Working with Facciocose

By Savithaa Markandu

For the past ten weeks, I have been on a placement with a creative enterprise known as Facciocose. I was warmly welcomed into the Facciocose family of 4, led by Monika Gravagno, the Founder and Creative Director of Facciocose.

Ten weeks is a long time when you’re counting. But I can assure you that my time on placement flew by so fast. By the first week, I fit into the creative team like a puzzle piece, hitting it off with 2 of Monika’s colleagues, Mariana and Ezster. By the second week, I formed friendships with the students on the Beginners Course, which I regularly attended, to observe and assist Monika during her teaching. And for the majority of my placement, Monika fully entrusted me with research, writing, contacting, planning and many other tasks. My journey during this placement has been eye opening and heart-warming. I have grown in confidence and I have learned many, many valuable lessons.

As Monika once told me, there is no need to absorb everything that you see and hear. Your mind knows what it needs. You will remember some things and you will forget others. Only take note of what is valuable to you.

So, below I’ve listed 26 lessons that I have learned during my placement, which I find valuable to me. They are pretty strong lessons, so if I were you, I would run through all of them. By the end, choose what you feel is significant to you, and let go of the rest.

Without further ado, I present to you the A-Zs of Monika Gravagno.

Admit to failure, accept the failure, learn from the failure, and move on. Trials and tribulations are sure to get in the way of your progress. Revise your approach, acknowledge the weak areas, find ways to improve, and you will get there.

Breathe.

Communicate-everything that you do affects your team and your company. If you have made a discovery, if you have made a mistake, if you can’t make it on time-communicate. It shows your professionalism, your consideration and that you work for a team rather than for yourself.

“Don’t say ‘yes’ all the time. It’s okay to say ‘no’.” Work is important, but so are you. People can push you around and if you give in to everything, they will step all over you. Stand your ground and make it clear that while you are willing to do some things, there are others that you will not

Explain rather than instruct. If you want to give advice, feedback or even reprimand, there should always be a ‘why’ behind this. When people make sense of the logical reasoning behind your words, they become more willing to accept what you say and take it into consideration.

“Forget the past, focus on the present. There are countless opportunities and possibilities for you right here, right now”

Give yourself a break when you need it. Respect ‘me’ time and stick to it. 9-5 means after 5 is for resting, so push the work aside and put your feet up. Or take them for a walk. It’s up to you, as long as you can come back to work the next day feeling refreshed.

Monika - Artistic Director of Facciocose — Monika - Artistic Director of *Facciocose*

Heart-to-heart conversations don’t make work relationships any less professional, but they do build friendships between professionals

“If you become friends with your business partners, that is an added value. But don’t simply choose your friends to be your business partners”

Jump up and just do it. Don’t think so much. When you think, you hold yourself back.

“Know what you want and ask for it.”

Listen to one another. Share your triumphs and your defeats. You will build a strong support system at work where everyone boosts one another through their individual journeys

“Maintain a balance between business mode and creative mode.” If you have multiple ideas but no pragmatic approach, your visions can’t come to life. On the other hand, if you can open a business but have not invested in creativity, your work won’t stand out in the strong competition.

Never stop learning. No matter how much experience you have, always upgrade your skills, and attend workshops and exhibitions. Change is constant and something we learn today may no longer be relevant tomorrow.

Openness and adaptability. Be open to transition, be open to plans falling apart. The journey may not always be smooth but instead of shutting down, adopt new ways to readjust.

Plan well ahead of time. There are always so many things to do, but so little time, and so little space. Do your research early, make those phone calls and send those emails. Secure your spot before it’s too late.

Query-ask questions. They don’t hurt anybody. At best, you learn something new, and at worst, you already knew.

Resilience gets you through the tough times. The journey may dip low and it might make you anxious and nervous about the future. Keep your head above the water and push, push, push until you see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Say thank you to everyone who works with and for you. I cannot emphasize this enough. The people who work with you are humans, not robots. Give them a smile, ask them how their day was, and be grateful. They will appreciate it much more than you think.

Trust the people you work with and they will deliver for you. You may have hired someone new and you may be uncertain of how capable they are, but believe before you doubt. The trust that you have will not only move them but also encourage them to deliver their best. And it can only go up from there

Understand that everyone has different lives and schedules. Put yourselves in their shoes and empathise. Reflect on their attitude and ask yourself if it is fair to confront them for not turning in their work on time. Instead of lecturing them, convey your concerns, listen to their needs and meet halfway.

“Value the work that you do. Just executing it is not enough.” Strive to do more than just ‘do’. It will not only bring you more pleasure but also bring you to greater heights

“Work with people you like.” This doesn’t mean that they have to be your friends. But at the least, pick people you enjoy collaborating with, and this will make the conversations a lot easier

Xchange knowledge. There is no shame in admitting defeat and asking for help. Nobody is below anybody else. Take advantage of a room full of creative juices and open up the space for everyone to bring their ideas to the table

“Your seeds will grow.” Be patient and look towards the future. It may take years but you will see your hard work flower into something beautiful, and it will be worth the wait.

Zest-be enthusiastic. Positive energy is contagious. Do a weird dance and sing a song. Tell a joke and laugh along. Bring the sun everywhere with you and people will love you for it.

You got through the mighty 26! These lessons are a combination of direct quotes from Monika sharing her wisdom with me, and my observation of Monika during the time that we worked and collaborated together. Many of the moments that I observed happened organically and I realised over time that they were a part of Monika’s work ethic and her attitude in life.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with Facciocose and I could not thank the team enough, for their kindness, enthusiasm and positivity. We definitely had some insane Flower Power in our all-women’s team. For now, I will say good-bye.

But who knows, maybe I will come back soon?

By Savithaa Markandu