Being swamped by college put me in a pickle I never thought I’d experience: I had no imagination. Perhaps not writing for a period and throwing myself into project after project just burned my brain, but the usual thought traffic backed up. Truly terrifying. To get a little inspiration, I took a class about thinking strategies.
Tons of ideas and concepts that either worked or didn’t, but one stuck out to me. Let’s call it “consulting the greats.” But these aren’t great graphic designers. These are simply great creatives. Writers, fine artists, architects, performance artists. Creative people exist in nearly every scope of life and you can gain inspiration from each of them. I’d like to start a series on my blog looking at various artists and lessons I’ve learned from them, but I’d like to equip you with some questions you can apply to your own self-discovery.
Backstory… cause everybody’s got one
Where did the artist come from?
Family life, culture, education, and experiences influence how we see the world and therefore create within it. I wouldn’t suggest becoming a full-blown stalker (that’s creepy), but get a general idea of their background. Most artists of today share stories about their lives that relate to why or what they create. The same can be done for past creatives. Probably easier to study them as history books, articles, and biographies will have all sorts of details that weren’t public knowledge before.
People as a whole are very different. Beliefs, values, motivations, desires. But we have one thing in common: we create. Some of us more than others and with loads more glitter. Yet the common denonimator is a desire to put our personal stamp on the world. I’m friends with designers, illustrators, writers, entrepreneurs, engineers, teachers, singers, dancers. You name it. And I learn something new from each of them. And I enjoy learning even more about who they are and how their minds work.
Medium… different materials act differently
What do they create with and what’s their process?
As a designer and writer, I’m mainly on my computer or using pencil and paper for 2D creations. During this thinking strategies class, I witnessed projects being created with 3D renders, collages, diecuts, and light. Some were odd while others excelled, but the range of possibilities was thrilling. To see how people interacted with the world and the methods they employed to create inspired me in numerous ways.
After understanding part of the artist’s background, you have to focus on the work. Drawing, dancing, and programming might not be your thing, but there’s something to learn within it. How the materials interact, how the motions tell a story. Don’t just witness the work, analyze it. Deconstruct it visually to learn the process so you could, in effect, repeat the piece. Very helpful for improving in Photoshop and HTML, but it can also spur ideas to shift your own process.
Mission… meaning in abstraction
Why does the artist create?
Probably haven’t said it enough, but I hate abstract art. A detailed landscape or intricate portrait pleases my eye. Art history forced me into abstract realms like surrealism and pop art, and to say I suffered is an understatement. During this strategies course, I faced more abstraction, yet I discovered something interesting. While it seemed random, the artist did have intention.
Highly suggest researching artists you dislike because they force you to ignore your initial pleasure at their work and really dive into the meaning behind the piece. What motivated them to create? Why did they choose this subject? Understanding the why behind the what brings to life the importance of intention and storytelling. Sometimes the meaning remains a mystery, but the search will sift answers fromt he chaos.
Final Thoughts: Connect to Grow
If every person was just like me, I’d never attempt something outside my comfort zone. The inspiration of creatives unlike me provoked new ideas and understanding of information I constantly preached. And that occurs every day when I open Instagram and LinkedIn and scroll through my feed.
Don’t just research creatives. Connect with them. Make friends outside your field of study and bounce ideas off each other. Peruse their work and ask these questions. Get feedback from them on occasion. We can’t create in a vacuum because we don’t improve on our own. The moment you’re comfortable is the moment you’ve stopped moving forward. Break out of routine and reach out to people that will push you to become a better person and a better designer.
