I love it when packaging isn’t boring – and instead pokes fun at itself. These brushes by Poilu, whose packaging was designed by Simon Laliberté is exactly that. The challenge was to design something that would be able to encase the two brushes; and protecting it as it is being shipped. And of course, when illustration takes center stage – it’s inevitably going to wind up as one of my favorites.
Happy Monday folks!
Dear students,You see, I live in the era of Smurfs (before it got CGI-ed the crap out of it), Sesame Street, the Electric Company, She-Ra, He-man and Thundercats. The latest cartoons that I could muster were Dexter, Cow & Chicken, and Catdog – back when I was stressed out studying and Nickelodeon was my companion. I could count on my two hands the number of characters that got me hooked, and so it was for my generation, where choice was homogenous, simply because it was mainstream at the time. This is fascinating to me because as an 80’s child, people halfway across the world are exposed to exactly the same things as I did. Same designs, same furniture, same TV shows, same cartoons, and yes, even the same clothes.
[quote] There’s not going to be another you that has the ability to be the best that you can be. [/quote]
But right now, there isn’t such thing as mainstream or the idea of “same-ness”. For all of you (and all of us), niche is the new mainstream. There are so many different intersections of style and design that were not readily available to us back then. Perhaps the time wasn’t right back then for the many different stream of ideas to take root and spread its reach, but it surely is right now.
Of all the characters that were shown to me, I could see maybe 1 or two similar ones that were favorites, but the rest of the characters and shows – about 80% of them are different from one another. All alien to me and all of them are so different from one another. Knowing what you are into helps me to place your work, and to identify with it better – it sets a precedent of what you’d hope your work can become, even if it’s an unconscious thread. And the possibilities are astounding.
From this exercise, I see all of you with new eyes. That you’re not just a group of students, united in the way that you’re brought together by physically being in one class – you’re a group of individuals. Individuals with hope and feelings. Of joy and reserves. Each with creative ideas of your own. And you should be confident in the knowledge that you are all different, each in your own way. Let’s celebrate that, and be proud – because there’s not going to be another you that has the ability to be the best that you can be.
So let’s see what you’ve got, because the world is waiting.
{ Image of crocheted fishes by Kate Jenkins }
[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]
Dear students,But here’s the thing. Life, when seen from one angle will always be one-sided. The trick is to not do what is expected of you, and to see things with eyes afresh. Easier said than done? Perhaps. This all goes back to letting your hair down to enjoy the process. If only we were all a little more quirky – I’m sure life wouldn’t be so boring!
But also, instead of waiting for boring assignments or projects, why not create your own exciting ones? Why wait for interesting and challenging projects to crop up (a rare thing to come by these days) when you can send the world a message of your own? Why not become a puppet master instead of a puppet? There’s a handful of excuses that’s usually thrown my way – “I don’t have the time. I don’t think people would be interested. Where would I start?” All of these excuses? Most of them stem from laziness and/or fear – a combination that can be both crippling and sad, and especially unwarranted for those who has all the time in the world to make mistakes and learn from it. Maybe you just don’t know it yet.
[quote] Life is too short to color within the lines and to just be what other people expect you to be. [/quote]
So what’s next? You need to make some mistakes and learn to laugh about it. To laugh at yourself. Because no one is going to go around with a feather to tickle you around the corner or dress up as a clown to make you laugh, so you might as well do it yourself. So fall down, laugh, and pick yourself back up again – life is too short to color within the lines and to just be what other people expect you to be. Shout, run, play. Just don’t sit still and take what the world throws at you. Fight back. Fight back with all you’ve got.
It’s time to have some fun.
[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]
