Behind the scenes: Tools of my trade

I took this snapshot of my desk for an honest look at what I use in my day to day design process. 

From my mac and wacom to my cow bone folder and ink pens, nothing would get done without this stuff... my desk would also be a whole lot clearer too...

My whole process is based around sketching everything. First in thumbnails then more detailed drawings, this is all before I ever even touch the computer. Computers can be a massive idea suck-hole, where too many fandangled filters and other peoples work examples are available to stop creative juices from developing. In the words of one of my uni instructors "you can't polish a poo". So make sure the idea is worth spending the time on before you commit.

How to talk the talk when working with printers

Last week I gave you the reasons why it’s worth the extra moolah to go to the high grade printers. Now I’ll give you some easy tips for making sure you get what you want when work with your printer. By explaining some of the techy terms that can send people cross eyed, you'll know the terms to use to get what you want so you don't end up with something unexpected.

Offset: Perfect for high volume printing and large sizes. It involves ‘plates’ of your image being made and inked before the image is transferred ( "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket, then on to the paper. This is when you need to know your pantone colours.

Digital: CMYK printing through a machine, great for shorter runs and photo heavy designs. Digital printing has come a long way and you can now print with white and clear varnish inks at some printers.

Letterpress: A type of relief printing where type or image is arranged and then inked before being pressed onto the paper. This can be a lot more crisp than offset as it presses into the paper. This uses spot colour not CMYK.

Screen printing / silk screen: Mesh screens go through chemical and light treatment to create a single colour ‘stencil’. This is then used to press ink through onto the print surface, you can only print on colour at a time with this but has great effects for posters and fabric.

Foiling: Where a foil colour of your choice is stamped onto your image from a heated plate and leaves a slight embossed texture.

Embossing: A raised or relief texture to your design created by using a ‘female’ & ‘male’ roller with your design on them. As the paper rolls through it pushes the paper into the shape of the pattern on the rollers.

Stock: A fancy name for paper or card.

GSM: The weight of paper. For example 80gsm is very thin 320gsm is thicker.

Pixels Per Inch: When you print you need a minimum of 300 pixels per inch. This means if you print an image that is grabbed from a website it is usually about 72 pixels per inch and will not print well.

Diecut: When a shape is cut from the print surface. A series of sharp blades are bent to create the desired shape and is then stamped into the paper cutting away the desired pattern.

Introducing Tracey

 

Illustration link, book link

This week I'm lucky enough to get a massive interview from Tracey Gibbs, a designer located in Perth. I was shocked to stumble upon her work last year... who knew Perth had such good designers here? Her website is well worth a good look as she has such a range of beautiful illustrations. 

1. Tell us a little about your background - what led you in to the creative field?

I was raised by very practical parents. I grew up on a farm that was quite isolated from town (a 40 minute drive) and because of that we learned to improvise. Substitution and improvisation in itself is pretty creative really; seeing materials as what else they could become in addition to their ‘formal’ use. My dad builds everything himself, he is responsible for my inspiring my obsession with DIY. My mum and grandmother are craft nuts, my mum started a very successful sewing and craft shop when I was 5 which of course influenced me. As a kid I was often drawing, it’s a boredom cure, and a good one. I never really expected I would do anything with it. I was hell bent on becoming an actor, then a vet, then an interpreter. I am still fairly dramatic sometimes, still love animals and languages, but design and illustration are a better fit for my life. 

2. What are your top 3 tips for someone wanting to get into book design?

I am not sure you can ‘will’ yourself into this industry. It is quite a niche market and I think that publishers value experience over most else (aside from design). Simply printing a run of books can cost a publisher $30,000 or more. It is a lot of trust that they put in you to get it right. I think that the best approach would be to design well, even if you have quoted poorly and are not making money from the project anymore. If you create quality work, the good jobs will follow. This applies to whichever field you wish to work in. To better answer this question the ‘tips’ would be;

• Always produce quality work even if it’s just your dad’s mate’s plumbing business stationery. Set the bar high. If you haven’t got the time, say no to the job. 
• Read books. It is surprising how many people you meet who don’t read books but love the allure and romance of designing covers. You must understand your market.
• Be patient and persistent, but not relentless (annoying). Try to be clever in how you approach the company and their publisher. I sent out foldable posters where I had designed my work into one image.

