The Art of the Crown

At the beginning of the year there was an art show in one of our galleries called "Art of the Crown" it helped kick off Hallmark's centennial year (we blogged about it here a little bit). Hallmark artists created 250 uniquely diverse works of art, all starting with the same white resin crown (á la Kidrobot). Jeanee, Josh and I have crowns in the show!

Read more at the Centennial Blog.

Creativity is contagious. Pass it on.

— Albert Einstein

The Collaboratory

This is a photo of some of our phenomenally talented writers in one of their many locations throughout headquarters.


This particular location is called The Collaboratory, and it's purpose is to facilitate creative brainstorming from a writer's viewpoint. Whether you need a name for a new collection of products, need copy for a niche product category, or just need some new ideas and thoughts, The Collaboratory is an excellent place to converse with poets, playwrights, musicians, improvisers, and more!

Plus, with it's home-like feel (much like my grandmother's living room), it's a place to relax and let the creativity flow (and, if you're lucky, you might catch one of the writers tinkering on the upright baby grand piano... love it).

Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.

-Erich Fromm

"Breathtaking..."

There you have it, folks... That's my review of last night's performance of "ESO:TERRA" by Kansas City-based Performance Ensemble Quixotic.

From the program: "Quixotic's "Eso:terra" or "Mystery of Earth," is a dynamic combination exploring the concepts of "progression" on philosophical and metaphysical levels. A Living Installation of the first order, "Eso:terra" is a multimedia kaleidoscope of rich lighting, compelling movement, flowing fabrics, aerial artistry, live original music, and poetry that moves the viewer profoundly by appealing to all of the senses. A fusion of presitgious [LOCAL!] performers, video textures, and tapestries or sound -- at once exotic spiritual, "Eso:terra" has the dimension to be an enrapturing experience for all."

This is the first time that I have been to something like this, and I'd go again in a heartbeat. The sheer strength and athleticism of the performers was amazing (I could see every performer's six-pack abs from the middle of the Uptown Theater for goodness sake), the aerial stunts in media such as fabric, netting, and trapeze had me on the edge of my seat, and oh, the music: drums of all sizes and shapes, a digerydoo, wind chimes, an electric violin, an upright bass, keyboards, saxophones...

This is a show I would recommend to anyone and everyone. You don't have to be and artist or creative to appreciate a show like this. I took my boyfriend, Eric, who usually opts out of more "artsy" things for sports, camping, and video games, and he was very impressed. He even tried doing one of the stunts when we got home... [side note: there should be a disclaimer on the program: "All stunts are performed by professional athletes. Do not attempt.]

Tickets are still available for tonight's performance if anyone is looking for something to do on a Friday night in KC!

"Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual."

-Arthur Koestler

1000 Journals

I bought Journal 1001 recently and was completely enthralled. Click here to learn what the 1000 Journals Project is all about!

leave ripples.

In the bookstore at the San Jose Museum of Art, I bought the most inspiring book, The True and the Questions, written by the most inspiring artist/author, Sabrina Ward Harrison.

"Where do you place the questions you carry? and sadness and epiphanies? the quiet worries? where can you put down the truth, as messy and new and raw as it sometimes feels. where are your colors? I believe we must create what we most need to find. I make journals to understand, to vent to dream up and mostly to untangle. who I am becoming. I don't aim for pretty, I aim for release. We have to make room for our life in progress. I give you this journal to rest your life down softly and tangled between these pages. ..trust the mess. trust yourself. leave ripples." --sabrina ward harrison

Read Sabrina's story. It may appear to be a bit long, but you'll be drawn in, and hang on every word. Especially if you are trying to understand yourself. Your purpose. Your creativity. Your inspiration. Your fears. Your sorrows. Your dreams. Your life...and hey, aren't we all trying to figure it out?


The above images are pages from Sabrina's Book/Journal "The True and the Questions," available for sale here.

“.”

Some inspiration & wisdom from the halls of JBU....



"He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his head is a craftsman. He who works with his his hands and his head and his heart is an artist." -St. Francis of Assisi

"Without aesthetic, design is either the humdrum repetition of familiar cliches or a wild scramble for novelty. Without aesthetic, the computer is but a mindless machine, producing effects without substance. Form without relevant content, or content without meaningful form." -Paul Rand

"Computers are to design as microwaves are to cooking." -Milton Glaser

"There is nothing worse than a brilliant image in a fuzzy concept." -Ansel Adams

And finally...

