Times-a-flyin', Dreamlands float by, Nightmares don't knock me down but they sure do get my heart-beating faster.

Later in my life, when wiser and seasoned, I'll write a country song about the sorrows and joys of periods of change. I'm such a newb to it all right now; overreacting at the smallest upset! Change is tough, guys and gals! My Grandma agreed rather knowingly when I mentioned how I was feeling. "Transition is difficult, Dear", she said, faint remains of her British accent audible in certain words. She came to Canada on a ship in her mid-Twenties with an infant and a bun in the oven, leaving her family and friends to start a new life; she knows about periods of transition.

As you may know, my performance anxiety has been getting to me. Vivid nightmares in which I am forced to create or a big, bad man will fly down at me and bite off my legs...

It's only been a few weeks since my last contemplative post but much has changed since then, I feel. I'm seeing more clearly. And frankly, I'm happy that I had that little down to put me in my place! I'm young - the downs and confusion and ego-bursting moments are necessary in order to show me the way to the next level, my next peak.

I'm settling into my job, settling into the level of creation, settling into my first fall since I was four years old that I am not in school. My gosh, I do yearn for more schooling. I had a few days of feeling as though since I am done school, the learning is complete and this is the level of design that I will be at for the rest of my life. Hahah, so ridiculous. I've snapped out of it. Now, I'm just trying to go with the flow. It's a joy to have some free time to focus on my development - I just need to get used to the happiness of it all.

For a little while there, I felt as though I wasn't creating anything interesting. It all seemed so blah to me. After having brainstormed some ideas with my bosses and close friends, I realize there's something interesting in the majority of my ideas. I gotta have faith! It's all coming together, I feel myself relaxing into it.

So, what's next?

Well... I'm conceptualizing and designing a promotional journal for Surface Jalouse. The release of the book will coincide with a huge reopening of the Surface Boutique! I have to design displays for the interior of the boutique (vinyls, showcase boxes, pieces of furniture) and a line of t-shirts. We're also going to develop the winter season window installations for the Boutique and for several clothing stores. And all this for only a couple of months from now. Wow - seems I'm a little out of my league with all this stuff! Lots of inspiration though... so things will roll :)!

Here's some inspiration for you now:

A great, long episode of The Strombo Show on CBC Radio:
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Radio/1447825254/ID=2127808266

The first in a series of short films called Made by Hand, promoting hand-made, local artisans:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfuGWT8alT4

I want to start embroidering on photos:

Vibrant artwork by an artist whose name I can't fully remember... Francis something. Sorry artist! Who didn't love Darjeeling Limited?! Watch for gorgeous patterns in every scene!

Love this kind of symmetrical illustration, using a strong white space and simple, unhesitating, lines. Mingo Lamberti

Great new tune to enjoy:

Feist - How come you never go there?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h65YIvjIV7E

And I'll leave you with something to consider... I've been mulling it over for a while now. Why not be a part of your community by making it more beautiful? Positive vandalism, if you will. It takes little effort and goes such a long way in brightening your environment and neighbours' lives.  And in a city like Montreal - pot-hole filled and such - who wouldn't love a little ironic, colourful addition to their surroundings?

Til next time everyone! Enjoy the change, layers of clothing and fall colours...

Wall Mural-ing

Unfortunately, I haven't got any higher quality photos of my work just yet, but here are a few shots from a wall mural I did for a resto bar in Quebec City called Jack Saloon!

As Irene pours down.

A self-indulgent piece to clear my thoughts and sulk on a rainy day. Apologies for the run-ons and at times, difficult to follow trains of thought. I'm a little all-over the place today but sometimes you just gotta get it out.

I've had this post in my mind for a few weeks now, since I completed my Graphic Design diploma, actually. The fear of the "real world" has quickly set in, especially without any time off to collect my thoughts after a whirlwind ending. (I started working full-time the Monday after my Friday evening graduation). Negative, defeatist feelings have been rolling through me and developing into more concrete thoughts - and some, developing into realities. Excuse my tangents as I feel there will be a few throughout this entry -- rainy days just kind of do this to me. "The winds of change are blowing through, the rain washing the slate clean. My accomplishments behind me, new ones must take their place". Ya, those sorts of daunting, melodramatic lines are common for me on rainy days.

I've been on a major high. The highest high of my blossoming artistic career. I feel pretentious calling myself an artist but I'm not solely a graphic designer, so I'll use the word and take the title. With the title, comes the realization that as an artist my creations are not solely for personal pleasure and release, they are for the bread and butter, the dollars, the advancements. I have always been faced with the desire, nay, need, to be creative but never like this. Never as a career, never to make the rent. These days, the pressure to create does not solely come from my internal monologue; I now feel I must appease others' who patiently await my next creation - my Facebook friends, family, teachers, and as the added kicker, my employers. Important people around me expect greatness from me. I expect greatness from myself. So, what's the next move? How can I keep up the success?

Strange feelings for me since I began working full-time: being directed, producing for the sake of money and creating for the benefit of others. I have to acknowledge however, that it is a new feeling. Things will fall into place and the pressure won't be as numbing and intimidating - I will give myself time and attempt to relax into my current position. But for now, I'll just panic and ponder a little...

