Day 7: My Art Process

Day 7

In case you cannot tell what this poster is about, here's a message for Wahl Clipper Corporation: call me. I love your product and will gladly make a poster for you. I get giddy when I use your product every two weeks--it means I just saved $40 on a haircut.

I am planning a lengthy post about haircuts and its effect on my personality so we can skip that today. Instead, let's talk about my art process. My current process is thinking of a phrase that's been useful to me or I find funny. Then I sketch ideas while riding the morning train to work and paint after work at night.  While sketching for Day 5's idea, I ended up with a derivative sketch for hair. My doodles are below.

Day 5 sketches

It seems a bit early in the challenge to recycle ideas but I did not feel inspired this morning. I decided it was better to make a poster based on a defined idea than make a poor poster based on a uninspired idea. Once I started the poster, I had fun. Since the idea was simple and there was more time today, I refined the typography. Edges were straightened and made to be crisp rather than blurring as seen in the previous posters. I also tried to paint "OWN" as a serif typeface. Since I decided on serif after painting "own", there is not much difference between the thick and thin parts but the "O" turned out rather nicely. As a sidenote, I'm still learning the correct usage of typeface versus font. So feel free to correct my usage.

The text and hair was black because my hair is black. Also I get a thrill from the inkiness of black paint and applying it to blank paper. The bow tie added color for visual interest. The tie is blue because I like blue. The dots are orange because blue and orange are complementary. To use up extra paint that would be wasted, the text was highlighted in a light wash. The wash also added balance to the poster so the color was not at the bottom only. The main lesson for today is: if you're reluctant to do something, just start. Once you start, it'll be fun and you may be pleasantly surprised by the result.

What item on your to-to list are you procrastinating on today?

Day 6: Infect your Friends!

Day 6

Happy Friday! Go forth and infect your friends this weekend.

What are your plans for this Easter weekend?

Day 5: Cut your own Pineapple

Day 5

Pineapples look intimating. They are spiky and hard. How can you tell when they're ripe? The only form pineapple was eaten in my household was from a can. Moving to California exposed me to fresh pineapple.  It was love at first bite. Fresh pineapple is sweet, juicy and tastes nothing like its canned counterpart.

I also love pineapples because they remind me of friends. A college roommate taught me how to cut a pineapple and I think of her every time I do so. My amended instructions are below.

Day 5: How to Cut a Pineapple

The same friend taught me to soak it in water for a bit to reduce the acid in the pineapple. Another friend taught me how to pick pineapples. Turn it upside down and check the bottom for mold. No mold is best, a little is fine but a lot is not fine. A lot of mold means the pineapple is too old. Then pluck a leaf from the top. If it comes out easily, then the pineapple is sweet. If it does not come out easily, then try another pineapple. My information may be scientifically inaccurate but they're tradition. Also, I've chosen and eaten some darn good pineapples over the years.

This poster was inspired by a pineapple purchase this week and the fact I really enjoy pineapples. It seems straight-forward but I felt as though the poster was about self-reliance and the phrasing seemed familiar. Then I remembered this wonderful article about the owner of Trouble Cafe. On the menu, there's an item called Build Your Own Damn House. It's a cup of coffee, a whole coconut, and toast. The menu may seem like a gimmick at first but the story behind it is compelling. It's about building connections and stability while living with a mental illness.  Each item represents something that has sustained her over the years. Pineapples remind me of friendships and knowledge sharing.


Do you have a memory associated with a particular food or food preparation? What is a favorite skill you learned from a friend?

Day 4: Embracing Fear

Day4

Standing at the top of a mountain and strapped to a 1/2-cm thick piece of plastic, I remembered that I'm risk-adverse. I decided where to live after college based on where I had family. I make friends through book clubs because it's easy to talk about books. I converse about food at parties because everyone eats. So, how did I end up at the top of a mountain even though I fear heights?

