This week’s featured profiles highlight top-notch Stop-Motion Animators. Scroll down to get a light-hearted and food-heavy taste of the stop-motion talent currently available on Working Not Working.
WNW Member Jeff Scardino is keeping napkins cool with the latest "How Lovely" campaign for Vanity Fair napkins. As Jeff points out, it's no easy task. "No one uses napkins anymore. Especially younger people who just rip off a paper towel.
Read MoreBritish-born and New York-based WNW Member Jon Burgerman's work is always teeming with boundless energy, spontaneity, and a healthy dose of chaos. Prolificacy seems like a natural result. If anyone would release four books in one year, it's Jon.
Read MoreMIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
Being a freelance illustrator and graphic designer has afforded WNW Member Mathilda Holmqvist the ability to combine her two favorite passions: visual communication and food. A lot of her work exists within London's food scene, like a recent large-scale project designing a food court next to the Thames under Hungerford Bridge. In our interview, Mathilda tells us why she elected to switch over from painting to pursue a career that employs her creativity in an everyday and communal sense.
Mathilda also offers some really useful advice on maintaining creative curiosity. "It’s more fun to be a beginner at something than a master, so don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone as you’ll approach a project with a really different energy as a beginner than if it’s something you’ve done for years."
Tell us a bit about your creative background. Who is Mathilda and how did she get here?
I started out studying painting at a private school in Sweden and then moved to London to study Fine Art at Goldsmiths. After graduating I worked full-time as studio manager for a sculptor for 3 years until I finally made the move to go freelance.
I really loved my years of studying art but a few years after graduating I realised I much preferred working directly with people, and for my creative work to be more useful in an everyday sense rather than contained to hanging on walls to be looked at. (Not that there is anything wrong with that!) So I moved on to working with illustration and graphic design, and for the last few years, I’ve worked mainly within the food scene in London, which I love! Food is my other passion besides visual communication.
How would you describe your creative style? Do you recognize a signature style that links most of your projects, or do you try to excuse yourself and approach each project as its own entity?
Probably something along the lines of bold, sensitive and atmospheric. I started out creating quite painterly illustrations with lots of textures and details as that was how I was used to working, but as I developed as an illustrator my images have become more minimal and scaled back. I don’t think of myself as having a signature style but rather of my work as being a progression of my development as a creative. The style is more a reflection of what inspires me at a specific time and what I’m trying to communicate.
What do you see as the turning point in your creative development and career so far?
When I had worked as a studio manager for about 2 years, I applied to an illustration competition to create a whisky label for Bunnahabhain. During those two years I hadn’t done much creative work as I felt disconnected from painting but hadn’t found a new creative platform to replace it with. At the time I was a bit worried I would end up working for the creative industry rather than as a creative. But unexpectedly I won the competition, which led me to recommit to working creatively and exploring illustration and design. It turned out I both loved the process making of illustrations and graphic designs as well as the community. A year later I moved on to freelancing.
What were some of the challenges in launching your creative career?
Having expensive Swedish student loans to pay back as soon as I graduated was definitely a challenge, as it didn’t leave much room for internships or just exploring different options. Another thing was getting a hang of how the illustration world worked, since it wasn’t an industry I was familiar with. I found pricing and contracts very confusing in the beginning – and still do sometimes!
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
Together with my boyfriend, I run a design collective called Pencil x Pixel, where we mainly design branding for London and UK-based food traders and producers. This spring we were commissioned by Southbank Centre and three separate food traders to design a food court next to the Thames under Hungerford Bridge. It was the biggest commission scale wise we had done to date. It was so much fun working on that scale and thinking about how people would physically experience and interact with the area, the colours and designs, as well as getting all of the food trades individual branding to work together cohesively. It was a challenge I really enjoyed and one of those projects that felt really rewarding and satisfying to complete.
What would be your dream project or job, or is it already on your resume?
I would love to illustrate and design a cookbook! I have always enjoyed reading cookbooks and love learning about different cultures through their food traditions and recipes. So to dive into illustrating a really thick cookbook that people would use for decades would be a dream.
How would you define the London creative scene?
Extremely talented and full of friendly but really hard working people. It is also very diverse and dynamic.
How do you see the creative landscape shifting in the UK/Europe?
I think visual design is becoming a bigger part of our everyday lives, which is great as it’s creating more work for creatives. It’s also become a bigger part of companies’ identities, no matter the industry. Even smaller companies are becoming more sophisticated in their approach to design and branding. I think this is leading to more being asked of creatives in shorter amounts of time, but maybe it’s always felt like that?
If not here, where would you most like to live?
Either in a cabin in the North of Sweden or Vancouver. Vancouver would probably be better for work… but North of Sweden would be great for inspiration!
Who are your biggest creative influences?
At the moment I’m very inspired by Aaron Draplin’s ‘Thick Lines’ posters. I’m going through a bit of a 60’s and 70’s phase and just love how those posters in a very contemporary way evoke that era for me.
What scares you most about making creativity your career?
Not much at the moment! I had lots of worries starting out but am at a pretty happy place at the moment creatively. I’m sure there will be more worries in the future but for now, I’m just enjoying working.
One book, one album, one movie, one show. Go.
Book: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Album: Anything by Alison Krauss
Film: It’s A Wonderful Life
TV: Parks and Rec
What is your most treasured possession?
Hmm… not sure! Maybe my Moomin mugs? Tove Jannsons’ illustrations are a daily inspiration while having my coffee.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A wallpaper designer, fashion designer, astronaut, actress, Disney animator and a painter in the south of France (I was very good at dreaming of the future).
What do you do when Not Working?
Cooking, eating, seeing friends, playing softball, baking, reading.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard or received that all creatives should hear?
It really depends on what kind of creative rut I’m in, but either ‘just do it’ or ‘work hard and be disciplined’ or ‘take time to refuel your inspiration’ usually does it for me. I also found this to be true, that it’s more fun to be a beginner at something than a master, so don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone as you’ll approach a project with a really different energy as a beginner than if it’s something you’ve done for years.
Who are some WNW members whose work you admire and why?
Lilian Darmono for her wide creative skills and talents (I don’t think there’s anything she can’t draw!) and my very talented boyfriend and collaborator Ian Sargent who teaches and challenges me creatively almost every day.
What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
At the moment I’m working on three exciting branding projects for local food traders. I’m also hoping to take some time to work on a personal project I’m developing around food and hosting dinners this autumn.
Working Not Working has partnered with Pinterest on their new initiative Right the Ratio, which aims to empower the next generation of creatives to overcome inequalities in the industry. Right in time for Women's Equality Day (8/26), Pinterest is kicking off the campaign with a focus on gender inequality, highlighting some of advertising's most accomplished women and their unique perspectives on what needs to change. For starters, while women make up 46% of the ad industry, only 11% of Creative Directors are women.
Read MoreMIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
There's often a social edge to Brooklyn-based WNW Member Kelsey Bryden's work. She sees her freelance career in Art Direction and Design as a unique opportunity to open up a conversation about what matters to her the most. Design becomes more than just a vehicle to express herself, but also a means to bring people together. It's rewarding to see the ways that Kelsey pushes herself to explore new methods in her mission, whether it's set design or photo-illustration or jewelry made of tampons. "They portray tampons as luxurious items, in the same way the government imposes a luxury tax on feminine hygiene products. I’m proud of this project for calling out the absurdity of taxing female health, as though it were not a priority or basic human right."
If you're unsure of how to start getting political with your work, Kelsey advises, "Think about the personal experiences you’ve had that made you feel a certain way, and let those be the foundation."
Tell us about your creative background. Who is Kelsey Bryden and how did she get here?
My dad was an art director and a painter. He had a terminal illness that progressed as I got older, so I strove to find ways I could emulate him. I took classes at great art universities in the summers when I was in high school, although I still didn’t feel very artistically inclined.
