First book crit

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So I have just given my first book crit ever.

I have never given one before, only had them. I think it went quite well from both points of view, mine and liam's [a recent advertising grad]

He is a recent grad from Salford university, like me. Where he studied advertising design, just like me (sorry to the copy writers out there for the poor use of repetition) I thought I would share my knowledge of what agencies look for in a graduate book. I have been on my fair share of book as a grad to know what they look for.

Well I shared my 2cents with him, gave him a pad & pen and took him to an exhibition.

How nice am I ?

He welcomed all my advice with open arms, which is what you have to do as a grad searching for you first job in this wonderful industry.

Hopefully he will take my advice and use it and one day he will be giving me advice.

This is the first of many helpful book crits I hope to give.

Some people swear on the bible or the kuran, but for me, my bible is Paul ardens book "it's not how good you are, it's how good you want to be" and I swear never lose sight of what is was like trying to get your first job as a creative in this horrible, wonderful, stressful yet amazing industry.

Written on my iPod

Tom Dyson

Sorry Bill

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So first blog in a while, apologies to my avid readers. If I have any ?

So i am just short of 1 year working full time as an art director. And what can I say other than I am so happy to be here. Absolutely love the industry. But I think I have just become accustom to being in the industry now, 18 months ago I set my self a list of targets (main one being get a job as an art director) which I have done.

But I think now I need to reassess my targets and set some new ones. I will be 25 in January now that won't seem old to people over 30 and I bet they would wish they were 25 again, so they could do things differenlty or not as the case might be. But to me that seems old ! 5 years from 30 is not something I like thinking about.

I want to set my self some new targets to work dowager before I am 30, some won't be career related which is odd for me. Like owning my own house, pay off my over draft !!! Boring shit like that really.

So here we go...

Creative director at a top manchester agency. I have a list of agencies that I want to work for.

Get my book finished and published.

Direct a short film with a group of other roudy creatives - if you interested let me know.

Paint something HUGH ! On a big fuck off canvas.

Start working on my business plan for my own agency.

Open a gallery of photos that are taken using instergram.

Start working with a group of creates on big projects that help society and the world.

Win another award.

Go to a cup final where Newcastle win ! Long shot I know but ey !

So I don't really want much in the next 5 years.

But I am not one for thinking small, sorry Bill.

One itch scratched


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As i posted the other day, I had many creative itches that need a good fucking scratch.

One of them has been scratched, this is the painting I did the other night. Not too sure what I think of of yet to be honest. But I enjoyed doing it, and isnt that the reasons we do all the creative things we do? For enjoyment? Well if you are reading this i would really appreciate your honest opinion of my work. 

One itch down, second itch is to finish writing my book... watch this space

I've got a scratch, and it needs itching

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The 'scratch' that i am talking about is of course as all creative people will know is the creative one.

As you probably know i am an art director at an ad agency in manchester, i love my job as it alows me to be creative all the time. But as i am sure you will agree all creative people just love to do there own creative stuff. Solve there own brief, your the client. 

I think all of us go through stages of being lazy and not doing all the creative things we want to do, but there comes a point when enough is enough.

At the moment i think i have about 6 ideas that are only ideas, in my opinion ideas are useless until they are executed. I have a book that is half written (yeah yeah yeah, very funny. An art director writing a book. laugh it up) a few viral's that need filming, a flash game or two and the topic of the moment a blank canvas and some acrylic paints.

I am only a few moments away from picking up my brush again. I haven't painted in years and the exciting and expectation is getting to me abit. I want and know that i can paint something good, but i am not going to paint to impress people. I just want to paint something that i want to look at. Something that makes me think...good that looks cool.

And i think thats how all creative people started being creative, not to impress people. Just to do something for themselves that they liked and enjoyed.

So the itch that has been growing for some time now is due a fucking good scratch.

The joy of painting

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I saw a documentary last night about a 4 year old girl called Marla from NYC. She is just a normal 4 year old, loves playing with her friends getting piggy backs from her dad and ice cream AND selling her abstract art for thousands for dollars !

I recently moved out of my rents house and in with my girlfriend, i had been planning to take up painting again soon after i moved into my new house and last night while watching the doc on BBC four i couldn't help buy get the art bug once more. Watching her painting was amazing ! She was just having so much fun with her art, all smiles really getting into it. Using her hands loads of brushes, pots, pans and dustpans to paint with.

Her choice of colour's is just fantastic even for someone with years of experience and the best art tuition money can buy. 

There is always something that anyones me about abstract art and it always has and always will do, when non-arty people see it all they can say is 'i could do that' even when watching films, seeing adverts and anything 'non-arty' people always say 'i could do that' 

Well why don't you then?

Watching her really inspired me once more to pick up my canvas and get to work. So thats what i will be doing, cant wait for pay day to get some paint and some big brushes.

Her website is http://www.marlaolmstead.com/

Hope you all enjoy her work, and hopefully i will have some art of my own to write about soon.

 

 

The future of surface technology, can we ever get there ?

 

Here is a beautiful vision of the future where our daily lives revolve around surface technology. The beautiful smiling family is very cliché to be honest, i would love our future to be like this. All all that technology at our finger tips.

But do you really think we will get there ? 

I for one don't ! We as a race can not kick the habit of fossil fuel, damaging the planet with pollution. The planet has already started fighting back against the virus that we call humanity, we should be focusing all of the planets brightest minds on providing a solution for cheap renewable energy. Other wise we will not get to this amazing future that so many of us are predicting.

We will be wiped out, or at the very least billions will die, and the fortunate who survive will be left with a very hostile environment to live in.

Here's hoping we can get to any kind of future