NEXT MEETING
SPGA / SEATTLE GRAPHIC ARTISTS GUILD

WHEN:
Wednesday, January 26
Noon - 2:00 PM
Buffet Luncheon

Bring your business cards,
resumes, portfolios, contact sheets...

***SPECIAL***
OPEN Portfolio Display Tables for ALL Attendees

WHERE:
Columbia Tower Club
75th floor of the Bank of America Tower
701 Fifth Avenue.

Credit Card Online RSVP $27.50
All walk-ins $35 at the door.
No credit cards taken at the door.

PROGRAM:

Craig Swanson of CreativeTechs and three of his most expert computer techies will lead an open panel discussion with CreativeTechs--left brain support for right brain professionals. Learn tons of tips and tricks that'll demystify your computer. More>>

DRESS CODE:

Columbia Tower Club reserves the right to refuse entry to those wearing denim, tennis shorts, tennis shoes, or sports apparel, and you can't look like an extra for a hip-hop video. If you do not dress appropriately, you will be turned away at the door.

NEW RESERVATION POLICY:

We're moving to online credit card payments through Paypal to make life easier. In the past, the Chapter has been billed for non-paying no-shows, putting a painful dent in the Chapter budget.

So, to provide The Columbia Tower Club with an accurate head count, all reservations must be made on Paypal by the Friday before the meeting (January 21st). To make your reservations: MORE>>

All online reservations are $27.50 each. Walk-Ins may attend, but will be charged $35. Be sure to make your reservations early because the meetings have been filling quickly!

Photo from the well-attended (65 guests) December 8th SPGA/ Seattle Guild evening networking and open portfolio event

CHAPTER PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
by Ann Jensen Warman, SPGA/Seattle Chapter President

You’ve spoken and we’ve listened. Networking and contact building are top of the mind in the creative market. The more opportunity to network and build affiliations, the better.

To meet demand, we’re adding more networking options to our Chapter luncheon meetings PLUS more opportunities to display your portfolios.

The next meeting, Wednesday, January 26th, will go like this:

Arrive early to get the best display table for your portfolio and to chat before the meeting. We are opening display tables to everyone at this next meeting, but in the future, display tables will be a member only opportunity. Consider joining now to take advantage of this and other new member programs, including Artist of the Month (more about this in next week's eAnnouncement), Artist Interviews (see Doug Plummer, below), and more.

When the luncheon doors open, wander over to the delectable buffet spread, load your up plate (the desserts go fast), then settle in at a table.

When everyone is seated, the meeting will formally begin with 30 second elevator speeches. All may participate; speak directly into the the cordless microphone for best results. Let us know your specialty, if you are looking for work, looking for employees, or need subs.

Next, table captains will lead round robins at their tables, starting off the 2 to 3 minute presentations, welcoming each person to speak. Be polite -- stick to your maximum of 3 minutes. All will be invited to distribute business cards around the table. In the future round robins will be members only participation.

If you make an excellent contact during the meeting that results in a follow-up, send me an email and we’ll publicize the results in the next eNews.

After this we'll present the educational portion of the meeting, lead by Craig Swanson of CreativeTechs. He'll talk about some of the thorniest software and hardware problems on PCs and Macs, and will have his tech team available for specific answers.

For some excellent tips on how to network effectively, see Mark Monlux's article below.

It'll be an exciting meeting -- see you there!

Ann Jensen Warman
President, SPGA / Seattle Guild
email: equild@BrandUnity.com

----------------------
Brand Unity, Inc
www.BrandUnity.com
Branding - Print & Web Design - Marketing

Photo by Doug Plummer; More photos here>>

PROFILE ON DOUG PLUMMER
by Field Reporter Ann Warman

WE: Describe your career interests and goals.
My ten second networking event response is: assignment and stock photography for marketing and editorial clients, with a fine art sensibility. My favorite clients are those that understand that they get the best work from me off-leash. Set up a situation, and set me loose.

I would like more travel in my assignment work. My stock and fine art photography is heavily dependent on the state of mind I am in when removed from my everyday life.

I’ve always been interested in writing as an alternative expressive medium. I feel that I can bring so many more senses to bear in the written word than are possible in images, but I don’t know that I’d want to make it a professional platform. I’ve been writing a travel blog for longer than the word has been in circulation (www.dougplummer.com/stories) and I have an official blog site now too (dougplummer.blogs.com)

WE: What is your niche or target market?
I don’t have a good answer for that. I am such a generalist in my approach—portraits, complicated lit environments, photo-journalistic editorial, stock, which can be absolutely anything, fine art (I exhibit widely and often)—that I don’t pigeonhole easily.

WE: When did you first decide to enter this industry?
I had been taking photographs since I was six years old (and printing in my father’s darkroom), so it was nearly inevitable that I would make it my lifework. I had a detour as a professional birdwatcher for a spell, but in my late 20s I got a job as an assistant to a professional photographer. It was the first time it occurred to me that you could be a photographer without waiting tables. I moved to Seattle in 1985 and assisted for a few years before striking out on my own.

