There ‘s a book in my library titled, 101 Things to Learn in Art School by Kit White.
It’s full of truths that every visual creative should know, no matter what school they attend, and if they don’t attend any school. It’s a cute little tome — a pint-sized coffee table book with short chapters and hand-drawn illustrations.
Another truth is, even the best of design schools can’t teach everything necessary for success. Some skills can only be developed “in the trenches” of the working world, because it’s only there that they become evident. There are what I refer to as essential practices for every visual artist. It’s when you launch into actual practice and get serious that you realize you need to know more than you do, and that these things aren’t often included on a course syllabus.
The basis for this realization is a the simple truth that we do not design ex nihilo – out of nothing. There is no truly original creative idea. New ideas and new creations are incubated in the experience and assimilation of what already exists. Creatives need a certain amount of life experience to draw on, plus an awareness of what’s been done in the past, what’s going on now, and the diversity of ideas in our current cultures.
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Well-rounded designers and artists build themselves up in these areas:
Listening. Not only does the designer need to listen to his clients, but needs to be continually listening to people in general. Listening is an acquired skill, and requires discipline. In listening, we perceive the depths of people’s perceptions and plumb their world views. If we are listening well, we become informed about needs, purposes, fears and victories, and are able to accurately pinpoint the needs and concerns of the audiences we design for.
Reading. This activity not only informs but requires us to imagine in a way that watching does not. When reading, we form our own images and draw conclusions. Reading should encompass journalism, non-fiction, self-improvement, leadership, history, and fiction. Read the classics and contemporary work. Read poetry, blogs and technical manuals.
Watching: In addition to listening, watch. Observe with intention. How do people react to a brand? What patterns do you see emerging? The way to understand a target audience- in addition to listening – is to notice and identify those common, repeated threads that occur and reoccur over time. The next time you go shopping, don’t go just to make a purchase. Observe how people engage with and react to brands. Watching also refers to entertainment, advertising, and design. Be aware of what’s going on in the culture around you. Visit galleries and attend opening receptions. Go to movies. Attend sporting events. Watch some television. Museums, libraries, historic districts, farmers’ markets, shopping malls, car shows, points of interest all present fodder for our creative solutions.
Note that the three skills described above relate to research, investigation, interrogation, which are the initial steps is any worthy design process, and, in my opinion, should also form the work of other visual artists who create products (paintings, prints, sculptures included) or serve clients.
Resting. Few of us do this well anymore. We take time off of work and fill it with activity. But resting is necessary not only for our well-being but also for the percolation, sorting, evaluating, editing and overall categorizing of all that information and visual stimuli we’ve been taking in. Resting is like adding white space into our schedules. It’s a supporting frame and foundation, and gives us space to shift gears. Information is worth nothing if it’s only information. Our need is to decide what to do with it, what it means, and how and whether to act on it or not. Rest — the cessation of work — allows room for reflection and is a skill that needs to be done intentionally. Carving out time in a day, or week, taking a day or two every month to separate from work, be quiet and think, needs to be a determined and planned effort.
Writing: All that reflection we get done during those times of rest should be recorded. Capture thoughts and doodles on paper — real or virtual. If it’s on paper or recorded in some way, you can refer back to it without having to keep it in your head. When it’s recorded, you can run with it, develop it, connect it, communicate it, utilize it, deploy it. The prophet, Habakkuk, put it this way:
“Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, It will not tarry.”
— Habakkuk 2.2–3 NKJV
When you collect ideas, sketches, notes, doodles, memes, screen captures, photos, drawings, and store them using a scrap file, commonplace book, sketchbook, journal, notebook — whether digital or actual — you have on hand a reference of ideas, meditations, anecdotes, and inspirations to draw from in creating your work, and in passing on to others. No one designs out of nothing.
© Alvalyn Lundgren. All rights reserved.
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