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Autumn Danielle Dirks’ career and artistic passion began when she was a Girl Scout. She always loved the arts, so when her troop’s manager asked her to design a Mom & Me Girl Scout Tea Party patch, she jumped at the opportunity.

“Being able to have a reason and a purpose for what I was drawing really set me on the path for design,” Dirks said.

Now an established designer and artist, Dirks discovered a sense of community and support in Syracuse. Through Stay Fresh, Dirks has worked alongside 1911, the local hard cider, wine and spirits brand, to craft the designs on the cans of the Blueberry and Sour Hibiscus Hard Ciders. Along with that, Dirks dabbles in many other artistic endeavors, from specialized branding to UX/UI design.

Dirks’ career as an artist has been largely supported by the Gear Factory, an artist residency that houses artists of all different expertises.

Before working at the Gear Factory, Dirks graduated from Nazareth College in 2019 with a Bachelor’s in Design and Visual Communications. Dirks always knew she was good at art, but hadn’t considered it a career option until learning more about graphic design as an occupation.

About three months ago, Dirks was searching for an apartment in Syracuse. When she met a collective of artists from all walks of life at Gear Factory, Dirks was inspired to start living and working there, and joined the organization.

The Gear Factory, which used to be an industrial building for constructing automobile parts, is equipped with various artistic amenities as well as a built-in support system of fellow artists to help facilitate creative work and progress. Each resident gets their own private studio and access to communal kitchens and bathrooms. Additionally, the building provides studios for artists to work in as well as an event space for everyone to showcase their work to the Syracuse community.

Courtesy of Jessica Montgomery

The founder of The Gear Factory, Rick Detisto, has been restoring the building and putting a new purpose to each floor ever since he bought it in 2005. In a city like Syracuse, with many abandoned industrial buildings, the collective offers something new to the community, Detisto said.

“All the things that people used to complain about (in Syracuse) are the opportunities,” Detisto said.

Another resident and artist in The Gear Factory, David Steinman, does drawing, painting, sculpting and photography. Like Dirks, he said the organization is something he had been looking for a long time.

Living and working together in The Gear Factory allows the artists to grow and learn from one another. Dirks said she’s come to terms with the unrealistic challenge of perfection in the art and design world.

“Something doesn’t need to be perfect to get the job done,” Dirks said. “When it comes to designing something, it needs to solve a problem or accomplish something.”

With this mindset in mind, Dirks has taken on many different jobs and clients and said that letting herself pivot and accept a wide range of projects has worked out and opened up amazing opportunities, like creating the designs on the 1911 cans, a Syracuse favorite.

“It was surreal getting to walk into a Wegmans and see my work sitting smack dab in the front of the store,” Dirks said.

Dirks had originally intended to build her career in creative design, but she’s now more focused on UX design. Although this wasn’t her original plan, Dirks is optimistic and open to whatever comes her way.

“Don’t put that kind of pressure on yourself to build out this whole future, because at the drop of a hat, you may realize you want to do something different,” Dirks said.

Published on November 2, 2022 at 12:02 am