Permission To Suck

Don’t Tell Me What to Feel

Monday, November 16, 2009

The artist has success with me if feeling threads don’t break as he/she reels me in. A paradox, an emotional a-ha moment; whatever the established connection can be destroyed if the artist comes on too strong by telling me how to feel about my journey. Simultaneously beautiful and ugly, Edward Burtynsky's photos of manufactured landscapes are perfect examples of artistic paradox. Featured: Video Interview of Canadian photographer, Edward Burtynsky

You Gotta Admire Them Skills

Monday, November 9, 2009

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Skill is math already proven. Not only are skills easy for culture to appreciate, our education from pre-K is about skill development and learning the rules. We have standards, objectives and tests. Skill is linear, owning them isn’t unique except to say one has more than another or that their skills are good. This post includes a segment of a Charlie Rose interview with painter Chuck Close.

Ben Wiggins – Beyond the “Cool” of time compression

Thursday, October 1, 2009

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I’ve seen time lapse before, who hasn’t? Maybe it’s a shaky seedling sprouting from the ground or a street scene with jittery people. Yet, there’s an emotion to Ben’s short films that I find unexpected. Not only is the still frame that captures the motion well considered but the motion itself has a power beyond the usual “cool” of time compression.

“Design is not solemn” – Paula Scher

Thursday, September 17, 2009

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In 1948 America added a future iconic graphic designer to the population: Paula Scher. Most would recognize her work from her years with CBS and Atlantic Records in the ‘70’s before her move to Time Inc. She later shingled her own design firm – Koppel & Sher and since 1991 has been a design leader at the NYC office of Pentagram Design Consultancy.

Stepping back: What is creativity anyway?

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

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The word Creativity has become part of our business lexicon. It’s overused and misused. So much so that there is a cloud of vagueness that surrounds its meaning. Creativity has become scary since all the business leaders say we must be creative or die trying. What does that mean exactly? Who are these new ideas new to anyway?

Let Go of the Damn Rope

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

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Benchmarking industry best practices are the chips you need to stay in the game. You've got to learn the skills to do the work. However, benchmarking is anti-creative. It’s a game of follow the leader. Hold on to that rope kids, we don’t want to leave you behind. Nice short video the BMW produced in "06 demonstrates innovation, engineering and art colliding.

Zach Arias – on our creative journey – Video

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

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As a photographer [certainly the same is true for other creative professions] we are inundated with “answers” and we automatically assume the other guy has the them and we don’t, yet the truth is, it’s in there – we own it - we just have to find a way to get it out. Photographer Zach Arias produced a great video about the angst of being in a creative field.

Art v. Craft

Thursday, March 8, 2007

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In the middle of the art craft spectrum you’ll find fine art and beautiful craft sitting side by side; indistinguishable over time like paintings of the Dutch masters.

Passion of the Craft

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

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Google search "craft" and you'll get crafts for kids near the top position. No one disagrees that quilting, basket weaving, balloon animal making, flower pressing, bead working, or corn doll making are crafts – of course they are. There is, however, an age old dispute distinguishing art from craft. Craft often gets the bad rap, especially from self fashioned fine artists. Do we dare call Picasso or Pollack craftsmen? How about David Burne, Santiago Calatrava, or Steve Jobs?