Hallmark on Campus! John Brown University

Art Building entryway overlooking gallery

Art Building Gallery (great exhibit choice, Joel!)

Professor Neal Ward shaping the minds of young web design talent

Bess and I with some of our rad student hosts and Professor Ward

Bess and I rockin' out our new JBU diggs-thanks Todd, et. al!

Our parting dinner at Pollards-such a beautiful frosty day, wonderful food, and a great parting meal with our friends at JBU. See you all in April!

JBWho?

Sunday, 01/27: heading out on another recruiting trip. Flying right now actually, heading east to Cincinnati then south to Savannah, GA, where Savannah College of Art and Design lives and thrives.

Rewind. Friday, 01/25: our final day at JBU.

Just finished up lunch at President and Mrs. Pollard’s house. The perfect experience to wrap up an amazing trip. Bess and I start the drive home. We’re rockin’ out to Alex’s “Make me Artsy” CD and Derek's chill mix, and for the first time in a few days, we’re not talking a mile a minute. We’re both sitting quietly, rural hills, rocky cliffs, and winding rivers rolling by, thinking about the past few days. The quiet gave me some time to figure out how to best sum up the JBU trip… Here are my thoughts.

During travel season, I’m often asked by friends and colleagues, “Where are you headed next, Erin?” Usually that question is followed by them trying to guess, “Philadelphia? Atlanta? San Jose? Sarasota?” I have to confess that nobody has ever guessed “Siloam Springs, Arkansas.” And when I told them where I was headed on my first recruiting trip of 2008, most of them responded with a facial expression that said, “Arkansas? JBWho?”

I have to admit, when I first met Todd Goehner and several JBU students in March of 2007 at AIGA Kansas City’s Student Portfolio Day, I was a bit surprised myself. I had never heard of John Brown University, and I had to ask several students to repeat themselves so that I could remember what it was called and where it was located.

Arkansas… rural, southern, small (tiny), small-minded, lacking diversity, Bible belt, small towns, no towns, nothing to do, limited perspectives, religious, not at all unique, boring, never changing… All of these are ideas that people may have in their minds about a place like Arkansas, though most have never been there. It's the same thing as when people associate Kansas City with cattle sales barns and a poor baseball team, though they have never visited KC.

Though it is hard for me to admit, I know I had some of these Arkansas-stereotypes in my own mind prior to my visit (and I had only visited Siloam Springs once, and for less than 48 hours). But, isn’t it amazing how a person’s perspective can change if they invest a little time and energy into something they know nothing about?

My mind (and my heart) have changed after visiting JBU and spending time some time on the campus. Bess too, shares my perspective on this: What we found in a small city in Northwest Arkansas was far different than we ever expected.

We found passion and compassion for people. We experienced it firsthand when Jeran took us to lunch and she smiled and said hello to every person she saw; when Dave, Todd, Neal, Neil, Peter, Joel, and Charles opened up their classrooms and students to us, allowing us the opportunity to get to know so many passion-led, talented people; when Chip and Carey Pollard opened their home and their table to us on our final day, genuinely interested in hearing about our visit to JBU, asking about our experience, and hearing about the growing partnership between JBU and Hallmark.

We found creativity and talent. In the Art Building itself was an atmosphere that breathes creativity: the gallery, the classrooms, the offices, the art and quotes on the walls; In the faculty: their creativity and talent was evident, both in what they teach, and in their personal artwork or hobbies; In the students: their teachability and excitement for creative expression, their sponge-like ability to absorb everything around them; their individuality coupled with their acceptance of others who are unlike them.

We found a campus rich with diversity. We learned that most students had either lived abroad or had traveled abroad. We met students who grew up in all parts of the world as children of missionaries: Bolivia, Brazil, Korea, South Africa, Kazakhstan, Russia, Germany. Most of them are bilingual. We met students who had studied abroad in England, Ireland, France, Jordan. We learned of students who come to JBU on 4-year scholarships from countries throughout South America. We learned that nearly 20% of JBU’s student body is made up of students from outside of the U.S. -- cool!

I could go on and on with this list. I'm not really sure how to sum up this blog entry, because my mind is still so full of "hard to type" thoughts, memories, and ideas. So, I'll close by saying thank you -- to all of you. For a wonderful experience, and for broadening my perspective and my creativity.

Run with it.

Isn't it amazing when people take their creative passion and run with it? My fellow Iowa State University Graphic Design classmate ('04 grad) Sara Jayne Weitzel has done just that by launching her own photography business, Sara Jayne Photographic Artistry.