When I started as a full-time college student I was studying business at an art school. The truth that I held onto as early as I could remember was that I wanted to have my own business, be my own boss— hence the choice in major. But thankfully, being in the art school environment led me to design and I started taking design-related internships rather than business-related ones. When I think about it now, freelance design and direction DOES obviously allow me to own a business and be my own boss. It feels like the best of both worlds.
How would you describe your creative style? Do you recognize a signature style that links all of your projects, or do you try to excuse yourself and approach each project as its own entity?
The common thread I’m always striving to insert is obscurity; the something that makes people look twice. It’s also always colorful, oftentimes conceptual.
What do you see as the turning point in your creative career and development?
I worked for a little while at an interactive design agency, but found it to be pretty creatively stifling. I wanted to use my very conceptually-geared mind, which I couldn’t do there. Things changed when I started committing to this way of thinking and making, and when I left that job. Around that time I started introducing photography into my work, which was also game-changing. For years prior I would come up with ideas which I naturally saw as photographs, but it took me a while to realize that I could leverage the way my brain naturally saw things. And that I could be an AD / designer who heavily uses photography!
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
For a few reasons, probably the photo-illustrations of the tampon jewelry. It was an idea that I judged in the beginning, and doubted whether it could be executed the way I envisioned. The fact that in lieu of all the self-doubt, I made the images anyway AND they came out beautifully makes me very proud.
On top of that, there’s a lot of meaning behind them. I have a personal connection to the objects (don’t we all?), but more importantly they portray tampons as luxurious items, in the same way the government imposes a luxury tax on feminine hygiene products. I’m proud of this project for calling out the absurdity of taxing female health, as though it were not a priority or basic human right.
Is there often a political or social edge to your work, or do you feel a certain immediacy these days?
Yes! Not always, but I try to incorporate these things for sure. Politically, I advocate for women as you can tell in the project mentioned above. I also wanted to work on a project that responded to the awful, awful event that was the U.S. election, so I designed a set that incorporated famous activist statements. I also asked underrepresented people to appear on the set and say whatever they wanted into a megaphone.
Socially, I love bringing people together, and if I can achieve that in my work I’m happy. People don’t often think social interaction naturally intersects with design, but I think it definitely can. I worked on an experiential storytelling project over the course of a year, and it was a very cool way to meet people and to facilitate other people meeting.
What do you see as the role of an artist in addressing political and social issues through their work? Any advice you can share with creatives looking to do their part?
I think if you’re moved to address these things, that’s great. but it’s not your duty. It’s hard to form your own political opinion, or to distinguish what’s your own versus what you’re hearing, because there are so many other people’s opinions that are being broadcasted all around us. I’d say think about the personal experiences you’ve had that made you feel a certain way, and let those be the foundation.
What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
I'm pushing myself to work more in set design — the idea of creating physical worlds for people to exist in is super interesting to me. I'm also thinking about starting/making a magazine, because I think independent mags are beautiful and cool.
Who are some of your biggest creative influences?
John Waters, Iris Apfel, Rupaul
One book, one album, one movie, one show?
Men Explain Things To Me, Blond, The Handmaiden, Thrones
What do you do when Not Working?
Sometimes I roller skate! Check out the Pier 2 Roller Rink in DUMBO.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard or received that our members need to hear?
Send more cold emails!
Who are some other WNW Members whose work you admire and why?
I love Brooke Bamford. I also think Mattiel Brown is very talented. And of course, queen of all things set design, Adi Goodrich.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Slide into my DMs anytime girl.
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
"Those flamingoes are out of control!" "Look at this! Are you fucking kidding me?!" "I can't stop looking! Is this Pink Floyd or from the future?" When WNW HQ first came across WNW Member and Designer Darren Oorloff's album covers, there was a fair amount of wonderment, disbelief, and profanity in the volley of our responses. So we decided to interview Darren to find out some of the secrets to his approach, his influences, and what's next. While we might describe the common thread through Darren's work as "super-awesomeness," Darren helps us find some more descriptive words: "I’ve carefully curated my art to create an illusion of consistency – largely through similar colours and type treatments – but look closer and you’ll notice the only real links between the content are a sense of nostalgic futurism."
Darren also opens up about the trend in music toward designs that challenge the boundaries of the music's genre, as well as the necessity of creative tension to open a greater dialogue. "I don’t think new trends catch on in a creative field unless there is a sense of tension, perhaps a conflict – people need to disagree in order to create a conversation that will propel the trends’ reach." Here's to Darren's portfolio and music design continuing to surprise and provoke.
Tell us a little bit about your creative background. Who is Darren Oorloff and how did he get here?
My name is Darren Oorloff and I’m an Art Director from Melbourne. More specifically I create identity, packaging and artwork for the music industry.
How would you describe your creative style? Do you recognize a signature style that links all of your projects, or do you try to excuse yourself and approach each project as its own entity?
Committing to one particular style has been difficult for me. I think it’s important to establish a distinct identity as an artist, but this has a tendency to limit one’s skillset. As soon as I’ve mastered a style or a technique, I’m no longer interested in it and need to move onto something more complex. I’ve carefully curated my art to create an illusion of consistency – largely through similar colours and type treatments – but look closer and you’ll notice the only real links between the content are a sense of nostalgic futurism.
What do you see as the turning point in your creative career and development so far?
The biggest turning point for me was when my approach to design changed from ‘how do I make this?’ to ‘how do I make this look good?’ Prior to this, the physical execution of a concept was my biggest challenge – stitching multiple images together to create realistic compositions. Nowadays I have a pretty versatile set of skills and access to excellent resources where I lack, so my focus has shifted to creating beautiful compositions without the restrictions of technical incapacity.
Can you give us a little insight into your process for designing album and concert artwork? Do you try to only allow the music itself to influence your visual response, or do you also draw inspiration from whatever you’re into at the moment?
Surprisingly the music isn’t my primary influence. I’ve found a lot of artists have a carefully crafted image that doesn’t necessarily align with their sound. In my initial steps, I identify how the artist wants to be perceived. Then, I find a middle ground between what inspires me and what is applicable to the artist’s image and branding.
Do you find that it’s easier to create album artwork if you’re a fan of the music, or does it not really make a difference in your approach?
I don’t believe it makes a great difference. I try to remain fairly objective and open-minded about every project. You would think the quality of work would be much better if I was a fan of the genre and had an understanding of the history. However, some of the most creative and influential art is born of contrasting design style with genre. There is a strange movement happening right now where rappers are using a ‘metal’ aesthetic, the metal-heads are taking influence from the ‘electronic’ aesthetic and all the genres are swapping styles.
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
The project that garnered the most attention was for a Japanese heavy metal band called Crossfaith. This is a perfect example of a strange genre crossover as mentioned above. Crossfaith has some electronic influence in their otherwise heavy sound, so we decided to go all out on a sci-fi, almost Vapourware aesthetic. The biggest challenge here was to introduce aggression into a typically vibrant, fun style (Vapourware) and I think there’s a very fine line in the sci-fi spectrum between being cool and being nerdy. Anyway, I think I managed to navigate all of this gracefully with this particular artwork and the response was just manic.
What would be your dream project?
I’d love to work on some kind of elaborate stage/set design with immersive projection mapping. I’m also totally fascinated by VR and augmented reality, so it’d be nice to get involved in something within that realm.
Who are some of your biggest creative influences?
Shusei Nagaoka
Doug Johnson
Hajime Sorayama
Roslaw Szaybo
Tadao Ando (Architect)
Jiro Ono (Chef)
What are your favorite album covers of all time and why?
My parents had a couple of Vangelis CDs and as a child they had the most intriguing covers, depicting strange sci-fi worlds.
I am completely bamboozled about how Doug Johnson created this series. His airbrushing skills and use of colour make me sweat.
In my opinion Neil Krug’s best work to-date. He captures so much momentum and drama in a still image.
Released this year, this is probably the most perfectly executed example of a crossover of metal design on a rap cover.
How would you describe the creative scene in Melbourne? Do you thrive off of being part of a creative community or are you more in your element as a lone wolf?
