I think the most memorable part though, was getting to know the Project Nia gang. There was a bond that I believe fueled our team to create something we were proud of. Diving into a controversial subject and using our talents for a good cause, gave the work an emotional worth and value that I personally had not experienced. All in all, one week later, I am left wanting more. Chicago here I come? TBC

I think we (campers) can all agree that we are ever grateful to firebelly and co. for this once in a lifetime experience.

So today is the day we all pick up and go home.

What was the best part of camp, you ask? I have to say, it was getting all the STUFF. We got to see the fruits of our labor– printed and bound zines– and I think we’re all pretty satisfied with the outcome.

Plus, here’s a list of all the great surprise free stuff we got:
Sweet t-shirts and buttons
Delicious Design League posters
Camp Firebelly Martini Shakers
Air Mattresses
Super fun Cubs game outing
Peace Breathing book by Master Kim
Fun samples from French Paper
D-licious vegetarian and vegan food all week long

But really, aside from all the stuff, it was meeting incredible people (designers, activists, printers, etc.), visiting some of Chicago’s best places, working through a collaborative creative process, having to defend our work, and the satisfaction of meeting crazy challenges (or coming very close). What a whirlwind of awesomeness. I think it says something about an experience when going home means having the chance to “recover.”

Peace out, Firebelly!

We started our morning with a special guest- Brian French of French Paper Company. We learned all about this wonderful family run paper mill and were impressed to learn that they have been incorporating sustainable practices before anyone else was. In the middle of our meeting with Brian, we were happily surprised by a singing telegram from Project NIA. Talk about having an awesome client!

Our next bit of work was at our rockstar co-op printers who typically print for community based organizations. We were thrilled to go through the press check and get a glimpse of how our Zine was shaping up. We completed our little bit of work and headed on to the fun stuff!

We packed into our car and headed to an edgy gallery in Bridgeport that aims to be inclusive of all art. Our guide was Eddie, a native of the neighborhood and owner of the gallery. After a run through of how the gallery works, we headed to Eddie’s Mom’s neighborhood bar, Maria’s.

Here we learned about our next challenge- trying our hands at mixology and creating a drink for the bar known as “the firebelly”
We learned a lot about how to create a good cocktail! Each person individually came up with the drink that they felt really represented firebelly. If you can picture this, it was basically like a food network competition, complete with a pitch to the judges and everything!

It was truly a fun day. When we returned to Firebelly we ran through our final client presentation and then it was on to a night of board games, youtube binging, and wii games.

Happy Canada Day to everyone! And especially to our fav Canadian campers, Michelle Wu and Quinn Keaveney. [Look below to see Michelle sporting her Canadian tuxedo and showing off some MAPLE SPIRIT.] Aboot time these tew got some recognition, EH? EH?? Lulzz. Check out some other gems us lucky ‘Murricans get to experience all because of our friendly international neighbors!

After wishing everyone a well Canada day, we quickly scarfed down a hearty brekkist of waffle deliciousness and scrumptious bagels. Campers and councilors [also including Dawn and awesome surprise guest Mike Fretto! Check him out, supa fly.] went off into the early morn to continue building individual letter forms for the “You Are Beautiful” project with the fab Matthew Hoffman. Everyone went straight to work as soon as we arrived [in style, of course] as there was still so much to accomplish. Personally, I felt the most successful today after conquering my fear of ridiculously sharp, electronic objects speeding with vengeance – aka power tools. I give much credit to Blake, the benevolent and ever-so-helpful employee of the Rebuilding Exchange. [Look below to see a photo of Blake cutting metal - what a badass amirite?] I highly recommend this space to anyone looking to pick up material for a DIY project, or for a refurbished piece to spruce up a living space. Such wonders to be found – a hoarders paradise! As a compulsive saver and collector, I felt comfort among the piles. Home sweet home!

As the day progressed, weather became warmer and the sawdust was a’flyin.’ Often, Dawn came around to check on our progress and kick our butts into gear, reminding us that time was of the essence. Some efficient folks finished early and relaxed, reveling in the sweet glory of completion, [or taking a quick and much needed nap, like Miss Mai Camp over hurr] while others cut it close to the finish line and used up every possible second – much like myself. As we sanded to silky smoothness, Matthew Hoffman arrived to the warehouse to see our work. Thankfully, we are all diligent workers and our efforts paid off. Matthew was very pleased with our pieces, and we lined all the letter forms next to one another to form the statement, humbly celebrating our work by taking photos and talking about our inspiration. [Look at these masterpieces. Marvy.] After cleaning and sweeping our dust, [lookit that PILE!] we all tumbled into vehicles and drove off into the sunset, going back to relax and sleep the rest of the night away after celebrating the day of Canadians [see Quinn photo here]…JUST KIDDING! Does that sound like the end of a Camp Firebelly night? Obv not, duh. However, we were able to relax for a bit as Dawn cooked up some awesome tacos for the din. [Look at that scrumptiousness! DELISH] And BINGO BONGO, we were back off to work once again! Weeeee!

