Now that I have finished reading this book it is time to look back at some of the recommended reading that I talked about in earlier blogs. the big one that I talked about back in February was reading the book Ignore everybody by Hugh Macleod.

This was a very interesting book that had a lot of great information not only to graphic designers but also other artist or even musicians as well. it talks about a lot of good points one of the first is good ideas hold a heavy burden and that is why very few people execute them. I also relay liked that a idea does not have to be a big one it just has to be yours and if your business plan depends on being discovered by a big shot to get you far, your plan will most likely fail. this also goes with what he says if there is someone in your industry that is more successful than you, it is probably because they are working harder and putting in more hours than you. another thing to keep in mind that he talks about is remember the world is changing so keep that in mind. and the last thing i want to bring up is he says keep blogging so that is what i am doing right now even though I am done reading the book I have to keep blogging

I was thinking that because Austin said that you should write letters to your role models in the book that I would write a letter to him as well because of how much I have enjoyed reading and learning from his book so here it is:

Austin Kleon,

Hello, my name is Dusting and I am currently going to Parkland College which is located in central IL for graphic design. This semester is my last full semester before i graduate and one of my assignments was to read your book "Steal like an Artist" and to blog about it each week chapter by chapter. At first I just looked at is as another reading and writing assignment to do for class but as I started I got into it a lot more than that.

This book not only is it a very easy read, which is a huge plus for me, but it is full of great information that really started to make me rethink about graphic design and also understand a little more about the life of a graphic designer. All of the information you presented in this book really had me thinking in ways that I have not before which brought out more creativity as I read thru as well as got me engaged with reading other books as well that otherwise I would not have. the two things I got out of your book that stood out to me more than anything else was first to have not just a digital desk but also an aniloug desk as well. sense I started this program everything I have done has all been digital and i got away from some of the hand crafted stuff that got me started in design in the first place, so by having the two separate desk space it helps me utilize both with work and creativity. the other thing that stood out to me as well is the last chapter when you talk about choosing what to do by importance and leving out stuff that is not needed or don't have time for. this really helps with making deadlines as well as simplifying my work.

I thank you for writing this book and sharing your information, tips, techniques, and experience not only to me but to everyone that makes the time to pick up this book to further their knowledge and become a better graphic designer

Thanks
Dustin

So I just finished reading the last chapter of the book this week which was chapter ten. It also was the shortest chapter of the book and I am thinking it is because of what it was talking about. This chapter was talking about having constraints on your projects and leaving things out. It reminds me of the saying, less is more.

By putting limitations or trying to make something out of the minimal materials adds a whole new creativity to your work, being able to do something with what you have! It gets your mind to think differently than how it has been and with less it is less junk or clutter for people to have to filter out.

I am currently working on a project that has to do a lot with restraints. It is not necessarily graphic design related but we still had to be very creative with it. This year we are putting together a hydroponic U-Pick strawberry patch out at the farm. We bought it used over the winter and spent most of the time tearing it down and moving it. Our timeline got shorted with other projects coming up and two weeks ago we realized we needed to start rebuilding the system so we can plant before it’s too late. So Time was a huge limiting factor. The system we bought will hold up to 8,500 strawberry plants. Well the first thing we did was cut that in half so we started figuring how to build half the system next is we wanted to build and put it inside a 100x40 foot greenhouse to hold it all but again due to time we couldn’t. Long story short we ended up assembling the system to make it temporary so next year we could move it into a new green house. This was not as easy as you would think when dealing with a hydroponic system that delivers water and nutrients to over 4,000 plants in a two week time. But yesterday we had the system framed up and the plants came in today so this weekend we will be filling the pots with the medium and plants.

Here is a picture of what we have up.

This week, I was reading chapter 8 of "Steal Like an Artist" which is titled Be Nice ( The World is a Small Place).  I usually sum up the chapter but the title says it all. I myself am a very optimistic happy guy and will always try to make a friend with anyone. Life is so much better when you look at the positives and are friendly to others after all it is the old golden rule we all learned in elementary school. One thing I have heard before and is mentioned in this chapter is always ind the most talented person in the room and stand next to them. If you find that person is ever you, its time to find a new room.

The author says that you should always follow people that are smarter than you, which I completely agree. I try to follow and question as many people. That being said I am not going to follow a science professor with a PHD if i need help with a graphic design project obviously. I say this because he asks to make a list of people who you follow that are smart. I have a lot of people on that ist but in their own respected categories. 

The last thing the author mentions in this chapter is that you write fan letters to your heroes. and if possible link it to their website. He did mention that you should do it out of respect and not hope for a response in return. I think this is a good idea to always let people know how they inspire you, and who knows someday it could potentially lead to connections 

Another week down and onto chapter 6 of “Steal Like an Artist”. The title sums up most of the chapter, The Secret: do good work and share it with people. The chapter starts off by talking about how to get yourself discovered. When your in collage everyone is there to help whether it is the teacher that is getting paid to or the other students who are paying to learn and give feedback. The auther goes on to talk about how this all changes when school is over. There is no one listening as much to you anymore. He does say this is a good time to just work on anything because until you find a job and start making money this is the only real time you have to have the freedom to do what you want how and how you want.

