I’ve been asked more than a few times how I create the things I do. First of all, I feel most things I put my hands to are quite ordinary. Perhaps thats why I continue to try to push the limits of not just the design I put out, but the way I live. None-the-less, I get asked a lot. As a second disclaimer, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so, if you like the way we at Epic see things, keep reading! If you don’t, find another blog cause my tips probably wont be helpful! HA!
Good Design Begins When: We forget the rules
Rules are good, don’t get me wrong! There are for sure design rules we can never break. Like NEVER use the fonts Papyrus or chalkboard. If you like those… Sorry 🙂 But rules with design are meant to be broken. If you stress out over the rules or how you’ve been told to create, it will always stifle you. Let go. Breathe. Create. This is your space. At the end of the day if you love the artwork you’ve made, it doesn’t matter is no one else does. As artist, we have to lay down the desire to please those who look on. If we like it, that is what is important. If we sell out to a consumer mindset of making something to be loved, they may end up liking it, but we have lost who we are in the process. Be true to you.
Good Design Begins When: We stop seeing limitations
This can apply to rules, but here I am speaking to the realities of what “should be”. My first art project I can remember I got an F on!! HA! We were told to color an apple. So, I did… with EVERY color crayon I had! It was AMAZING! lol. I can still picture it and would still color it the same way. See, I colored that apple for me, not for my teachers expectations. She didn’t say to color it a specific color, so I wasn’t being rebellious. That real-life story is burned into my mind. Reminding me that artwork or design has to be for me. If you are true to yourself, you will always find people who appreciate how you see things and will follow behind you. So, if you love to use Papyrus, keep using it! It’s a common font because lots of people do like it, just not everyone. But thats ok!
Good Design Begins When: We seek to see the imaginary
Some of my favorite art pieces I’ve made are the ones where I’ve re-imagined an environment. If you’ve set aside the rules and discarded the limitations, you are on the path to seeing the imaginary and seeing what can be, instead of what is.