3. Do you think that confidence is strongly linked to being successful in the creative industry?

There is confidence and then there is arrogance. I think to succeed in any field of work you have to know you can do it. If you don’t think you can, why would anyone else think you can? Starting out though, there is a lot to learn. I still have a lot to learn and I have the benefit of several mentors in the publishing industry as well as a mum who has a business mind. I taught at uni for a few years and the arrogance of some students was astounding, they were very rarely the crème de la crème and it was the hardworking, quiet achievers that have now gone on to be great successes. Know your strengths and your weaknesses but don’t parade around too much, no one likes a show off.

4. How do you manage to stop your style becoming stagnant when you work alone? Is there ever a fear you'll turn into a reclusive hermit?

I am quite a chatty person, but as mentioned already, I grew up in an isolated area. I like my own company. I also live with my lovely boyfriend and our labrador, Graham. I have great friends that live close by and one of my BFFs is a fabulous designer also who is on google chat with me all day. It is what you make it. I know great designers who could not do what I do because they (in their words) don’t have the discipline to make themselves work. I have always been quite square in regards to homework and time management so it is an easily transferrable skill for me. Ultimately, I freelance for a bevy of reasons which include; work flexibility and creating my own work/life balance, greater creative control over my projects, greater control over who I work with and frankly, more money. Though the scope of additional work freelance involves is also enormous.

In regards to a stagnant ‘style’, the internet I believe is more powerful in exposing you to current trends than any other media. If I were to work in-house, I would be exposed to 3 or 4 designers working on the same (likely corporate) briefs. The rest of the staff would be accountants and receptionists and the like. I think the flexibility to be able to spend my off-time reading blogs and interacting via social media is a far better way to keep your finger on the pulse of what is current. Also, I read, a lot. I buy a lot of books, we have an indie bookshop nearby and I am in there at least once a week, analysing covers and assessing their shelf presence.

5. What do you think the biggest challenges a creative business faces?

Finances and discipline. I am typically a fairly organised person but I still struggle to be completely on top of bank accounts, invoicing and quotes. To a creative mind nothing is more boring than reconciling bank statements but it has to be done. I also think a lot of creative types can be quite abrasive, perhaps from being shy. I think that one of my strengths is that I will happily chat to anyone. When it comes to the crunch, personable service is at the core of any successful business.

The other aspect is not so much a challenge, but a requirement. You must have the support of those around you to make it work. My boyfriend especially is often the one to pep me up when my workload starts to feel out of control. I play a lot of different roles as a busy freelancer and it is important that there is someone who can help me gain perspective when it becomes overwhelming.

6. Did you always know what your "style" was or did you have an a-ha moment where it seemed to suddenly make sense?

For a long time the concept of a style bothered me. I really wanted a recognisable style where people could point it out in shops or galleries. I am aware that I favour some principles and elements over others but I am pretty sure that my work is diverse enough that it doesn’t link together neatly. So I guess I perceive that my work has no discernible ‘style’ as such. And I think it is one of my strengths. It is why I get hired for illustration work of varying types as well as many different design jobs. The diversity of my workload is what I like most about freelance and I would never have achieved that had I pigeon-holed myself in the way I had previously wanted to.

7. Have you ever had to deal with creative burnout? Any tips?

I burned out pretty badly towards the end of uni. After graduation I chose to work in a pub for four months and then go to Europe. I came back and fell into publishing design. I take from that experience that gelati in Florence solves all problems. Travel is my remedy. It exposes me to differing styles, cultures, ideas and I get R&R along the way.

