Posts tagged creativity

MUSIC OF STONESEvery day I walk along the Merri Creek and the other day it was very overcast and Murky. I wanted to create a small publication by way of artistic response to my sensations as I do the walk. Here is the poem i wrote, that is the starting point for a mini concertina booklet. Merri Merri means stony in Aboriginal and that is why it is called Merri Creek. I called it Music of stones, because the daily walk for me is my music, and the Stones refers back to the original Aboriginal inhabitants.  The project feeds into my professional life as a graphic design educator. It is central to many of the courses that I teach.  1. Publish or Perish - design and self publish your own book 2. The Art of Walking - using walking as artistic and creative inspiration for your artistic practice.  http://newschoolfordesignandtypography.com/Short-courses

MUSIC OF STONES

Every day I walk along the Merri Creek and the other day it was very overcast and Murky. I wanted to create a small publication by way of artistic response to my sensations as I do the walk. Here is the poem i wrote, that is the starting point for a mini concertina booklet. 

Merri Merri means stony in Aboriginal and that is why it is called Merri Creek. I called it Music of stones, because the daily walk for me is my music, and the Stones refers back to the original Aboriginal inhabitants. 

The project feeds into my professional life as a graphic design educator. It is central to many of the courses that I teach. 

1. Publish or Perish - design and self publish your own book

2. The Art of Walking - using walking as artistic and creative inspiration for your artistic practice. 

http://newschoolfordesignandtypography.com/Short-courses

Old School Library

I have been busy continually updating the Old School Library and its quite a good one. Useful to bookmark. Pictured a just a few of the links and there are many many more on ideas and thinking, typography, bookbinding and so on. Some of them are free pdf downloads (bookbinding for example). Here is the link for you to check it out. 

Happy browsing:)

http://newschoolfordesignandtypography.com/Library-Links 


I 

Bookbinding and Instant Zines 

This is the first workshop held at OldSchool last Saturday. The power of making was again evident when participants were literally flying with elation as they watched the raw products they were working with transform into these gorgeous little books and zines.

If you want to read more about why I believe bookbinding is an important skill, you can read more here:

http://newschoolfordesignandtypography.com/Old-School-Book-Binding-Workshop 


And here is the link to the workshop
http://newschoolfordesignandtypography.com/Workshops 

 

