Creating analogue work for commercial purposes is rare. While this commission wasn’t meant for a marketing campaign, it was still the largest mainstream fashion brand I’ve ever worked with.
Picture this: I see this pattern every week—brands reaching out, expecting me to create work for free. This mindset has become so normalized that companies feel entitled to unpaid creative labor in exchange for... what exactly? Exposure? Glory? Anything but fair compensation.
I refuse to be part of that cycle. I never have, and I never will.
So when a major global retailer reached out in December, asked for a quote, and accepted it immediately—no haggling, no "exposure" talk, just respect for the work—I knew this was worth sharing.
I won't name the retail giant, as I don't fully agree with their practices or politics— just know that there's probably at least two shops where you live. When an opportunity arises that can sustain your work and amplify your message, sometimes you have to find a middle ground. Working with them allowed me to show that even in commercial settings, we can drive a shift toward more handmade art and support small creators like ourselves.
A refreshing collaboration
As you might expect, I didn’t communicate with them directly—I mainly worked with one of their communication agency.
Not many of you know this, but I used to work in this industry—a fast-paced, high-pressure world where service providers are pushed to deliver top-notch work in record time. That's why I truly appreciated how calm and respectful my contact from the agency was. They listened, understood the work’s limitations, and sought a deeper insight into the processes rather than just focusing on deliverables.
How many rounds of revisions?
I collaborated with the photographer to determine the necessary pieces, she provided guidance on choosing the right processes and materials combination while maintaining the integrity of the work’s vision and purpose.
Remarkably, they embraced nearly every print we proposed, which, believe me, is rare. I've collaborated on projects where creative teams endured endless revisions and approvals before going into production, so this was a refreshing change.
The alternative processes work commissioned
I was given waste and scrap materials from production—store plans, images, fabric, packaging, fibers, labels, you name it. It was the mood board of my dreams, perfectly aligned with my visual language.
I printed cyanotypes on marble, wood, stone, aluminum, terracotta, silk, and paper—all in just two weeks. The deadline was tight, and although I was stressed, I truly enjoyed the process. On the first day, while walking by a river in the remote Tuscan countryside to collect rocks, I thought, "I can't believe these rocks from Pesa river will end up on a massive brand website—that's insane!
The making process
With the plan defined, I started working in the studio. From day 1 I meticulously tracked every little environmental variable—temperature, humidity—and fine-tuned every step of the process, from coating and drying to exposure and washing. I tracked everything. It was a tough challenge. The cold and humid did not help, I have to thank my UV light, fan and dehumidifier for being able to get everything done on time.
I only had a few scares: aluminum that suddenly wouldn't hold the emulsion (after 3+ successful prints) and a marble that absorbed too much, leading to staining. In those cases I always say that, when you get 3 bad prints in a row and don't know where the issue is, start from scratch (especially when juggling multiple tasks at once). Each material needed its own approach, so staying organised was absolutely essential. It was challenging finding rocks that were flat enough to be able to get a digital negative in contact with the surface. Everything else went very smooth.
Silk
When I work on big commissions, I tend to leave the simpler prints for last. That sounds like a good strategy, but it also means I have the least time for them. Out of all the materials, silk was the easiest to handle—it's naturally porous, and I feel pretty confident working with fabric. For this project, I had to print portraits on silk with a precise alignment to create a layering effect.
However, positioning the print on the silk was challenging. I tried every type of tape, but it kept bleeding; pencil left stains, and thick paper didn't help. With the prints scheduled for UPS pickup the next day, I was under mild panic. I asked myself, "What would a real artist do?" So, I stepped up and simply eyeballed it. Yes, I relied on my eyes without measuring (so not like me). But guessed what, it was fine.
Skipping varnishing and going straight to packaging
Packaging was handled with utmost care. My biggest concern with the tight deadline was skipping the varnishing step—there just wasn’t enough time for it to dry before shipping, which made me anxious because surfaces are more exposed to environmental changes and scratches. I packed everything meticulously, using a concerning amount of "fragile" tape.
The print that didn't make it
Unfortunately, one print didn’t survive due to a packaging mishap ( the one in the picture on the left). This particular print was made on a highly absorbent stone where the cyanotype emulsion had sunk in. Despite several tests with smaller stones, I was determined to get the final piece just right. I was thrilled with it came out right, so I dried and packed it carefully. It was one of the last prints I did before shipping. When it arrived at destination for shooting day the print had completely vanished—the bubble wrap used for packaging had trapped humidity, which erased the print.
I was surprised, as this had not happened before. Losing one out of 16 prints is still a solid outcome given the rushed conditions and absence of varnish, and it taught me a valuable lesson for future projects.
I really enjoyed this commission
In my regular practice, I often go through long stretches of feeling uninspired and unmotivated, relying solely on myself to set goals and deadlines. Sometimes, having an external project with its own set of expectations is exactly what you need to reignite your creativity. I'm excited to pursue more alternative processes commission projects in the future!
Thank you for reading through this journey!
Please send me your thoughts and any questions you might have! info@alternativeprocesses.org
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