Erin May Cochanco

When Erin “accidentally” signed up for a risograph class in college, her life changed. She fell hard for the print process. After learning the ropes of risography through teachers, the wider community, Reddit forums and her time at Secret Riso Club, she set up her own practice, Neue Sans Press. At the same time, she kicked off a talk series, Tropik Talks, spotlighting Southeast Asian creative voices. Erin’s is a story of following your passions and why, at the end of the day, where you're based doesn’t define where you’ll go.

About my work

My creative practice
I’m currently a freelance graphic designer and risograph printmaker. My independent publishing and riso press, Neue Sans Press, focuses on risography, design and creative community programming.

I just moved back home to Manila, Philippines, after studying and working at different small studios and with select artists in New York. I’m kicking off my Southeast Asia endeavors by exhibiting at Jakarta’s Press Print Party and Kuala Lumpur Art Book Fair.

Influences and inspiration
My stint at Secret Riso Club, a design, risograph and community project in Bushwick, influenced my personal practice the most. As communications coordinator, I facilitated conversations between people for events or projects, developed the membership program and pitched in with design support and teaching risograph workshops. Working there was a dream job and gave me valuable field insight and courage to start my own risograph-driven practice, Neue Sans Press.

Some other folks from the riso community who inspire me are my fellow Filipinos from Bad Student and Amanda Chung from Lucky Risograph.

My training
In my last year of college, I accidentally signed up for a risograph class taught by Amanda of Lucky Risograph and Joe Hirsch without even knowing what a risograph was. It’s no exaggeration to say it changed my life.

Through that class, I learned the technical aspects – operating a machine, paginating a book, making files print-ready – but what really got me to where I am today was reaching out to people. I learned a lot by asking questions on Facebook, Reddit and Discord groups – there are always people out there generous with information.

Favorite recent project
Pelikula 76 is my first publication with a full Filipino team where I handled design and risograph production. It also has a special place in my heart because I printed it on my own risograph printer (a Facebook Marketplace find and a huge financial investment).

Also, Tropik Talks, a Southeast Asian speaker series. I love talks (like Nicer Tuesdays), but I wanted to hear more from Southeast Asian voices, so I organized my own. The first talk was with Kittybug Press and Chia Amisola.

A day in the life
I left Manila in the middle of COVID and the city and its people have changed a lot. I’m now reorienting myself in the creative scene by going to events and sending out a lot of cold emails and DMs. I’m also in the studio and on my laptop a lot, deep in production for my upcoming art book fairs. Work aside, I’m finally getting to spend time with my family and childhood friends.

A starter pack for my job:
My emotional support cat Masha; a lot of coffee; three different Adobe Creative Cloud apps open at the same time, about to crash my computer; a random episode of Modern Family playing in the background.

How I got here

Starting my creative journey
There was a lot of meandering: I freelanced for a health clinic near school as a student, dipped my toes into fashion interning for Joh Siff who manages the brand ASHLYN, and did an unpaid 40-hour internship at a luxury fashion consignment start-up (that I later found out scammed some people) for a whole summer. 

I started at Secret Riso Club as a post-grad work exchange, wanting access to studio time. I wasn’t looking for a job or a life of risography, but I fell in love with the work. Once I started, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.

Landing my first few jobs, clients and/or commissions
I just walked around, asked and put myself out there. Whether it was a restaurant, a clothing store or a studio I liked, I’d ask who I could reach out to about working with them – freelance, part-time or otherwise. Anything would do, I just wanted to get my foot in the door.

After my 40-hour internship, I realized how important it was to like where I worked and who I worked with. I figured I might as well try to work at places I already wanted to spend my free time in, so wherever I went, I asked.

Biggest challenges along the way
Being an international. Coming from the other side of the world has its own advantages, but it comes with a lot of visa-related stress. I’m so lucky Secret Riso Club supported my visa requirements and went the extra mile for me, but work visa policies have become increasingly restrictive and expensive. I love New York, but I came here for creative freedom; I realized I couldn’t pursue the kind of work I wanted to do if I had to tailor my career around what would get me a visa.

I know a lot of people are facing the same issue. I thought about fighting to stay or leaving for a long time. There’s a lot of privilege in working in a place like New York, but no one’s future is defined by where they are. I decided to believe in myself and try something new.

Everyday skills I’ve found helpful for my creative work:
Being yourself is an underrated skill. People are looking for alignment, so put yourself out there in an authentic way and the right things will find you.

My social media and self-promotion vibe is…
I think the most important thing is to be honest with yourself about why you’re online. I’m there to document my work and keep in touch with events and creative happenings. I’ve also met a couple of people online who turned into amazing IRL friends.

Three things I've found useful in my career:

My greatest learnings when it comes to making money and supporting myself as a creative:
Right now I’m taking advantage of being in my 20s, chasing experiences and making self-indulgent purchases, so I’m not the person to ask. I would be doing people a disservice by sharing financial advice!

Advice

My most useful career tips
It’s the people you know – an overused but true saying. This isn’t to say you should go around collecting contacts, but that you should make an effort to get to know people in a genuine way. You never know what might come out of a conversation. Be a good person to work with and don’t underestimate how far that can take you.

Where I go to feel connected as a creative
I highly recommend taking a risograph workshop or going to an art book fair.

What I'd say to someone looking to get into a similar role
Keep making things imbued with your unique perspective. People can’t tell if you align if you don’t put yourself out there.