Always Work At Creating

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This post is neither here nor there... call it a few pointers for young'uns who want to travel the extremely wide path of the Designer.

I was browsing Craigslist (who doesn't love that site?) and came across an ad that made me giggle and then slap my head.

I use Craigslist to either post stuff for sale or buy stuff. I don't find it very reliable for finding JOBS (you know, work that actually pays you and/or is not a cover up for a drug cartel) but I can't resist looking to see what people are posting.

And I came across this gem:

I apologize for the size, so here's a close up and you will get the picture:

*sigh*

Either this poor child will never receive any REAL offers or he/she will be spammed to death. Worse Case Scenario: this child will respond to a reply and end up dead in the woods somewhere in the Mid-West.

Here Begins A Rant:

I understand everyone has to start somewhere, and you are only as successful as you want to be (i.e. put the work in your success) HOWEVER it is impossible for any 16 year old to have "plenty of experience". A college art class. How quaint.

My Advice and Opinion:

Are you a high schooler wanting to break into the biz? Well quit begging on Craigslist and start working for free for real companies in your city. It's called an Internship. College students have to do it, so do you if you want to be successful in any industry. Let's just say internship = apprenticeship.

I love this: "I don't need insane amounts of money". Yeah. Good luck with that!


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Let's Change Gears A Bit:

I worked as a Graphic Designer for a company way back when and I loved it. I loved the company, I loved the people I worked with, and I loved the work. Unfortunately the company closed down. I'm not sure if it went bankrupt or what- all I know is that we had two offices and we downsized. My office was the target of the downsizing.

So I was laid off.

I received a pretty cool severance package for only being there just shy of three years but it still sucked losing my job. If the company was able to keep afloat I would still be there.

Alright. So my office received news of the lay-offs and I immediately started looking for a job. I responded to an ad locally looking for a designer and I was stoked. It was a fairly new design company in the town I lived in- which was amazing because I live out in the middle of nowhere.

I scored an interview.

Awesome.

I arrived at the interview looking smart and packing my portfolio, and who should my eyes gaze upon? A young kid with a 'fro in a tee shirt and jeans.

Hmmm.

Who is this?

Oh, he's my interviewer.

And a co-owner of the company.

Whoops. I'm definitely in the wrong place.

The interview was totally awkward. The kid was 16 years old (oh wait, he was turning 17 soon...) I had ten years on him. Ok so I wasn't some 50 year old with 30 years experience, but this was unbelievable.

His partner was my age and apparently came into some money and bought an old Heidelberg printing press. They wanted to start this design company but needed help. Well color me over-qualified for their position.

I didn't get a call back.

Nor was I expecting one.

I knew more about what they were doing than they did and couldn't afford me.

Moral of the story?

It's cool if you want to start your own "thing", but for the love of my sanity please don't dive blindly into something you can't handle. At that time I had three years of graphic design under my belt and was still more competent and knowledgeable about running their company than they were.

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So what to do if you want in the biz but don't have enough pieces in your portfolio and can't get anyone to "hire" you?

Just create anyways.

Browse industries that you may want to create for: health care, education, banking, etc. Look at different companies in that industry- find a few that you see potential in by sprucing up their image and just CREATE. Create a whole new logo and business standards. Create some brochures, posters, banners, websites (fake ones of course). Show their marketing and art department what you did and ask them how they like it. Ask for opinions (also called Critiques), get used to critiques because in the art industry you will get a lot of them. And receive them constructively- don't get offended or you won't make it.

And please if you show potential employers these things you need to explain that these are your creations and were not hired by the companies to do work for them. It would also help to read a book or two about Copyright Law.

Go ahead and take those College Art Courses. It's fine. I wasn't downplaying it, merely jesting, you need more than college courses to get you established. It's a lot of footwork and what you put in is what you will get.

So let's get serious and get off of Craigslist.

Remembering My Roots

I know my posts have been scattered, but just deal with it right now.

