When Art Is Your Passion But Also Your Business
As graphic designers, we often enter this creative field as a result of our hobbies and off-the-wall way of thinking, as opposed to the more Left Brain career fields like accounting or medicine. However, combining artistic sensibilities with the very real-world need for a paycheck can be jolting and unsettling. After all, there can be (and often is) a big difference between what “sells” and what looks good on the living room wall. The phrase “Artist for Hire” never really caught on, and with good reason. When you need to squeeze out those creative juices for a deadline, inspiration can be in short supply. Here are seven tips to keep your inspiration fresh.

1. Revisit your childhood & the things you used to enjoy doing.

Nothing gets creative juices flowing like revisiting your childhood. Did you ever save any of your old coloring books, drawings, favorite books, comic books, or movies? What were your hobbies when you were ten? Blanket forts, drawing, making sand castles or mud pies? Going to the zoo? Think of such activities as feeding your inner child -- or for many of us -- muse.

2. Procrastinate.

Don’t you wish someone had told you this in college? For us Right-Brainers, procrastination can be a veritable goldmine. While Project A may be at the top of the list and have the closest deadline, procrastination tends to yield unique and interesting strong ideas (if not results) for Projects C, D, and E and so on (B is probably a little too close to A for consideration here).

3. Be a Mad Scientist.

Or rather, take a “mad scientist” approach to everything you do. Decorate madly – surround yourself with nutty, silly objects – funky furniture, abstract art, etc. Cook crazy dishes. Paint your dog’s toenails. Be spontaneous and fun in your life and it will show in your work.

4. Put in a CD you haven’t listened to in many years.

Akin to revisiting your childhood, take an audio trip down memory lane by listening to music you used to enjoy during a different era of your life. What did you listen to when you were 18? Whether you find those tastes laughable now or it’s stuff you still enjoy, we reach our most robust mental processing stages at this age, so the artistic and recreational choices you made then tend to have long-lasting cerebral effects. Throw in that CD (or tape, or -- yikes! -- record) and see where your mind takes you.

5. Take care of yourself.

A nutritionist might disagree that your favorite macaroni and cheese dish or a pepperoni and sausage pizza is good for you, but it’ll work wonders for your soul. Treat yourself occasionally to your favorite comfort food and allow yourself plenty of time to sleep and your imagination will emerge fully recharged.

6. Keep that Sketchbook handy.

Inspiration can be found anywhere and everywhere in your surroundings, often when you least expect it. If you don’t scribble down or doodle up that spontaneous idea when it hits you, it gets lost forever. Bring your sketchbook with you EVERYWHERE. The portability of it is its second most valuable asset (after being the receptacle for your ideas!). Doctor’s appointment? Stick it in your bag. Camping trip? Don’t forget to pack a pencil. Road trip? Set it in the passenger seat – but please – if an idea strikes while driving (and it will!), pull over first.

and yet another one


Ye Olde Sketchbook By Angela Cho, Graphic Designer, Shutterstock

Many years ago I was preparing for an interview with a well-known graphic design studio. I spent weeks polishing up my resume and perfecting my book. When I got to the studio, the first thing they asked me for was my sketchbook. The question caught me off guard; I was speechless. Once I revealed that I did not, in fact, own a sketchbook, the interview ended there. Although I left without the coveted internship position, I did take away a valuable lesson: the importance of having a sketchbook.

What is a sketchbook? A humble notebook, it is a receptacle for visual and conceptual representations of thoughts and ideas. It is also one of the easiest things to keep because all you really need to have is a pencil, paper and your imagination. You don't even need to be a particularly skilled artist to use one; it is purely a forum in which you can freely express your creativity and further develop your ideas. Best of all, a sketchbook has a profound effect on your creative process. So why do so many designers, my younger self included, underestimate the value of this simple tool?

Designers, like writers and artists, are constantly finding inspiration in their surroundings. Often ideas are fleeting--they can be gone almost before you register them, so if you don't scribble them down, it's as if they never happened. A sketchbook acts as a mental butterfly net and a physical archive of all of those random thoughts, quirky sightings and everyday experiences that can add up to an inspired idea.

User-Friendly

Unlike using a computer to test out your ideas, sketchbooks allow you to quickly jot down ideas as you have them. So whether you are 30,000 feet in the air, taking a stroll in the park or having lunch at a cafe, the sketchbook allows you to record your ideas. After all, inspiration can strike at just about any time.

No Strings Attached

Ever had a cool concept in your mind but after you lay it out on your computer, the results are not quite as wonderful as you had imagined? Compared to that experience, which is all too common, a sketchbook offers liberation and immediate gratification. An intricate drawing of a fire-breathing dragon that might take a person hours to draw using a computer program, could take mere minutes in a sketchbook. There is no time commitment attached to a quick doodle. Even mistakes are welcome--they often lead to better sketches and ideas. Essentially a sketchbook allows for commitment-free artistic expression.

Treasure Chest

If you sketched out every single thought that popped into your head, your book would be crazy collection of key words, illustrations and concepts. In other words, a repository of ideas--and how often do designers wish they had access to new ideas by simply opening the cover of a book? You'll be constantly surprised at what you find by flipping through an old sketchbook. Sometimes a day that starts out particularly uninspiring can take a turn for the better by simply revisiting an old scribble from your sketchbook.

Expand Your Horizons

A sketchbook encourages you to challenge your imagination. It enables you to see the world in fuller detail so that when you finally capture the perfect element for your sketchbook, you can express it better in your medium. In fact, after carrying a sketchbook around for a few days, you'll notice how much clearer ideas become when you are finally ready to work. Keeping a sketchbook can make you a better designer and a better thinker.

The sketchbook is a playground for your creative vision and it's a more important and effective professional tool than you might think. Personally, I haven't been without mine since that fateful interview day. As a devoted sketchbook user, here are a couple of summary tips from me to you: The next time you dismiss that silly imaginative idea that popped into your head as insignificant, scribble it down anyway. Make it a practice to draw something at least once a day. Not all doodles are intended to be works of art--but every once in a while, one becomes a masterpiece. ---------------------------------------------------------