Visitor Response: Effie Rieper

It was very eye-opening to hear about Effie's life story, especially their struggles with working in a corporate setting, and trying to maintain their creative individuality and integrity while doing so. One of the things I was shocked by was that in one of the earlier companies they worked at (HUSH?), how one of the things that the company did was kind of "leech" on their intern's thesis ideas to make something that promotes the company. In theory, it makes sense and isn't really THAT terrible of a thing to do, but the fact the interns were only paid 12/hr just rubbed me the wrong way. It just seemed like the interns were doing a lot more work than they were being paid for. It just reminded me that one of the main things I hate about the "system" is how internships tend to be a way for companies to get free or discounted labor (even if it's not "intended," I feel like nowadays there's a lot of abuses with internships).

Another thing that shocked me was when Effie mentioned how their workload was so high they were sleeping in the office, and (I forgot if this was at the same company) that there were a lot of "food expenses" in the company's data because they allowed them to get food on breaks to justify not paying them a high wage + working long hrs 🤡 (it's clownery, luv). And don't even get me started on when Effie made that Target ad (I think), that same boss also brought up the Slave VR Experience? UMMM, I knew corporate life be wild but I didn't know it was like THAT. It reiterated for me the importance of working in a place that shares your same values, so that you never have to be put in the position of being asked to compromise on your moral/life-views.

But the fact that Effie eventually found a way to do what they love as a career and found work that meant something to them is inspiring. I, like a lot of people in the class, also really loved the covers of their upcoming album(s). (They really said light vs dark... duality...! dichotomy...! haha. I just really liked the aesthetic.) Overall, their life journey was eye-opening and inspiring, and I enjoyed hearing them speak and seeing their work.