Senior, Owen Schmidt completed an internship with Ben and Aja Blanc Studios based out of Providence, Rhode Island. Read on to learn about his experience!
If you’re interested in doing your own internship but don’t know where to start, make an appointment with your Career Advisor by going to Handshake.
What was your internship? I completed my internship at Ben and Aja Blanc Studios in Providence RI.
Why were you initially interested in this internship? I was initially interested in the internship when I saw their beautiful work and how similar it was to my style of work.
How did you find your internship? I found this internship when my professor Murray McMillian reached out to me about the opportunity because he thought I would fit in well and be able to get a great experience while also providing Ben and Aja with valuable work.
What did you do as part of your internship? I did a couple of different things during my internship at Ben and Aja Blanc Studio. I started out by modelling a bunch of different works of theirs that already exist and then started sitting down around the concept boards and modelling and creating pieces that before this only existed in the form of sketches. So, what I’m doing is creating their concept works in my 3D environment and making them look photorealistic before a single dollar has to be put into production. This saves time and money for the studio because they can make any changes, they want in my 3D environment to see what that looks like in a photo real render. As well as making the concept pieces we chose one specific concept to focus on for the semester, and I built an entire 3D interior space specifically designed with the point of selling this concept chandelier that Ben, Aja, and myself worked on concepting all year.
Has this internship helped you work towards your future career goals? If so, how? Yes, this internship has one hundred percent helped me work towards my future goals. This internship helped me understand how to manage my time properly and how to meet a deadline, and that is extremely important for any digital artist trying to break into the industry. This internship also taught me how to receive feedback from a professional and how to take it in stride and deliver an end product that shows progress and understanding.
What was your biggest lesson/takeaway from the internship? I think my biggest takeaway from this internship was how to direct an eye around an image as well as how to create the focus point of an image effectively for marketing and sales purposes. Through feedback and directing by Ben and Aja we brought what was a scene with multiple heroes down to one hero of the image in a clear and presentable format that suited the hero of the image while also creating a minimal background that complements the product.
What advice would you give to someone interested in a similar internship opportunity? My advice to another student looking to get an internship similar to this is to work on and develop your skills and style outside of the classroom and to take some initiative and learn some skills that may set you apart from your classmates because your teachers have some great connections and will see your drive and open up all sorts of incredible opportunities like this.
