Hello,

I'd like to apply to be your company's resident artist.

Many companies¹ throughout time have supported artists to make their work and thus fund innovation beyond what the market can provide.

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1. Bell Labs’ Experiments in Art and Technology program supports both short- and long-term artist collaborations and residencies. The program has expanded and inspired Bell Labs’ technological innovations since 1966. (link)

What your company gains from this:

• Research and development

  Everything I make during the residency will be inspired by aspects of your company, culture, and product. I will own the art that I make during the residency, but your company is welcome to use it as inspiration.

• Support innovation beyond your walls

  You will be supporting artistic exploration and innovation beyond what the market can provide.

• Support a working artist

  Your company can use my residency to market your support of the arts.

What do I get out of this:

• Time to make my art

  I'll be able to focus on this immersive project without having to work various jobs to make a living.

• Inspiration

  My hope is that in hanging around your company, I'll find some new things to make art about.

• Support

  You'll pay me for my time while a resident artist at your company.

What kind of art will I make?

I've made a lot of handmade websites². Some of them are small community³ websites⁴. I've also been involved in publications⁵ about the creative process. I also love to draw⁶, paint, photograph⁷, write⁸, make videos⁹, and create advertisements¹⁰.

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2. My personal website with links to websites I've made (link) 3. Special Fish - A directory of people (link) 4. Gossip's Web - A directory of handmade websites (link) 5. The Creative Independent (link) 6. Like the drawing in the background of this website 7. Walking Green – a photo diary 8. My blog (link) 9. One minute park (link) 10. Empty Day - a day of no social media (link, link)

During my residency, I'll invest my time into thinking about your company, culture, and products and take an interdisciplinary approach to what I create.

Here are some examples of projects I might work on:

• Drawing inspiration from your logo

  How can a logo go beyond just being a brand signifier? Can a logo embody the people, culture, and aspirations of a company?¹¹ Can a logo escape today's design trends? ¹²

• Imaginary office building

  In this unprecedented time, I'm interested in how our home offices are connected online daily creating a sort of virtual architectural space. What would the floorplan of this imaginary space look like? Are there simple tools or rituals that can bring our home offices closer together in these isolating times? ¹³

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11. In 1967, Fermilab, a lab specializing in particle physics, hired Angela Gonzales as a full-time artist. As a resident artist, Gonzales designed Fermilab's iconic logo. Many of her drawings combine Fermilab's identity, it's scientific mission, and the lab's physical surroundings in unexpected ways. (link) 12. I've been collecting logos that go beyond brand marks and evoke something more mysterious or emotional (link) 13. During a recent talk I gave at Upstatement, I asked the studio's employees to describe the rooms they were in and post their descriptions to a website I created called The Big Rectangle. (link)

Expectations

I ask that you not have any expectations going into this. That way if nothing concrete comes of this, you will not be disappointed. I also ask that you only consider this if paying me for my time will not be a setback for your company.

It's also important to understand that I won't be doing conventional work for your company. I will simply be inspired by your company and make art with your support.

Risks

If you go into this having expectations (which you shouldn't) and become disappointed by the outcome.

Details

Management

I think it would be antithetical to the idea of a resident artist to have a boss or manager but I do think communication is necessary. I'd like to propose that we have 1-2 meetings per month where I share what I've been working on. I'd also be happy to document my process on a handmade website like this one.

Meetings

I'd like to be able to attend meetings across your company just to observe and be inspired.¹⁴

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14. I'm happy to sign something that says I won't leak important information to the world about your company.

Timeline

1-3 months

Payment

Let's talk about what would be fair for us both.

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I understand this is a pretty unconventional idea but isn't that what innovation is all about? I look forward to being the first resident artist at your company.

Thank you for your time.

Wind over water,
Elliott