8. What are your top 5 places/people you go to for inspiration?

Mostly it is people. My designer BFF sends me the most awesome and random collection of musings over google chat. They range from the inspired to the deranged, but are always worth the look and definitely expand my creativity. My very stylish wordsmith BFF is also pretty tops. I have known her for more than half my life, she remembers my style disasters; sunflower themed bedroom anyone? She is more passionate about books than anyone else I know and is always tweeting and emailing me interesting pictures and places. Aside from people, traveling anywhere always inspires me. I just got back from Oaxaca Mexico, google it! Oh my! The craft there is amazing. I also often visit bookshops and blogs.

Ultimately, I can’t give you five exact places. I think that to be a successful designer you need to be excited by all creative things. A supermarket for example is an excellent way to see what design methods stand out amongst the competition. I am forever analysing and appreciating my surroundings.

9. What are your favourite medias to work with?

I am really enjoying oil paints right now, though I have produced nothing commercial with it. I do like the tactile, more traditional mediums, though I spend all day using Adobe software which is pretty freaking grand too!

On a personal level, I also love working on our (almost) 100 year old cottage, stripping, painting and renovating. I adore cooking too. There is not many moments in the day where I am not creating something, either physically or imagining new projects. I have more ambition than time.

10. What can we expect to see from you and your blog/work in the future?

My blog hopefully will get a redesign. I just need to make some time to develop those skills that translate a photoshop file/idea into a lovely wordpress template. After that I would be posting regularly. I would like to start a section on my blog of the design process. As far as my work is concerned, I will be designing more books. I have stopped taking on corporate design work to focus wholly on publishing. I hope to illustrate some more too, perhaps another picture book sometime soon.


Thanks again to Tracey for giving this interview, it's great to see how people get to where they are.

Meet Jelena and her beautiful photos

images

I'm lucky enough to be friends with this talented lady. From the first time I saw her photos I knew she had an amazing talent for capturing moments, yes it sounds cheesy but she is an expert at it. Jelena is one of those people that feels like a breath of fresh air, she's exciting to be around, has a horde of bizarre hobbies and is always up to do something with you.


This interview is especially helpful in my opinion, especially to young creatives as so often when you hear designers etc. talking about how they got to where they are, they leave out the hard stuff. It becomes a condensed, romanticized version of events that forgets about the nail biting, hard slog that is baring your soul to the world, just hoping what you do is good enough to make a living from it. When I was in university I wish I knew what I know now, that confidence is key to doing great things and that its damn hard work to make it in this profession without believing at least little of your own B.S. 

So enjoy Jelenas interview and then head on over to her blog and check out her beautiful photos. 

1. Tell us a little about your background - what led you in to the creative field?I've always been a creative person and done art and artsy kinds of things since I was born, so I think it was just something that I've always had and would always do. My favourite mediums were mainly painting and sketching, but I never thought I was any good at it and looking back on some of my work from high school especially, now I do see that I was really very talented, however my lack of self confidence always got in the way. 

2. Do you think that confidence is strongly linked to being successful in the creative industry?
Personally I think it is, because it's easier to step out in a creative industry if you really believe in yourself and your ability. I spent many years unable to even show some of my art to even my family because I was so afraid that it was really crap, and I took any negative reception to my work very much to heart. I learned that people can tell you how great your work is but unless you really know that yourself, you may never go anywhere with it. My foray in to photography is a slow process only because my confidence in that area has been a slow progression as well, I know I'll get there eventually, and it does help to have people who are doing it professionally who will honestly tell you that you could make it if you really believed in yourself, and I've started to listen. 

3. How do you manage to stop your style becoming stagnant when you work alone? Is there ever a fear you'll turn into a reclusive hermit?

I have a really bad memory. Infact I have this talent of warping and exaggerating memories in my mind so much that sometimes I'm not sure if the event actually happened or if I made it up; and this is what really stops me allowing my style to become stagnant. I'm always striving to capture a moment of a memory exactly as I experienced it and saw it at the time. I've found that when I'm photographing I end up blending in to the background and a result I don't get to experience what I'm seeing through the view finder, which does make me a little concerned about becoming a recluse, but it's something that is making me more focussed on being able to recognise a moment that I want to remember and capturing it quickly, whilst being able to put the camera down and engage in my surroundings as well.