Stuck in the cabbage together, enjoying our red bull bread bowls, we decided that each of us was freaky, and we liked each other a lot. Besides this obv-ness, poster making was in sesh and we spent the rest of the night deciding how to execute the final project for our client, Project Nia, and preparing for the next day when we would travel to the press check to experience our zine-baby in real life for the first time! Wwahoo! Until then, we anxiously await our trip to the printer and design late into the night. It’s going to be a long one…but what would Camp Firebelly be without a few sleepness nights and supreme graphic work? That’s a question we will have to face when we leave [gasp!] on Tuesday. Until then…stay tuned![And I leave you with some inspiration!] <3

Our morning started with our first trip to Rebuilding Exchange. We spent the first part of the day familiarizing ourselves with the facility, digging through materials and learning to use all the power tools. With our letters picked randomly, we each searched for the right components for our needs. Cynthia Main, Director of Education and Special Projects at Rebuilding Exchange took us all on a generous tour of the facilities explaining in detail the differences of old growth and reclaimed lumber and the ways they are classified by there weight and density among many other details.

Our Camp Firebelly Team meeting upon arrival at ReBuilding Exchange.

After a long day of work we returned to Firebelly and had some amazing Indian takeout from Raj Darbar! My first Indian experience was more than expected and will definitely be on my list of places to stop when visiting Chicago. A family style feast spread across our conference table helped to begin conversations about all the new foods we have been able to enjoy during camp. It’s been a treat to try all sorts of new food from different backgrounds due to the overwhelming amount of vegetarians attending camp. Although what has been the best has been Dawn’s home cooking and all the new versions of “meats” we have gotten to try! Who would have known vegetarian and gluten free foods could taste so good.

Saturday night we began our next project… I know right! With excitement from the dirty work during the day, we were all anxious to begin working on our next project for our client Project NIA. Specifics were unveiled and work began. With the goal of creating stencil styled posters that can be used by the public we planned to design several different images, icons and type treatments that will be later cut into stencils. With only two nights to work on several ideas our deadline will be tight!

With a mix between working in a studio environment on tight deadlines and in a workshop with power tools I am sure all of our skill sets will be tested in the next 48 hours. We look forward to sharing our creations with you soon.

Ps. thnx Dawn, the game definitely made my day

With the building anxiety of approaching projects we were all shocked to find Matthew Hoffman waiting at our door. After a unwavering heart full talk and a few inspiring pictures Matthew answered the biggest question of all, when is “You are beautiful” getting a website. Well that was last night, built from a hotel in Vietnam (We think?) with a incomparable internet connection. Sooo..oo.o CHECK IT OUT.

Then we got to hear the NEW surprise project. But hey, if they can keep surprises from me I can definitely keep one from you, so see you tomorrow!

I think everyone can agree with me when I say this project has been very revealing. In many ways we are learning about ourselves as much as we are about client/designer relationships, collaboration with a large group and time management. Being put into a situation like this—large amount of work in very little time with 9 strangers*—reveals a great deal about us as designers. I am very appreciative of the process we are involved in because it forces us to use our individual talents while having to understand others. There was confusion and miscommunication at first, which is expected when trying to express the ideas of 10 eager design nerds. But we quickly adapted to each others’ methods and styles to create what I think is a pretty damn good the zine! check back later for photos when it’s back from the printers.

*the best group of strangers I’ve ever been lucky enough to work with

The Day of Achievement

printed our first comp to give our client

found out that this whole time we have been leaving out an entire spread

came up with a quick/successful plan to use the extra space

began production at 2am after Kristen and Ryan quadruple checked for mistakes

Click here for an awesome video!!!

Michelle burnin’ the midnight three-am oil!

We look like zombies- but we are almost there! We’re sending our work to the printers by 9AM!

DAY THREE was jammed pack with all sorts of goodies. We pretty much did three-days worth of mental activities in one. I still at this point refuse to consume 5-hour energy drinks because I fear i’ll start bouncing off the walls, knocking computers over, punching and kicking in air and rampaging through the streets of Chicago. I’ll let you know day 7 or 8 if I’ve caved, or perhaps you’ll already know.

Recap of the Day
1. Prexy Nesbitt came to camp firebelly to share ahh-mazing life stories
2. Had some Mediterranean food (my taste buds are traveling the WORLD!)
3. Project NIA came in to check out our current progress and future afternoon activities
4. Visited Delicious Design League and scored some awesome posters and stickers.

1. Prexy told us stories and events in his past and his interactions with Martin Luther King that left us awe-struck with new passion and desire for change. I wish I could’ve thought of questions to ask, but my brain was just chillin’ in my head and didn’t really want to do anything but listen. He brought a deeper passion for what we’re trying to achieve with this zine, making us think with a different perspective by placing ourselves within the story and making it personal.

He’s an amazing story teller. In my mind, he needs portable human pockets for everyone else to sit in and relish in his conversations!

2. Falafel, spinach pie, cheesy thing, hummus..SO GOOD – ommo nommon monom nom nom

3. Kristin gave very helpful and encouraging feedback and we were able to sky-rocket ourselves into design-fantabulous frenzy!

4. Delicious Design League…. Thanks for having us!

Side Note Drawing:

MISCELLANEOUS FUNNNN

4 AM FUNN

When stuck on an idea, sachet across the room

the real deal