Cling to Freedom - Wanting freedom to create above all else.

It's election season and you know what that means..... muting every commercial break.  Jokes aside, it means get informed and get out and vote.

Freedom (as listed in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary): the quality or state of being free: as

  a :  the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action  b :  liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another :  independence  c :  the quality or state of being exempt or released usually from something onerous<freedom from care>  d :  ease, facility <spoke the language with freedom>  e :  the quality of being frank, open, or outspoken <answered with freedom>  f :  improper familiarity  g :  boldness of conception or execution  h :  unrestricted use <gave him the freedom of their home>

I feel eternally grateful for the freedoms that I have as an American and as an American Artist. Not being able to create the work I feel passionate about and purely enjoy doing would be heartbreaking, and it's happening to people all over the globe.  There are much larger world problems than people not having the freedom to create what they want, but what if every person in the world had the freedom of expression?  What do you think the world would look and sound like?  Building on the great tradition of freedom of expression is a privilege that I am thankful for.  Sharing and advocating for others to create is a privilege, and I have hope that one day freedom of expression will be encouraged to every person.

Have Friday brain? Getting to the core of a project quickly so you can get to the weekend.

Do you ever start a task and then realize you have been thinking of something far down the line which doesn't actually relate to the current task at hand?  Overthinking a project is normal, so get over it.  Write down all of your thoughts or concerns for the project, that way you don't have to spend time and energy reminding yourself of what the concerns are.

Cutting through all of this mind clutter is how to get to the core of your project.  Always ask yourself, what is the goal? Does "x" help me achieve this goal?  Even as a designer, it can be overwhelming when you think of all of the possibilities available for you to create.  Clear your mind and keep going back to addressing the goal, it will help navigate in the right direction.

Feeling Moody - Essential Mood Board Training

Great design don't always just pop out of nowhere. Mood boards cultivate ideas, and when trying to develop, nothing helps bridge the gap between the idea person and person who creates like a mood board can.

Mood Board Essentials :

 1. Name - give your mood board a name that excites you about the project, and what it can become.  If you start with a boring name, the project will be come boring.

  2. The Hunt - Finding objects, colors, tones, language, lines, photography, filters, applications that inspire you for the project at hand.  Specifically identify the aspects of these items which you would like to bring into your new project.  The idea is not copy, but to use items from all aspects relating to the project to inspire you to create something new.

  3. Edit - Once you have collected all of the elements which inspire this project, edit them.  When you started hunting for inspiration, you may have been going in one direction but realized somewhere along the way there were better paths to take.  So delete or separate all of the items that no longer belong in this project.

  4. Implement - You may not use every idea that you found will on your inspirational journey.  Actually, please don't use every aspect in your mood board all at once.  Save some of the goodness that remains in your mood board for a rainy day, you never know when a few extra assets will need to be created.

Rituals - 10 minutes of daily drawing (free drawing)

Art has been used IN rituals for thousands of years.   You probably have recognized art and design in your personal rituals.  Rituals like going to a religious service, the mural you see on your daily commute, the design on your favorite coffee mug you use every morning.  Even rituals like walking the dog, and the trusty Nike swoosh on the shoes you grab overtime to perform this ritual.    

How often does art BECOME a ritual though?  Incorporating a dose of creating can be incredibly rewarding.  There may not be any monetary gains from a daily doodle, but it can be a great stress reliever or just a good daily laugh.  A doodle a day, keeps the doctor at bay... I think that is how it goes.

Hitting The Wall - Knowing When To Put The Mouse Down

At some point we all hit a wall.  Solution: oxygen.   I realize when I have hit a creative wall, when I realize I've gone around a design challenge and made it full circle to where I started.  That is when I know, time to get some oxygen.  It is incredible the amount of creativity and clarity that can come with taking a 5 minute walk outside, or just sitting outside for 5 minutes. Sometimes being so close to a project can cause you to lose a sense of your surroundings.  Take a break, check in with the outside world and refocus for more productive design time.

Don't Go Chasing Waterfall's - The Waterfall Process

The waterfall process is a linear process of creating, done by only moving on to the next phase of a project once the prior phase is complete.  There are pluses to the waterfall process, but if you go downstream too far it is often hard to get back on track.

This waterfall process used to be the core development processes of website creation, leading to one phase of planning.  I have found though, that many businesses use this way of project management when working through any type project.  The waterfall process can build a ton of momentum and undivided attention towards a project, which is usually a great thing.  Though, when there is so much momentum behind a project from the early stages it can be really difficult to asses the projection of the project and allow for mid-project maneuvering.  

Laying out the foundation in which you prefer to tackle a project before you even start the ideation stage, can change the outcome of the project drastically.