Creatives Today: What is Your World Like? — Part 2
In the last few months our sense of “normal” has been turned on its head. AIGA Los Angeles reached out to creatives all over the world asking them to share their stories of creative “survival” or, possibly, creative revival in these uncertain times.
What is the role of a designer/creative in the current climate?
What is your world like today?
Graphic Designer, poster artist
https://www.patrycja-longawa.com/
Because of the Covid-19 pandemic the world has rapidly changed in the last two months. In Poland the government introduced many restrictions, freezing some branches of the economy. One of these steps was closing museums and galleries. On March 27th I was planning to have my opening poster exhibit at the Modern Art Gallery in Przemysl. Unfortunately, because of the restrictions, it did not take place. It was the first time in my life when I could not attend my own exhibition. Now the life of all artists is very difficult because they can neither present their works nor even create. The great solution to this problem is using the internet and social media. I was lucky to take part in a few internet exhibitions and it was a very valuable experience for me. Living behind closed doors, not able to go out and fearful of the Covid-19 infection is very problematic. Many artists are under a great deal of stress, which causes a creative block. Fortunately, I do not belong to this category and I not suffer from pandemic depression. During the pandemic, I have made posters for graphic design competitions, businesses, and events. I also created two posters on the topic of Covid-19.
During these difficult times, we should all be strong. I honestly believe that soon the world will recover and everything will go back to normal.
Fashion Designer and Creative Pattern Cutter
http://simonamarletta.com @simonetta_73_
Before the lockdown, I was working for two companies: one specialising in high fashion and bridal wear, the other in pret-a porter. I was spending an equal amount of time in the office (brainstorming ideas with coworkers) and in the showroom (meeting and fitting clients).
The pandemic hit me hard — all of my work was cancelled and my appointments postponed indefinitely. I went from busy to unemployed in a matter of hours. The first few weeks were hellish and some days so bleak that I was second guessing the importance of fashion and creativity in a world that now needs doctors and nurses. I felt no sense of purpose or inspiration to do anything.
Something changed when I picked up my pencils and started drawing again. I was draping and making patterns with the beautiful fabrics I had been collecting over the years. The stillness has created the time I needed to focus on my talents and rediscover the pleasure of ‘making’ with no-one in mind but myself, allowing me to indulge in my quirky sense of aesthetic. After sharing some of my recent creations on social media, I have already received a number of orders. The world might not need more clothes, but maybe someone will experience joy in wearing my one-off made-to-measure pieces. This awareness gives me hope when thinking of the future; hopefully I will go back to my paid jobs not simply liking what I do but truly loving it.
www.behance.net/marinamoretz
I’m feeling a little lost these days. Sometimes I wonder when this crisis will end and my life will be controlled by me again. But I don’t like to think about it. Since I am not a freelancer, I think the situation is easier for me.
Last month was a big challenge for me. I worked a lot from a home office! I was coordinating a reduced team and was available 24/7. I had to adapt to be focused and productive at home. I was planning to improve my portfolio, but there wasn’t no time. My focus was only on my job and my sanity.
But, in the middle of all this, it seems that our loneliness at home gave rise to a collaborative and supportive environment. As a designer, and as a friend, I feel an obligation to help or guide small brands or even people to adapt in this new time. Even the little things can help small businesses perform better.
Graphic Designer, AGI Member a-g-i.org
Piippo.com
With Finnish eyes. We live in a world where international connections are part of our everyday life. They not only bring us wealth and joy but also a variety of problems. The SARS epidemic in 2003 taught us the importance of quick communication and cooperation. Corona hits harder. It touches each one of us. Fortunately, the Finns follow the health officials’ instructions, and the pandemic did not cause panic.
I live and work in Mikkeli, a small town outside Helsinki. The majority of my customers have always been from different cities and my studio is next to our house, so working from home is not new to me. I’m at the age of retirement, but don’t feel that way, because I do graphic design every day. Throughout my career, I have always been interested in social and societal issues. I have commented on them with my posters. Everyone knows that there has been no shortage of topics. Now, when we are quarantined and our lives are limited in many ways, there is time to organize my own picture archive and treasures on my bookshelves.
This time has been downright inspiring! White canvases await. I know what I’m going to paint, because, despite everything, the sun rises every morning and the cherry and apple trees bloom in the garden.
Graphic Designer, President of the Ecuador Poster Bienal
Christopherscottdesigner.com
To be honest over the last few months it has been very difficult mentality and physically. In my 34 years on this planet I have never seen anything like it. I do think there are many lessons to learn from these difficult moments, such as appreciating the simple things in life of which we often take for granted.
It is really worrying what is currently happening to our world in many aspects such as the economic, social and of course the health impact of which we are all going through. In relation to my recent work or process I have had to adapt immensely to online platforms in order to give meetings, conferences, workshops and classes for my students. It is challenging but we need to try our best to adapt and continue to move forward as best we can.
How the design community has united together during these times has been astonishing to me. I am truly Inspired by how designers have created systems and platforms to help our society in some way shape or form. This could be by making a poster, giving conferences to entertain us or creating campaigns to donate to the people directly affected by this virus.
