If you want to fly a kite, you have to think outside the box …and then all you need is wind.
Can you connect the 9 dots without taking your pen off the page using only 4 lines?
Gottschaldt Figurine hint: “think outside the box.”
Most everything in life requires very little creative thinking so “outside the box,” is rarely needed. I could write a lot about why so much of art is not outside of the box related. It seems that many artists consider much of what they do as creative outside of the box stuff, but I say no. If you are an artist then it’s not outside the box. Outside the box thinking is for non-artists to think more like artists.
What happens in art is in the mind of the artist, so you could say it’s “inside the box” thinking. …Not very interesting at all. What makes good art is the wind, the lift, or even magic that you experience in the presents of good art.
Please see my “Make Something Real” theme, episode-two about some local friends and good art.
DIY
Gleeful Things
Amigurumi designs
Julie and her brand of amigurumi toys, Gleeful Things, are amazing. They are so cute and within reach for anyone interested in DIY. I contacted Julie and asked a few questions about her ideas to Make Something Real.
EL CAMINO: All of your designs are fun and happy, have you ever considered making dark and creepy animals from pop comic books or would that mean changing your brand name?
Julie: I don't know about dark and
creepy but I definitely have some crazy characters in mind that aren't cute and
happy, just a little twisted. Gleeful Things is actually sort of an ironic
name, so to me, these designs would fit perfectly. I have a strange sense of
humor that so far, I've had a hard time getting to show through my work but I
think it'll eventually become more obvious. You can see it starting to emerge
with a couple of my designs like the Nut Sacks and the Moldy Cupcake. I have a
hard time getting away from cute things though. Sometimes I'll make something
with the intention of it looking scary and people will still think it's cute.
So I guess it's just something that comes naturally.
EL CAMINO: How long does it take you to make a Berry the elephant? How long should it take a newbie?
Julie: It's really hard to say how long it takes me to make any particular thing. I have a really sort attention span so I never finish anything in one sitting. I also usually have multiple projects going at once. I bounce back and forth between them as the inspiration strikes. The Elefoof is probably one of my more time consuming patterns though. I don't recommend it for a newbie, it's too advanced for someone who's new to crocheting.
EL CAMINO: What would you like to make that you have not figured
out the pattern yet?
Julie: So many things! I have a huge list written down and a mental list that I'm always adding to. My head is constantly bubbling over with ideas. I'm really into the idea of large scale amigurumi! I'm really excited to give that a try at some point but have no idea what I want it to be.
EL CAMINO: What is your favorite my little pony?
Julie: My favorite pony that I've made into a plushie? Probably Galaxy. She's one of the simpler ones that I've made but also one of my favorite ponies in general. I haven't had a chance to make any of my all time favorites into plushies yet. All of the ones I've made so far were done as custom orders. Some of my all time favorites are Bowtie, Cocoberry, Barnacle, Tex, Honeysuckle.. to name a few! Hopefully they'll all get turned into plushies at some point!
EL CAMINO: You sell instructions for anyone to make your designs at home, but you don't want anyone to sell what they make. Why is this so important to you?
Julie: I don't like the idea of anyone profiting off of someone else's idea/design. I think it's important for people to come up with their own ideas when they want to sell something. I encourage originality and I think your customers will appreciate your work more if you can say that it's your own design, not someone else's.
EL CAMINO: You have a music player on your blog, I think, with all Green Day songs. If you could hang out with the guys in Green Day, what would you do or talk about?
Julie: I'd never have to guts to approach them but if I did, I'd probably start raving about how much I loved them back in Jr. High in the days of Dookie & Insomniac! Then I'd probably beg them to play for me since I've never had the chance to see them live.
EL CAMINO: If I want to make amigurumi but I'm afraid of screwing it up, or maybe I do screw it up, what would you tell me to do?
Julie:Just give it a try and keep trying even if you screw up! Everyone has to start somewhere. Your first ones might not be perfect (mine weren't!), but practice makes perfect in this case.
EL CAMINO: You have a cool idea, you make cute amigurumi stuff, it's a real business, what else would you like people to know or think about?
Julie: I'll also be selling plushie patterns in the near future! :)
Please check out Julie's designs on her website or etsy.