The next part talks about how to get yourself discovered. The answer given is to make your presence, this could be buy doing multiple things but the chapter mainly focuses on the web. Using a blog is one of the best ways to get your name and work out there. Whether you want to show some of your finished projects, your process on those projects or simple sketches to gather others info and input. He also talks about being different, if people are talking about apples then go and talk about oranges to spark new interest and content.

The blog doesn’t have to be just your finished projects, by creating new ideas or topics posted on a blog creates an incubator of ideas. It is like a holding pool for people to react and come up with ideas from and find creative solutions and suggestions. You can read peoples responses and see what works and what doesn’t or if someone has tried it before.

The other thing the author mentions by having an online presence is that this could also be a kick in the butt. What he means by this is that most blog sites put your newest blogs first when a reader comes to your page.  Which also means that you newest and best stuff is the first thing they will see, so you are always trying to put something newer and better up which becomes a never ending battle. 

Use your hands

This week I read through Chapter four of the book which is titled, “Use your hands”. This chapter really made me take a step back and think of how much I have changed in doing work from when I was a kid to what I am doing now. As this chapter talks about stepping back away from the computer and use you hands to get your creative process flowing. Being able to smell the markers and feel the clay and see things spread out on a big table instead of looking through a glass monitor screen where you lose all of these senses to be more creative. I think back from when I was a kid I was constantly in my dad’s wood shop building bed frames or nightstands to decorative birdhouses. I would start with raw wood plain it down sand it nail/glue it together then stain/paint it. I loved it and always had bigger better projects I wanted to do. Now I spend most of my time behind the computer screen from start to finish which kills my creativity. As this chapter suggest I am going to try to start all of my projects by hand even after the sketches are done. Cut paper up and over lap and use markers and paints to work with. And by not having the Ctrl U button to undo every time I make a mistake I will have to be creative to make the mistake better my piece. After this process is done then I will try to move to the computer just for the last edits.

The author suggest that we have multiple work areas of both digital and analog. I have mainly only been using my desk with all my computers, monitors, and drawing tablet as pictured below to do all of my work lately. My favorite place to go and work is out at my dad’s shop. He has every tool you ever would need for construction projects from table saws, planners, rotary sanders and so much more. He also has a full screen printing shop as well as heat presses and vinyl cutter. There is also a CNC machine that will engrave or cut anything using computer software and they are looking to get a 3D printer in the near future. This is just a great place to work and play with ideas when it comes to almost anything. That being said I do not get the chance to make it out there that much so In the meantime I will be using my wife’s sewing and scrapbook room to have my none digital space. Also shown below.

My Digital Space:

My none Digital Space:

This is a small project I did without using the computer by using some stencils from my wife’s scrapbook stuff and some cans of spray paint:

This week I read Chapter three of the book “Steal like an Artist”. In this chapter it is all about making what you like not what you know. Do what you want to do and do it the way you would like it and make it better than the way it has already been done. They say when you love a piece your desperate for more and the more you create the better you will become.

In this chapter it also talks about writing a story you want to read and then apply it to your life and what your life would be like if you re-wrote it. I find this a very tricky subject as I feel like everything has a purpose in life and I wouldn’t want to change it because I would have missed out on great opportunities if I would have done other things. There is nothing in life I regret, even the bad things lead to life lessons. That being said I have always had dreams of jobs I wanted to do growing up that I never did and probably never will. Most of these are complete opposite of each other ranging from a farmer to a firefighter and here I am doing graphic design. The one dream job I would still love to do which happens to slightly relate to design, is to design and produce huge production stage lighting for musical concerts. Just being able to design a show that goes with the music to set the mood and use of color and motion would be awesome. So to answer the question I guess that is where my story would take me in the years to come if I was to re-write it.

If you have never put much thought into stage lighting here is a small video that shows just a bit of what can be done with lighting
Light Show

The last part of the chapter asks to do an exercise stating, “If all your favorite makers got together and collaborated, what would they make with you leading the crew?”, So the following has some references and inspiration followed by my final piece. 

Fake it until you make it, this is a quote most people have heard before and it is one that is mentioned in chapter two of the book I have been reading, “Steal like an Artist”. I have always heard this phrase and have always had a negative response to it in the past, but now that I think about it more I realize I have done it a lot in the past. You never want to start a new job and let people think you know nothing about it. I usually go with the flow and hope I’m doing it right while observing others as they work trying to emulate them. I learn from the mistakes I make but keep faking it until I make it to where I actually know what I am doing.

This chapter talks about this but for designers.  They say no designer knew what they were doing when they first started, nor did they know what kind of designer or person they were. But by following and studding a designer and copying and coping that designer and got to know how that designer ticks to the point you know the mind of them, this prevents you from stealing the style but to steal the thinking behind that style which is how you start to find how you work. But a big take away from this chapter is that you shouldn't just study one designer, you need to study multiple. This is to start making your own style using what you like from each designer.

This chapter also talks about the differences between imitating and emulating. They describe imitation being copying whereas emulating is one step further which is breaking through into your own thing. Which goes back to my last paragraph that after copying so much you learn the thinking behind the design so you can use that to make your design.

There is a chart on page 39 of the book that gives a good understanding between being a good thief vs. a bad one.  This mainly shows that a good one honors and studies the work giving them credit as you transform it whereas a bad theft would degrade and skim from one work and plagiarize as they imitate. 

The following is a piece of work from Armin Hofmann that I am going to try to emulate.