4. What do you think the biggest challenge is to the success of creative businesses?
I would have to say, not even trying. A wise man once told me that you only really fail if you never try it. 

5. Did you always know what your "style" was or did you have an a-ha moment where it seemed to suddenly make sense?
No, never, when I used to paint and sketch I did what ever I felt like and in what ever style I thought would suit. Now, I've found that it's just become very apparent in my photographs on it's own. I've tried mimicking other people's styles but I would always unconciously go back to photographing things the way that I do, but it was only after people had pointed it out that I realised that I did have a style. 

6. Have you ever had to deal with creative burnout? Any tips?

YES! I once didn't do anything artistic for eight years because of burnout! No painting, no music, no anything - but I missed it, and it got to the point where I missed it so much I would get very upset. I think if you're nearing burnout you need to reassess why you are doing it, and remember your first love for it and what made you want to do it in the first place. Sometimes I get really caught up in technical aspects or deadlines with my art that suddenly it's not fun anymore and I don't want to do it. Going back to my first love of the simplicity of taking a photograph reminds me of why I love it so much, and looking back at those picture which really capture that always pulls me back from the edge of burnout.

7. Do you have a dream creative project?

I do and it invovles a beautiful hardcover photographic book and a lot of travel - but it's a secret because one day I will actually do it!

8. What are your top 5 places/people you go to for inspiration?
In no particular order and unfortunately, I know, I'm not very specific with it: my friends and family, the internet with it's plethora of information, my own dreams and memories, other artists I admire, and the world directly around me. I get inspired by the most ridiculous things, like letterboxes for example! I think there's beauty everywhere and in everything that you don't actually have to go very far for inspiration, which is good because living in Perth I'm very much far, far away from most things!

9. What are your favorite medias to work with?

Photography, at the moment I'm trying to jog the memory with film photography but predominantly it's digital; and I still dabble with paints, but not to the same extent that I used to.

10. What can we expect to see from you and your blog/work in the future?

I am aiming to get the balls to actually turn this hobby in to work, so hopefully in the future I'll be able to proudly say that I'm a professional photographer, but I have to admit I do like the 'amature' tag, it sounds more adventurous I think.

Artist spotlight: Brittany Wood

Today I'm lucky enough to feature the up'n'coming new photographer / artist Brittany Wood from the blog, Little Lady and Landon. Brittany has an amazing eye for dreamy photography and as if that wasn't enough also makes beautiful charcoal portraits. We're guaranteed to be seeing big things from this lady in the future! Every time I look on her blog I'm blown away by her photos and get the urge to pack everything up and move to the U.S because her photos from where she lives looks so idyllic. So once your done reading this make sure you go over to her Etsy store and her blog to check out more of her work.

Tell us a little about your background - what led you in to the creative field?
I discovered my love for art when I was a junior in high school. I was in an art class and my teacher assigned us our first big project. That night I found myself up until 4AM with color pencils and water color spread all around me. Before I knew it my art was put in the county's museum for a contest… I really didn't know I had any kind of art talent in me before that… it just came out of no where! (If you want to see my first piece it’s on my   website under illustrations- the very bottom left)

Do you ever get overwhelmed/confused with so having both photography AND illustration projects on the go at once?
Honestly I think having both photography and illustration keeps me balanced and helps me be more productive.  My mind is always jumping from one idea to another and I guess I work that way too. My husband will come home to me photographing food, while in the middle of drawing a charcoal, editing a photo shoot, and finishing off making a book. I love it!

Do you think that confidence is strongly linked to being successful in the creative industry?
I think that confidence is greatly linked to being successful in the creative industry.  I always have a fear of no one liking my work, wanting to buy my charcoals, or wanting me to photograph them; but I realized I would never really know unless I put myself out there.  

