As academically tenderized fresh meat to the copywriting world, I’m finding it extremely difficult to brand myself. I have all of the necessary information, so I really should be able to distill myself down into one all encompassing message. I’ve had no problems coming up with a logo and tagline for my roller derby persona; a little medic symbol here, a hearse style ambulance there and bam! there’s Anne Bulance.

I’ve even been lucky enough to work on some great branding projects at Derooted. Taking the essence of who our clients are and what they do, and putting it into a tagline or web copy. It’s been a great experience as a Junior to learn the branding process and how to apply it using what’s given. For some reason I haven’t been able to prioritize the relevant messages of who or what I am. Anne Bulance was simple, she’s a derby girl who cashes (body) checks and takes names; unfortunately Jenn Keenan is a little more complex than that.

I thought I nailed down the key points of myself into a few words that tell you all about me in a paragraph. I’m now realizing that as I change and find new passions, the idea of my brand is changes too. Then comes the logo; I really don’t know how to instill my entire personality into one image that can fit onto a business card. Then I think, is that visual representation as important for me as a writer?

Sometimes I just want to give up and legally change my name to Anne Bulance for simplicity in branding life. Those days I know it’s officially time to ask for some help, and luckily I work with some amazingly talented and awesome people.

-Jenn / Anne Bulance

Who has an industrial espresso machine in their office? Who has teas I couldn’t pronounce just over top of that espresso machine? Who has black glass along the wall that you draw on with white magic markers? It’s none other than only the best internship ever: Derooted Design Agency. In fact, interning almost seems like an understatement for what I did and learned at Derooted; I truly felt like part of the team.

Being an undergrad student it seems that interning is a given with almost all programs. Mandatory or not, interning is said to be the best way to meet people in industry and gain experience. I hear this again and again. However, having done several internships in the past I’m sure I’m not the only one to say that many intern positions don’t hold up their end of the bargain in the sense that what the intern does isn’t in fact ‘experience,’ it’s simply invisible; it’s ‘invisrience’. Granted, these invisible things are unavoidable and need to be done, but when these things become your only obligation YOU start to feel invisible.

So having said that, my favorite part of being at Derooted was that my designs were taken seriously. They weren’t roughs that a client would never see. What I made, was exactly what was presented. Derooted let me make my stupid mistakes and deal with them, most of which I did because I was nervous, I swear! To me, that’s experience: it’s real, it’s never perfect, and it’s always visible as can be. Simon didn’t let anything go unnoticed so he could bring up every flaw and make me face it, explain it, and fix it. And honestly, no matter how humiliating I’m really glad he did! It’s what let me know that what I did really mattered.

On top of that I got to see the industry for what it is, hard work, tight deadlines, meetings outside in the park (weather permitting), dealing with clients, wine after 4pm on Fridays, etc. In short, the good, the bad, and the in between. Being with Derooted was fun, insightful, and truly a great VISIBLE interning experience. Thanks guys!

-Irina Zabelina

I recently rediscovered the beautiful work of Canadian graphic artist Marian Bantjes.

She spent many years as a graphic designer, then decided to follow her own style and shifted into the realm of art. Her work still maintains strong typographic and design elements, but is very personal. The designs she creates are different from what we usually see in modern art and design. Rather than being simple and easy to understand, Bantjes creates ambiguous, intricate, and ornamental work.

Part of what bothers me about some modern artists is the feeling that “anyone could have created this”, a sentiment that is shared by many casual viewers of art. I have a hard time appreciating a piece that has little labour put into it. While an art critic can theorize on the deep meaning in a work like that, I feel like I need something more from art—a sense of amazement and appreciation for the process and hard work that went into producing the artwork. That’s part of what I like about Bantjes’ work: her talent and skill are evident, her detailed work is amazing, and the results are works of art.

- Anna

Roller Derby is coming for you, from every corner of this fine globe. Blood and Thunder —the world’s premier roller derby magazine— is bringing the first ever Roller Derby World Cup to Toronto this December.

December 2nd to 4th will see 12 teams rolling in to compete for world roller derby domination. England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Finland, Sweden, France, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and Argentina and of course lucky number team 13— Canada, jamming, blocking and hitting their way to the title bout. Being on hand to see some of this country’s elite already, this promises to be one heck of a weekend.

I’ve done a skate with a few Rollergettes and my word are derby girls badass athletes. The amount of strategic and physical skill of these players is truly astonishing. These ladies go through grueling training sessions just to put their bodies on the line jam-in and jam-out. It’s not just about rad names, alter-egos and fishnets, it’s an insane amount of work to own that track on a country topping level.

I think part of my attraction to this amazing sport are the alter-egos. When else in life do you get to come up with a punk name for your other personality without being institutionalized? Honestly just getting to come up with my own derby name was a reason for me to learn to skate. The process itself started in my copywriting class last year as a creative exercise and has helped my writing experiences since. Although I’m set on Anne Bulance (say it fast), I still love having creative moniker sessions to see if I can blow my own mind with something better, though I doubt it.

Seeing as you won’t have anything more important than cheering on your country’s finest roller derby damsels on December 2nd to 4th, follow these instructions. Get your tickets, donate to Team Canada, and get your merch. Get creative with some “I (heart) Brim Stone/ Hell on Keller/ Georgia W Tush/ Lil Mama” signs, then just count on down the days until Toronto is hit with a world of hurt.

See you all trackside!

-Jenn Keenan a.k.a. Anne Bulance