Artist Statement
Ever since preschool art has been a major part of my life. Finger painting eventually evolved into drawing still lifes, making mosaics out of tissue paper, or creating 3D models out of used cardboard and paint. To most, taking art classes in grade school was just for fun, it was a break from regular classes, but to me it was more. I was creating things that I would take home, use, and be proud of.
In high school art class disappeared. To continue doing the things I liked I would have to do it on my own time, with my own money. So art slowly slipped away, and videogames dominated my waking hours. Some say this is bad, but it was the best thing for me, because if it weren’t for videogames I wouldn’t know what graphic design is.
When it was time to start applying to colleges, and deciding what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. When I got my information packet from Lasell College I browsed the list of majors until I saw graphic design. It amazed me that something I considered a hobby could become my profession, and I became determined. I found it crazy having to explain what graphic design was to my family and friends, and annoying telling them where Lasell College was, but soon I was there and learning.
After two years of college, I found myself questioning which direction I should go with my major, as well as if I had made a mistake choosing it. I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing, barely having touched computers, and drawing the same letters and vases over and over. I looked forward to classes that would be different and could spark my interest in them. They were photography, poster design, and web design. Photography would become just another class that I would do the work for, and poster design got taken out of the curriculum.
The last semester of sophomore year I was asked to start a business with my cousin. He was determined that web design was the biggest thing since sliced bread, and that we could make money just picking up random jobs from friends and family, and using them to network to other potential clients. He just wanted me around to create layouts in Photoshop that he would take and code into websites, but I wanted more. Knowing that I would be taking a web design course I starting to research how to make websites, and what popular trends were going on in the design. One day he brought up a website he needed a layout for, but he didn’t just get the layout. I sent him the full website, designed and coded, and he sent me a check. Business picked up, and still continues to this day.
Now In my final year of college I find my self being asked what kind of designer I am. What things do I keep important to my practices, and why. To be honest, I don’t know, and I don’t think I will know for several years. Like any job, I will have to start from the bottom and work my way up. Along the way is where I think I will find my true style.
For now there are some things that I find myself incorporating in my work: simplicity if one of them. If our culture has taught me anything, it’s that people are lazy, and sometimes not that intelligent. In order to get the message across to people you need to put it on a silver platter for them, make it as easy to read, as quickly as possible. The other major principle I keep in my design is the concept. What is it that I am trying to display, and how can I be creative with it.
If you go back through the different art movements, you see people starting out with practical paintings. They draw what they see, as best they can. As you move on, they start go get away from practicality, and move towards a more interesting way of displaying information. Eventually, they don’t paint anything identifiable, but just pure shape, color, and line. This is one practice that I never want to incorporate. It is one that was intended to make people think, but at the same time actually have a connection to the artists meaning.I want to make sure that I can keep my work creative and interesting, without losing its meaning. This is definitely mastered in the later movements; modernism is the beginning of a new chapter to me. I think this because it relates more to what I am trying to accomplish than any other movement, simplistic and creative.
Overall, I am glad in the choices I have made in defining who I am as a person and an artist. Web design keeps me interested as it is always changing. It is something that takes what we already know from past experiences and grows off of them. The Internet is only a few decades old, yet it has come so far, and itself has changed the way art is defined. It has brought art back in a big way, but as the tools get more advanced, so will the art that is created with them. Just like as I continue to learn, my design style will change. After all of this research and reflection I have come to find that even if I do find myself having personal preferences in design, that they don't matter. All that matters is the style that is accepted by the general public, and how I can make it my own. So today I say I want things to be simple and creative, ten years from now that could change entirely depending on what people are interested in.
In high school art class disappeared. To continue doing the things I liked I would have to do it on my own time, with my own money. So art slowly slipped away, and videogames dominated my waking hours. Some say this is bad, but it was the best thing for me, because if it weren’t for videogames I wouldn’t know what graphic design is.
When it was time to start applying to colleges, and deciding what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. When I got my information packet from Lasell College I browsed the list of majors until I saw graphic design. It amazed me that something I considered a hobby could become my profession, and I became determined. I found it crazy having to explain what graphic design was to my family and friends, and annoying telling them where Lasell College was, but soon I was there and learning.
After two years of college, I found myself questioning which direction I should go with my major, as well as if I had made a mistake choosing it. I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing, barely having touched computers, and drawing the same letters and vases over and over. I looked forward to classes that would be different and could spark my interest in them. They were photography, poster design, and web design. Photography would become just another class that I would do the work for, and poster design got taken out of the curriculum.
The last semester of sophomore year I was asked to start a business with my cousin. He was determined that web design was the biggest thing since sliced bread, and that we could make money just picking up random jobs from friends and family, and using them to network to other potential clients. He just wanted me around to create layouts in Photoshop that he would take and code into websites, but I wanted more. Knowing that I would be taking a web design course I starting to research how to make websites, and what popular trends were going on in the design. One day he brought up a website he needed a layout for, but he didn’t just get the layout. I sent him the full website, designed and coded, and he sent me a check. Business picked up, and still continues to this day.
Now In my final year of college I find my self being asked what kind of designer I am. What things do I keep important to my practices, and why. To be honest, I don’t know, and I don’t think I will know for several years. Like any job, I will have to start from the bottom and work my way up. Along the way is where I think I will find my true style.
For now there are some things that I find myself incorporating in my work: simplicity if one of them. If our culture has taught me anything, it’s that people are lazy, and sometimes not that intelligent. In order to get the message across to people you need to put it on a silver platter for them, make it as easy to read, as quickly as possible. The other major principle I keep in my design is the concept. What is it that I am trying to display, and how can I be creative with it.
If you go back through the different art movements, you see people starting out with practical paintings. They draw what they see, as best they can. As you move on, they start go get away from practicality, and move towards a more interesting way of displaying information. Eventually, they don’t paint anything identifiable, but just pure shape, color, and line. This is one practice that I never want to incorporate. It is one that was intended to make people think, but at the same time actually have a connection to the artists meaning.I want to make sure that I can keep my work creative and interesting, without losing its meaning. This is definitely mastered in the later movements; modernism is the beginning of a new chapter to me. I think this because it relates more to what I am trying to accomplish than any other movement, simplistic and creative.
Overall, I am glad in the choices I have made in defining who I am as a person and an artist. Web design keeps me interested as it is always changing. It is something that takes what we already know from past experiences and grows off of them. The Internet is only a few decades old, yet it has come so far, and itself has changed the way art is defined. It has brought art back in a big way, but as the tools get more advanced, so will the art that is created with them. Just like as I continue to learn, my design style will change. After all of this research and reflection I have come to find that even if I do find myself having personal preferences in design, that they don't matter. All that matters is the style that is accepted by the general public, and how I can make it my own. So today I say I want things to be simple and creative, ten years from now that could change entirely depending on what people are interested in.
