Natalie Cevallos

Describe the steps you took to obtain your internship/research opportunity/fellowship. 

I was browsing on Handshake looking for an internship in the arts, and I found the InternFSU application for the Master Craftsman Studio. 

How far in advance did you prepare and begin applying for your experiential learning opportunity? 

I applied for this opportunity in early summer. I heard back from InternFSU a few weeks after submitting the application and interviewed for the internship at the beginning of August. 

If you used any Career Center services, resources, or events to obtain your job offer, what were they? How did they support your application process?

Handshake and InternFSU played a huge part in helping my find this internship. If I had not utilized these services, I would have not found the internship.  

Describe some of your responsibilities or duties during your experiential learning opportunity. 

I essentially served as a set of extra hands whenever necessary. Master Craftsman Studio has a ton of different on-going projects throughout the semester. My projects ranged from assisting in the creation of the "Buckyball" sculpture in the Kroto Auditorium, to helping with stained glass and mold-making. I also painted, worked with plastics, paper pulp, molds and even metals. Throughout the internship, I was able to work with technology that I otherwise would have never had the opportunity to utilize or even observe. 

What was a typical day like "on the job?" 

Every day was different from the one before during this internship. That was something I enjoyed about my experience. There are so many different projects--for both Florida State and outside clients-- that come through Master Craftsman Studio, and getting to assist on a variety of tasks for those projects kept things interesting. For example, my very first day I created my own pen from pieces of wood. Then later on, I worked on making molds of the FSU crest out of paper pulp, and also learned how to work with plastic and casting techniques.

What are some major takeaways from your experience? How will these help prepare you for the next step after graduation? 

I learned an incredible amount in just one semester. As an Art major with a concentration in Painting, I hardly stray away from 2-D work. At Master Craftsman Studio, a large majority of the projects made are 3-D, which was something new to me. For me, getting exposure to a variety of sculptural and 3-D material was extremely valuable. Additionally, it was really interesting to see how a functioning studio works in the real world, and how versatile the projects can be. This internship provided a lot of insight into how working artists can have jobs doing what they love. 

Did this experience help clarify your career path? If yes, how so? 

This internship definitely taught me a lot about the role art can play in a professional setting. Not many people realize that art is everywhere, and functions in a variety of forms. Interning at Master Craftsman Studio, provided me with answers regarding my future career path. I can now say that I would be highly interested in working in a craftsman studio, which is something I had not considered before.