I Once Hated Graphic DesignI want to talk about what happened yesterday, when in the “Australian In Front Forum”, there was a yet another typical discussion, with yet another frustrated and depressed graphic design student who had graduated only to discover that all the romantic hype about being a “cool designer”, was yes, just that. Hype. You cannot really blame him for swallowing it all, because as a society we are conditioned to only hear good news. But it’s really wrong that this is happening, and I believe that educational institutions (who have become like shops motivated only for profit rather than people’s well being) are responsible. During their preselection, they need to be more honest. This is what he said:  “I’m not too sure what happened but the things I used to be interested in now seem so shallow. There’s so much noise already, we don’t need any more and I’m not comfortable with helping people sell things either. “Same Briefs, same keywords, same small talk” According to Stefan Sagmeister, we are “drowning in a sea of professionally designed things that nobody gives a **** about”. At Old School, we agree, and so ask you honestly:Are you sure that you want to be a Graphic Designer? We ask this because we believe that it’s important for you to understand your motives. And this is why we like to believe that our design program is very honest, and doesn’t lead you down the only too well trodden path to that morbid state of disillusionment you reach, when you have been asked to follow one style guide too many. Don’t worry though. Read on. So what IS going to help you then? Well, the answer was only too evident in the forum. All the people who were happy seemed to have discovered that the answer was actually in not having a high expectation, freelancing (it pays better) rather than working in a large studio, and on working on personal projects that have steered them toward working in new, more satisfying areas and collaborations where they feel that they are making a difference. From my experience as a designer, I have preferred working as my own boss, and most of my ex students are also running their own show after first gaining studio practice working in a studio. Other designers in the past have stated it so brilliantly. One of my favorites is the paper of Lisa Grocott from the then Studio Anybody, in 2004. She starts off by saying: “To state that I once hated graphic design is neither, provocative nor original. Many graphic designers before me, have felt the physical and creative malaise I experienced after twelve-hour days of mouse-clicking week in, week out. This chapter describes the creative equivalent of a recovery program for disenchanted designers. This story narrates how my colleagues and I conceived of an ongoing research project, that positioned our studio practice as the research subject, our professional dissatisfaction as the primary issue and calling for creative speculation within the workplace as our key argument.” In the rest of Grocott’s paper, she describes how essentially asking questions, and making stuff to answer these questions kept a whole studio of 5 designers excited, enchanted and busy, and how this also lead to more paid work, while also helping them to understand themselves, their process, and their direction better. You should read it though, it’s a good read. Speculation was the key to her whole practice. Further to the topic, yesterday, I was privileged to find this inspiring post on my tumblr by Small Studio who are right here in Brunswick Melbourne. This post essentially says the same thing. That you need to keep making stuff, to then look at it to help you better understand your individual style, to help you find like minded people with whom to collaborate. (This is known as speculative practice)I cannot recommend this post enough. It is written in such a personally engaging way with gems of golden wisdom. Thankyou Small StudioFinally though, we have Stefan Sagmiester who asks “Can Design Touch Someone’s Heart?”Sagmeister is asking whether design can do more than: “sell products for our clients? Can design move someone enough to change the course of events? Can design play a bigger role in solving societal problems? “You could also say, do something that matters,”I have nothing against selling. I do it, too. But I also think design can do so much more. It can inform, delight, provoke, support and simplify someone’s life.” The answer must come from your own heart. This takes an innate understanding of where your particular passions and design skills can make a difference to someone else. It takes soul-searching.“So much of what designers do is technically very good,” he says, “but it leaves people cold and has little meaning in their lives. The question came out of a frustration of drowning in professionally designed things that nobody gives a **** about, neither the maker nor the receiver. The main reason for all this stuff is that most designers don’t believe in anything. When your conscience is so flexible, how can you do strong design?” So this is why we say at Old School that you need to “Free Your Spirit and Create From Your Heart”. By this we mean that you have to be true to yourself, and create and make that which you find inspiring. This may seem to oppose the premise of design as a business, but it is possible. Life as a professional designer does not need to be about completely sacrificing your own truth and integrity. My ten years as a design educator and designer has helped me become an expert in supporting you to first see and understand your individuality or creative truth, and to nurture it, channel it and enable it to grow. This is the essence of a good design education. Don’t believe all the hype, it isn’t about being cool. It is a good idea to think about this before spending 20K on your design education.After you graduate you should question whether spending big bucks going to an elite design school with industry legends is going to help you? Ask about their background in helping you find and understand your individual style and strengths? What is their training and skill in supporting your individual path of self discovery. (I am writing this on behalf of an alternative Graphic Design education at Old School the New School for Graphic Design and Typography in Melbourne Australia)http://newschoolfordesignandtypography.com/#2293759/Home 

I Once Hated Graphic Design

I want to talk about what happened yesterday, when in the “Australian In Front Forum”, there was a yet another typical discussion, with yet another frustrated and depressed graphic design student who had graduated only to discover that all the romantic hype about being a “cool designer”, was yes, just that. Hype. 

You cannot really blame him for swallowing it all, because as a society we are conditioned to only hear good news. But it’s really wrong that this is happening, and I believe that educational institutions (who have become like shops motivated only for profit rather than people’s well being) are responsible. During their preselection, they need to be more honest. This is what he said: 

“I’m not too sure what happened but the things I used to be interested in now seem so shallow. There’s so much noise already, we don’t need any more and I’m not comfortable with helping people sell things either. “Same Briefs, same keywords, same small talk”

According to Stefan Sagmeister, we are “drowning in a sea of professionally designed things that nobody gives a **** about”. At Old School, we agree, and so ask you honestly:

Are you sure that you want to be a Graphic Designer? We ask this because we believe that it’s important for you to understand your motives. And this is why we like to believe that our design program is very honest, and doesn’t lead you down the only too well trodden path to that morbid state of disillusionment you reach, when you have been asked to follow one style guide too many. Don’t worry though. Read on. 

