Calling All Artists

[Robert Alan Black]

OK,

so maybe some of us are not consulting or teaching all the time - let's hear from members who are primarily producing creative artists. What can you tell us about your own creative process? Are you involved in any civic or community projects?

[gordon mann]

Now this could be a good opportunity for odd artists!

I have just joined Creative Champions at the invitation of Robert Alan Black. I can't draw to save my life!

I have a need of some simple illustrations for my Nonsense Verses - a series of bizarre nonsense (a wee bit like Ogden Nash or AA Milne or Gary Larsen) verses on odd subjects. I have had one attempt to get them accepted by a literary agent but I think a few simple 'nonsense' sketches would help my 'process of submitting to agents' along.

Any responses?

[Robert "Alan" Black]

Gordon

Send a couple of your verses and I will try my hand at cre8ng some "bizarre illustrations" to go along with them.

Alan

[ChaRene]

I graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1984 with a BFA in graphic design and a minor in photography. I was trained in the basic art fundamentals like painting and drawing for the first 2 years and then concentrated on my major, graphic design, in the last 3 years of college. So, most of my professional life has been spent creating advertising for both large and small corporations. I believe people respond to creativity and will act upon something if they are moved with emotion. Sometimes an idea for a advertising campaign will come quickly and easily. Other times the creative process must be contemplated for several days or even several weeks. From the copy and concept to the images, everything is created digitally and done in-house at ChaRene Graphic Design. Whether a company needs a single brochure created to a total brand image including a logo design or a web site designed, it is my job to deliver a message for my clients. I am not creating the art for myself however and what is created is expected to deliver a return on investment. I need to step back from everything I do and ask many questions. Does this piece capture the attention of the desired audience? Does it move them to take action? Ultimately, does my client sell more of their product or service?

Each and every project is different and the process to create each element is unique. I usually begin by doing a lot of research on the company or product and then trying to find a different approach then what their competitors are using to make them stand out. I also try to find the unique feature or element that the product or company offers to a consumer. This is what will move someone to act. What can this product offer me that all the others can't?

Creativity is a long involved process that I find hard to explain. A creative person thinks differently then most others and finds the unusual in the normal. Check out my web site at www.ChaRene.net to see some of my work. I am in the process of updating my web site to include samples of web design, an about me section and a blog. Should be updated first part of September 08'.

[Robert "Alan" Black]

Charlene

I remember a couple books that Bill Gordon, co-founder of Synectics with George Prince, wrote and published in the 1970s

Making the Familiar Strange
Making the Strange Familiar

they were aimed at school children yet are both very helpful with adults: designers or not.

[Rebecca Stees]

Hi! I'm in an art collective .....http://thepotatoeaters.com/frameset.htm
We host world wide potato disco parties.
We like to have fun.

-Rebecca Stees


Why the potato?
Humble gems of the underground and a long-time food staple of common folks, we choose the brown dusty orb as a symbol of sharing art, life, food, and friendship.

Why the Potato Eaters?
We believe life is about what you do with what you've got. Food, shelter, clothing, tools, work, nature, and relationships are all represented in Van Gogh's painting The Potato Eaters. We want to pay homage to everyday things and the low art of living. We want to enjoy and share the fruits of our labor without pretense.

Why Dig It Baby?
Dig It Baby means...Don't take yourself so seriously.
Dig It Baby means...Don't be afraid to get a little dirty.
Dig It Baby means...Do the work.
Dig It Baby means...Look deep for the roots.
Dig It Baby means...Enjoy it with us; dig in!

A major inspiration to our group is peasant painter, Vincent Van Gogh, whose first large-scale painting with multiple figures was The Potato Eaters. He spoke of the potato eaters as leading "a way of life completely different from ours, from that of civilized people," and tried to convey the idea that they had "used the same hands with which they now take food from the plate to dig the earth."



Van Gogh said, "It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to...the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures." The Potato Eaters believe in the process as much as the product.

He also said, " I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people." The Potato Eaters believe in art for the masses with no pretension.

The 1992 Potato Party, hosted by Rebecca Stees, sparked our love affair with the potato. We sat on the floor and ate from a menu of potato dishes. Only potato dishes.

In The Way of Zen, Alan Watts explained, "Zen. . . does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes." The Potato Eaters believe a peaceful existence requires us just to make art everyday.


Shila Hibben said, "The potato, like man, was not meant to dwell alone." The Potato Eaters need each other and believe sharing leads to growth.

We are using this quote from Richard Dattner, designer of the award winning historic Adler Park adventure playground in Central Park, as inspiration for the type of environment and experience we want to create. The Potato Eaters believe in discovering inspiration in the everyday.


"Experiences for every sense are needed, for instance rough and smooth objects to look at and feel; light and heavy things to pick up; water and wet materials warmed by the sun; soft and hard surfaces; things that make sounds...sounds of all varieties...shiny, bright objects and dull, dark ones; things that are both huge and tiny; high and low places to look at and from; materials of every type, natural and synthetic, thick, thin, and so on."