Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you :
I’m Tanya Roberts, a letterpress printer and artist, fledgling crocheter and a DIY enthusiast.
Your current job :
I am at the helm of Snap + Tumble, a letterpress line of small stationery goods, owned, designed and printed by yours truly.
In which city are you located?
Toronto
A word to define what kind of worker you are :
Industrious
What tools are essential to your life (app, software, etc..)
Illustrator, Photoshop, camera, my tabletop presses
What does your office space look like?
It looks best in the morning light that comes in from the west-facing windows. I’ve got a large white desk that accommodates all of my tools and equipment when I’m printing. There are also some thrifted wine crates on that desk that I use as shelves and to tuck in some of my tools and other paper bits and bobs.
What kind of music do you listen when you are working ?
If it’s not Sade that I’m listening to, I like to mix it up with a rotation of old school hip hop, r&b, classic house.
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work ?
My best productivity is in the morning. So if there’s any printing to be done, that’s when it will be. Not only am I more alert in the morning but hand-mixing ink in bright natural light works best. I try to block a few hours to work straight through and get everything done before lunch. I find that if I break in the middle of the project, then the flow is lost.
What tips would you give to improve productivity ?
Have a good night’s rest. Be excited about what you’re working on. Focus on one thing at a time.
You’re better than your colleagues to :
I don’t worry about comparing myself to others. I’m constantly in awe of others who are great at what they do and are passionate about it.
What is the best advice anyone has given you ?
Work with what you’ve got instead of worrying about what you don’t have.
What is your best tip for saving time ?
I always try to give myself plenty of time to work on a project so that I’m not tempted to cut corners. Working weeks in advanced of a deadline takes away pressure and allows you to take your time and give your best. That, and never, ever procrastinate.
What is your routine start and end of the day ?
Everyday is a bit different, but I schedule any printing that’s to be done on one day of the week. On those mornings, I usually start around 8am and get in a quick and light breakfast before starting in the studio. Paper cutting, ink-mixing and the make-ready process for printing varies depending on the project. But I usually schedule about 4 hours for it before the afternoon begins. After lunch and press clean up, I catch up on any emails and respond to inquiries from the previous evening and the morning. The evening is left for family time and I often find myself thinking about future projects and processing ideas in the middle of the night. Best thing to do about that is to write them down and forget about them until the morning.
Aside from your computer and your phone, what gadget can you not you go without?
Not really a gadget, but, my glasses. I am hopeless without them.