Melbourne has a very vibrant, ever-evolving creative scene. I particularly love this place because it’s young and still establishing its own identity as a creative city.
I surround myself with creatives every day for inspiration. However, up until now, I’ve designed solo, on account of having a very specific vision for developing my identity. Today, having established that style/aesthetic, I’d be open to collaboration with other artists where my technical abilities lack.
What do you do when Not Working?
I’ll try to get a skate in when there's time, and sun.
I also like to go for a run – I feel like I’m problem-solving 24/7 because I don’t – and can’t – apply a consistent method to each project. Running gives me an hour each day to focus on nothing, and to give me a break from that persistent problem-solving.
What’s some of the best creative advice you’ve ever heard or received that our members need to hear?
Ken Robinson said something that floored me in a talk about schools killing creativity: “If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original”
This isn’t something I’d ever considered. I feel like I’ve taken risks, but they’ve all been calculated risks. I don’t think new trends catch on in a creative field unless there is a sense of tension, perhaps a conflict – people need to disagree in order to create a conversation that will propel the trends’ reach.
Who are some WNW Members whose work you admire and why?
I’ve always been a fan of Anny Wang, her 3D game is on another level.
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
WNW Member Edward Tuckwell's work often looks like it's pulled from a classic film that doesn't yet exist. The cinematic staging and palpable tension of Edward's world draw the viewer in, with his images often feeling like they're pausing mid-motion. We interview Edward to talk about his creative style, his biggest influences (who tend to be filmmakers), and the turning point of his creative career, which he credits to London: "It seems like a common trend with a lot of people I know, but there’s a certain relentless buzz of a capital city which is so important for a freelance creative starting out. Being around people whose work I admire, collaborating on projects, and fully immersing myself in the industry helped me develop."
Tell us a bit about your creative background. Who is Edward and how did he get here?
I knew from a relatively early age that I wanted to work in some form of creative job. My mother was a landscape architect, and my father works in construction so I thought I would end up pursuing a career in Architecture. At the time of my foundation year, I wanted to explore multiple disciplines and found that Illustration was a good compromise between graphic design, traditional art, and photography. Since then I’ve leaned on the graphics side more and more until I’ve ended up with the approach I have today.
How would you describe your creative style? Do you recognise a signature style that links most of your projects, or do you try to excuse yourself and approach each project as its own entity?
I think it's important to come at a project from a fresh perspective without forcing a visual style that might not be suitable for the job. Having said that, there is a need to keep some sort of consistency across the board. It's a balancing act. I tend to use sections of flat colour to define the illustration, combined with a small analogue element of some sort - a scanned texture, brush stroke or dissolved gradient for example.
What do you see as the turning point in your creative development and career so far?
Leaving part-time work and moving to London. It seems like a common trend with a lot of people I know, but there’s a certain relentless buzz of a capital city which is so important for a freelance creative starting out. Being around people whose work I admire, collaborating on projects, and fully immersing myself in the industry helped me develop.
What were some of the challenges in launching your creative career?
One of the largest challenges was working around my job in a restaurant to develop a body of work. Finding the time to do that was difficult, and my social life at the time suffered as a result. From there, getting enough regular design work to support myself financially was a big hurdle to overcome.
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
The TFL campaign for ‘New Spacious Trains’ on the Underground was a nice moment. The job came in soon after I had moved to London, and was the first time I’d actually felt proud of a piece of work I had produced. I’m currently working on a 3-year ongoing project with Studio Pensom and SMOKE Creatives for The Canal & River Trust, illustrating the covers of Waterfront magazine. They’re shaping up to be a really good set of images, and I’m very thankful to be part of the project.
What would be your dream project or job, or is it already on your resume?
I would love to work on a modern-day film poster with a top director, much in the vein of S. Bass / A. Hitchcock. Or produce something for BAFTA, Cannes, The Oscars… But I'm dreaming.
How would you define the London creative scene?
Vibrant. Driven. Relentless.
How do you see the creative landscape shifting in the UK/Europe?
I’d find it hard to predict to be honest. People have been saying for years now that print media will die out soon, but it only seems to be going from strength to strength, much in the same way vinyl has had a massive popular resurgence. I see new magazines, publications and exciting print work emerging all over the place. I can only hope that we don’t loose our connection to tactile things… even though most of my day is spent staring at a computer screen.
If not here, where would you most like to live?
Rural Japan. I’d like to live somewhere totally alien to London and the UK for a couple of years.
Who are your biggest creative influences?
In my personal work, I take a lot of influence from film, old and new. I see Paul Thomas Anderson, Steve McQueen, Damien Chazelle and Alejandro González Iñárritu as some of the finest directors working today, and I always make an effort to catch their films in the cinema. Other than that I pretty much worship these late image makers - Eyvind Earle, Moebius, Fumio Watanabe and Saul Bass.
What scares you most about making creativity your career?
The need to work for money taking over the love of making art.
One book, one album, one movie, one show. Go.
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
Hail To The Thief - Radiohead
There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson / Robert Elswit
True Detective - Cary Fukunaga / Nic Pizzolatto
What is your most treasured possession?
My 1970s Zieleman ‘Type Special’ racer. It's the oldest possession I own, and I use it daily to transport me around the city - mainly to and from work.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A downhill mountain bike rider of all things. We used to have a downhill track near my house in the countryside growing up, where the top teams in the UK would come to ride on the weekends. I used to go down there with my mates from school and watch guys launch themselves off dirt jumps that towered over our heads. It was the coolest thing ever.
What do you do when Not Working?
Going to gigs, traveling to and from Brighton, spending time with my girlfriend, indulging in computer games, visiting galleries and hibernating at the cinema.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard or received that all creatives should hear?
I said something along the lines of this in another interview a few years back, and I think it's just as apt now as it was then… Take advice with a pinch of salt, others' experiences may not apply or work for you. Just make work.
Who are some WNW members whose work you admire and why?
Janne Iivonen - A fantastic Brighton based Illustrator, with some of the best character-based figures in the game.
Kate Copeland - Without a doubt the most talented person working with brush and ink today, she depicts photorealism with a truly unique eye. Based in London.
Adam Avery - The Norwich work-horse with a vibrant use of colour and an always interesting collection of graphic shapes in his compositions.
What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
I'm working on a variety of projects at the moment, a couple I can’t talk about. Right now I'm on the next installment of Waterfront mag, a drink's bottle label, and some illustration work for a south-west music event.
Discover more creative talent and projects like this on Working Not Working.
If you're a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share, email us.
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
WNW Members Dan Lumb and Crinan Cambell, the directing duo that goes by The Queen, aren't afraid to experiment with different techniques and styles. It's what keeps their work fresh, inviting their audience into the unexpected with each and every project. In our interview below, The Queen takes us on a tour of some portfolio highlights and shares how each endeavor allowed them to hone their collaboration and approach, and add new weapons to their collective visual arsenal.
Dan and Crinan also clearly see the London creative scene as an ideal environment teeming with energy. Their reverence is on full display here: "Production companies, galleries, and agencies are all being priced out of Soho and going east, and these amazing, fun pockets like Hackney Wick and Manor House are cropping up. It’s really competitive because there are so many people chasing the same opportunities, but that’s what gets the best work...The opportunities are coming from all directions, and places you wouldn’t expect."
Tell us a bit about The Queen’s creative background. Who are Dan & Crinan and how did they get here?
It was a bit like a scene from Seven Samurai - we met each other soon after moving to London - both fresh out of art college, doing odd jobs around Soho - camera assisting, editing, and cleaning stains off porcelain. Keen and green, we’d be shooting tests with borrowed kit, working long into the night. First out of necessity, we started helping each other out. The stuff we were making very quickly became more advanced and, well, just better, and we realised that with two heads and four eyes we were more than a specky monster. Many adverts, music videos, short films, and branded-online-advertorial-video-content later, we’ve done all sorts of work in all sorts of amazing places, and are having epic adventures all along the way. High-fives riding into sunset, as credits begin to roll.
