Emily attends Bennington College where they have a traditional internship program. The student gets a real world job and hopefully a situation where the person they are working for teaches as well as expects work in return. Here is what she wrote about working for me this past January. 

Emily Krug FWT  2009

Learning about Myself through T-shirts

            Try to imagine this situation: You are a young intern who has only been working for your employer for a few weeks.  Your boss has extended an invitation for you to accompany the business to the New York International Gift Fair in New York City.  Excitedly, you accept and eagerly await your time to be spent at this huge industry show.  Now, it is three days before the start of the show, and you agree to help your boss bring in the supplies for the booth.  After hours of waiting the queue, it is finally your turn to bring the car up to the loading dock.  A worker tells your boss that someone has to stay with the vehicle at all-times, and that once everything is out from the car, it has to move. 

            Your boss asks you to drive the car out of the loading area to park it (she assures you the worker will tell you where to go), while she gets some things straightened up in the actual booth.  You bravely take the keys in your hand, start the car and head in the direction in which the worker pointed.  After approximately 20 seconds, you realize that this direction only leads you out of the loading area and back into New York City traffic.  Realizing that there is nothing you can do, you decide to just circle the Javits Center and wait for your boss to call.  All of a sudden, you make a wrong turn, are driving through the Lincoln Tunnel and end up in Hoboken, NJ!  You now have to call your boss, explain your mistake (how you drove her personal car out of the city, and can’t find your way back), the whole time choking back tears and praying with all your might that you don’t get fired on the spot.

            I don’t need to imagine that situation; it happened to me during this FWT.  However, I was lucky, my boss found this unplanned adventure very funny, and continued to tease me about it during the rest of my FWT.  So, I got NYC driving experience, and I’m not soon to forget it.  Aside realizing my large affection for public transportation, I learned many other things about myself over this FWT. 

            Working for a small, intimate silkscreening and design company, Short Sleeve Stories by Civilian, I furthered my belief that one day I want to start my own small clothing company, and participate in whatever community I may be living.  Daily, my boss, Val, regaled me with tales of her various forms of community involvement throughout her career.  She has done everything from printing t-shirts for schools, to hosting benefits in memory of other town residents.  Hearing these stories re-enforced my already existing need for a strong community.  Val was just one person reaching out to her entire riverside town.  Walking around Frenchtown, NJ with her, there were innumerable people who warmly greeted Val, and the variety of people was also huge.  Everyone from store owners to the Postal Workers knew Val.  Seeing this breadth of relationships within the populace, I realized how important these support systems are. 

            I was working with Val in her new studio space right next door to her house.  She really extended herself to me to make me feel comfortable and welcome everyday.  We ate lunch in her kitchen and listened to NPR in the studio.  It was easy to discuss our lives and aspirations.  Val placed a high level of trust and responsibility in me very early in FWT.  She allowed me to work side by side with her in production, and in other parts of the business.  She trusted me to create an inventory spreadsheet for her.  I felt very honored to be asked to complete important tasks.  I learned to understand about myself that I can really pick up on things quickly and I am not uncomfortable to ask questions if I am not getting something.

            In addition, I rediscovered the excitement of learning new things.  I learned about networking, as well as gaining experience with spreadsheets, photoshop and, most importantly, with silkscreening.  By asking questions and having them answered, Val shared a lot of valuable knowledge with me. Everyday had something new for me to learn.  This FWT made me realize my love for technical, hands on learning.  Sometimes just hearing about theories is not enough for me to grasp a concept, as a student I learn best by doing, actually getting my hands dirty and trying new things.

            Personally working with Val gave me insight into the type of person I want to be professionally.  Working side by side with her allowed me to learn about the type of people I would and would not want to do business with.  I hope to become a person like Val, very generous, but willing to stand her ground when she feels she is wronged or taken advantage of.  I learned how to be assertive and tell people my thoughts.  Others cannot just know what I am thinking if I don’t let them in on things.

            For a long time, I have pictured myself ending up doing something similar to what Val does; owning my own shop in a tight knit community and reaching out to others through her work, service, artwork, and caring.  Working at Short Sleeve Stories only confirmed my thoughts, and inspired me to continue to pursue this dream. 

Thanks Emily!