I have been working on a post about SEO (seriously, wtf is that???) but I put that on the back burner because I was cleaning out my closet in searching for "stuff". You know, STUFF. I found lots of stuff that was "lost" but now is "found" because you know I never really *lost* that stuff, it was misplaced in my memory of where it was exactly.

And in finding the Lost Stuff I found Neat Things (thanks to me being a total pack rat) that I was able to reminisce over!

Amongst the Neat Things were some essays I wrote during my first quarter at The Art Institute of Charlotte way back when in 2002. That was ten years ago. It by golly does not seem that long ago. When I think of "ten years ago" I think of my teenage years in the nineties. Laughable moment!

I found an essay I wrote about my Nana. She was the real reason I am an artist in the first place. She was an artist and created in me an excitement and passion for all things artsy and craftsy. So I want to share what I wrote, because it sounds way intelligent and I'm impressed that I wrote it using big expressive words!


For The Love Of Art


Art has always been a part of my life; sometimes I feel that I was born with a pencil or crayon in my hand. I owe my artistic talent to my grandmother. Nana, (as she liked to be called, it made her feel younger.) was a very talented artist and without her genes I would not be an aspiring artist. Visiting Nana always meant an art lesson was to be taught. As soon as I would step inside the doorway, I knew she had already brought out the proper supplies to begin the lesson. Pencils, crayons, markers, paper and coloring books would be strewn neatly across the coffee table waiting for my itchy hands to grab hold of them. Nana would then greet me with a request for me to draw a pretty picture, which I would happily concede to. Throughout the duration of the visit, Nana would teach me all the wonderful things she knew about art. As an adult I find I cannot live without art because of Nana's lessons. I need to be creating something in order to be satisfied. I can now see that Nana's lessons and faith in me helped to influence my decision in returning to school to pursue a career in art, discovering my passion for graphic design.

First and foremost, Nana instilled in me an interest for art that soon turned into an enthusiasm and desire. She became the wind that fanned the burning flames of my attraction towards art. The wind blew the hardest when she would take me into her art room and show me the most magnificent and amazing pieces of art. There were boxes upon boxes on the floor containing piles of precious pictures Nana had drawn and painted over the years. Many of them were still unfinished, waiting patiently for her final stroke. In the middle of the room stood a monstrosity of an art table with years of acrylic and oil paints crusting off the sides and legs. Also inlaid on the top of the table were scratches, marks, and dents from years of hard work. Cups clung to the sides of the table filled with different paints, brushes, and tools. Standing in the midst of this room, I realized that this must be what it means to be a real artist.

I was fascinated by my Nana's art and wished that I could become just as talented as she was, so I started drawing all the time practicing the gift she had given me. When I would show my creations to her she would "ooh" and "aah" at them with a smile of pure delight on her face. Nana would make such a fuss over my pictures, hanging them on her refrigerator, cupboards, and walls. She even taped them to the ceiling above her bed so she could look at them while falling asleep (she did this with all her grandchildren). Any loving and doting grandmother would do the same, but it wasn't just my grandmother praising my work, it was an artist. i was always nervous showing her anything of mine for her comments and reactions meant the world to me. But she was always reassuring, telling me how talented I was and my confidence blossomed.

I can attribute most things in my life to my Nana. She gave birth to my mother, which in turn gave birth to me. Not only did she bring life, she also taught me important life lessons, like not to open a soda bottle after it has been shaken. I made that mistake once and she called me a jackass. It was all in good fun, I knew what would happen if I opened the bottle but I thought her reaction would be funny, which it was because she was so light-hearted and loved to laugh. In this way she was an excellent example on how to lead a happy and fulfilling life. Through her actions she has shown me not to worry so much and to laugh at everything no matter what situation you are in. Knowing who she was and what she has done gave me the desire to follow in her footsteps. I do not wish to live her life, but to be able to use the knowledge and talent she has given me in a positive and effective way....... I am very blessed to have had my Nana in my life and vow to make the most of what she has taught me.




I hope you all have someone in your life that is your hero and encourages you to be the most you can be.

Cheers!