So what IS going to help you then? 
Well, the answer was only too evident in the forum. All the people who were happy seemed to have discovered that the answer was actually in not having a high expectation, freelancing (it pays better) rather than working in a large studio, and on working on personal projects that have steered them toward working in new, more satisfying areas and collaborations where they feel that they are making a difference. From my experience as a designer, I have preferred working as my own boss, and most of my ex students are also running their own show after first gaining studio practice working in a studio. 

Other designers in the past have stated it so brilliantly. One of my favorites is the paper of Lisa Grocott from the then Studio Anybody, in 2004. She starts off by saying:

“To state that I once hated graphic design is neither, provocative nor original. Many graphic designers before me, have felt the physical and creative malaise I experienced after twelve-hour days of mouse-clicking week in, week out. This chapter describes the creative equivalent of a recovery program for disenchanted designers. This story narrates how my colleagues and I conceived of an ongoing research project, that positioned our studio practice as the research subject, our professional dissatisfaction as the primary issue and calling for creative speculation within the workplace as our key argument.”


In the rest of Grocott’s paper, she describes how essentially asking questions, and making stuff to answer these questions kept a whole studio of 5 designers excited, enchanted and busy, and how this also lead to more paid work, while also helping them to understand themselves, their process, and their direction better. You should read it though, it’s a good read. Speculation was the key to her whole practice. 

Further to the topic, yesterday, I was privileged to find this inspiring post on my tumblr by Small Studio who are right here in Brunswick Melbourne. 

This post essentially says the same thing. That you need to keep making stuff, to then look at it to help you better understand your individual style, to help you find like minded people with whom to collaborate. (This is known as speculative practice)

I cannot recommend this post enough. It is written in such a personally engaging way with gems of golden wisdom. Thankyou Small Studio

Finally though, we have Stefan Sagmiester who asks “Can Design Touch Someone’s Heart?”

Sagmeister is asking whether design can do more than:

“sell products for our clients? Can design move someone enough to change the course of events? Can design play a bigger role in solving societal problems? “You could also say, do something that matters,”

I have nothing against selling. I do it, too. But I also think design can do so much more. It can inform, delight, provoke, support and simplify someone’s life.” The answer must come from your own heart. This takes an innate understanding of where your particular passions and design skills can make a difference to someone else. It takes soul-searching.

“So much of what designers do is technically very good,” he says, “but it leaves people cold and has little meaning in their lives. The question came out of a frustration of drowning in professionally designed things that nobody gives a **** about, neither the maker nor the receiver. The main reason for all this stuff is that most designers don’t believe in anything. When your conscience is so flexible, how can you do strong design?”

So this is why we say at Old School that you need to “Free Your Spirit and Create From Your Heart”. By this we mean that you have to be true to yourself, and create and make that which you find inspiring. This may seem to oppose the premise of design as a business, but it is possible. Life as a professional designer does not need to be about completely sacrificing your own truth and integrity. 

My ten years as a design educator and designer has helped me become an expert in supporting you to first see and understand your individuality or creative truth, and to nurture it, channel it and enable it to grow. This is the essence of a good design education. Don’t believe all the hype, it isn’t about being cool. 

It is a good idea to think about this before spending 20K on your design education.After you graduate you should question whether spending big bucks going to an elite design school with industry legends is going to help you? Ask about their background in helping you find and understand your individual style and strengths? What is their training and skill in supporting your individual path of self discovery. 

