Vital Stats
Name: Anna Corpron
Occupation: Curator/Designer/Artist
First Job: Ever? I worked as an admin at a hospital the summer between senior year of high school and my freshman year of college. My first job out of college was as an exhibition designer for a design firm.
Best Job: This one, for sure! I love working for myself, searching out awesome artists, and supporting the work of some amazing charities.
Greatest Professional Challenge: Finding a good work/life balance. I always seem to tip the scales in favor of one or the other.
Starting Salary: $38,000
Website: The Working Proof

1. How did you get that f*&%ing awesome job?
It's been a long series of steps that have built upon each other. I come from an architecture background and worked in the industry for five years, but have always been interested in art and design on a smaller scale. Ever since graduating from college in 2003, my (now) husband, Sean, and I would collaborate with each other on various projects under the name Sub-Studio (screenprinted prints, notecards, and other objects). In 2007 I launched Brevity, a line of jewelry inspired by geometric elements found in nature. I quit my architecture job in 2008 and started working full time on Sub-Studio and Brevity.

That same year we learned about a business plan competition that our church was hosting. We submitted a business plan for The Working Proof, and we made it through the three rounds, and to our surprise, won the Arts category of the competition. The grant that we received allowed us to build and launch The Working Proof in October of 2009.

2. Tell us a little bit about your company. What’s going on there at this very minute?
The Working Proof is an online print gallery and shop that was founded to support charity through art. 15% of each print sold is donated to the charity of the artist's choice, creating a product with not just aesthetic but social value. In the year since we've launched we have worked with 55 different artists, releasing a limited-edition print every Tuesday at 1:30pm EST. Our print editions are always affordable, and range in price from $25 to $100. We offer access to original artwork on an immediate, affordable scale, with a positive social impact built right it.

Right now, we are busy orchestrating the finishing touches on an exhibition that we curated at Rare Device in San Francisco, which opens on November 19th. The show's title is Aesopica, and it features a collection of Aesop's Fables illustrated by twelve artists that The Working Proof has worked with in the past: Andrea D’Aquino, Samantha Hahn, Caitlin Keegan, Sol Linero, OSoo, Danna Ray, Amy Ruppel, Catherine Ryan, Lisa Solomon, Yasmine Surovec, Julianna Swaney, and Gretchen Wagoner. The work of 826 National inspired the idea for the show. 826 National is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to helping students with expository and creative writing. We will donate 15% of the sales from the show to 826 Valencia, the local San Francisco chapter.

3. What inspired you to give back to the community through commerce?
Sean and I both volunteer from time to time, but we hadn't figured out a way to incorporate our desire to give back on a professional level. As Christians, we wanted to integrate our faith with our work by building a company that is both a viable business and one that is also good for the world. Personally, we didn't have tons of cash lying around that we could donate to charity, but we knew that by building a donation into our business model, we could create something to donate. We brainstormed creative ways that would enable us to synthesize our love of art and design with social consciousness. There are so many great charities that are working to address very real problems in the world. The Working Proof allows us to be a part of the solution in our own way—through the sale and promotion of our favorite artists' work!

4. What does a typical day look like for you?
My days are pretty varied since I split my time between The Working Proof, Sub-Studio, and Brevity, but I will typically spend my mornings catching up on emails and other admin stuff, and the afternoons are spent doing anything from researching artists, to tinkering with our websites, photographing the prints, packing orders, making jewelry, blogging, client work, more emailing, and watching Modern Family on Hulu.

5. What is the best part about what you do? The non-best part?
My favorite part is finding and meeting new artists. There is so much amazing work out there, just waiting to be discovered. Even better is when I get a print edition in the mail from the artist—it feels like Christmas, but it happens all year round! I also love being able to send checks to our artists and charities. It feels good to be able to support these creatives and non-profits in whatever way we can, and to see tangible evidence of the power of art to effect change.

The non-best part? Definitely all of the admin work that comes along with running your own business. The Working Proof is currently just me, so I do everything. Tax time makes me want to poke my eyes out.

6. If you had to name one thing (or two or three...) that’s contributed to your company’s success, what would it be?
I think that the social value of our products is attractive to people. Our customers are excited that not only are they getting a beautiful, limited-edition artwork when they buy a print from The Working Proof, but they are also contributing to a donation we make to a specific charity. It's the best of both worlds—you get something and you give something.

7. Do you have any words of wisdom for those of us that want to strike out on our own?
Small steps. It's important to build on your past—jobs, talents, experiences, etc. Use those things to help build-up a new idea, even if it's unrelated.

8. And just for fun, what do you want this holiday season?
We are having a baby in early February, so I would love a larger, affordable apartment (we currently live in a studio in NYC). Since that's probably not going to happen, some of the MUJI storage systems to help us declutter and store things properly before the baby gets here would be just fine!

Thanks Anna for sharing!


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