Having grown up in the Midwest, I miss the snow and the cold winters. Years pass strangely in California with its lack of seasons. For years, friends suggested I take advantage of California's mountains and go ski in winter. It's the joy of winter without the required daily work. I never went. Being afraid to sled hills, I could not imagine myself careening down a mountain on slim pieces of plastic.  Then last year, I started doing small things that scare me such as talking to strangers at parties or looking stupid while learning how to swim. I realized that once I could acknowledge what I was afraid of, I can move on from it. Last year also introduced me to a new friend who's fanatical about snowboarding. I have always loved doing things with people who are passionate about that thing. Enthusiasm is infectious. So when he invited me to go snowboarding, I said yes.

That day, I was regretting my yes. It was not my first day, but it was the highest. After we unloaded from the lift, he took me to a sheer drop-off and told me to go down it. I was utterly terrified. In fact, I was hyperventilating. I wanted to jump back on the lift and retreat to the nice, warm, safe lodge. Instead I sat in the snow for 5 minutes, gathered my fear and panic, and squished them into a manageable ball. Then I flung myself off the side.

I went nowhere. It was a powder day and there was so much snow that I sunk immediately. My fears of careening wildly out of control down a mountain, injuring myself, and killing others turned out to be irrational. It was an accomplishment to snowboard two feet without sinking.

Fear can be debilitating. In small doses fear can be useful. It can focus attention: "Oh crap, there's a tree. I need to steer away from it." However, in large doses fear can prevent us from experiencing life. If fear had prevailed, I would have missed out three things I love: being outdoors, being active, and being in snow. Acknowledge your fears, then ignore them. Fear will be always present, but its purpose and influence on your life can be changed.


What fear have you conquered lately?

Day 3: Get Up

Day 3

I learned how to snowboard this year. I heard this a lot.

When I snowboard alone, I tend to sit after falls. When I'm with my friend, I am told, "Get up. What are you sitting for? Get up." On my own, I practiced falling leaf; it is easy to control but very tiring. It is a tool to teach beginners how to find an edge. Under my friend's guidance and constant reminders to get up, I learned to turn. Turns are the key move to snowboarding. They take more skill but less energy than falling leaf. The breakthrough came when I finally understood what it means to pick a lead foot and only turn on that side. Completing the first successful turn was exhilarating and made me so glad I kept snowboarding despite weeks of failure.

New endeavors often require a large amount of energy and result in what seems to be constant failure at first. As much as I always want to sit after falling, getting up leads to success quicker.  As skills develop with practice, results will improve while taking less energy.  While resting after a fall can be prudent, getting up is more useful. That said, the actual act of getting up while strapped to a snowboard is difficult. I can empathize with upside turtles now. Successfully snowboarding down a mountain makes the effort worthwhile.

Have you pursued any activity despite constant failure? What led to your first breakthrough?

Day 2: Chasing Buses

Day 2

Inspired by this Bold Italic article : "Why the Chinese Chase the Bus" by Christy Chan. It appeared in my facebook feed today; if you think about it, Facebook is scary in its targeted advertising. The writer muses over how Chinese people tend to strive for goals that seem impossible. She explores how that tendency helped her become an artist: "And since you’ve never been told you have natural talent, looks, or gifts, you just have to honestly, unflinchingly believe in yourself. Faith is reason enough to chase the bus you choose."  I love the article and I highly suggest reading it for inspiration. The epilogue is funny too; it has happened to my friends.

This poster is also my personal metaphor for goal-setting. When I first started going to the gym 7 years ago, it was with a small, silly, and sincere goal: to be able to run after the bus.  Acheiving that small goal propelled me into 10ks, half-marathons, running down mountains, and snow-boarding over the years. I was the inactive bookish kid who couldn't run a mile in grade school and hated being outdoors. I never thought of myself as an active person who loves the outdoors until I took up running. It exposed me to nature, helped me meet people, and boosts my mood. None of these things would have happened if I had not made the silly goal one day to chase after a bus. Now, I'm making another silly goal of pursing design. I hope that this turns out as well as running.

What bus are you currently chasing? Has a stranger ever demanded a ride from you.

Day 1: A New Direction

30 Day Challenge: Day 1

In lieu of making a decision, I often ask others for advice. I do this in restaurants, with travel plans, at the movie theater. A positive result of this habit is I experience things I would not on my own. Take the Burren in Ireland as an example. My travel partner suggested it. Even today, the pictures make me think, "Cracked rock, how boring." Surprisingly, I loved it. It is a surreal landscape and created strange feelings in a good way. I experienced this place because I said yes to my travel partner's suggestion despite my own feelings.