How do you manage to stop your style becoming stagnant when you work alone? Is there ever a fear you'll turn into a reclusive hermit?
The Internet is such a great tool of inspiration to my work. I am able to easily access early photographer’s work from 40 years ago and am constantly inspired by other artist’s work all from my computer.  
And about turning into a reclusive hermit… well I've always been an independent person and need my alone time so being alone doesn’t really bother me too much. I do think it's healthy to get out of the house, get some fresh air, and converse with friends every now and then though. 

What do you think your biggest challenge is to the success of your business? 
Since I just graduated and just barely started my business, the biggest challenge for me is the actual start of my business. The branding, building your clientele, the designing of everything… it all takes a lot of time and thought process.  I’m still in the process of finishing everything and I am constantly rethinking and re-changing. 

Did you always know what your "style" was or did you have an a-ha moment where it seemed to suddenly make sense?No I didn’t always know what my exact style was but I have always been interested in the same things and have noticed a reoccurring theme throughout my work but never had a ‘style.’ My a-ha moment came to me when I was stressed out during finals week in college. I decided to take a break from studying and relieve some stress by drawing and painting.  That night I created 8 pieces that are still some of my favorite. It was when I was honestly creating to create and not over-analyzing every line I was drawing. 

Have you ever had to deal with creative burnout? Any tips?YES! I have had a complete creative burnout before, a whole year and a half burnout!  When I first discovered my talent I felt a weight of expectations put on me and my work and felt like all eyes were on me waiting to create more.  I felt like my new art had to live up to my best work and it was all just too much pressure for me (it also didn’t help I was going through some other huge life decisions.) I don’t necessarily remember how I got out of it but looking back a few tips would be:

Constantly be looking/searching for other artist’s work to be inspired by. 
If you can find it, reading artist’s theories on art really opens my eyes and helps me to really think deeper about concept, meaning, and technique.  
Sometimes collaborating with other artists allows you to share ideas and forces you to create and helps you get out of the black hole!  
What are your top 5 places/people you go to for inspiration?
-John Galliano’s fashion runway shows they are more than amazing!  
-For photography inspiration I always turn back to the early photographers and their work; Julia Margaret Cameron has always been a favorite.  
-As silly as it seems Martha Stewart and The Food Network always encourage me to get in the kitchen and bake!... and then photograph the food afterwards of course.
-Kime Buzzelli is one of my favorite new-age artists.  Love everything she does.
-Magazines! I have books and boxes filled with magazine clippings that I have been cutting out for awhile now.  Always searching/looking through those bring back all of my ideas I had for photography/art.

What are your favorite medias to work with?Charcoal! I’ve always loved it over everything else. In my opinion it is the most fun to work with.  You end up with black hands and a messy desk, I love the carefree feeling of it.  And film is amazing too.  Since I’ve moved away from the university I can’t really develop it anymore, but there was something so healing about being in the darkroom for hours upon hours. 

What can we expect to see from you and your blog/work in the future?I plan to create more: 
-Charcoal/Nupastel fashion girls
-India ink/gouache work
-Different series for children’s rooms and around the house, 
-And hopefully some styled fashion photo shoots!

its time to meet the lovely Kathryn Whyte

It's Wednesday interviews again, I'd like to introduce you all to Kathryn Whyte. Kathryn meet the readers... there introduction done!


Kathryn makes the most wonderful stationery line and has an incredible and unique illustration style. Her work is a massive inspiration to me and was a big influence on me giving stationery design a go. She has given us all a really interesting interview to read today, I re-read it about a 100 times on the way home to NZ trying to scour it for details on how to become as fabulously famous and talented as her. So enough of my babbling, here's Kathryn's back story!

1. Tell us a little about your background - what led you in to the creative field?
It's weird, but I don't really know! I spent my whole life drawing (and spent my free periods in high school in the art room), and when it came time to go to college I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I knew it would be art-related. I ended up at Tyler School of Art majoring in Graphic Design with illustration and printmaking classes mixed in. I liked Graphic Design, because it seemed to kind of encompass everything—design is literally everywhere and can be anything!

