stella design gallery

How Design Conference

Photo via www.howdesignconference.com

HOW is having its annual design conference in Austin, TX, from June 24th to June 27th. If you register by April 1st, you will save $100. I can't afford it (unless I find out that they offer scholarships to attend), but I am relieved to know that HOW sells MP3 downloads of the speeches and presentations for less than $20 after the conference is over.

Here are the sessions I'm most interested in:

• Everything I Know I Learned from Video Games by Dave Werner, creative director for Minor Studios
• Craft + Activism = Craftivism by Kate Bingaman-Burt, founder of Obsessive Consumption
• Why Pay for It When You Can Get It for Free? by Jeff Fisher of Jeff Fisher LogoMotives.

I'm disappointed to miss the free paper samples and promotions, but hopefully I'll be able to go to Baltimore AIGA's Pulp, Ink and Hops this fall.

The Business of Craft

The Baltimore Etsy Street Team (B.E.S.T.) is hosting its first business meet up at the Creative Alliance on Sunday, January 25th! The meeting will feature roundtable discussions by several important figures in the local and national craft scene:

• Cynthia Blake Sanders, MD Lawyers for the Arts
• Rebecca Cason, former Director of the Buyers Market of American Craft
• Jen Menkhaus, craft artist and one of the founders of B.E.S.T.
• Nita Gale, web designer
• Ariella Levin of Baltimore's Best Bookkeeper
• Thomas Wynn, photographer

I can't wait! I'm especially interested in learning about web design and photographing one's own work. If you want to go, I suggest registering ahead of time to save some cash:

Sunday, Jan 25th from 10am-2:30pm.
Advanced registration is $25, $20 CA & BEST members. Walk-in $30, $25 CA & BEST members. Includes lunch!

Professional Development for Artists

I just found out that the Maryland Lawyers for the Arts is hosting a series of workshops for artists:

Protecting Your Work: Copyright Issues
Saturday, September 27th from 2:00pm to 3:30pm
with Ober/Kaler attorney and MLA Board member Cynthia Sanders

Marketing Your Work
Saturday, October 11th from 2:00pm to 3:30pm
with art consultant/dealer and MLA Board member Anne Clark Prifis

Protecting Your Work: Navigating Contracts
Saturday, October 25th from 2:00pm to 3:30pm
with Gorman & Williams attorney and MLA Board member Michael Yang

NOTICE: all workshops are free and open to the public. Seating is limited, so please call ahead to reserve a space at 410.962.8565

For more information, you can visit www.mdartplace.org

Also, the Baltimore ETSY Street Team (BEST) has revamped their web site! Check it out here. Be sure to sign up for their mailing list; you can win a gift basket of handmade craft! Also of note: their cool monthly e-newsletter. I got the first issue today in my inbox.

Baltimore Biz Ladies

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't go to the Baltimore Biz Ladies meetup at the American Visionary Art Museum last night. It was hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, Grace of design*sponge (of course, since I am constantly referencing her I might as well do it once more), as well as some local business owners and designers: Kat Feuerstein of Gilah Press + Design,  and Megan & Lesley of doubledutch boutique.

However, I bring you some fabulous news: the handouts from the meetup are posted on Grace's blog! Click here to download the documents. This is great information for those of you who are thinking of starting your own craft or design business (and for those who already have!).

This weekend I am off to photograph my college roommate's wedding in West Virginia. I rented a Canon EOS 40-D (woo-hoo!) for the event so I think I am sufficiently prepared equipment-wise (although I'm nervous as heck). I'd like to give a shout-out to Service Photo in Hampden for giving me stellar customer service today when I picked up my camera. I was very impressed. Once I figure out who it was that helped me, I will post his name.

I'm going to leave you with some images from the very first wedding I ever photographed (it was a disaster--I don't want to talk about it):

Bride & Groom. Image copyright emilie kleiner 2008.

Bride & Groom. Image copyright emilie kleiner 2008.

Groom's father. Image copyright emilie kleiner 2008.

Tango Lesson. Image copyright emilie kleiner 2008.