However, asking for advice is not always a good thing. For the past years since college ended, I have been struggling with a decision. More precisely, I have been struggling with a lack of decision. Each new year, I make a resolution that I will work on building my career: I will create goals, make plans, FIGURE OUT THE REST OF MY LIFE. I never did. I work in billing (as I put it, not real accounting) and the most I did was completing an accounting certificate last year. I thought about continuing coursework towards a CPA but decided to take a break. It was a wonderful year in which I developed my social skills, made new friends, and learned more about who I was. This year, I decided I should go back to school because I feel lazy outside of it. Also, I do love learning. I thought about diving back into accounting courses but decided on a graphic design course instead.

So in the past few months, I've been talking with people about which direction to go: accounting or design. Some advised me to stick in accounting and work towards a CPA so I would get paid more doing what I currently do. One person counseled me, "I have a friend who does design. She is talented, went to all the art schools, and has all the skills. She sells bras for a living. I was in your place 15 years ago. MBA, CPA, and I wanted to go build houses instead. Someone else gave me the advice I am giving you: go do what you want outside of work. But stick with accounting. You will always get a job as an accountant." This spoke to the practical side of me. I like a 9-5, a 401k, vacation time, job security, etc. And what chance do I have of being successful in design when I have no art education or technical skills? I do not want to sell bras.

Other people said they could imagine me being a designer. I always loved to doodle, making posters for events, and creating cute signs for dinner parties. One reason I've been thinking about getting a CPA is because I already spent 6 years in the field without a plan. May as well get a CPA along the way. However, someone else gave me a different perspective: "Yes, you spent 6 years here. But you have another 20 years ahead. Go be a designer."

Then I went to a design conference this week and I heard these two talks: Maria Popova, "The Science of Productivity and the Art of Presence" and Lisa Congdon, "Embrace the Abyss & Other Lessons". They made me say,"Forget my fears. I'm going to try to be a graphic designer." I am keeping my job but I am going to focus my outside hours on design now. No more mental energy spent debating what classes to take, no more beating myself up for not being practical, no more seeking advice for what I really want to do.

The first part of this journey will be attempting a 30-day challenge. Yes, I really took Lisa's advice to heart. The general plan is to paint a poster about something that inspires me. I like making posters and it's an easy task. The timing of this idea is a challenge as I'm going out of the country May 1-15. I do not use the internet on vacation. So I plan to sketch/doodle on the road and then post them on my return.

I don't have the technical skills. I have no art school education. I don't know how to use the software. But I keep telling myself: it's like running. You start small. You start kinda crappy. But you keep doing it until it becomes a habit. Then you refine. You improve. Skills don't develop overnight. (I know my design class is already changing me because this font is kinda driving me crazy now. I thought it was so cute when I initially picked it. Now, I find the way it has no baseline to be irritating. It jumps up and down. I will change it in the future.)

Simple 30-day challenge rules:
1. Create something every day. Anything. Even a doodle on toilet paper counts.
2. Take a picture of it.
3. Write a blog post explaining its meaning. (Keep it short, because I need more sleep.)
4. Post it within the 30 days, April 14-May 14.

"Ask for advice. Follow what resonants." (Yes, spelling error. Because I was paranoid and spell-checked. I was right without it.)

I still believe in asking for advice. What is important is not what people tell you but how you feel about what you are told. If a part of you is reluctant to follow the advice, then examine why you feel that emotion. Is it untrue to who you are or are you afraid to be what is possible?

Advice which is good for you will not always appear to be good advice. In my head, my decision to choose design is like saying, "I choose to pick the unstable, uncertain, possible path to complete failure and abject poverty rather than a steady, stable, certain middle-class future with early retirement." However, the talks from strangers felt more right to me than all the practical advice I received from people who have known me for years. Design will make me happier than what I've been doing for the past 6 years. I know it will stress me out as I have stressed every week over the assignments but it will also make me happy. And if it does not work out, it will be okay. At least, I will have tried and have the stories to tell.

What are you like as a decision-maker? Is your decision-making process the same in all situations?