New Beginnings: Thoughts from an I AM Art House Intern in 2021
By Lindsay Knights Huff
January 29, 2021
Beginning 2021 with a new journey as an I AM Art House artist-intern brings a refreshing and exciting perspective to my world. I have been busy designing logos, engaging in digital marketing, and researching the art business world, all while promoting artwork of my own and fellow artists. Attending weekly intern meetings has given me an element of consistency to my schedule that I have been craving since the beginning of my winter break in November. Interacting with the people of I AM Art House and seeing new faces adds a refreshing aspect to my week when each winter week seems to resound the same monotonous note.
Some personal artistic moments have brought me much joy in these slow winter months. Along with the work that I have been doing as an intern, I have worked on commissioned projects for friends, family, and strangers. I have spent nearly a hundred hours this month creating watercolor and acrylic paintings and a few graphic design projects. I have continued to promote my own art by developing my art Instagram page while learning to navigate the social media marketing world. I hope to apply what I have learned through my own investigation of marketing techniques to my internship. Over the past month I have spent numerous hours expanding my artistic repertoire through digital art. I have enjoyed experimenting with digital art software and creating lettering and photo abstraction projects. I hope to incorporate this new medium into my portfolio, which I have been refining over this winter break.
Being a member of the I AM Art House’s Artists Fellowship has taught me the value in expanding my artist network, giving me the opportunity to connect with artists from around the globe. Our weekly intern meetings allow me to meet other student designers and art-appreciators from my own town in Charlottesville to across the world in countries like Turkey, Spain, and Lithuania (just to name a few). I have access to an abundance of resources where I can develop art business strategies and showcase my work while exhibiting my artistic skills digitally and on paper.
Last week, I filmed my first art-related interview in collaboration with I AM Art House founder Joyce Chow and fellow intern Abigail Rizzo, who captured a few shots of my artistic side in action. The video clips, words, and photos will form my very first feature video, a highlight reel featuring projects I have worked on over the past few pandemic months. I hope the viewers will get a sense of who I am as both a professional artist and regular college student. After watching the video develop into its own work of art in the hands of a fellow intern, I am amazed at the wide range of skills that build I AM Art House.
As I am entering my last semester here at the University of Virginia and looking closer into the future, while I don’t have a clear picture of what I want to do as a career, I know with certainty that I want to use my love of art to encourage others to use their gifts for something more than self-glorification. I hope that with every piece I create, I can inspire others to create art that exemplifies the beauty of God’s creation. After all, God is the ultimate Artist and we are just stewards of the gifts He gives us! As my role at I AM Art House has now evolved from a digital marketing intern to artists’ fellow to lead designer and gallery manager, I have found joy in expanding my artistic repertoire and using the gifts God has given me.