What is it about the other’s creative style or personality that made them an ideal creative partner for you?
Generally, Dan’s the one who is very impulsive and just spews out stuff. Crinan has a more calm and logical approach, which aligns everything, then we question and layer things to make them better and better. The creative-ping-pong makes the initial ideas fast, then the refining takes a little longer - we recommend burgers over all other food for late night working. In commercials, with the number of meetings, conversations, and often nervy clients, we find it really helps to sell ideas and concepts as a duo (Crinan flutters his eyelids - Dan rambles).
What do you see as the turning point in The Queen’s creative development and career thus far?
When you’re working from scripts that you’ve been given, it can be quite hard to carve out your style as a director. Most of the times we’ve really made a jump to a new place or direction is when we’ve made something off our own backs - be it a music video, a short film, or just a camera test that you can show people. That’s when you realise how important it is to keep doing those side-projects; otherwise, you end up being typecast and being employed to basically the same job you’ve done before. We haven’t yet been shoved into one of the directing boxes - kids, cars, beauty, food etc. It’s useful to be typecast to get work, but through making our own stuff, we’ve been lucky enough to get a broad range of scripts which we’ve been able to treat with executions that tell those stories in unusual ways that we find fun to watch.
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
It was mega low-budget, but sort of cemented our art direction style. The original script had a drawing of a balloon popping, and that was about it! We were lucky that the creatives totally trusted us. We’re always surprised and amazed when we look back at the first tests and treatments for each job and see what they eventually evolved into. This one’s a prime example of saying ‘yes’ to something and seeing where it can end up.
The combination of edit style and subtle visual tricks while maintaining a genuine emotion is what we’ve notice in a lot of other people’s stuff we love, and we always try to achieve this where we can. It’s important to layer in those pleasing, unexpected moments which trick the brain, and force you to think more about what you’re watching.
We like this one as everyone thinks it’s CG, but it’s not! The whole thing is stop-motion animated over seven long basement days, with two incredibly talented stop-motion animators. It’s so good to get the chance to push established techniques in new ways. We based the camera work on 90’s skate videos - low angles and fisheye lenses - and all the skate moves were studied frame-by-frame from life, which is why he throws his weight so believably. It was a lovely idea that was incredibly satisfying to craft.
What would be your dream project or job, or is it already on your resume?
We’d love to get a few more narrative projects and combine all the technical stuff that we've developed over the years, which is why we write that sort of stuff into our short films. We really love visual storytelling, so working with lots of actors on a tightly choreographed, technique-driven, narrative number, in multiple countries would be it for us. ..oh, and a feature film.
Who do you see as the best brands, agencies, or studios to work with, in the UK?
We really like the recent Under Armour campaigns and the Nike women stuff has been ace. We’ve seen some really great scripts out of BBH and Havas, recently. Also the Ikea stuff out of Mother and the Volvo stuff out of Grey.
How would you define the London creative scene?
London’s so varied, and constantly evolving, which is the fun of it. Production companies, galleries, and agencies are all being priced out of Soho and going east, and these amazing, fun pockets like Hackney Wick and Manor House are cropping up. It’s really competitive because there are so many people chasing the same opportunities, but that’s what gets the best work.
How do you see the creative landscape shifting in the UK/Europe?
Advertising’s in a massive transition, and everyone’s still trying to figure out what on earth’s going on - it’s brilliant. Content-creation wise, people are slowly realising that asking for one good film will get you a much better result than 4 films for the same budget, but it’s a situation which never really goes away.
The opportunities are coming from all directions, and places you wouldn’t expect: PR companies, small boutique start-up places from one desk, clients and agencies coming straight to us with freelance producers, all mixing in with the big guys. You’ve just gotta keep open to adapting to however they want to work and wearing lots of hats if need be.
If not here, where would you most like to live?
Dan: I’d live in France.
Crinan: Edinburgh would be nice - anywhere with a long history, and lots of space.
We do half-and-half international work at the moment, and Skype from home most of the time, so in theory, we could be wherever we wanted, but unfortunately nothing really beats a face-to-face.
Who are your biggest creative influences?
There’s way too many but here’s a solid few giants: Martin de Thurah, Kasper Tuxen, Tom Kuntz, Koen Mortier, The Daniels, Andreas Nilsson, Bjork, Dougal Wilson, Jacques Audiard, Megaforce, CANADA, Goldie, Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt, John Hillcoat, Steve Annis, Trevor Robinson, Nirvana, Joanna Newsom, Daniel Wolfe, Paul Thomas Anderson, Martin Krejci, Sam Brown, Chris Hewitt.
What scares you most about making creativity your career?
Losing that thing that made us start doing it in the first place. We were born out of the self-shooting three-men-and-a-van style of filmmaking. The landscape has already shifted massively in this direction, and long may it continue.
One book, one movie, one show, from each of you. Go.
Dan: The Log from the Sea of Cortez, Magnolia, Baywatch
Crinan: The Etymologicon, Natural Born Killers, Crimewatch
What do you do when Not Working?
Cooking, writing, watching early '90s rave videos on Youtube, D.I.Y. Dad Stuff (double denim on the weekends).
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard or received that all creatives should hear?
Dan asked Ringan Ledwidge for advice a couple of years ago, and he sent some great nuggets. Among others: “Spec ads are kind of a waste of time, as creatives don't really take them seriously and don't really look beyond the idea. Music videos however I think are really worth pursuing; you can show them more of who you guys are. A lot of the guys I now work with were at the bottom of the ladder when we met, we became mates and supported each other and went up together. Basically don't wait for the work to come to you, which I'm sure you're not: go after it.”
Who are some WNW members whose work you admire and why?
There are loads of great photographers and illustrators that are fantastic for inspiration - it’s great to see. Creative-wise, there are some amazing people whose stuff we love: Patrick Burns, Richard Beer, Theo Bayani - all brilliant!
What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
We’re finishing the script on a new short, working on two animated commercials for the US and pitching stuff in the meantime - in for tomorrow. If that happens we’ll be doing that!
Discover more creative talent and projects like this on Working Not Working. If you're a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, or news to share, email us.
Earlier this week, we featured WNW Member Michael Carney and his design work with The Black Keys and a range of other artists both classic and contemporary. Given his work in the music industry, we figured we'd hit him up for a list of albums we should go check out immediately. Below, we present some songs from those albums, in no particular order. There are some Black Keys tunes off of their LP Brothers and EP Chulahoma, two of the many albums whose covers showcase Carney's craft. There's also some Captain Beefheart that's more washed in blues than acid, some avant-garde Eno, as well as an offering of The Cramps, Serge Gainsbourg, and everything in between.
Read MoreNo pressure for all these authors, memoirists, and poets, but the bar is set pretty high before even getting past the dust jacket.
Read MorePhoto by Laura Carney
You've undoubtedly encountered his album artwork for some of rock music's most notable acts, both classic and contemporary. We talk to Carney below about his creative journey from his background in Akron to his current design practice in Nashville. He gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his early start designing album covers, posters, t-shirts, and flyers for his brother Patrick's band The Black Keys, and how that culminated in a Grammy for his work on their 2011 album Brothers.
Read MoreMIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
WNW Member Jing Zhang has lived in London for over 10 years, and she doesn't play down its influence. "This city changes lots of people’s dreams and life paths, including mine." During her time in London, Jing has seen her career as an illustrator develop and flourish. In our interview below, Jing opens up about some of the challenges of pursuing a creative career, specifically in regards to pricing yourself and your work. She also shares her dream to have her work printed on a jumbo jet, references London's investment in creativity through the lens of the TFL, and predicts how the creative landscape may shift in the UK. "Despite the political uncertainty ahead, I think the future of the UK’s creative industry is actually shaped by the internet. The way clients and freelancers work will become more borderless; it will be less important where you’re based."
Tell us a bit about your creative background. Who is Jing and how did she get here?
