End of the Line

Here we are, the last blog post of the semester.

It was a quick journey, and at this moment there are only two weeks left of school. It doesn't make it any less stressful though. With one project left, my creativity and mental state has been spread thin. Being a perfectionist is difficult and one of those traits that sounds like a blessing, when in fact it can be really unhealthy and tears me apart. I just have to keep reminding myself that it is only one project and if I can't give it my all this one time, it will be ok.

The world still moves on.

All in all, Austin Kleon's Steal Like An Artist is wonderful. The advice is precious for beginners and insightful for the professional. I learned so much and don't think I've enjoyed a required textbook for class more than I have this one, nor have I found one as useful.

At the end of the book, Austin recommends more books for the reader. Earlier in the semester, I bought two different ones, What It Is by Lynda Barry and Ignore Everybody by Hugh MacLeod. I gave a small review of What It Is previously, stating that it's very stimulating and was hard for me to read because of it. I did finish Ignore Everybody though and found it really insightful. I kept my handy pen and sticky notes by me as I read, ready to highlight or bookmark a page I particularly liked.

A few underlines I have are, "If somebody in your industry is more successful than you, it's probably because he works harder at it than you do." (page 10) and "Trying to create when you don't feel like it is like making conversation for the sake of making conversation." (page 101) Hugh MacLeod can be pretty cynical but he gives good life advice for artists.

That's all. Thank you for reading.

— B

Choose Wisely

At twelve blog posts and ten chapters later, we finish Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon. Only a few short pages, Austin leaves us with some last advice which is: creativity is subtraction, put the right constraints on yourself, and (obviously) have fun.

Constraints can help a person become more creative because it provides enough guidelines where the persons brain can start thinking in the right direction. If there are no rules I usually find myself stumped at what I should create because it offers so many possibilities. In those situations where the client or project is giving me so much creative leeway, I try to come up with a few rules for myself.

We had to self-assign a project with our own constraints to challenge ourselves. I decided to try and come up with a logo for five different words which had to relate to the word in some way. It was a great exercise and a good change of pace to work on something that was just for fun. Taking the advice from above, I tried to create these using as little as I could, or finding the slightest change that makes a big difference.

Only one more blog post.

That's all for this week. Thanks for reading.

— B

Ramen Burps

This is going to be a short post because I am exhausted.

To summarize chapter 9 (the second to last chapter in this book) Austin advises us to lead "boring" lives. Get into a routine, get a day job, find a good partner, and do the extraordinary in your work because let's be honest, being creative is tiring enough as it is.

Everybody has somewhat of a routine: wake up, brush your teeth, eat, go to work. Something like that. My routine is pretty much the same, except with more coffee. I (try) to exercise every other day because it really helps keep my head clear and I usually end the day working on my computer or watching Netflix documentaries with my partner until we fall asleep. I think having a good, boring, everyday routine helps people be more creative. One of my favorite statements is: try to do as many menial tasks as you can because when you're doing something you don't want to be doing, your mind will start to wander to the work you actually want to be doing.

My logbook.

Kleon recommends staying organized and keeping a calendar. I live by my phone calendar, mostly because I have the memory of a shrimp. Being orderly helps get my thoughts together and lets me know exactly what needs to be done at the given moment.

Another thing he recommends is keeping a logbook, which I've been doing since I first finished the book back in January. It really helps me retain information even though I'm just writing down a few details. I've loved keeping a logbook and urge everyone to at least try it. My favorite part is looking back to read what I wrote about that day... and it's much less cringy than keeping a journal.

That's all for this week. Thanks for reading.

— B

Talənt

Steal Like An Artist, Austin Kleon (p. 101)

This weeks chapter was longer than previous ones and covered a lot of good topics: Make friends not enemies. Surround yourself with the smart and talented people. Instead of arguing about things that make you angry, use that anger to fuel your next project. Find people that you admire, write to them.

Something that I particularly liked was his statement "If you ever find that you're the most talented person in the room, you need to find another room." (p.104) I love it. It's not what most people want, and it's definitely not what I thought I wanted when I was younger (now it's only inevitable I won't be the most talented person in a room) but I love it because, not only does it take the desire of being the best off my shoulders, it allows me to learn from those whose who are better.

Le Crazy, Malika Favre

The people that I surround myself are the people that offer me their creativity without even knowing it. My list of inspiration are (in no particular order):
1. Malika Favre: she teaches me how to create beauty using few colors and simple shapes.
2. Rowland + Broughton: these guys fuel my creativity, not only because I have a nostalgia back when I wanted to be an architect, but because of their innovative designs.
3. Anything from Pentagram. Self explanatory.
4. My peers from school really push me to be better.
5. Lotta Nieminen
6. Alexis Eke: she's younger than me and already has a stunning and definitive style to her illustrations.
7. Na Kim: really great book covers.
8. AIGA Chicago

There's obviously so much more, I follow a lot of artists and designers on social media.

Kleon mentions you should write to your heroes. I don't have a particular hero, more like I cherish everyone that I discover and take in everything that they have to offer. I guess my only words to say would be that I hope one day I can repay everyone for the inspiration and creativity that they have given me in one way or another.

That's all for this week. Thanks for reading.

— B