I have said this many times, but in this moment I believe it is even more true; Graphic Design is the visual language for the world so designers have the huge responsibility to create visuals that communicate to the people.
The world will never be the same again.
But we will come through this. We must to. We need to. We have to.
Graphic Designer, Illustrator
www.behance.net/elmersosa
The question of how long will the quarantine last is becoming more and more worrisome as time goes by. To be honest, when “stay at home order” was first announced here in Mexico in March, my level of optimism was quite high. However, as economic problems and bad decisions of our federal and state authorities started to affect the education of my children, and our chance of returning to a normal life, my initial optimism has also started to diminish. I am more and more concerned about the changes in the way we socialize with every passing day.
I am a university professor, and the switch to online classes have shaken the entire Mexican public and private education systems. It immediately showed all its weak spots, while, at the same time emphasizing creative approaches of individual universities and professors.
I’m also an illustrator and a political cartoonist in Puebla, Mexico, and my role as a graphic designer is inherently linked to global, national, and local news. I’ve had the opportunity to cover issues related to COVID-19, showing problems the Mexican people face, huge mistakes made by our president, and economic hardships caused by the pandemic. I’m soon planning to create art to celebrate our anonymous heroes. I would also like to make designs which will emphasize preventive measures like staying at home and to promote family harmony in order to flatten the curve, which is still going up in our country today.
Professor, Ph.D., Namseoul University
https://www.graphis.com/portfolio-slideshow/byoung-il-sun/design/
The global pandemic led graphic designers towards the issue of COVID-19. Coronavirus-themed online poster exhibitions are blooming. I was quite enthusiastic about graphic designers speaking about social issues through art and created a poster to be a part of this movement. Having practically no knowledge about viruses, I had to do research information on the topic. The idea for a poster that warns people seemed to be rather simple, and not too imaginative. Therefore, my goal was to show everyone’s participation; to illustrate the fact that this is everyone’s problem.
I began thinking about educational institutions because for the first time in 25 years I’m giving lectures at college. Online leaching, however, is a major issue. I had to find a way to teach art through discussions and presentations. A few weeks ago, while discussing the graduation project with my students, I came up with a campaign design on the topic of the pandemic. The students were quite welcoming and now they are working on this project. The goal is to increase public awareness of viruses through graphic design. The main focus of the project is COVID-19, but it will also cover other epidemics that threatened the world, such as MERS, SARS, ebola, and zika. The campaign aims to better people’s understanding of viruses that could cause serious crises in the future. Some students plan to develop an app that can track the number of coronavirus cases. Others work on SMS design and emojis using mobile phones. We believe that designers should always be conscious of their generation’s social issues. It is time for designers to shed light on this terrible curse that has driven the world into disaster, brought down the economy, and increased unemployment. Creators and creative ideas could be that driving force, which will bring the world to a better place.
Graphic Designer, Curator
The outbreak has now become a global pandemic, and the changes it has made are being felt around the world. This is a difficult time, but crisis can offer opportunities. I like to look at the problem philosophically and optimistically. The epidemic keeps us at home, but we can’t sever our connection with the world. We can still make contributions to society in our own way. I am a university instructor and a designer. In the epidemic, my way of teaching has changed from offline to online instructions. As a teacher, I have to learn how to use online teaching platform to enable students to master knowledge and achieve course objectives. As a designer, I think we can do something during the epidemic to reflect social responsibilities of a designer. By participating and planning a series of exhibitions related to the epidemic, such as “Unity is Strength” and “Breathing Symbiosis” poster exhibitions, more people can pay attention to the epidemic and learn how to face it and better protect themselves. I think the power of individual designers is very limited, but we can be strong together, when exhibitions has the support of designers from all over the world. Life is always difficult and it always changes, so my approach is to keep learning, to keep adapting to the new environment, and doing my best to contribute to society, and this is what I am doing now.
Book Designer and Author
@zavidova_dotcom
My life is not that different from three months ago. Sometimes I catch myself thinking that things I normally enjoy, such as movies, books, drinks, sex, etc. are just here for me to kill time. I’m forcing myself to stick to the 9 to 5 schedule and have weekends, but on weekends I’m feeling locked inside my head and can’t relax.
I’m mostly worried about the same things I’ve been worried about for the last 3–4 years and doubling my efforts to fund my own projects. That’s different from how I envisioned March, April and May unfolding — I was planning on doing more commissioned work and spending less time on funding applications, — but here I am.
In the current climate, I see a direct relationship between design and fundraising (I sometimes work as a grant writer), and I want to do more design jobs for people and organizations who want to get their projects funded. With more people than ever applying for funding in the cultural field, I want my clients to stand out.
I also feel that as ‘artsy’ design people we often produce work which is confined to the filter bubble of the art world, and now might be a good time to ask ‘is anything I’m doing actually useful or valuable?’ I don’t mean something like ‘Can my work change the word’ (it can’t) but rather something like ‘Is my work leading to more projects being realized and more people getting paid’. I think if I, as a designer, reach out and embed myself more in the ‘uncreative’ processes, this might yield some cool results. This might be a moment for making truly interdisciplinary work.
This piece was curated and edited by Olga Severina and Ana Zukova.