(I am writing this on behalf of an alternative Graphic Design education at Old School the New School for Graphic Design and Typography in Melbourne Australia)

http://newschoolfordesignandtypography.com/#2293759/Home 

L is For Lettering
Lettering is alive and kicking at Old School, and we have been busy this week using it to inject some flavour into the workspace, to help us remember why we are here in this totally local and personal space, instead of in some institution. 

While Typography uses standardised letterforms, lettering is different. Lettering is an older art and consists of unique forms made with a variety of tools. Today the applications and potential of lettering and type are very broad, when designers create handmade letterforms and experimental Alphabets. 


for more pictures and further reading on how this was done, read here: 

http://newschoolfordesignandtypography.com/#2642572/L-is-For-Lettering 

Photos of Kit for Uptight White People on Display at Brunswick Bound

Such a cute little shop is Brunswick Bound. I thought that I would include a photo just so you could see. It is a great shop with only good titles, no rubbish in here. 

So here is my kit. The whole self publishing thing has been a great learning curve for sure. Apparently many people are interacting with the kit. They are drawn to its curious title, and snappy cover. But! the draw back is that at $16 it is probably too expensive. I wish that I knew another printer who could do it for less, but it is costing me $11 a copy to print in USA. 

My next title will be more substantial.. It was after all an afterthought to market it, when it commenced its life as a masters project in cross disciplinary design. 

If you want to read more it is on Issuez here: If you live in Melbourne and want to buy a copy, I will love you forever! It is on sale at Readings and as mentioned Brunswick Bound and Brunswick St Books.

http://issuu.com/veronicagrow/docs/kitforuptightwhitepeople

An Old School Garden

The Importance of a Sense of Place

Because our philosophy at Old School is holistic, we place great stress on the importance of our environment being an inspiring and beautiful green space that feels comfortable. 

With this idea in mind, we thought we would share with you some of the work that the jolly worker gnomes you can see in the photos have been busy doing this week at Old School, digging, edging, raking, planting, and also inside the mid century building, rewiring, installing lighting, and hanging pictures and an assortment of my collection of roadside signage (that I do confess to steal sometimes) because we want our beautiful garden and interior at Old School to make you feel good, and contribute to a positive learning experience. So that a very important aspect of your experience here will always be sensory, when your senses of smell, sight and touch are delighted. You see, we believe that a happy feeling of peace and calm is a “must” for creativity, and wonder how any school could exclude this thinking from their curricula. When was the last time you planted something? 

I am sure that you would agree that in a great creative space, you feel happy to go ahead and “make stuff” without fearing that you are making a mess, and, furthermore, the mess generated from your creative output should contribute to that great general workshop busy spirit of the place. In turn this “feeling” should provide a sense of satisfaction and community, when you start to own the space. You may have noticed, we are big on the idea of “feeling” and emotional resonance!

At Old School, we believe that creative spaces need to have heart and soul and this means our space at Old School just HAS to have a garden. Thanks to Stephanie Alexander’s Kitchen Garden Scheme, gardens are now a beautiful part of our primary schools so why not our design schools? At Old School we salute Stephanie, and want to emulate her philosophy. We believe that preparing food, and growing your own food with love are an essential part of being a great artist or designer. The three go hand in hand. 

Most of the really clever designers and artists that I have known and continue to know are also amazing cooks, and most of them also know how to grow a garden. They have the sensitivity, and care and dedication to learn the skill, and watch over their gardens with the same dedication they give to their design projects. They test and taste their food as they make it, estimating how much more salt, or herbs to include. Their acute visual sensitivity comes into play when even a cup of tea and a biscuit is served in a lovely cup and plate. The three disciplines have so much in common. They are sensory; they involve planning, and feeling. Sometimes they put you under pressure and can challenge you (gardening less so). Success in all three is often a result of a collaboration of like minded souls. They are exciting and fun things to do, especially when you commence a project, or when planting out a garden, checking it every day for new shoots, blooms and fruit. Often gardening and cooking are a welcome relief from the “mental head fuck” that comes from working on a long project for five days straight when we welcome using our hands again (head, heart, hands). 

