Happy Monday folks!
Today I’ve got Laura McKellar’s illustrations for Mozi – a prominent homewares company from Melbourne, Australia – brightening up my day. Her illustrations coupled with Mozi’s wares are works of art in themselves and (to me at least) seem to belong on walls more than the dishwasher! You can read our past interview with her in this post.
One of my resolutions this year was to come up with projects that would further help to challenge creatives out there to have fun.
You may also remember that I put up a list of 100 things to draw two years ago that serves as a “starter list” for those who are just looking to draw something. Or just anything for that matter.
I got a lot of comments on that one, and it was just something that I came up with on a whim one day. A year on, I asked myself – why should I limit this to just 100 items? How can I come up with even tougher subjects for those who are looking for more? So I challenged myself – I wrote and scribbled down about 300 more things to draw. And then I added verbs to the mix. And then I added even more stuff to the list. Then I started to think, what if I were to cross reference this big list with another? And so 1000 Things to Draw began to take shape.
When I told my technical whiz Victor about the idea, he was game to put it out there. But I questioned myself constantly – is this crazy? Is it just plain dumb? Would people even want this sort of thing? But then I decided I didn’t care a hoot what others think – I just thought it would be fun to put it out there for others to enjoy. And so I designed the website and came up with things to draw while Victor put it all together for me.
Think of 1000 Things to Draw as a game, where anything goes. I have to warn you, it’s really out there. Like crazy silly. Just hit the button again and again and you’ll find yourself guffawing and sniggering at the whole thing before you actually start to draw. It’ll tease your imagination and create the silliest scenarios that you wouldn’t have thought of. Ever. You can make it into a game with your friends by taking turns to find something to draw. Take it on the road by purchasing a PDF that you can play offline (with the PDF version you can go even crazier with even more possibilities for random fun!) The fun to be had, along with possibilities for laughter and creativity is endless!
SHOW OFF YOUR WORK AND TAKE THE CHALLENGE!
You can also share your drawings done via our Flickr group, or head on over to our Tumblr page to submit your drawings! Have a collaborative call for drawings, or just to show off your mad skills – whichever works!
I’m really pleased with the outcome, so I want to invite you over to have a go at it (click here!) and let me know what you think in the comments below! And if you know someone who will benefit from this, help us spread the word through social media – Facebook, Twitter and all!
Psst, the actual total number of things that the system comes up with is actually much more than 1000 things to draw! 😉
Dear students,I’ve listened and read your fears on leaving the safe confines of school to the big bad world out there. You’re scared of what’s out there because you don’t quite know what to expect. Will the world eat me alive, chew me up and spit me out? Will I end up being an insurance agent because I can’t find work after a couple of months? Or will I become a shell of my former self after I dedicated a year in an agency, burnt out beyond recognition?
You might run into one of the above situations, or god forbid, all of the above at some point or another. But right now there’s an alternative (and it still stand for those who have fallen by the wayside). You can choose yourself, and put in effort to create your own rules. No one says that there are rules anyway. It’s really just a mirage to keep things in order. People never told me that I could write a blog about illustration for the past 5 years, or that I could get hired in a job that had nothing to do with my degree. I just went along with this crazy plan of mine and adjusted my course along the way. My only compass was my heart and head, and to do things that felt right.
Take it from someone who’s been out here in the real world – after being employed for a few years before I went out on my own, I can honestly say that I am humbled to be able to choose my own projects and reject the ones that I am not compelled to do. And do keep in mind, this is after 5 years of working freelance, building connections and genuinely caring about people and their projects; instead of thinking that they’re just a cash machines (oh, you’ll be surprised to know that there are people who do this). And I don’t just choose them for money either – it’s a matter of how I can steer a project to reach new heights, or create an outcome that will win people over. It’s all about serving others to the best of your ability. Once you get that you’re in the business of serving people, whether you’re illustrating, designing, etc. – you’ll find opportunities wherever you go.
Don’t let the safe confines of academia (especially when it comes to the creative industry) become your complacent zone. If you want to teach, make sure you have something to say and make sure you’re trying to genuinely help people instead of merely wanting a paycheck. And if you’re a graduate wanting to teach right away, let’s be honest, you don’t belong there. Not at least you’ve gone out and got chewed up a little bit, celebrated a few personal wins and got out alive by the end of it, because it’s hard to earn the respect of others when you have little to no scuff marks to show for what you’ve done.
I say this because the state of education today has disappointed me, what with its hoop-jumping nonsense and a few other shenanigans that are needlessly cruel and mean to students. What we have today are by-products of a flawed education system – students who get regurgitated back into the system as teachers to preach the same things they were taught before, without adding valuable critical thinking and experience of their own into the mix (and without knowing if they actually work). How would you know better? How would your future generation know better? How can you change something that has already been ingrained into the system? How would you begin? You can’t.
Not until you get out of school.
Because it’s high time to get a real education.
And then you can begin.
[box icon=”heart”]Every week, I teach about the creative process of illustration at a local college. And when I come home, I realize that I’ve forgotten to point this out, or to remind them about something. Dear Students serves as my own personal compilation of thoughts, and is a series dedicated to students around the world who might find my musings useful. To read the entire series, click here.[/box]
