Big Picture

As an intern with Travis Foster Reps,we look at what you bring to the table with your unique set of skills. Everyone that applies has different strengths. However, we have a responsibility to consistently market our artists to the art buying community. Our purpose in one sentence: Showcase our artists to the art buyers in the marketplace, secure work, and produce high caliber art.

Let’s start with your personal artwork and art journey. Each intern comes into the studio with a different level of experience, and everyone has had differences in their backgrounds and training. But there is a common thread: you each would like to become full time artists at some point in the future. You find it beneficial to receive structured training and encouragement to build a portfolio that would attract paying clients.

This internship and mentorship program are both built on the premise that your reward is in the process. You are one hundred percent personally responsible for what you learn, and your growth is a result of your response to the material and exercises you are given. The material and training is only effective when you apply and exercise what you learn. There are no guarantees or promises made on what the outcome will be or how it will affect your art business. Your personal freelance business is your responsibility. You are in charge of how fast (or slow) you move and grow.

Let’s look at the ideal internship candidate. This a generalization, not everyone will meet this criteria, and that’s ok. However, this will give you an idea of what we are considering when an application is submitted. The ideal candidate:

has graduated college or is in their final two to three semesters of college or art school.

is employed elsewhere in some capacity to cover all their personal living expenses and does not depend on internship for salary.

proficient in photoshop and adobe illustrator.

has a personal computer with scanner and drawing tablet.

has strong drawing skills.

desires to become a full time illustrator, fine artist, or cartoonist as a profession.

has had some life experiences in the work force that are not necessarily related to the art field.

able to communicate in English by writing and correspond through well written emails.

has strong abilities with self time management and follow through.

places a high priority on continual learning and personal growth.

hopes to run their own personal studio successfully at some point in the future.

is open to receiving constructive critiques on their work product and performance and is not easily offended.

What will an intern actually do? Depending on skill level and expertise, you will receive 5 hours of work each week that you can complete from your personal home studio. We work with platforms such as Behance, Twitter, Dribbble, Agency Access, theispot, WorkBook, Directory of illustration, Instagram, Tumblr, YouTube, Pinterest, Linkedin, Mailchimp, Insightly, Illustration Age and Cartoon Zoo. We also have the opportunity to participate in studio assignments that are related to producing art. Your art may or may not be used in assignments that come through the studio. Your work will be a compilation of many people’s efforts and expertise. You may end up helping with a vlog, blog, podcast, youtube video, or editing a written article. Likely you will be helping search and cull names of active art buyers that have recently completed illustration assignments. You will be actively looking for new talent, both artists and art directors, in the marketplace that are winning awards within our industry. You will be doing diligent research, to make sure that when we send a promotional out it is well received and relevant to the recipient. You will get to see, touch and experience things that happen behind the scenes related to running an art business. You can take what you learn here and apply it to your own freelance business.

We will give you full instruction and have intern support on each task and assignment given. If you run into a snag or have a question about the process, we will provide you the support you need to follow through. You are not penalized for a task taking longer than the allotted time for completion; we will simply credit you for the time and restructure the time sheet to reflect your level of competence and expertise. Over time as you work on a task and understand the process, you will become more efficient. Once you gain significant proficiency in one area, we also might ask you to train and support newer interns.

If you follow the mentorship timeline, you will have the opportunity to do one personal piece each week, tailored to your portfolio goals. The mentorship assignments you do for yourself are not credited hours towards what you give in the five hours of the internship work for the studio. In other words, there are two parts to the internship: your personal art-work and your work for the agency. Those are separate responsibilities.

You are not contractual tied to the studio for any length of time. You can participate for as long as you find it beneficial to your personal growth. If at any time you would like to discontinue, you can give notice with no penalty. It is even possible to leave the internship and return and to participate at a later date. Our internship program provides flexibility. There are no strings attached.

The article above is the second draft. June 22nd, 2016. We will be adding and revising this article often in the next four weeks. Please check back for updates.

Travis Foster is a freelance illustrator, illustration agent, cartoonist, husband and dad to four kids, Travis Foster Reps is based in Nashville.