Published by Leonardo Calcagno
Who are you?
Ny name is Iris, I studied graphic design in Switzerland and worked as a designer for 10 years before I fell in love with ancient manual printing techniques. I immigrated in Québec in 2005 and started my own screen-printing studio shortly after. Today, I live out of screen-printing, and I am developing my skills in lithography, woodcut and engraving at Concordia University.
Your current job:
I am leading my own screenprinting studio in Montreal. My work is divided between teaching, supervising the rental of the space, and printing contracts.
In which city are you located?
Montréal
A word to define what kind of worker you are:
Resilient. I don’t give up easily, and I have a lot of energy!
What tools are essential to your life:
My computer, my phone, google calendar and my cutter.
What does your office space look like?
A big bright and welcoming space with lots of filing cabinets, piles of paper, inks and tools all over the place. And a 1909 Chandler&Price paper-cutter.
What kind of music do you listen to when you are working?
Most of the time, none. My working environment can be pretty noisy. But when I do, I usually listen to the podcast «This American Life».
Do you have a way to organize your day to maximize your work?
I know how to make the most of my time by taking profit of every little moment to accomplish one of the things I have to do, even very small tasks. I group some tasks together, so that I lose less time when I have to go somewhere. I don’t hesitate to change
my planning if I am not efficient in doing what I had planned to do… Basically, I am very flexible.
What tips would you give to improve productivity?
Divide your work in pieces, know how to listen to your internal clock, and never overload yourself to the point that you can’t any more. Know your field of work and your skills so that you can make a right estimate of how much time a task will take you.
You’re better than your colleagues to:
Constantly reorganize my planning! And to keep in mind all I have to do without having to write it down.
What is the best advice anyone has given to you?
You need to be patient for things to happen. They will, but it might take some time.
What is your best tip for saving time?
Never procrastinate. If you have time to do it now… DO IT. And stay away from Facebook.
What is your routine start and end of day?
Coffee, answer professional emails, attend to meetings in the morning. At the end of the day, cleaning my working space, answer to personal emails, watch a series or a movie before going to bed.
Aside from your computer and phone, what gadget can’t you go without?
My swiss knife!
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