Although Sara was a graphic design major, her passion for photography was always apparent in her work, which was always oogled by fellow design classmates who saw the gleam in her eye when she presented her design work that utilized her own photography. A photography major was not offered at ISU, and Sara got her degree in Graphic Design, she continued to follow her passion for photography after she graduated.

While the rest of our graduating class was beating the streets for design jobs and sending our tons of resumes and portfolio sample books, Sara was working for a small photography studio in Minneapolis while shooting weddings, senior photos, and engagement photos on the weekends. As she built her portfolio with her wedding work from summer, winter hit hard in Minneapolis, causing her weekend wedding business slow (and mostly stop) because of the frigid cold Minnesota winter. So, following her passion, Sara quit working her weekday job at the photo studio and suprised us all by moving to Phoenix, AZ to continue shooting weddings during the winter months. She now lives half of the year in Phoenix, and half in Minneapolis to continue to grow her portfolio -- and her new business.

Sara's portfolio isn't just made up of the photography she shoots "on the job." Her passion for travel, animals, pets, and just having fun with friends are also evidenced by her skilled creative eye for the perfect shot. Often taking "a day of play" with her camera, Sara spends time dressing up friends for shoots and walking around Phoenix or Minneapolis taking photos of architecture or the local farmer's market. She also recently traveled to Greece and Croatia, capturing the diverse culture of these lands through the lens of her camera.

Some of Sara's work is below. If you like it, she has a "fans, friends, and clients" group on Facebook (just search Sara Jayne Photography) that you could join to show your support. I suppose the moral of the story is, find your passion. Seek it out, embrace it, and run with it, no matter what it takes, and make it yours.

All images Copyright 2007, Sara Jayne Photography

Tour de Hallmark

Here's a shout out to all of the KU Graphic Design students who toured Hallmark today, and welcome to cre.a.tiv.i.ty! We are so glad you were able to come and visit Hallmark. I know that time is tight when you are in the middle of a busy semester, but I'm so glad that you all made the time. Keep in touch!

After the student group left today, I was thinking ... Do Accounting majors tour accounting firms when they are in school to learn about what it's like to work in the accounting industry? Do Engineering majors? What about Ag Business majors? I would wager a guess: they probably don't. My sister was a Child Psychology major, and she did some visits to local schools, but it was for class credit. A friend of mine was an Entrepreneurial Studies major, and he interviewed various local entrepreneurs about their journeys to start their own businesses, but again, it was required for his class.

That being said, what is it that we creatives hope to learn by visiting studios? Why do we choose to plan these visits and take time (that could be spent working on our projects) to attend these extracurricular events?

As a design student at ISU, we went to Minneapolis, MN and toured firms like Orange Seed, Franke+Fiorella, and Baker Associates. At the time, I am not sure that I realized what we would learn that day. It was a blur: we rode on a bus in the rain from studio to studio, wiping our feet as we went in, walking through the halls, our shoes squeaking on the polished floors, designers turned toward computer screens, their faces aglow. We would stand with our mouths agape while the Creative Director or Art Director proudly showed us the latest work created by the amazing talent within, their latest AIGA or Addy awards displayed on shelves behind them. Our eyes danced about, catching glimpses of people celebrating a project completed, someone pitching an idea to a new client, the receptionist with a sweet smile and kind telephone voice.

As I look back on that experience, I am not able to pinpoint the major lessons that I learned that day, but I do take with me the experience. Maybe we learned that we had a long way to go as designers. Perhaps we realized that an agency wasn't the right fit for us or that we knew that upon graduation, we would apply to the firms we had visited. Or perhpas we realized that one day, we would be a part of it all. But did we realize how big of a part we would play or where we would end up? If nothing else, the studio visits inspired us to create, and to keep creating. Inspired us to innovate and to grow. Inspired us to have the drive to get to where we are today.

That is my hope for you, KU, that you are inspired and ready to create whatever is next. The design world awaits...

The poll results are in!

30 people who responded to the latest survey, What is the best way to get your creative juices flowing? Results are as follows:

Research: reading, shopping, web-surfing, etc. 12 (40%)
Talking with other creatives 8 (26%)
Creating with your hands (getting away from your computer) 4 (13%)
Being Active: working out, going for a walk, running, etc. 4 (13%)
Getting a good night's sleep, taking a nap 2 (6%)
Plain and simple: Caffeine! 0 (0%)

Thanks for your input! Feel free to comment below if you have any other ways to inspire your creativity.