Design Just For The Love of it

I've never been much of a fan of knitting. Perhaps, I never really appreciated the skill required to do it well. This video, created by Jesse Brass, introduced me to the potential and power of knitted artwork when in the hands of a skilled artist. The featured artist is Cayce Zavaglia. Cayce constructs moving portraits of people she knows closely depicting visual stories which are relatable and human and shares her philosophy behind her art.

So, here's what this video conveyed to me. We are complicated beings. Our life journey affects us in ways we would rather not show to the world. We begin to believe our imperfections hinder our potential for greatness. Sometimes, i'd dare say most times, greatness is built on a grand list of broken items somehow brought together to create a beautiful you. What cannot be seen is as important as what is showcased because it holds the meaning of the story.

Get a closer look at the work of Cayce Zavaglia by visiting her website at www.caycezavaglia.com.


"I can't do portraits of people that I'm not connected to. I think there's something about doing people that I know intimately, that puts something in the portrait that I can't put into words ."

- Cayce Zavaglia


Esteban Diácono

Many, many years ago I found this video on Vimeo. I remember when I first saw it. The visual and musical collaboration was perfect and it me watching it over and over again. I felt as if it was time again to revisit such a powerful moment which helped to shape how I see art today.

Director: Esteban Diácono
Label: Erased Tapes Records
Year: 2009
Album: Found Songs
Length: 3’30’’
Music written by: Ólafur Arnalds
Publisher: Nettwerk One
Copyright: © 2009 Erased Tapes Records.
Website: foundsongs.erasedtapes.com


Elevate The Ordinary

I've never been much of a fan of knitting. Perhaps, I never really appreciated the skill required to do it well. This video, created by Jesse Brass, introduced me to the potential and power of knitted artwork when in the hands of a skilled artist. The featured artist is Cayce Zavaglia. Cayce constructs moving portraits of people she knows closely depicting visual stories which are relatable and human and shares her philosophy behind her art.

So, here's what this video conveyed to me. We are complicated beings. Our life journey affects us in ways we would rather not show to the world. We begin to believe our imperfections hinder our potential for greatness. Sometimes, i'd dare say most times, greatness is built on a grand list of broken items somehow brought together to create a beautiful you. What cannot be seen is as important as what is showcased because it holds the meaning of the story.

Get a closer look at the work of Cayce Zavaglia by visiting her website at www.caycezavaglia.com.


"I can't do portraits of people that I'm not connected to. I think there's something about doing people that I know intimately, that puts something in the portrait that I can't put into words ."

- Cayce Zavaglia


Daily Cross

In my continuos quest to have a purposeful creative journey, I've embarked on challenging myself to create a "cross" themed design everyday for the next 30 days. Why the cross you ask? As a believer and follower of Christ it's the central theme of my faith. His sacrifice allows us the opportunity at a relationship with God otherwise unattainable. So, I lean on the cross as a symbol of my life forever transformed by His work. So here's the first step in this journey. Enjoy.


The Cross Remains Viable

As one of the first Daily Cross designs this cross conveys the stability of the meaning of the Cross through a daze of swirling uncertainty. In essence, the cross continues to remain viable even in today's version busyiness.


A Portrait of Christ

At his core, Jeremy is an artist. Starting out as a painter first, Jeremy fell in love with the creative process. He then went on to study graphic design in college and founded his own graphic design company, Pixelgrazer, in 2001. Jeremy really only began taking pictures to bring texture into his design work. But before he knew it, he realized that photography was his true passion. So in April of 2005, Jeremy switched over to it full time and he has never looked back. In a relatively short amount of time, Jeremy earned the respect of artists, photographers, and celebrities alike. Now hailed as one of the trailblazers in the industry, Jeremy sees photography as a natural extension of his passion for the arts. Although an extremely gifted photographer, in this video, you can see the care Jeremy takes to produce a wonderful piece of art and provides a great inspiration to all creatives.


Learn To See

For most creatives the environment in which we work can be hectic and rushed. The moments to simply stop and SEE what is around us is rare at best. Yet, to understand the delicate components of being a thoughtful artist seeing clearly is essential. In this documentary film titled "Inge Druckrey: Teaching to See" we're encouraged to the discipline of paying attention in order to improve our artistic sight. This is a must see video!

“This [film] is about patient and dedicated teaching, about learning to look and visualize in order to design, about the importance of drawing. It is one designer’s personal experience of issues that face all designers, expressed with sympathy and encouragement, and illustrated with examples of Inge [Druckrey]’s own work and that of grateful generations of her students. There are simple phrases that give insights into complex matters, for example that letterforms are ‘memories of motion.’ Above all, it is characteristic of Inge that in this examination of basic principles the word “beautiful” is used several times.”

Matthew Carter, type designer, MacArthur Fellow


Aaron Draplin

Everyday is filled with chances to find new and interesting content online. Today I came across designer Aaron Draplin. Aaron calls Portland his home and is the owner of Draplin Design Co. One aspect of Aaron's approach to designing logos, which I love, is his focus on creating functional logos which perform well in any format. In this video from lynda.com, Aaron brings a logo to life while sharing insight helpful for any designer.