As a "professional" artist, my employment could push me in one of two directions; I could sink or swim. Continued success: breast-stroking onwards into the unknown, skill-testing tides or, the worst possible outcome, artistic apathy: soaking in murky, brown, semi-creative/semi-productive waters that hint at my past successes. It's the beginning of this stage of my life and I'm allowing myself to get into the darkness and unfamiliarity of it all, so yes, I am afraid. Afraid that creating for others who lack inspiration & are often tacky, will drag me down into an innovation-less life zone, without drive or vision of places I want to be and the person I can become. I don't want to be a designer at the median of creativity - reproducing what's already been done for the sake of rapid output or simply to finish the boring job off and put me out of my misery. Frankly, I'm afraid I will loose my motivation. I'm afraid I will spend crucial career development years working for the wrong company or working for the wrong end goal. How can I know that I am where I should be? How can I know I'm taking the steps I'm supposed to take so that my bank of ideas never runs dry? How can I stay at the forefront of my design abilities? I don't want to become a lackluster designer/artist who repeats themselves.

I want to feel the way I have felt this past year, for the rest of my days. I want to ooze inspiration for myself and those around me. I'm realizing now that this takes practice and effort. When you're a student, the projects are based around developing your brainstorming and conceptualization - the inspiration comes easily. You are constantly surrounded by curious people who have yet to be jaded by the underwhelming projects that lay ahead. I need to be involved in my growth because my employment and my work projects cannot be the heart of it, they can only be a part of it - on the sidelines.

To only way for me to keep up that drive is to constantly look for new, encourage myself to research, brainstorm deeply instead of settling on the first idea. I need to remain at the heart of the action: living in metropolis cities, going to vernissages, museums, listening to new music, following interesting blogs, being attuned to European artistic developments, having arts and crafts days with creative friends. Luckily for me, I have all those things readily available to me... and I have a deep want to move forward.

After all this fretting, having written out this worrisome post has done me some good. For the sake of relaxation and perspective, I think it would wise to look at the big picture. I guess storms just do strange things to the designer in me or oops, should I say artist?! Professional artist? Creator?? Won't worry about that just yet.

I'm busy,... so so busy!

Hi!
I'm living the dream right now world wide web! This job at Surface Jalouse is opening so many doors and allowing me to create some crazy stuff. (Ie. neons lights and mirrors inspired by the artist Zilon for the Festival Design & Mode in Montreal---- ummmm, is this real?! Am I dreaming?)

I'm also finishing up my final projects and still working as a creative assistant to a marketing professor at the John Molson School of Business. I honestly don't know how I'm finding the time! But I'm loving it.

Here's a peek at my magazine:

Front and Back cover...





Spread from the article "Tripping on Fireworks" -- Photo cred to Hisham Eid


Illustrated spread "HIGHWAISTED Accesories in Space"


Article on art in abandoned Mtl buildings

Portfolio coming together as I get a job!!!

YAAAA! I was just hired by Surface Jalouse as their new designer. An awesome design company focused on custom interiors (furniture, wall fixings, murals, window displays). It's an incredible opportunity and such a cool place. I'm soooo excited to start. I'll be doing 1 day a week until I finish school in August!

In the mean time, I have to get my excitement under control and focus on the now --- a never ending pile of projects.

Here's a look at my portfolio cover:

Business cards -- Testing testing!

Working on new business cards. What do you think?
Do the words I've chosen to describe myself suit me?

A Travel Notebook...

For those who want to see a different side of themselves, their environment and the people around them while they travel: A travel notebook based on 20 challenges that include taking a photo with a disposable camera during the challenge.

This project has been massive and taken up lots of time and energy but I'm so so happy with the results. I feel very attached to this project since I took all the pictures and drew everything in the journal. Going to get it all printed later today.

Here is my moodboard and initial inspiration:



Here are some shots from the notebook layout:
(PLEASE ingore the text/picture boxes that mysteriously showed up in the screen shots of it all... bummer but I'm too busy to re-screenshot everyhing)











The notebook comes with a disposable camera, picture corners (sticky corners that you slip pics into) and 3 postcards.

Here are the postcards! Love them so much...

Art Deco does Osheaga Part 2

Hi Internet World - writing you from an exhausted, over-worked, and creatively stimulated state.

The poster I showed you all last week (inspired by A.M. Cassandre) focused on the crowd and the sickeningly cool people that go to Osheaga. This poster emphasizes the preforming acts and their grandeur/star appeal as they reign over Mtl during the Osheaga weekend.

Inspired by Herbert Matter, photographer, teacher, designer, and so much more, from the art deco era. Not as proud of this one as I am of the first I posted but I think the duo is great! Very much what I envisioned.

Here's part 2 of my Art Deco inspired Osheaga poster project:



And here's my inspiration by Herbert Matter:

ART DECO OSHEAGA!

I showed you all the beginning of this poster in a post a couple of days ago...
Here's the (possibly) final version. I'm sure I'll be back to edit it many times. This is what usually happens when I get a project done a few days in advance!

Oh and BTW!

I don't think I posted this last semester but I finished a personal website for my web design class!

Obviously there are still glitches....
But here it is!!

http://www.monlienweb.com/portfolio/erin/