Illustration by WNW Member Mark Wang
“When design turned up its nose at thoughtful criticism through civilized discourse in favor of strictly 'good vibes', it created a vacuum...All systems require balance and by avoiding this requirement, we collectively created instability.”
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Illustration by WNW Member Richard A. Chance
Museums become the long term memory of a society. They bear the scars of oppressive movements that stain our history and carry that trauma like a physical body. Each institution has a closet full of skeletons they’d rather forget.
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WNW Member Veronyka Jelinek
“While a beautiful thought, a room full of designers nullifies the shared skill. If everyone is a logo designer, who will make logos when the need arises? Everyone, and therefore no one. Keeping like-minded company is critical to being seen, but diversity will help us survive.”
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Illustration by WNW Member Scott Balmer
“The illusion is lifted: everyone now knows we are at home. This requires firmer boundaries around our time online, and how and where we choose to spend it.”
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Illustration by WNW Member Simon Flöter
“Van Gogh’s story is a typical case of a self-conscious creative with no marketing skills floundering in an artists’ market. He sold a product to a small community that didn’t value him and couldn’t patron him longterm.”
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Illustration by WNW Member Miriam Persand
We independent artists love to complain, especially about vague feedback and bizarre requests, without considering the source of these concerns form in the mouths of other artists. After all, in-house creative teams are the messengers, attempting to unite talent they love with budgets that work.
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Illustration by WNW Member Miriam Persand
The inner workings of the large companies that hire me, an independent artist, are a mystery…I reached out to an anonymous art director friend at a large corporation to gain clarity. We discussed the mood boarding process for a global campaign, where things go awry, and when a company decides to make pre-emptive restitution.
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Illustration by WNW Member Simon Flöter
There is no formula for becoming a successful creative, but even we are bound by the laws of physics. Our motivational advice mirrors high school science books: move your mass. Take risks and gain momentum. Orbit positively charged people. In the face of these constants, there is a variable often unconsidered.
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Illustration by WNW Member Murphy Phelan
“How do we spot trends, the ones that transport us to the greatest interpretation of our work? They’re easy if you know where and how to look. Trends are cyclical, therefore predictable.”
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Illustration by WNW Member Jason Raish
Yet hyper-positivity isn't sustainable for those on the bestowing or receiving end. At risk of sounding like a downer, I find myself disinterested in vibing strictly in a positive direction.
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Illustration by WNW Member Yifan Wu
Generally, we’re not interested in gigs that don’t deliver on creative fulfillment or social currency. Why do we limit ourselves?… When we succumb to the myth of one marketplace, we scramble to be seen and heard. We scramble for opportunity along the well-worn path.
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Illustration by Andrea Johansson
“For a minute I was nine again, screaming my head off as Mia Hamm slides across the pitch on her knees, pumping her fists. As often as advertising squeezes our insecurities in its spindly fingers, occasionally it produces the inverse effect: connects us to our dreams.”
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Illustration by WNW Member Kevin Whipple
The pressure of doing what you love stands to kill you faster than doing what makes you apathetic. Our identities more quickly attach to a profession we hold dear because it runs parallel to our sense of personal purpose. We feel exultation at our highest heights and utter despair at our lowest lows.
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Illustration by WNW Member Tallulah Fontaine
I am constantly searching for the alignment of the truest truth between myself and the brands I service. Where can I celebrate synchronicity? ... As small businesses, we can’t solve these brands’ idiosyncrasies, but we can anchor our messages to the values we support. Can we find a way to bring impactful work into existence for someone that wouldn’t be reached otherwise?
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Illustration by WNW Member Yifan Wu
“Discussions surrounding copying are pervasive, i.e. 'DON’T DO IT,' but few safe spaces existed in which to explore. As with the topic of safe sex, how can we as a community expect to arrive at healthy decisions if abstinence is the only option?”
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