press given that much of the work they produce is non-linear, experimental narrative imagery which I feel is a good fit for my work.

Peter and Paul – Opportunities

Although I have previously thought of the studio and my graphic design practice as being separate from my illustration practice; this year there has been a merging of the two through the opportunities it has provided for me personally.

Warp Films

Earlier this year I helped with the rebranding of warp films and now have a contact/connection with Warp of which there music division is probably top of my dream clients list.

Although I doubt anything will come of this initially I now have a foot in the door with the company and plan on sending some work over to them once the rebranding goes live later this year so as to give them a point of reference for my work.

Affordable Art Auction

I have also been asked to submit some of my screen prints to an upcoming exhibition/auction for one of the studios clients. Currently there are a lot of other big Sheffield names contributing work such as Kid Acne, Tom J Newell and Nick Deakin as well artist nationally contributing via the Central Illustration Agency.

Therefore this will provide a lot of exposure and credibility for my work given the quality/esteem of other people involved. Furthermore the event itself will be attended by a lot of other industry professionals and will provide a lot of networking opportunities.

Constellations

Off the back of the work I completely for Melodic Distraction I was offered a month long, 15-20 piece show at the Liverpool based music venue Constellations.

Much like the T-Shirts, this was a great way to provide a tangible and memorable reference point for people previously unaware of my practice. Furthermore, given that it was on show in a music venue, it allowed me to further promote myself towards the specific area of the industry that I am interested in.

Melodic Distraction

One of the main professional contacts I have gained this year is the up and coming Liverpool based internet radio station Melodic Distraction. Currently I produce promotional imagery for individual shows on the site and have also done all the external artwork/branding for there studio.

Given that internet radio is currently very popular, NTS and Boiler Room in London are both now internationally renowned, if the site is successful in the future it will provide a lot of exposure for my work within the specific area of the creative industry I want to work within.

Furthermore, on a regional level the Melodic Distraction team have a lot of ties with independent events promoters and record labels as well as local ties bars and music venues. Therefore they are a great contact through which to network with other potential clients similar to those I already have in Sheffield.

Promotion through Products - T Shirts

This year has also shown me how product can be used as a highly effective form of promotion.

Just before Christmas I decided to print a batch of T-shirts with the simple aim of creating money. However I found that through the course of selling them, that they were also an effective and powerful way of promoting my practice.

In particular they helped me gain a lot of connections in Liverpool where a friend was selling them for me. I think this is due to fact that a physical product, when produced to a high standard,  gives people that may be unaware of your practices a tangible and memorable point of reference.

It has also shown that I need to make the most of the contacts, both professional and personal, that I already have given that much of the sales were from my friend’s Liverpool based studio.