I was born and raised in Southern China. I've been living in London since 10 years ago, where I now make it my home. This city changes lots of people’s dreams and life paths, including mine. In 2007 I took my first commission from Computer Arts to illustrate their cover when I was a student. This has paved my way to becoming an illustrator today.
How would you describe your creative style? Do you recognize a signature style that links most of your projects, or do you try to excuse yourself and approach each project as its own entity?
My illustration style is architectural, graphical, infographic. From project to project the style might differ. But the general theme is to give all my illustrations a big world in a small frame with lots of tiny people. They can be flat, isometric, 3D. I don't claim to own a certain style. But it is what I find very interesting at the moment and have been the most passionate about.
What do you see as the turning point in your creative development and career?
Perhaps it's the point when I left my full-time job which lasted for five whole years. In the latest 2 years of my full-time job, I started taking lots of "moonlight shifts." I got more and more commission work, so much that I started to lose my personal time and weekends. So I started my real career in 2014 concentrating on my illustrations. I don't even call myself a freelancer as I am selling my products rather than just my skills and time.
What were some of the challenges in launching your creative career?
The difficult part would be pricing myself in the market. Everyone is different, you simply can't apply someone else's experience and price card on your own. On top of that, my customers come from all over the world with different markets and different values for creative work. This added more complexity to my non-existing price card. I had my agents but honestly no one really knows your price better than yourself. And it takes years of experience to get to know that. No, I still don't have a price card.
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
The Imaginary Factory project got me started with my career as an illustrator;
The Recipe Card project kept me going.
The Heys Luggage is my first packaging project.
Legoland map is my first theme park map project.
My illustration for Dubai Expo went exhibiting around Dubai as a sculpture. It was my true honor to be a part of it.
What would be your dream project or job, or is it already on your resume?
In my mind, a typical dream job would be a well-established brand knocking on my door and saying, "Hey, here is some money and please do whatever you want." But my type of dream job would be having my work printed on a jumbo jet. I don’t have anything like that in my portfolio yet. I will tell you when I do although I don’t think I ever will. But I think about it every day. :)
Where are the best places to work in the UK?
Not sure if I'm stating the obvious. But it can't be anywhere else than London. It's such a great city encouraging all kinds of creative work.
How would you define the London creative scene?
It's fast-paced, open-minded, and diverse. To start with, TFL (Transport for London) is probably the best example of a London corporation that embraces creativity so well. London underground feels like a gallery for commuters and a battleground for all advertisers. TFL also fuels up the creative scene with their own vivid seasonal campaigns.
East London is also home to many brilliant creative studios and world-renowned artists. When you walk into a kebab shop in Dalston, it’s very likely you’ll see the art legends George and Gilbert having their meals next to you.
How do you see the creative landscape shifting in the UK & Europe?
Despite the political uncertainty ahead, I think the future of the UK’s creative industry is actually shaped by the internet. The way clients and freelancers work will become more borderless; it will be less important where you’re based.
In terms of creative style, Europeans keep a lot of local tradition whilst the British would very much like to try everything. e.g. the hand-drawn look has been popular for a long time in France whilst lots of Nordics will favor minimalism. British might just like them all.
If not here, where would you most like to live?
Porto, Amsterdam, Hanoi, Kyoto, just to name a few.
Who are your biggest creative influences?
My husband, WNW Member James Wignall. He’s a super talented animation director who brought me to the creative world.
What scares you most about making creativity your career?
I wracked my brain for an answer. But there really isn’t anything serious. If there needs to be one, I’d say that I’m constantly paranoid about “oh no, people don’t like my work anymore, because I have fewer likes from this project than the last one." It’s silly but we are sensitive.
One book, one album, one movie, one show. Go.
Sleep Tight (Rachel Abbot)
Innerworld (Electric Youth)
Spirited Away (I’ve watched it probably over 10 times)
Black Mirror
What is your most treasured possession?
Most of my plants. I have recently obtained a pilea peperomioides. Oh my gosh it is so beautiful.
What do you do when Not Working?
Having some time away is very important for me. I usually go away around 2 months a year. In the last year, I spent 4 months traveling around the world. It was very refreshing.
In my spare time, I just stare at my plants. I’m growing over 50+ species in my balcony, enough to keep me away from the computer every now and then.
What’s your motto?
"Keep your eyes on the prize."
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard or received that all creatives should hear?
Stay inspired. Stay excited.
You should keep finding time for personal projects. The benefits of personal projects are so much more than you think, in your career, in bringing better clients, also in mental health.
What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
I’m working on my cocktail recipe project. It’s a project that connects the recipe with local culture. I learn a lot through the process. I’ve tried lots of new things outside of my skillsets (3D texturing and creative writing). It is my zen garden time after my commercial work.
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
On the eve of our trip to London, we figured we'd get the lowdown from WNW Member Chris Vanderhurst. After only a month in London, Chris still feels like a seasoned tourist more than an official resident but he's excited to break into the UK's freelance scene. Chris also tells us about his creative successes and challenges, why he loves London advertising's use of the word "middleweight" in place of "midlevel," and offers some advice on the importance of choosing battles wisely.
Tell us a bit about your creative background. Who is Chris and how did he get here?
I ask myself these questions almost every day. I started my career in Chicago after portfolio school, then LA, then to New York, and now London thanks to my girlfriend’s lucrative job offer and my inability to cope with certain election outcomes. There’s never really been a concrete plan or job offer in advance, but things have a way of working out if you’re willing to put in the work and not be an asshole.
People should move more often. There’s neat stuff out there.
How would you describe your creative style? Do you recognize a signature style that links most of your projects, or do you try to excuse yourself and approach each project as its own entity?
I’d like to say I don’t have a particular creative style because every brand and project is going to have its own unique solution. What works for BMW might not work for Google. I’ve always been more interested in solving the advertising puzzle than imposing a style onto a project that might not call for it. It’s why I ended up as an art director instead of a designer, and why I consider myself more of a problem-solver than artist (despite what my mom thinks).
What do you see as the turning point in your creative development and career?
There isn’t an exact date and time I can point at, but there was a point in my career I took pride in working weekends. But putting in 80 hours a week for 6 months straight isn’t something to be proud of. Thankfully, I’ve gotten at least a tiny bit wiser and stopped mistaking activity for productivity because it’s really easy to forget that this is all just advertising. It’s that whole “work to live, don’t live to work” thing.
What were some of the challenges in launching your creative career?
Getting a foot in the door is absolutely the hardest part for me. I’ve had the good fortune of employers generally wanting me to stick around long after my first freelance project wraps up, but it’s surprising to me how difficult—and panic inducing—it still is to get a recruiter’s attention in the first place. Fortunately, sites like WnW can help alleviate that. (Look at that shameless plug!)
Which of your projects are you proudest of and why?
I’ll go with our HBO Escape event for a few reasons. First and foremost, it was crazy cool to see Timothy Simmons (Jonah from Veep) pop up on my twitter saying “holy shit this is great” while he is in the middle of something I was brainstorming 3 months prior. Beyond that, it was satisfying because my partner and I had never really done any kind of event, but we still managed to impress our clients enough to take it on the road to SXSW.
What would be your dream project or job, or is it already on your resume?
The dream job is always the next one. I feel like we’re all on the hunt for it, and that’s part of the fun. I’ve worked with brands that I truly adore (and brands that no one does), but the truth is that there is no such thing as the perfect agency or golden brief that is going to be everything you’ve ever dreamt of. The trick is finding something to fall in love with wherever you are at the moment.
All of that being said: astronaut.
You’re new to London. From what you’ve seen so far, how does the London creative scene compare to that of New York and Los Angeles?
It’s hard to say because a month in, I still feel like I’m playing tourist. So far London has hidden the endearingly rough edges and eccentric personality you accidentally stumble upon in New York and LA, but I’m excited to find them.
