MY WORKPLAYCE:ERIC RAYMUNDO
Name: Eric
Location: Fort Greene, Brooklyn & Bayside, Queens
Occupation: Production Coordinator
Affiliations: 10.Deep Clothing, All Work Know Play
Background: I started this blog because I needed something occupy my time. I’ve been dealing with Miller Fisher Syndrome for the past 2 months now. I haven’t been able to work, let alone see properly for what seems to be forever. After being released from the hospital, I’ve been going back and forth between my apartment in Brooklyn to my aunt’s house in Queens. Being forced to keep my operations on the go has limited my work space and gadgetry. Here’s a closer look of what I’ve been lugging around.
What’s on the desk:
1. MacBook Pro 15″ Laptop
2. Blackberry Curve 2
3. Invicta Watch
4. Western Digital External Hard Drive
5. Egypt Air Pouch (that I now use for a camera case)
6. H&M Bag filled with eye patches
7. Carmex Click Stick
8. 10.Deep Hats
9. Nail Clipper
10. Eye Patch
11. 7-11 X-Men Origin Wolverine Hologram Cup filled with water.
Here are some questions that my cousin had for me. Q1: Can you explain to me the name & concept of ‘allworkknowplay’? How did you come up with it? Did it just come to you or did you have to sleep on it?
ER: The concept of the blog is simple, it’s all about getting to see what people’s workspace looks like. Working in a creative industry such as fashion, work and play become synonymous, where work seems like playing and playing seems like working. Whatever the case maybe, I’ve always been intrigued with the amount of different items that come across my desk over a single workday. This has also led me to investigate what other people’s desk look like, and what other tools or toys they play with during their workday. It just popped in my head one day as I was thumbing through all the photo’s I’ve taken of my desk at work. I’m actually quite excited about it.
Q2. What is your purpose & drive behind your fledgling blog?
ER: The purpose of the blog is to see the different kinds of workspaces out there. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet people in different creative industries, and personally, I’d just like to see what their desk looks like, you can tell a lot by one’s workspace. Whether they’re organized or unorganized, everyone has their own way of doing things.
Q3. Who are your future prospects that you would wish to interview & know more about their workspace? Any dream interviews? Knowing you, probably Michael Jordan.
ER: Well… I’m really curious to see what close friends of mine are doing on a daily basis. Besides them chatting with me on AIM, I’d like to see what they work with. I’d like to see how other creative directors work. I’d also like to see what the guys at Facebook and Twitter are doing. I think it’d be fun to see what inspires them, and what keeps these guys going. I’d really like to see what Phil Knight’s desk looks like.
Q4. On your desk you have an Egypt Air Pouch. Curious. Did you get that yourself or did someone you know travel to Egypt & gave you that as a keepsake souvenir?
ER: I went on vacation over the new years to Egypt. It was my first time out of the continent. We got these personal travel kits on the plane. Inside of it was a toothbrush, toothpaste, a sleeping mask and headphones. After the trip, I started using it as a camera case.
Q5. Your official occupation title is ‘Production Coordinator’ for the renowned street wear brand, 10.Deep Clothing. What exactly does being a Production Coordinator entail?
ER: As production coordinator, I’m responsible for most of the cut and sew garments. I act as an in-house facilitator to our factories overseas. I help manage all the stages of the cut and sew process, from sketching, sending tech packs, organizing fabrics and colors, to making sure the fit is on point.
Q6. Your background explains how you have been afflicted with Miller Fisher Syndrome. How did you contract it? Describe briefly how you first felt, the progression & ultimately, how you are feeling now. Do the eyepatches have anything to do with this?
ER: The doctor’s don’t have an explanation of how I got it, but there are suggestions that I got it as a reaction to my H1N1 vaccination. It was actually quite scary. I basically went from having headaches one night to waking up with a migraine and seeing double the next morning. The syndrome started to spread quite fast, it first started with my vision which had me seeing double and blurry (which explains the eye patches), that caused my balance to be off so I couldn’t walk, later on in the day, my reflexes and senses of touch were gone. All of a sudden I was in a hospital bed for 2 weeks. I’m still seeing double now, but it’s not as bad as when I first had it. According to the doctors I’ll be back to normal, they just don’t know how long. It’s definitely been a life changing experience.
Q7. I assume that your workspace consists of everything that you absolutely cannot live without due to your current profession. The standard business essentials of a laptop, cellular phone, time-piece (Invicta Watch) & external hard-drive. What does a Production Coordinator need to do their work & efficiently accomplish whatever necessary task at hand? Granted, this is your newfound make-shift business space, but what is it that you have, need & use at the 10.Deep studios?
ER: Having my laptop, blackberry and hard-drive are definitely staple items to get me through my work day. But as production coordinator, being at the office is quite important. In order to answer most of my emails from the factories overseas, I usually need to see the physical garment samples, color swatches or fabric cards that they send over. It’s also important to have the creative director by my side to approve such things. Since time is always an issue, its important to get approvals asap. Without approvals, none of the garments get made.
