Desk Notes: April 2026

A snapshot of current projects, systems, and tools in use

Work continues across several projects, with a mix of client work, content, and ongoing systems development.

Tulips in bloom at the Penn State Arboretum.

Back to the Future

A visit to Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications earlier this month offered a look at how much the field has evolved. It's easy to forget how different things are from when advertising was part of the School of Liberal Arts. A connection I made earlier this year led to a tour of the program, where Advertising now sits within a fully integrated Communications school.

The contrast from when I graduated in 1990 is hard to miss. Back then, campaigns were built with paper storyboards and presentation boards, physically laid out and discussed in the room.

The current program operates at a completely different scale. Broadcasting studios, voice-over rooms, and students actively producing work in real time reflect how much the tools and expectations have changed.

It’s a useful reminder of how much environment and timing shape a path. Even without going into traditional advertising, I ended up using skills learned during my time in the program.

This Month’s Focus

Patterns of Meaning work continues. The pilot year is now well past the midpoint, with planning underway for what comes next. A Six Month Impact Report has served as a useful checkpoint, both for documenting progress and for clarifying direction heading into year two.

Art Is An Advantage continues to build out its content and resource base, including the Visibility Opportunity Database, a collection of residencies, exhibitions, fellowships, grants, and open calls for artists. Newsletter subscribers have access to the full database.

Consulting work is ongoing, with an emphasis on strategy development, proposal building, and setting up systems that can support longer-term engagement.

What’s Actively in Motion

The Robert Yonke Art summer campaign is in progress, with a focus on positioning work for the Deep Creek Lake market. I've weighted out a lot of options, everything from print ads, digital ads, direct marketing and more. I think we've come up with a solid strategic mix and look forward to seeing it unfold.

AI continues to be used primarily as an operational tool, supporting the development of repeatable workflows and systems across both client work and internal projects.

Tools, Systems, & Other

NotebookLM remains part of the workflow for organizing research and source material, particularly as projects expand and require more structured inputs. Most of my strategy work is now done inside a Claude Project and ChatGpt is used for easy questions.

Artstage continues to be used to create mockups for artwork, especially for blog posts and presentations. I can't even begin to explain the convoluted email system I had set up for myself navigating between different email accounts. This week I consolidated under a Google Workspace account.

More Resources

Speaking of regional focus, I came across this piece on how location affects what artwork sells, and it lines up with what I’ve seen firsthand. Where your work is shown and who it’s in front of can shape what sells, and there’s room to be intentional about that without changing what you do.

Artwork Archive remains one of the top tools recommended for artists. Their inventory guide is still worth reviewing, especially if you are actively applying to opportunities or managing work more strategically.

That’s what’s currently in motion.