I will, however, say their term “middleweight” is significantly cooler than “midlevel.” This distinction should be applied across the entire agency structure so my business card can someday read “Chris Vanderhurst. Heavyweight Champion Art Director”
How have you seen the industry shift from when you first started your career?
There was a glorious time not long ago that I thought an “influencer” was just the cool kid in high school who encouraged bad decisions.
If not in London, where would you most like to live?
I think Portland would be next on my list. Or maybe Austin, the Portland of the south.
Who are your biggest creative influences?
At the risk of sounding sentimental, I have to say it’s my late professor and friend, Robert Sedlack. He was the heart and soul of the Notre Dame graphic design program who opened my eyes to the power of design as a tool to solve problems, not just make powerpoints look pretty.
What scares you most about making creativity your career?
The fear that I’m a total hack who has already come up with my last decent idea, and there are a million 18-year-olds out there that are more naturally and terrifyingly talented than I ever will be. Fortunately, this fear consumes only most of my time.
One book, one album, one movie, one show. Go.
The Bone Clocks, The White Stripes’ Elephant, Battered Bastards of Baseball, The Simpsons (the early stuff. obviously.)
What is your most treasured possession?
Do my two cats count? Other than that, a pillow I had embroidered with a Run the Jewels lyric that Killer Mike retweeted.
What do you do when Not Working?
Putting 3 hours of anxiety-fueled research into where to eat dinner, or traveling an embarrassing amount of distance to play Mario Kart and drink beers with friends.
What is your motto?
I’m not the type of person that claims to have a motto. Is that a motto?
What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard or received that all creatives should hear?
“You guys. It’s just a fucking Instagram post.” - midmeeting from an exasperated creative director to an overzealous team. There are absolutely problems out there worth fighting for, but a little perspective goes a long way. Choose battles wisely.
What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
My job right now subsists of finding a job and making sure my cats don’t tear up the furniture.
Photo by Sapan Patel on Unsplash
Working Not Working is taking to the London streets this coming week. After a jaunt around Copenhagen and Amsterdam at the start of summer, we decided to hop back across the pond with a return to London. We hope to catch up with our London-based Members, or anyone willing to make the trip to one of our events.
Read MoreMIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
13 One Show Pencils this year. 7 consecutive ADC "School of the Year" awards. The numbers don't lie. Below, we talk to WNW Member Frank Anselmo about the "Unconventional Advertising" class he founded and teaches at The School of Visual Arts, and how he has a built a winning culture that looks likely to continue pushing fresh ideas and collecting more hardware. Offering insights into his teaching approach that he's never shared before, Anselmo calls out conventional advertising, shares some of his favorite "unconventional" ideas from his students, and opens up about the lessons he's learned from his students.
I was first asked to teach an advertising class after three years working in the industry but turned it down. I wanted to first produce an extensive body of award-winning work to prove to myself I’ve earned the right to teach. When students are impressed by their professor’s work, you have the power to command a room with authority.
After seven years working at BBDO New York, the idea for a new type of ad class struck me. In the late 90’s-early 00’s, BBDO was known as a TV agency, but I was riding a streak of producing a string of non-TV ideas that were receiving global recognition. This work did not fit the standard mediums of the time. Some called them “non-traditional,” “innovative,“ or “unconventional.” There was not a category for this type of work. It was before digital became a standard medium. Ultimately one of my ideas won BBDO their first ever One Show Gold Pencil for a non-TV idea. It sparked other agency creatives to begin presenting all sorts of alternate media ideas. There was a newfound sense of hope that you could stand out without getting the great TV brief.
That unconventional work I produced would inspire the idea for a new type of class focused solely on unconventional ideas. A class where you can’t just do a print or digital ad. Your idea had to break new ground conceptually and also with the medium it lived in. Before I wrote my course proposal, I researched all the other ad schools in the world to see if anyone offered a class anything like this but none did. I submitted my proposal to The School of Visual Arts in New York and it was instantly greenlit. The Unconventional Advertising program now known globally as “The Most Awarded Ad Class In History” was born.
Since day one, the mantra of the class has been the Bob Dylan lyric, “Those not being born are busy dying.” The program would have failed long ago if we did not constantly reinvent how existing mediums are used as well as invent completely new mediums for ideas to live. I designed the class so we’re never forcing ideas into predetermined mediums. We let the ideas tell us where they want to live. It’s a highly detailed, finished-piece class where having an original idea is only half the battle. Great ideas executed poorly look like bad ideas. Each year, the amount of time I spend developing strategies for class projects increases. I get excited knowing that before students begin working on an assignment, our strategic message is something interestingly different than anything you’ve ever heard that brand, product or service communicate.
Anything that reminds me of anything I’ve seen before is conventional. At a recent award show, I saw a cool idea where a museum dinosaur exhibit comes to life while looking through your phone. The next time I see anything transform through a phone, it will have the stank of an idea I’ve already seen. The highest percentage of killed ideas in my class are digital ideas for that reason. When everyone in the world is using the same technology, ideas are going to feel too similar and easy. I see ad agencies frequently pump out the 2nd & 3rd versions of ideas we’ve already seen but wearing different makeup. In class, I use these rip-off ideas as examples to make sure students see right through knock-off ideas without being fooled by design. The bar is insanely high in the Unconventional Advertising class. Repeating anything anyone’s ever done professionally or as students is the kiss of death.
A lot of geekery, focus and insanity goes into the program. Each of the past eleven years has been its own era of work we’ve never created anything like. After the first 5 years, I learned the class has single-handedly won more One Show Pencils, ADC Cubes & Clio Statues than any entire school in the world. I’m not bragging. (Okay, maybe just a little) As insane as those results are to process, it’s more daunting trying to replicate results the following year. That’s why I only look back on our past work to show students what they can no longer do. I attack each new year like we’ve accomplished nothing great before and must make a name for ourselves. Joe DiMaggio was once asked how he got a hit in a record 56 consecutive games. His response was: “There is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first time. I owe him my best.” That always stuck in my head. I’m constantly reminding myself new students have not seen the massive amount of award-winning work we’ve created the past 11 years. So each new year I hit the mental reset button so I know I’m giving students everything I’ve got. Somehow the past 5 years of the class shattered all the records we set previously.
There’s this great documentary called “Last Play at Shea” where a sequence of match-cuts show Billy Joel at the piano from when he was young through now. You see him go bald. Billy says something to the effect of “when you’re up there performing, your entire life of performances goes into that one single show. You’re giving the audience everything you’ve ever learned at that moment.” I never heard any artist put it like that. It’s exactly how I feel when I do the class each year. After dedicating over a decade of life with numerous late nights and bonus weekends helping students develop & execute ideas, the many thousands of critiques & revisions that led to all the award-winning work comes into play. I’m better now than I was last year because each year is so dense.
A bag that creates the illusion the customer has a Lego hand.
Since this is WNW, I’ll share three key things about the class I’ve never shared publicly:
GEEKERY: Before I did my very first class 11 years ago, I purchased every single One Show annual dating back to the 60’s. I spent the summer digesting every single ad in search of those which broke new ground in their time. I then manually scanned in the most innovative work one-by-one since none of that early work exists online. I put together the definitive, chronological, unconventional advertising presentation that’s become the nucleus of my program. Knowing the history is crucial since repeating it is the kiss of death. Each year the presentation has grown. Several agencies, award shows, and organizations have asked for a copy of the presentation. Each time, I respectfully decline since it’s something I created just for the students brave enough to take my class. Pimping it out would take away from one of the things that defines and sets the class apart.
FOCUS: In a class where the idea is king, I have a strict no-technology rule. Since the very first class, I’ve been collecting every student’s phone before starting each class. I’d never be able to stand up there and focus knowing any student would fathom even glancing at their phone during class. I’ve never seen myself as a teacher. I’m more of an awakener. Many have said I operate more like a sports coach in class. You can’t awaken and inspire someone who is distracted. I require students only bring their brains, ears, and eyes.