2. Do you ever get overwhelmed/confused with so much going on? You seem to have a quite a diverse range of products all at once!
I think I'm easily overwhelmed in general! But I just take a deep breath and say "one thing at a time" and that helps. Also: lists. To-do lists are good. Having things to cross off (and actually crossing them off) is very satisfying!

3. Do you think that confidence is strongly linked to being successful in the creative industry?
Confidence is probably an important part of being successful in any industry. I've always struggled with that part—I'm not great at self-promotion, etc (I'm working on it!), and there are SO MANY talented designers and illustrators that it's easy sometimes to feel deflated, but you just have to remember what you do, and what you're good at, and keep doing it. I'm hoping that eventually pays off!

4. How do you manage to stop your style becoming stagnant when you work alone? Is there ever a fear you'll turn into a reclusive hermit?
There is a constant fear that I will become a reclusive hermit! But I think something that keeps my style from becoming stagnant are the happy accidents that come when I'm sketching, or drawing, or designing something else—maybe I'm designing a poster and make a little doodle-sketch in my notebook and think "...oh, this could be this. and then this or this or THIS!..." and it kind of becomes its own thing—surprise!
But yeah, I'm kind of a hermit.

5. What do you think your biggest challenge is to the success of your business?
Indecisiveness. I'm actually having a hard time deciding on an answer to this question. It probably goes along with the confidence thing—it's hard not to second-guess yourself, especially when you're kind of working on your own without someone to bounce ideas off of (I ask for my brother's help sometimes, but in true-brother-style his "help" is usually not so helpful!)

6. Did you always know what your "style" was or did you have an a-ha moment where it seemed to suddenly make sense?
I think I've always had a "style" but it has definitely evolved, and will probably keep evolving—I think that's just how it goes, your work kind of grows up and changes with you.

7. Have you ever had to deal with creative burnout? Any tips?
There are definitely moments of feeling blocked or uninspired, or like I'd rather just watch mindless tv for the rest of my life! It's frustrating, but I usually snap out of it. As far as tips I guess I would say take a break! And don't try to force yourself to pull something out of thin air (unless you absolutely have to), because it will most likely feel forced.

8. Do you have a dream creative project?
I'd love for my little business to grow, and have the ability to put my work on all sorts of products on a larger scale. I made a list last year I think with all of the things I wanted to make. Notebooks, tote bags, stuffed dolls, dishes, shower curtains! etc, etc, etc. Some of the list items are silly, but seem fun. I'd also like to illustrate books (maybe even write one myself!)

9. What are your top 5 places/people you go to for inspiration?
I don't know that there are specific people or places I go to for inspiration. I begrudgingly started "tweeting" when I started my freelance adventure, and realized how easy it is to get lost in the world of tweets and blogs! So many inspiring people and things to discover through these outlets. Most of the time when I see something I like I file it away in my brain for later. I also like to look through my Edward Gorey books, and the little Madeline books that I got at a yard sale (that had obviously been chewed on by a dog in a few spots...)

10. What are your favorite medias to work with?
Pen, ink, watercolor.
It's a little weird, but sometimes I'll take a really inky pen and draw on my fingertips to make little finger-stamps—it makes for interesting shapes/textures. I've made ice cream, flowers, balloons, umbrellas (a bikini!) with fingerprints. I was definitely inspired by Saul Steinberg's illustrations with thumbprints. 

11. What can we expect to see from you and your blog/work in the future?
Well, in the near future I'll put my holiday cards up in the shop, and I have a few projects that I'm looking forward to sharing on my blog/website soon, but as far as the not-so-near-future, I'm not really sure! Freelancing is full of surprises, so I just take things one day at a time.

Thanks for that Kathryn, no if anyone else wants to study Kathryn any more go to her shop or her blog, your missing out if you don't! 

Introducing the fabulous Mr Lentz

photos courtesy of Mr Lentz

For the last few months I've been wanting to start a series of interviews with creatives that really inspire me (and hopefully you). All to often I find that so many questions about who the person is behind the incredible work goes unanswered. Such as, how do they do it? Do they have in-depth conversations with themselves once they have worked alone for more than a month? Do they have a porcelain doll collection? You know, all the important stuff.

