A Look at Art & Design

Feet on terra firma USA again

While my feet are once again planted on the soggy US East Coast, my heart remains in Sweden...where, for the record, it was also rainy and soggy. Happy New Year ArtLOOK readers. I hope the holidays were good to you.

I find myself taking the weekend here to recuperate from jet lag. Taking things slow and catching up on the 8 magazines that accumulated on my dining room table in my absence and some 2035 new blog posts...I've spent the rainy weekend relaxing and reading and reflecting on a lovely vacation.

I am nonetheless rested and recharged with a mindful of new ideas and ambitions for 2007. Scandinavia is renown for its design and I've brought home a good deal of inspiration.

I am convinced that there is nothing better than spending Christmas in Sweden. The city of Göteborg is lovely, friendly and light. The main avenue gets all dressed up in blue and white lights...it is a Christmas wonderland for so many reasons. After having celebrated the New Year in Göteborg, it was off to Stockholm for two days staying at the Nordic Sea Hotel, home of the Stockholm Ice Bar. Gamla Stan was enchanting and the warm Irish Coffees (yes I drank Irish coffee in Sweden) at the Foggy Dew Pub were outstanding! So happy were we at that little pub that we discovered we only had an hour to make it back to the Arlanda Airport (at least 45 minutes away with traffic) for the flight back to Göteborg. Not to worry...there was an Express Train. 30 minutes later we were on time for our flight.

Design in Scandinavia is everywhere...it's absolutely embedded in the culture and I believe inspiration must be in the water (I very much miss that water...arctic cold and pristine right from the tap, I must have drank a liter a day and after a hot shower dowsing yourself in that freezing cold liquid was sweet.) But in addition and in conjunction with design, Sweden also has bragging rights to some of the most beautiful glassware in the world. I visited a fair amount of malls and shops and the glassware is so beautiful I just wanted to lick it. According to Sweden.se ¨Swedish glass is celebrating triumphs of design despite perennial rumours of economic doom. It is bubbling with vitality, not only at the big-name glassworks, but also in the studios of individual glass artists.¨ The article further goes on to say ¨Just under a year ago, the Swedish government decided to do more to boost the future of Swedish glass, both during and after Sweden's Year of Design 2005, in the form of a special marketing effort. The most important player on the Swedish glass scene is Orrefors Kosta Boda, a company comprising four glassworks – Orrefors, Kosta, Boda and Åfors. Its leading designs are displayed under the brands of Orrefors and Kosta Boda. Both have design teams of around ten designers. Orrefors focuses on clear crystal while Kosta Boda mainly works with coloured glass.¨

Check out Orrefors, Kosta Boda, and Matti Klenell.

Having just experienced this fine glass art in Sweden, I believe I am prepared for my new assignment for INK Publications, which is to interview and write an article on the hand blown glass art of Jeffrey P'an of Prescient Studios in Stonington, CT. More to come...

The Creative Process of Doing Something New

I came online to write The Creative Process of Doing Something New and thought it was interesting that on my way here, I found the following in my daily horoscope. I don't know how much stock I put in the validity of horoscopes, but for whatever reason, I read mine almost every day. Here's what it said:

As you know, dear Taurus, you have reached a turning point in your life. The hardest part about making this decision is, as usual, saying farewell to your old ways. The past can seem so cozy and reassuring, especially when the unknown looms. It takes strength and determination to leave it behind. But whether it is a matter of your career or your love life, you have personal goals that cannot be sacrificed or denied.

The process of leaving our comfort zones and doing something new can either be daunting or exciting depending on our mindset. Is this change something we are actually passionate about, or something we are forced into doing for various reasons?  Are we the type of personality that continually reaches for a higher branch or are we happy to stay in the same place, painting or designing in the same style year after year?

Most people when facing a change or personal challenge might find it stressful, but it doesn't have to be. It can be a really cool, exciting thing. It can inspire you and the other people around you. It can transform your life and your art in the most remarkable ways. Kids are often fearless in trying new things and its not until we grow older that we tend to get stuck in the day to day excuses of why we shouldn't, couldn't, wouldn't be able to test new waters.  Sometimes we don't even realize we are stuck...

Regardless of whether the change is self imposed or brought upon us, I absolutely believe that exploration and change is good. And as creatives most of us are looking for expansion in our art, our design and in our lives. There is a creative process, I believe, that occurs when we decide to expand our horizons.  Just as when we contemplate the start of a new project, the same can be said when we ourselves are the project. It takes bravery and determination but the end result is always something we can be proud of because whether we fail or succeed, at least we gave it a shot and we are not in the same spot we were 6 months ago. We've grown.

When was the last time you painted in a different palette? Explored a new medium or just messed around with a new software application for the sake of playing? Here's a list of a few things that might help get you started:

1. Try a new medium or experiment with a new style that has inspired you. Pick up a crayon and draw with the fearlessness and excitment of a 6 year old.
2. Be fearless. Your experiments don't have to go public until you are ready for them do so. Take baby steps until you get close to the final result.
3. Do a "brain dump". Don't think. Just write down everything that comes to mind, draw it out, take note of certain words and ideas and put it all on a sheet of paper. Let your mind be free to wander.
4. What were your goals two years ago? Five years ago? Have you met those goals or discovered new goals? Write your goals down.  Seven years ago I made a "5 year plan".  It was very satisfying when at the end of that five year time period I reviewed that plan and found I nailed almost every single goal.
5. Surround yourself with motivated, inspirational people.
6. Sample a new food, a new drink; watch a different type of movie. Sometimes it is just the little things that accumulate in day to day living which make all the difference.
7. Rearrange or redecorate your studio or office. Every time you walk into the place it will remind you to pursue something new and unique.

There are so many things to explore and learn. I'm feeling inspired and maybe it is because the sun is shining again here in the Northeast or maybe because I just feel the need to design something new, use a new format, think in a new way, and travel to new places...but I encourage all of you to design yourself.

Suggested Reading: A great book. Lovely design. Handy to hold and take with you and can be used again and again to inspire you and keep you on task as you explore your art and your life.

Design Yourself
by Karim Rashid
Rethinking the way you live, love, work and play