INSANITY: I’ve worked with numerous students and also professional creatives who work hard but never quite reach that next level of greatness. Working hard is not enough to stand out when many around the world are also working hard. You need to be insanely passionate. Young talent is not born passionate. They need to see it with their own eyes and hopefully it rubs off. That’s why in the second semester I do insane shit like hold full-week, all-day revision marathon sessions in the lab starting at 6AM on the weekend of Spring Break. When students first hear I do this, they look at me like I’m crazy–as they should. I turn down months of freelance creative director work that pays handsomely. Any sane person would not make such financial sacrifices. I was watching a Steve Jobs interview and he crystallized this notion: “If you don’t have passion, any rational person would give up. The ones who are successful loved what they did so they could persevere when it got very tough. The ones that didn’t love it, quit.” It gives me chills hearing that every time. YouTube “Steve Jobs rules for success” to hear the man speak those words. Simply amazing. Here’s to the crazy ones.
Motion-activated billboards blow air at pedestrians who pass by.
Great question but it’s like asking me which are my favorite children–if I had hundreds. Working on The One Show Student Competition has been a tradition in my class every year and has led to some of our most innovative work. You can see all our past winning work on the One Show site. I’m a huge ambassador of that competition because everyone works on the same exact brief. It’s the purest competition.
There’s an idea that traveled way beyond a student piece. After Steve Jobs passed, I felt as the unconventional class it was our duty to do something for one of the most unconventional thinkers in history. Students presented many ideas, but I only felt strongly about one idea. We named it “The Steve Jobs Moment of Silence.” An 8-second silent audio file launched on iTunes and downloaded for 99¢. The 8 seconds symbolized the 8 years Steve Jobs fought pancreatic cancer and all the proceeds were donated to research. What really turned me on about this idea was that it’s a tribute that existed on the very device Steve Jobs created. After it became an official state-registered non-for-profit, it officially launched on iTunes. Amazingly, a junior team came up with this idea and just the three of us created & produced it soup-to-nuts through my company. I don’t think a junior team in any ad class in the world ever produced an idea from class that went on to win a professional One Show Pencil, ADC Cube, Clio Statue and D&AD. This idea has come to symbolize the unlimited potential of the class.
I see student ideas as being just as real as professionally produced work. Just because student ideas are not produced does not make the actual ideas any less real. Thanks to award shows, the great work from the class is documented on their sites for posterity just like agency work. Thanks to award show sites, agency creatives can no longer steal student work without embarrassing themselves.
*Some of Frank's favorite projects and campaigns from his past classes are featured throughout this article.
While watching movie trailers on YouTube, banner ads come alive to demonstrate this projection tablet.
No, because once I approve an idea, I’m instantly the creative director on their team. It’s a feeling of relief when someone comes in with a great idea since without ideas we’re dead. I don’t let any of my students touch a computer until they have an original idea. The average age of my students is 19-21. If I compare myself at that age with what my students are doing, then yes for sure I’m jealous with how advanced some students are today.
In the very early days of The Beatles, they honed their performance skills in Hamburg playing numerous shows daily before ever entering a recording studio. Hamburg was their training ground. My decade at BBDO turned out to be the training ground for my class. I was lucky to be there at a time when I got to work with many of the greats who landed there like Gerry Graf, Eric Silver, David Lubars, Greg Hahn, etc.
But what’s inspired me and ultimately the class on a whole other level has been freelancing the past 8 years at over 50 agencies. You only learn a handful of things working at a handful of agencies. Thanks to freelancing I’ve added numerous weapons to the class artillery. One of my favorite WNW jobs was a month at Apple headquarters in Cupertino. When I got back and shared my experience with the class, I could see their eyes and ears expanding. It makes a huge difference to students knowing their professor is out there doing it as opposed to working at one agency your whole career reviewing your 401K.
When I first began teaching I thought the students who were the most cocky and tough were the ones who would survive my class, but I was completely wrong. In around my third year I noticed a pattern in the students creating award-winning work. The most sensitive ones became the stars. The most vulnerable students who take every single critique to heart are the ones who end up doing the most impressive work because they simply care more.
For sure. When I was a student, everyone focused on creating print ads. It was much harder to stand out since everyone was playing in the same sandbox. It was easier to see who were the talented ones. Today it’s distracting looking at books. Most students try riding the wave of using new technology in their work and student books end up blending into each other. I’m impressed when I see a really great print campaign today. It’s still the most challenging medium to stand out on a flat page.
Peel off these stickers and you’re taking part in the atrocity of skinning these animals alive.
There’s not any one way. It’s intuitively inspired by the idea itself. Frequently when an idea is presented in class and works well in the medium it's presented in, I still stop and ask the class if it can be even stronger executed in a different medium. One year I had a student also execute a poster idea as a t-shirt. The poster got a merit at the One Show while the t-shirt version won a Gold. I let ideas tell me where they want to live.
For sure. Some of my most memorable gigs have come from WNW. Not to mention all the great creative partners I’ve met through WNW. In this freelance game, creatives must have a few go-to partners unless you’re already married to one partner. This way you can both help each other land jobs and bring each other into agencies.
I’ve turned down ECD level staff jobs to build the Unconventional Advertising program since I’d never be able to devote the required time to my students taking on a bigger role at an agency. Freelance jobs I’ve landed on WNW have given me the ability to both work at ad agencies and also run my ad program. With a staff job, the time I’d be able to offer students would be minimal. My classes are like two classes in one since we execute ideas to the finest detail. There’s no way to do it fast. Sometimes we go 100 revisions deep before we finish a single idea. I’ve never looked at a clock or an empty cup of coffee.
James Kuczynski holds the all-time student record by winning 6 One Show Pencils in my class–then went on to do amazing things at BBDO and beyond. Lauren Hom started her own company and does with lettering what Jimi Hendrix did with guitar. Jeseok Yi was in my very first class and is now one of the most famous guys in Korea with a book about him. It’s most gratifying to me when the thinking developed in the unconventional class inspires students to create beyond advertising.
Jeff Greenspan’s work is brilliant. Everything he does has a message that’s delivered simply but in such a cleverly unexpected manner. Justin Gignac is also great. He did wantsforsale and NYC Garbage. No idea what the hell he’s done since.
Music videos of artists who were gunned down are posted on YouTube. Little do viewers know the videos will be abruptly cut short by bullets.
–The Clash’s Sandanista is a big double album with lots of random stuff but there are some real gems on it.
–The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper & Revolver always top the greatest albums list but Magical Mystery Tour has to be their most underrated album that would surely be any other band's greatest hour.
–Green Day’s 2nd album Kerplunk! which came out two years before their acclaimed breakout Dookie is such an inspired and perfectly produced album.
–The Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique is usually the #1 choice of fans and rightfully so, but go back and listen to Hello Nasty straight through. It’s rare to hear a cohesive sounding album with a common audio thread, but all the tracks still sounding so diverse.
–Under Great White Northern Lights, a live album by The White Stripes, bewilders me that only 2 people are creating that big sound all with their hands and not any computer trickery.
Advertising creatives: if you really want to be a pure creative director in the full sense of the word, do a class. Leading a class is the only way you’ll ever focus 100% on creative without having to deal with business riff-raff and tons of meetings. Every year in my program I make decisions on over 30,000 ideas presented to me. Most creative directors don’t do that in a lifetime. Being a CD at an agency will be a walk in the park after running a concept-to-execution class. It’s being a creative director on steroids.
There’s definitely an attitude in the class that’s ultimately injected into the work which is unmistakably New York, the birthplace of creative advertising. I can’t imagine a class like this existing anywhere else in the world. I thank WNW for doing this first ever in-depth interview about this crazy thing that’s taken a huge chunk of my life the past decade. It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my professional career and made possible thanks to the Chairman of the department, the great Richard Wilde. I thank all the students who have traveled from all over the world just to take my class. Lastly I thank the great Luke Sullivan, author of the greatest advertising book ever written, Hey Whipple, Squeeze This. I read it as a student and have since made it a requirement for all my students on the first day of class. As karma has it, Mr. Sullivan recently graced me with the incredible honor of being a contributor to the latest edition of this most legendary book. One of the highest honors I’ve ever received and I’m forever grateful. If you’re an ad creative and never read Hey Whipple, well... then you’re not an ad creative. Yeah, I said it!
