I'm
painting this morning. Actually - I'm painting on fabric and duct tape - SO COOL.
I love working with non-linear materials... and by that I mean
not-the-normal-stuff. Particle board. Rocks. Concrete. Slate. Whatever.
I like the unpredictability of it all. I like seeing what happens just
because it's supposed to. I like using things that aren't seen as ART and making them so.
GREAT QUESTION FROM YESTERDAY: What's the difference between an artist and a designer?? Great
question. My answer is a long winded way to say NOTHING. (I think that no two answers would ever be the same on this topic.) Which.
Is. Good. Right? To me, art is a way of life with many tools and many
styles. To me, design is an art. Love is an art. Music is an art. I
specialize in print media or 2-dimensional design and branding... that kind of thing
includes stuff like ads, identities, books, posters, cards, websites,
packaging, signage, marketing stuff, communication stuff, getting THE WORD OUT THERE STUFF - things you see and read and use as information. I
used to say information architect - but the architects I know didn't
think that was cool. (Seems there's a wee bit of a hierarchy to the design world...)
As a "designer" I arrange information in such a way that you accept and receive it in
the manner I want you to. It's visual problem solving... artful sudoku
so to speak. It's a form and function and a radical way to spend
your days. I LOVE every minute of it. EVERYBODY IS A BIT OF A DESIGNER... from the way you write
out your grocery lists to the way you arrange your furniture to the way you scrapbook or take pictures or stack your magazines. We live
by design. To excel at design - you've got to live and breathe all
kinds of design relationships. Divisions. Lines. Weights. Tensions.
FONTS. They're all part of the message. Because of my background in Fine Arts (and maybe more the art of seeing shapes and light) or MAYBE
JUST BEING THE RIGHT BRAIN WEIRDO THAT I AM - design comes pretty
effortlessly over here. I love every part of it. I literally couldn't think of anything I like to do more. I am inspired on an hourly
basis by the little details and the big picture...
The big picture? When I was a kid younger and I'd work on a painting - in
stages; drawings, basecoats, layering, building of tone and colours -
my family would come and check it out and TOTALLY NOT GET IT. Not see
it. They would say "WHAT is THAT?" or "THAT doesn't LOOK like what you said you were working on"
and I would be so hurt and offended because OBVIOUSLY IT'S THE FIRST
TITANIUM SIENNA LAYER IN A LANDSCAPE WITH DEER AND TWO BIRDS. Duh. But,
I often forgot that although I knew where the layer/building/adding
plan was going - they didn't.
Another good point: all of my paintings/drawings/whatevers are designed - then created. Buildings are designed and then built. Classes are designed and then taught. To me, design is a nearly synonymous with art. As art with life. As life with love. As love with breathing...
Whew. Not sure how we got here - but maybe that gives you an idea of the total INTERPRETATION of the whole thing... it's endless. WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ART AND DESIGN TO YOU?? Come on - hit me with some radical thought.
Alright - that's heavy for a morning intro. BUT. It's a GREAT debate and something to get you going on this lovely Wednesday.
Today: finishing a project for Donna. (Donna: can I talk about what I'm making you or is it TOP SECRET???) ADS. I have a magazine to put together. I have a MOTHER LOAD to take to the post office and my cute little doggie wants to go for a walk. FULL. DAY. I have a feeling that I better get on top of all this RIGHT NOW because it's shaping up to be the most beautiful out there. Who doesn't love a good hump-day Wednesday?
I'll be posting again this afternoon with some random goodies. Check back.
Rock out. Go.
