Brainstorm Abby

In the creativeworld, the world in which I live - one that often awakens me at midnight after only a couple hours of sleep - brainstorming is a daily part of our lives. Having said that, I often find it a very political event if the ground rules aren't communicated upfront. That's where the quandry lies. Doesn't it seem strange that a creative thing like brainstorming would have any rules at all? Isn't it everything goes - throw it up on the wall and see what sticks?

Now hang in there with me on this concept...

I was listening to the news about hurricane this and hurricane that, reports that seem to consume some part of the late summer news. I began to visualize these brainstorms off of the Atlantic. You know, serif and sans serif fonts going round and round in this upside down cone. Funneled towards land. As if somehow this would ground (pun intended) itself. Photos and illustrations being sucked up along the way. Designers, art directors, photographers, illustrators, clients, and marketing directors on the ground scattering every which way, desperately running for cover.

I have this great visual and it's in full motion. I can almost feel the humidity and being a southern california girl that's really a stretch for me.

So I think to myself - why don't brainstorms have the same naming conventions as hurricanes? For example, we'd call this one Brainstorm Abby.

Poof! The vision suddenly disappears like a teenager when there are chores to be done.

I chuckle to myself. Aha. The reason for rules in brainstorming... to herd cats ehr, I mean artists.

Spin on my friends!

David Hockney's Exhibit at LACMA

Has anyone checked out David Hockney's exhibit on portraits now at LACMA? I really enjoyed it! I absolutely loved his earlier ink line drawings of his father. It's like a sketch in progress. It's also quite interesting how David played around with technology using a color copier and of course a Polaroid camera --- but in the end resorted back to painting. He was quoted as saying something like "painting was an old person's art." Do any of you feel this way?

Having graduated from art school at about the same time as the Macintosh came out and replaced typographers I could really relate to his statement. I've played around with technology a lot as an artist and have gone so far away from traditional media. I remember thinking that if it weren't for the computer I'd probably have quit as a graphic designer because I absolutely hated having to cut ruby lith and having to ink boards. But... on the other hand - I love smearing charcoal on a pad.

I miss that! How about you? Any similar experiences between the technology that you work with today on a daily basis and the rare ocassion that you actually end up with paint under your nails? Or, am I the sole slave to my laptop?

Spin On!