A new apprenticeship will be available in July for young creatives in York.
Helen Tafesse, owner of Older & Wiser Co., a York-based visual design company, said that “the desire to create this apprenticeship was born of all the passion that I have built up from other people.”
Tafesse said she spent time in the Midwest, “dabbling in the creative world while attending a sabbatical program” and found much encouragement from creative directors to grow her artistic side – a side she says she doesn’t like. I fully realize I own.
“The way they gave me the opportunity to grow and pushed me beyond the limits I thought I existed has changed the course of my entire life. It sounds dramatic, but it’s true, ”she said. “I wouldn’t do half of the things I am now if someone else hadn’t looked at my potential and called or worked with me and given me the courage to improve.”
Tafesse started her business in 2019 after returning to her hometown of York to save money and go back to school in Chicago.
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“My plan was to pay for college by selling new plants in old vintage ships (hence the name), but then I noticed that people were very intrigued by the creative / collaborator shots, so I started focusing on that piece until at The realization didn’t hit me that I was doing the very thing I was trying to “go to school.” So, I dropped out of college and started devoting my time and attention to the thing I love most: storytelling, “he said.
Tafesse said she wanted to create the apprenticeship because she finds it rewarding to inspire others and show them your potential.
“I’ve also had so many opportunities to collaborate with local artists and how we’ve learned to build each other amazes me,” he said. “There is such a heart for the community, support for artists and mentoring in this area if you know where to look. I want to make it more obvious to those who seek.
Tafesse is working with several creatives and artists in the York community to create the apprenticeship. For her, “it is a project of passion, a project of people, a project of possibility” which allows her and others to share some of the tools necessary to “develop the artist within himself”.
“We want creative aspirants to believe that they too are capable of not only creating something good, but also fostering relationships and teamwork that propel them and the community forward,” he said.
The internship will consist of four sessions over four weeks. Apprentices will learn how to establish a strong storyline, develop a character, protect supporting elements, and execute a concept design in the context of a team.
Some of the topics covered will be hair and makeup, wardrobe and costumes, set design and production, screenwriting, working on a budget and photography. Currently, some of the partners lined up to assist with the apprenticeship include members of the Dreamwrights Theater Costume Department, the production designers from the Appell Center, Studio MKUP, and a few local photographers.
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Tafesse said she is working on adding more people to the partnership team.
“We will then learn how ideas translate into reality and how imagination finds practicality in the fundamental principles and resources available to our industries and specific to our local area,” said Tafesse.
Apprenticeships are still open and apprenticeships are free. Interested parties must be between the ages of 16 and 30 and can apply online at oldandwiser.co/theship.
The program, which is called “The Ship”, will run from 5pm to 8pm every Wednesday from July 13th to August 4th. The meetings will be held in a different location each week.