Website: gleefulthings.com
SHOP: glee.etsy.com
Email: NocturnalCreative@gmail.com
I hope you like my M.S.R. conversation with Julie and her gleeful things.
You can also find me on www.MySpace.com/msrpelcamino
In the future I plan to make more time for interviews with people that Make Something Real so check up on me at least once a month.
The gods of font design
Buro Destruct
Buro Destruct founded 1994 in Bern Switzerland
counts the four members
Lopetz, Heiwid, MBrunner and H1reber.
Small City - Big Design is their motto while working for small, local
and international major companies at the same time.
I love these guys.
Each website presentation is an adventure in design to explore.
I can't stop watching more TED video's.
I truly aim to write more often, for now, i recommend watching more videos on TED and read more books.
William McDonough is so smart... Time Magazine named him Hero of the Planet? I can't confirm that, but watch the video because it helps us think and feel good about the future.
Mcdonough also has a book i plan to read soon.
http://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm
ya.
Find Inspiration in Unique Places
Part of the reason the things we make stay in the craft realm instead of transcending to art is lack of creativity in inspiration. Think about it. Millions of people who like to make things read Martha Stewart or shop for craft supplies exclusively at Michael's. The same goes for Joann Fabrics, Better Homes and Gardens -- you get the picture.
If you really want to make things that are unique, look to different places for inspiration, and follow your own tastes.Don't be afraid to look at magazines that are not craft related! A few of my favorites: Dwell, Italian Vogue, Elle Decor, and even Domino. Also great are art magazines: Art Forum, Art in America, and any sort of mixed media sculpture mag. People are manipulating materials in all sorts of lovely ways these days.
Take inspiration days...Visit a museum, take a hike, or scour small boutiques-- just for aesthetic indulgence. Take pictures, make sketches, commit your findings to memory!
I keep an Inspiration Journal (or three) where I paste clippings from magazines, pictures, or jot down ideas I have.
Finally, don't be afraid to mix and match your findings. You really liked that outfit in the last Anthropologie catalog? What did you like about it? The colors, the composition/balance of the ensemble? Would these ideas lend themselves well to your living room? A painting? Maybe a knitted article in the same vein.
Technology
Entertainment
Design
TED is cool!
Here is Chris Anderson (Wired) video conversation about Technology’s Long Tail
Filmed in Feb. 2004, this is an example of looking back on ideas and information, this dated story is still strong today, and that is why I feel it is important to think about.
I subscribe to TED as my fav nerdian video site to watch. If the Chris Anderson story holds your intellectual attention, then you will love all TED has to offer.
http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/72
Are you into this? Let me know please.
Love
ELCAMINO
I am horrified to see on the news last night the video of girls attacking another girl for what she said about them. The whole situation is bad when playground nonsense ends in violence. Obviously these girls had enough talk, but their solution should have been craftier than violence.
I am a victim of a violent crime so this is very serious to me. I did not know my attackers; 6 guys beat me up for entertainment. I don’t want to share what happened to me but today I must address how messed up this is.
3 years later, I'm still healing from surgery, head trauma, and PTSD. Looking forward to my future, I'm feeling a little better every month.
Please take a stand against violence.
Thank you dear friends for all your love and support.
Graphic Equalizer visual thinking
1. Simple, elaborate
2. Quality, quantity
3. Vision, execution
4. Individual, compare
5. Change, as is
Sometimes it helps to have a visual exercise to decide what you are going to do and how you are going to explain it to your audience. If it will help to draw pictures of an idea or something that does not exist yet, this is a smart way to do it.
The equalizer works like this: let’s define, for example, what kind of art you are doing. Is it Fine art? Is it pop art? Is it folk art? Lets go with Pop art.
- Simple vs. elaborate: My Pop art is simple
- Quality vs. quantity: I want it to be commercially fabricated with quality
- Vision vs. execution: Getting things done is more important than the vision
- Individual attributes vs. comparison: Its authentic, comparing depends on the audience
- Delta (or change) vs. Status quo: Its all about change
This idea is from a system called SQVID; a series of five questions that we walk our initial idea through in order to bring it to visual clarity and to refine its focus – both according to what’s most important to us and what’s most important to our audience.
For more information read the book: The back of the napkin by Dan Roam
Links from my Friends and Family
The best artistic advice I got this week came from a circ...
My Friend Making Something Real