Pray do tell? What great creative spaces have you been in lately?

http://newschoolfordesignandtypography.com/

Old School the New School for Design and typography

Its been a big day. I have been working on this site for weeks.. and finally it went live today. I hope people want to come to my School. I feel nervous, but really feel that its time for this to happen. 

If any of you have any comments or ideas at all I would really appreciate it. Thankyou. 

Be connected strong and happy.. banish the list of excuses in 2012

Well my dear readers, at this time of the year, everyone is busy making lists. Lists of what they did last year, and lists of what they hope for etc etc. 

If there is one big thing on my list for 2012 and yours too I hope)  It is to banish forever that list of excuses that makes us such anti social beings. 

Today I am going to share with you item 7 from my Kit for Uptight White People. Item 7 is “the list of Excuses”. The Kit is my final masters Project in X Disciplinary Design at COFA UNSW, and I devised the concept, wrote, designed and illustrated the book.

The underpinning reasoning behind this kit comes from the anecdotes collected from the many migrants that I know, that all seem to have a recurring theme. This is that us anglos are often perceived as being unfriendly, uptight, and difficult. 

Here is the related anecdote:

 My Italian friends the Racioppis  have the same issues as all of us, yet like most migrant households, they never make excuses. If they are stressed, they come together anyway, which often helps them to relieve their stress. Sometimes, in fact often,  they argue and fight, but that clears the air, and avoids the bottling up of harmful stress. Unlike us white people, they don’t hold onto their anger and grudges, all of which are  quickly forgiven. They don’t seem to feel uncomfortable with confrontation. 

 And here is a specially devised experiment to help you develop better more inclusive habits!   Why not give it a try? 

 To those Prone to Listmaking  

The pick up the phone experiment.

Think of someone with whom you have not made contact for at least twelve months. No matter what the reason. Maybe you fell out, maybe you have been busy. But overall it was a valuable relationship. Relationships can change over time if they are nurtured properly, So pick up the phone, and say “Hello, it’s me calling, how is life? I am sorry I have been off the radar.” If it helps, give yourself some ice to slide out on, and make an excuse that you have been busy. It takes two to tango, and through becoming the “hero”, you are being a hero. You are helping to create social capital. which makes people feel  connected, strong and happy.

If you like this idea, you can see the rest of the kit online at

http://issuu.com/veronicagrow/docs/kitforuptightwhitepeople

 

 

Or you can purchase it here in Melbourne at Metropolis Books, Brunswick Bound, or Brunswick Street Books.

 

Or online at Blurb : http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/2597718

 

Or email me! I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR (ITALIAN STYLE PLEASE!) 

Well its that time of the year again.. New Year’s Eve. And seeing as I am  continuing to extrapolate on the themes covered in my book: “The Kit for Uptight white People”, New Year’s Eve and its associated celebrations is the perfect correlation to our current theme. Item Number 6. The Bottle of Social Lubricant. If you have missed this riveting piece of ethnography, you can read it here:

 http://veronicagrow.tumblr.com/post/14969933884/kit-for-uptight-white-people-artificat-6

 Now if you are reading this post in Italy or Aman, or Muscat you may still have no idea what the link  between NYE and social lubricant is. So I will put it plainly for you. We are definitely not heading into the city tonight to see the fireworks, because we know that there will be drunkards everywhere. Loud ugly ones. This is very Australian you see. We are heading out to dinner at St Katherines, a lovely dining establishment in “white person” territory Kew here in Melbourne. I know that the restaurant will be full of ugly loud pink skinned people who just have to YELL loudly and laugh really loudly, because they are all drunk. Everyone here in Melbourne thinks this normal. But not I. Why you ask?