WE: How did you come up with your company name?
Actually, the only option I considered was whether I should be Doug Plummer Photography or Doug Plummer, Photographer. I liked the overiding personal identity bent of the latter.

WE: What type of education did you have and how has it served you?
Although my choice of profession may have been inevitable, I deliberately avoided going to photography school. That instinct at an early age has served me well, as my liberal arts education seems to be most appropriate for a profession where social skills and broad general knowledge are more important than technique.

I was something of a rebel in high school, so I chose an alternative college—Antioch in Yellow Springs. Coming from a small town in Pennsylvania, the over-the-top counterculture ethos that, oddly, seemed to lack any sense of community was a bit of a rough transition. I left after a year and a half, but was committed to a life as a fine art photographer at that point. I spent a year’s residency at Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Idaho and was exposed to some truly influentual teachers, such as Frederick Sommers and Nathan Lyons.

I finished up my formal education at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, where I studied art and art history and found the warm, supportive environment that had eluded me elsewhere.

WE: Who was your greatest influence?
Painters much more than photographers. The Abstract Expressionists of the 50s and 60s are profoundly moving to me. I feel especially close to the more meditative painters of that era: Rothko, Frankenthaler, Diebenkorn. The luminist movement (Church, Bierstadt, Moran) of the mid 19th century is crucial to understanding how we perceive landscape now—Ansel Adams is a direct descendent. For portraits, I look at how Degas lit his subjects.

WE: When did you first join the Graphic Artists Guild?
Fall of 2004. Of all the various professional groups in town, it seemed the most sympathetic crowd to how I operate and see the world.

WE: What are your plans for the future?
More. More travel, more fine art photography and exhibitions, more commercial work, more stock sales. One way or another, I’m going to get my Ireland book published.

WE: If you have served on the board or done volunteer work please mention it.
I’ve been on the board of ASMP for a couple of rounds in the last two decades. I usually have a pro-bono client on the books, the two most recent were Treehouse, a social service agency that provides for foster kids, and the Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association, which just published a book (with my photos) documenting some of the local great fiddlers among us.

WE: If you have received awards, please mention them, too.
Last year I won a Lucie Competition Award for Fine Art Landscape Photographer of the Year. My last Communication Arts award was back in ’91. There’s been others, but I tend not to pay as much attention to those things as I should.

CHAPTER HISTORY CORNER
by Dan Ballard, Chapter Historian

Greetings, fellow Guild Members of theSPGA/Seattle Chapter! Welcome to the inaugural edition of my "eNews" chapter history column, which will be devoted to sharing some interesting facts, figures and images with you, regarding our group's long and varied past.

As many of you are already aware, the SPGA/Seattle Chapter of the Guild was formerly known as the Society of Professional Graphic Artists (SPGA), and we are Seattle's oldest "commercial arts" organization.

As it turns out, this newly-begun year of 2005 happens to mark the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the SPGA. Please stay tuned in upcoming months for announcements and details on the commemorative evening event we will be having to mark the occasion, later this year in September.

Rather than presenting the same type of historical material each month, I'll try to "mix it up" a little, hopefully to keep it fresh. Here are this month's tidbits for your perusal, from our SPGA past...

10 Years Ago (1995)
Our President was Chuck Schultz (still active within our Board of Directors, Chuck is currently our chapter's National Board Representative #1).

In 1988
SPGA President Jonathan Combs was elected National Vice-President of the Graphic Artists Guild.

Among the more notable events held that year was our hosting of two major, all-day weekend seminar series:

In January, it was Maria Piscopo's "How to Get Paid What You're Worth" and "How to Find Clients and Get Them to Call You" (www.mpiscopo.com).

In June, it was our double-weekend "Blast-Off!" seminar series at the Art Institute, featuring Attorney Mark Nielsen, CPA Cortney Foster, Illustrator Sam Day, Designer Carol Dillon and Artists Rep Sheri Hauser.

20 Years Ago (1985)...
Our President was Bill Werrbach, one of the five original SPGA Co-Founders. Bill also served as Prez back in the second half of 1962. For more on Bill and his career, see:

seattleguild.org/history3.html

and

www.wm-werrbach.com/biography.htm

NETWORKING TIPS
by Mark Monlux, Ethics Chair

Are you the shy, bashful type? Have you ever found yourself going to a business event only to find yourself back at the office a few hours later wondering why you have nothing to show for it? And, it's not that you are a business wallflower either. You went, you chatted, you heard the speaker. But, as you parked the car back in the office parking lot you have a nagging feeling that you left your coat behind.

Your disgruntled feeling might be your instincts making you aware that you missed a networking opportunity. Well, before you berate yourself too badly and convince yourself never to step a foot outside your office again (thus insuring the demise of your business and career) allow me to provide some helpful networking tips.

