People Who Pattern

Most of you know us as people who paint. But we’re also people who pattern.

Peel back the curtain at Colossal Media and you’ll find our WOMB (Work Operations Management Bureau), where every mural we create is conceived and birthed. They’re the logistical masters behind everything we do: assessing art, breaking it down based on form and color, creating visual road maps for our painters in the field.

Our pattern makers are a huge part of this process, and we commend the shit out of them for all that they do (spending long hours in a dark room zapping tiny holes into giant sheets of paper isn't for the faint-hearted). The Pattern Room is more than a windowless abyss, it’s the place where our pattern makers can ditch the world and focus on their craft.

HOW TO PATTERN LIKE A BO$$

A 24-hour diary by Kate

8am

Wake up. Snooze intermittently and pray for bike weather and a swift commute.

9am

Outta my bed, into the streets.

10am

Pillage shop kitchenette and hit the wall, an 8’ H x 4’ W steel facade in the Pattern Room abyss. This is where we hand prepare our patterns on rolls of butcher paper. Every day is different. Sometimes I begin the day with music, news, or podcasts, other days it’s a chance to think and plan in silence. Either way, these rooms allow maximum focus so that we can be as attentive to the patterning process as possible. Almost like a sensory deprivation tank, but with speakers and (occasionally) a cat snoozing in the corner.

2pm

Continue to burn patterns for our clients while listening to podcasts ranging broadly from NYC history, serial murderers, culturally coded typography, and ‘adulting’ advice.

3pm

Vibe check at the lunch couch. A good time to touch base with my superhero supervisors, Lumi and Nicole, and strategize for the rest of the day. It’s also when I get to hobnob with other departments, catch up with painters, and compare notes on Grand Avenue lunch spots. When things get hectic and patterns are immensely complicated, lunch is a cool respite from the frenzy of production.

4pm

Twisting lead tip after tip into the electric pounce pen while sincerely jamming to the likes of Blood Orange, Kali Uchis, and my forever fave, Sufjan Stevens.

6:30pm

End of day rampage to complete patterns, match prints, and shipping duties before the world begins to wind down and inch towards the proverbial door.

8pm

Could be working, could be biking, could be shopping, but I’m catching a brü.

10pm

General tomfoolery. Post-work studio session to work on my own paintings and drawings. I've got a small work space in the studio building across from the shop. Keep half an eye on the company Slack at all times though (gotta stay on top of that pre-production timeline).

12am

Sopranos binge. Forgetaboutitttt.

1:30am

Hit the high snooze and release to dreamland. See you tomorrow, world.