So without further adu let me kick off the first of the interviews with Mr Lentz, an incredibly talented jewelry designer, photographer and woodworker. Once you see his work you too will want to purchase it all even if it means you can't afford to eat for a week... or 7.

So here goes!

1. Tell us a little about your background - what led you in to the creative field?  When I was a wee lad I doodled, in middle school I was given lessons by a master pastel artist in portraiture, in highschool I designed and built my own remote control gliders, in college I partied. Now that I am done with partying - I decided that the most fulfilling thing for me is creating. Developing an idea from my head and putting my hands to work to create it. Something that others can enjoy, whether it's a piece of jewelry, or a blog post on building my own wind powered turbine. Right now I am living to inspire others.

2. Do you ever get overwhelmed/confused with so much going on? You seem to have a 101 projects on the go at once.
I know right! What I have learned is that you should always follow your passions, do what feels right in that moment because creative sparks come and go. If you only follow one idea all of the time you may not make enough mistakes to really discover the true creativity and value of what your mind is really after. I usually am pursuing a few photography projects at once, about three separate woodworking builds, and I usually have something else - maybe electronic - that is being planned out. I just skip from one to the other depending on what feels right. The important thing to remember is that there is no hurry and ultimately you will complete the projects you care about most.

3. Do you think that confidence is strongly linked to being successful in the creative industry?  Yes. Being creative is one thing. Marketing yourself is quite different. If you can stand behind your work  because it feels right to you, then you will eventually succeed and find the audience that will appreciate it. If you ever met me, the last thing you would believe is that I make moss inspired wooden jewelry. Haha! But, it feels right. I love it and I do what I can to market the hell out of it. Don't let your work sit in the dark.

4. How do you manage to stop your style becoming stagnant when you work alone? Is there ever a fear you'll turn into a reclusive with working alone?
Yes. In fact I was quite reclusive before I started up woodworking earlier this year. I am also a freelance motion graphic artist and I had been working from home for the previous 4 years. In May I moved into an office downtown and my entire life changed. I am now able to come home, relax, have time and space to dream up new projects, and to create. Another important part of keeping from stagnating is to keep exploring. Seriously - go on long hikes, road trips, hang out with friends, find out what inspires you and milk it.

5. What do you think is the biggest business challenge you've faced?  For me it has not been that hard because my work is so diversified. I didn't just hop into my woodworking with my eyes closed. I have also been working on the side in photography and motion graphics. It would be a hard life to just switch right into art for a living.

6. Did you always know what your "style" was or did you have an a-ha moment where it seemed to suddenly make sense?
This definitely took years. I think I noticed that over time as a designer I started to pay more and more attention to why I liked certain types of artwork, or photographs, or architecture, etc... It is when you actually stop to take a look at things and realize why you appreciate them, that you start to learn more about your own style. I love clean lines, very simple textures, high contrasts, and unbalanced weights.

7. Have you ever had to deal with creative burnout? Any tips? Not yet. I think by having so many interests at the same time, if one is failing me one week, I just switch over to another.

8. Do you have a dream creative project?  I think I am living it right now. I guess my dream would be to design more things and at a faster pace. I would love for my work to be featured in renowned design blogs and magazines. I would certainly love to be known for the type of work I am doing.

9. What are your top 5 places/people you go to for inspiration?  Well I loooove the redwood forests of the Pacific Northwest. I also looove the Deserts of Utah and the chaotic world of South America. 

10. What are your favorite medias to work with?  Wood, hands down. Photography of beautiful women. Plants too - I think it will be a continuing theme in my work.

11. What can we expect to see from you and your blog/work in the future?  Well, in a few weeks I will be opening up my own online shop so people can order direct instead of third party sites. I am also planning on building a lot of custom furniture for my house. Part of that fun will be learning how to work leather and combine it with wood. 

Now go to his website now and gawk at his collections of brilliance. Thats an order!