1. Take Business Cards
Yeah, it sounds obvious, doesn't it? But you know you're guilty of leaving them behind. So be sure to grab a dozen before heading out. We will get into how to hand out a card in #4.

2. Go Early
Not only will this afford you a better parking spot, but it will also allow you more time to network effectively. The folks who usually show up early are key group members who tend to know everybody and the speaker who you came to hear anyway.

3. Wear that Nametag.
Not everyone has a photographic memory. Most of them can't remember their in-laws' names let alone yours. Do everyone a favor and wear your name where it can be clearly seen and if you get the chance to write your name, go big. Most of us wear glasses.

4. Card Etiquette
--Do not drop your cards on plates throughout the room. For one thing you want to meet people, not plates and for another, the group hosting the event may reserve the right of table distribution for the speaker or sponsors.

--Have your cards ready in an easily assessable pocket or cardholder. Digging around in your wallet or purse makes you look like you're getting ready to tip somebody.

--When you receive a card, take the time to read it over. Confirming the information is a nice way to engage and assures that you won't get a fax tone in your ear when you call later.

--Write the date and any notes on the back of the card. You'll be glad you did later.

-- Have a pocket ready to slide the incoming cards. You may need to refer to it before the meeting is over and keeping them in one place will lower the odds they end up in the laundry.

5. Remain Engaged
-- A common mistake is to travel around the room, seeking to hand out and collect business cards as quickly as possible. Your objective is not collecting cards to wallpaper your office; it is making connections. You don't want to take on the desperate air of a lonely single in a bar on Friday night. Take your time speaking with others.

--Ask "feel good' questions like, "How did you get started?" or "What do you consider a challenging project?" You will learn more about your contacts' business than asking, "Hey, you got a job for me?"

-- Look for a familiar face who is talking with a stranger. Waiting for their acknowledgement will smoothly lead to an introduction.

--Do not be dissuaded by small groups. Think quality rather than quantity.

-- Don't hog a person. Yes, you lead a highly sheltered life and meeting a person who deeply interests you can be very intoxicating. But get a grip; they're here to mingle too and you don't want to be remember as cramping their style.

6. Go with a Goal
If you go with just the goal of listening to the speaker, that is okay. But, if you want to take the most advantage of your "shmooze" time, give yourself an objective. Seek out a potential resource for yourself or tell yourself you want to meet three new people.

7. Follow Up
Establish an informal communication quickly after the meeting. This is important because it is outside of meetings you will want to maintain ongoing conversations. Business groups may come and go but the connections you work at establishing will remain.

Follow these tips and you too can become a social butterfly. Now if you will excuse me, I have to go give Dan a kiss.

SPGA/SEATTLE SPONSOR
THE SEATTLE BLOG BUSINESS SUMMIT

The SPGA is proud to be partnering with Parnassus Ventures in bringing The Blog Business Summit to the Bell Harbor Conference Center January 24-25. Members can attend the event for just $495.00--that's $300.00 off the regular rate of $795.00. Discounted WSA registrations can be made at this special member page.

SITES OF INTEREST

Comic Great Will Eisner Dead at 87
http://www.willeisner.com

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS

2005 SCBWI Western Washington Retreats for Writers & Illustrators
Registration Deadline: February 1, 2005

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators invite you to join New York editors, Caldecott and Newbery Honor winners, and a major art director for these popular and intensive all-day retreats on April 29, 2005 at the Overlake Golf & Country Club in Medina, Washington.
 
The SCBWI Western Washington Retreats for Writers & Illustrators are geared towards professionals with a finished or near-finished manuscript or illustration project. In an intimate workshop setting, experts will help you refine your craft and career in children’s book publishing. For complete information, please visit www.scbwi-washington.org

Washington Lawyers for the Arts
For details or to register visit our website at
www.wa-artlaw.org or call 206 328-7053 

Macromedia Group
KaCe@a2zStudio.net (put GPSMMUG in the subject)

MIT Enterprise ForuM:
www.mitwa.org

Seattle Ad Fed
www.seattleadfed.com

dBug Mac
www.dbug.org

Seattle AIGA
www.aigaseattle.org

Art with Heart
www.artwithheart.org
Monthly Self Portrait Workshops for Children in Crisis

Seattle InDesign User Group Meeting
www.indesignusergroup.com.

The Communications Arts
& Media Professionals of Seattle
206-443-1233

Seattle FreeLances: www.seattlefreelances.org

3DS MAX 6: www.3dv.com

Seattle ASMP: www.asmpseattle.org

WashTECH: www.washtech.org

Cartoonists Northwest: www.cartoonists.net

NWDA: www.nwdesign.org

Society of Children/s Book
Writers and Illustrators
www.scbwi-washington.org

Society of Professional Journalist
http://www.spjwash.org

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