 

Italians have taught me this valuable lesson. The best New Year’s Eves I have ever had have been with Italians and have not required the ritual drinking of alcohol to commence at 3 in the afternoon on NYE. In fact, they have involved very little Alcohol at all just a nice brindisi at midnight, and some wine with our long long meal that goes on forever. They have though, involved a lot of that other thing that Italians seem to be very good at: Conversation. Good conversation, not banal conversation about celebrities and fashion but conversations about politics, the state of the world, history, and also with a few nice healthy arguments thrown in. They have also involved comedy, because Italian people that I have known all know how to laugh. In fact these conversations have been so good, that we have sat there and heard the blackbirds starting up at Dawn, and watched the sunrise. They have also involved lots and lots of food preparation of delicious seasonal ingredients (always fresh tomato salad with basil, and strawberries as it is summer here in Australia), and eating. I have to say that the Italian gatherings always seem to have a lot more life, whereas the anglo gatherings either involve everyone sitting around politely and they are terribly sober as no one is smiling, or else they are alcohol fuelled, often with nasty arguments and abuse being hurled!  Even worse, though are the dry affairs of my many young environmental and green friends who seem to divide themselves into small impenetrable groups, then ignore one another. So due to this disconnect, the gathering resembles a railway station rather than a gathering.  While they are very civilized, there is no life, no juice, no mojo to these gatherings! (I think because most of the attendees tend to take themselves and the saving of the planet rather seriously).

 

So where are these photos taken? They were taken in Verona in 08/09. It was a sparkling evening. The other evening was way back in 96/97which I shared with a group of Italian exchange teachers here in Melbourne. Thankyou to my Italian friends for teaching me to get over some of my rather uptight and sometimes destructive socially inept ways!

 

If you like this story, you can view my kit here: http://issuu.com/veronicagrow/docs/kitforuptightwhitepeople

 

 

You can also purchase a copy in Melbourne at

Brunswick Bound

Metropolis Books

Brunswick Street Bookstore

 

Or online at Blurb:

http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/2597718#store-price

KIT FOR UPTIGHT WHITE PEOPLE

ARTIFICAT # 6 - SOCIAL LURBRICANT

Upon coming to Australia in 2000 after attending a few work functions, Slava, a Moldovan friend, was shocked to discover how much alcohol Australians drink in social situations. “I don’t understand why they take wine, beer, and champagne, never with food!” he would say in his wonderful eastern european accent.  He was also quick tonote the behavioural change in his workmates after they had taken a few drinks. Normally quiet and shy personalities became oddly friendly, affectionate and talkative. Then on Monday, the usual coldness and unfriendliness would return. This hot and cold behaviour was most unsettling to Slava. 

what to do about it? 

For those who are Socially Uptight  

The Daggy music experiment.  

Go to I-tunes, or a music store. Buy some yodelling music. Now, play it as loudly as possible, singing along with great gusto and attempting to dance. (This part is best done in company). Try to do this as badly as you can. How do you feel? After five minutes, you will start to feel every care and worry in the world escape you. With this sense of lightness will come a greater sense of confidence, and perspective. You will find that you care less about social rejection. “It’s obvious that the mirth filled man, the cheerful soul, the childish adult is the one who has least to fear from life.” Tom Hodgkinson The Freedom Manifesto. 

This is object number 6 of 9 from the book I wrote called “The What the Hell Is Your Problem?” Kit. A Kit For Uptight White People. The Kit was my final masters project in Cross Disciplinary Design at COFA UNSW.

You can view it here: http://issuu.com/veronicagrow/docs/kitforuptightwhitepeople

If you live in Melbourne, it is stocked at Metropolis Books, Brunswick Bound and Brunswick Street Books for $16. 

You can also purchase it here on Blurb http://www.blurb.com/my/book/detail/2597718

or email me. 

Why do you think we seem to need alcohol to help us to be more open friendly and inclusive? 

SOCIAL PRACTICE ON A GRAND SCALE

This is what happens when interactivity experts unite with great social designers. Where will it all go I wonder..? Splashlife has the potential to create some seismic shifts in our social fabric and really do some design for good. (tho I do hope they update at least their font selection and  colours). What do you think about “Splashlife”?