Brushing off common misconceptions of screen printing being more industrial than artistic, Jen Badger of ShineOn Designs has positioned herself amongst well-respected local artists. Through actively seeking collaborations with others, she has pushed her own creative limits and opened new revenue streams along the way. Today, she gives some insightful advice on how to team up with local artists and shares stories on some of her favorite collaborations.
How does your shop benefit from collaborating with the local art community?
Creatively speaking, it opens us up to different styles of art. When we work with local artists, it makes us think outside of our box a bit. It pushes our talents and creativity, so we can pull that into the art that we create.
What’s an example of a product you’ve created?
We worked with an artist who does charcoal portraits. We were able to turn those into a screen printed shirt design. His art is quite expensive so not everyone can afford to buy it. People were able to get a piece from that artist by buying a reasonably priced shirt. The last time he was in, he asked if we could do something with foil. So we added foil to one of those shirts and again, we wound up trying different media and printing techniques. They have sold really well at his art shows.
Any unexpected collaborations?
Next door to us is an antique store. One of the gentlemen wanted screens made that he could use with waterbased ink. They basically served as a template for his woodburning. So we didn't actually end up doing any printing for him, but we helped him create a step in his art process that led to his finished product. Another artist in town approached us for doing some screen printing on canvas. Then the canvas was cut or ripped apart and used to create a larger art piece.
How did you come in contact with the local art community?
There's a really strong group of folks in this community who promote art in many different forms. We know these people from other things that we're involved in or we just reach out to them saying: “Hey, we saw your piece, it's really cool! If you ever want to collaborate with us on something, we'd love to do so.” We're always looking for ways to showcase the talent of others to promote their art and help build their portfolio.
Any advice for those looking to collaborate with local artists?
Well first and foremost, go to art events in the community. Most communities have some sort of festival or a gallery that showcases art. Get to know the artists themselves or just put it out there through a social media post where you say you're looking to work with some local artists on collaborations or promoting business. Again, this also works face-to-face. Talk to them about what they do. Artists love to talk about their creative process, so showing interest and wanting to learn more will help build that relationship. It helps them think of other things to do with their art and it helps you become more artistic in designing as well. It can be synergistic for both of you.