De Ivett
Founder and CEO, 5D Spectrum
Cultural Artists Spotlight: March 20 – April 2, 2019
Can you tell us a little bit about what you do?
I am first and foremost a Mother. My son is a Junior at John Burroughs High School, taking a full load of AP classes and plays water polo and swims on the Varsity swim team. He often participates in arts related fundraisers, volunteering his time along with me.
As the founder of 5D Spectrum I oversee a team of highly creative and technical talent to develop business marketing strategies and the plans to implement them. This can include anything from developing a brand, designing a new logo, developing a social media strategy or designing and programming a website. I am also responsible for new business development and client relations. I am very hands on with all of our projects because I love my work.
I also teach the CTE Web Design class at John Burroughs High School in the Fall. I love teaching this class because it gives me an opportunity to give back by sharing my knowledge with the next generation of commercial artists. I can influence my students’ interest in digital media and help them shape their own career path in the process. Most importantly, I can teach them to be creative problem solvers, with the ability to adapt to the tools they need to learn to do their jobs.
I am a musician and songwriter. I picked up an acoustic bass when I was 25. I started learning to play REM songs which inspired me to write my own songs. My love for writing and playing music lead me to start a band back in the 90s – we played out in clubs all over southern CA and Mexico for almost 5 years. I still write music and hope to start playing out again some day soon.
How did you first become interested in art and design?
In high school, our staff photographer was gone for the second half of my senior year, so I stepped up to take his place as events photographer shooting campus lifestyle and special programs. As the yearbook editor, staff writer and veritype setter for the yearbook supplement, my interest in commercial art and photography was born. I went off to college to pursue a degree in graphic design with a photography minor from LAVC. After graduating top of my class I was planning to transfer to CSLB for their interactive media program, but got sidetracked by a unique job opportunity working on a proprietary computer system colorizing black and white television shows and movies. There I discovered my aptitude for quickly learning new technologies and embraced my love for computer graphics.
I followed the path of digital media early on working at an advertising agency and later became certified in interactive media design and programming. I won my first interactive LuLu award in 1996 for a “Virtual Art Gallery” EPK, designed to help a non-profit foundation to sell greeting cards that were made from original paintings by children and families in the program.
How can art enrich a community, and what are some ways people can become engaged with art in Burbank?
Art is everywhere we look. It happens all around us. It inspires our own creativity and brings people together.
Art enriches our community, when we start with the kids. The exposure of students to art can greatly affect aspects of their learning in a positive way. Creating art encourages students to solve problems and make choices, every child deserves the right to an education in the arts. Raising a generation of creative problem solvers is good for not only our local community, but also for the world.
When my son started kindergarten at Stevenson Elementary School, I became immediately aware of the lack of integrated arts and music education programs in the classroom due to budget cuts. I thought back to my school days and remembered how the photography and yearbook classes helped to shape my career path early on, and decided to dedicate my spare time to helping the booster club raise the money to provide arts education in the classroom. As my son moved into middle school I decided that the need was bigger than just one school and got involved with a local non-profit organization that was in line with my goals – to increase the music and arts education programs in the classroom for all kids.
Now, I also teach BUSDs CTE Web Design class – just one more way of exposing our kids to art in the classroom. The CTE classes give our students so much opportunity to learn and find a passion to follow in the shaping of their own career path.
We have so much opportunity to support the arts in Burbank from volunteering at one of the many booster and school events to buying tickets, or donating goods and services to fundraising events. I currently volunteer my time and donate items and services to Musicians at Play, and the BUSD Arts for All programs. These organizations, are always looking for people to get involved and the results are very rewarding for everyone involved.
If you could share with our community one thing about art, what would it be?
You are never too old to start being creative, or just get involved. My mom did not pick up a paintbrush until she was in her 60s. She is a working artist now selling her original paintings and prints out on at the Avila Beach boardwalk and runs workshops to teach her techniques to others.
To find out more about De, visit her website at https://5dspectrum.com