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
WNW Member Matthew Wyne's latest ongoing project Letters and Liquor is the epitome of a labor of love. "Three years ago I read an article on how to make a Manhattan, decided to surprise my wife with some date-night mixology, and became obsessed with cocktails. She liked the drink, but even more than that, I could tell that she liked the stories I was able to tell her about the components of the drink." From there, the deep-dive research began and continues. Each drink in the encyclopedic series contains a full history, a detailed explanation of the ingredients, a recipe, and finally the creative considerations behind the custom lettering Matthew used to render the drink’s name.
In our interview below, Matthew tells us how talking about liquor has brought him out of his shell, what cocktails he turns to the most, and how research is a fundamental and driving force in his creative process. "When I research something and begin to learn the details of what came before, I start seeing ways I can build off of that material to create something new that, hopefully, gives others the same excitement." To support Matthew on this front, share this project with your friends and followers and, just as importantly, learn how to make these drinks for your friends and tell their stories.
The depths to which Matthew goes with this ongoing endeavor is nothing short of staggering. After you read the interview and get a sampler of the project below, we strongly encourage you to head to Letters and Liquor. You'll learn more than just fun trivia; you'll get a glimpse into a unique historical perspective that highlights not just human history's alcoholic dependency but also its ingenuity, resourcefulness, and spirit.
Studied design at the Creative Circus. Got a job as an art director at Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Got fired. Got a job as a designer at Venables Bell & Partners. Got fired. Started freelancing with a lot of help from WNW Member Ivan Cash, who emailed his clients on my behalf and got me on Working Not Working. Finally got the guts to study type design at the Cooper Union because my then-fiancé-now-wife believed in me, and that was where I started to find my niche. Once I combined lettering and cocktails, my career path became much more clear.
After getting fired twice, I realized I might never find a mentor who could help me figure out how to build a career, so I tried to become my own Creative Director: identify my strengths, build on them, put out work that helps me attract more work in that style. In the beginning, a fair amount of that work was unpaid or discount-priced. There was a period when I worked so much (and slept so little) that I started having panic attacks. There was a period when I spent nights and weekends reading books on business, learning how to structure projects and contracts. There was a period when I spent a lot of time designing far beyond the scope of a project because I wanted to make the work great. I put in an extraordinary number of hours, I educated myself constantly, and I built relationships with people because I cared about them and what they were doing. Slowly, that has helped me put together the foundation of a private design practice.
Visually, I think I have executed work in a range of styles. I am much more particular about the style in which a prospective client wants to work. If you care about craft, culture, and getting the details right, I want to work with you. I love diving into new ways of creating things visually, as long as there’s a clear rigor to the way they’re constructed.
The Flip (Late 1600s)
In Colonial days, the literacy rate amongst white men was about 60%. Factor in the large part of the population that this number excludes and it’s no wonder signs were primarily pictorial. The image here draws upon signs from Colonial Williamsburg as well as images from the book Old Tavern Signs by Fritz Endell.
Three years ago I read an article on how to make a Manhattan, decided to surprise my wife with some date-night mixology, and became obsessed with cocktails. She liked the drink, but even more than that, I could tell that she liked the stories I was able to tell her about the components of the drink. I did some quick internet searching before she got home, learned the difference between rye and bourbon, where bitters come from and what vermouth actually is, and the conversation did as much to set the tone of the night as the drinks did. My greatest passions are connecting with people and creating. This project lets me do both.
The Martini (1890s)
The style of the “Martini” lettering comes from a Martini and Rossi ad from the 1890s. The Lithographed cocktail glass was common in bar books at the time. The borders are done in a style seen all over in the last decade of the 19th century.
I am not a bartender. I have a lot of respect for bartenders. The job they do is, in my experience, underappreciated. Standing all day, working for tips, juggling an enormous list of things in your head, managing the stress of a room full of people wanting your attention, some of whom might become unpleasant or abusive, is a demanding job. I have worked hard to develop my skill in composing drinks and I love talking to people about cocktails, but the gigs I do are small, private events with a limited menu and a focus on storytelling.
I’ve had to scale back from my original vision because it would have taken me so much time to produce. It’s a race every week to finish each post and I often feel the panic of being behind, but the creative part of me doesn’t think about time constraints; it just leaps ahead as fast as it can and I try like hell to keep up without sacrificing the rest of my life. This blog is a 52-week project. I already have a pretty clear idea of the next iteration.
The Americano (1860s)
Gaspare Campari and his son David recognized the importance of branding early on. They supported Italy’s great artists and designers with a near unprecedented patronage for the world of spirits. The Campari headquarters outside of Milan is a treasure trove of design and endlessly inspiring. This lettering was inspired by logo work that Nicolaj Diugheroff did for Campari in the 1920s.
I love this question, because when I’m trying to create a new drink, I start with patterns in classic drinks. A Negroni is equal parts base spirit (gin) amaro (Campari) and fortified wine (sweet vermouth). If you substitute rye whiskey for gin and dry vermouth for sweet, you get one of my favorites, the Old Pal. I’ve tweaked that formula by combining, for example, peaty scotch, Cardamaro, and Oloroso sherry to get a rich, nutty drink that’s perfectly customized to my palette. These formulae abound in mixology: the Martini/Manhattan, the Daiquiri/Margarita, the Sazerac/Old Fashioned. A lot of the “custom” drinks you see on menus are based on old patterns. The real challenge as a drink maker is in discovering new models that can be remixed like this.
The Old Fashioned (1870s)
Spirits branding was in its infancy in the 1880s. The predominant practice of the time was to ship spirits in barrels to the bar, where bartenders would transfer the liquor to what were called back bar bottles. These bottles bore labels featuring oblique sans serif letters with gold leaf used as an accent. My illustration blends the look and feel of back bar labels with some more sophisticated lettering styles taken from bitters advertisements of the era.
I don’t feel comfortable starting a project until I’ve done the research. Design is always done within a cultural context, and it’s very important to me to understand the subtle nuances of the culture with which I’m communicating. I think this is where my love for design and my love for cocktails really intersects. My motivation with both is to let people know that I’ve taken the time to really understand them.
If I’m having trouble getting started on something, research always helps. As soon as my mind has that input to chew on it’s going to start digesting, and pretty soon, if you’ll pardon the expression, I start shitting out new ideas. The excitement of trying to bring something new to life is what gets me out of feeling stuck.
Calibogus (Early 1700s)
Rum wasn’t associated with little paper umbrellas and toes-in-the-sand vacations back in the Colonies. Rum was rough. Some folks even used it as paint thinner. This caustic quality gave rum the nickname “Kill-Devil” and folks did some awfully devilish things when on the stuff. The temperance movement started early in America, and engravings illustrating the evils of demon rum tried to staunch the debauchery that plagued the public. My illustration takes a much less partisan view of the situation.
This is a tricky question because I’m guessing what works for me might not work for others. However, for the sake of argument, let’s use hip hop as a metaphor. While rappers, like designers, are expected to be original, quotes and references are a part of both cultures. In the words of Jay Z, “I say a Big verse I’m only bigging up my brother.” That cross pollination is one of the things I love most about hip hop. I still remember the moment* I realized that the vocal sample from Kanye’s “Good Morning” was Elton John from “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” I got fired up. That kind of excitement is what gets my creative mind working. When I research something, and begin to learn the details of what came before, I start seeing ways I can build off of that material to create something new that, hopefully, gives others the same excitement.
*My friend Cooper Smith (WNW) was pulling his truck out of the Creative Circus parking lot and I chased him down on foot. How supreme, Coop?
The Martinez (1880s)
The Martinez is a great drink with Genever, but the Old Tom version is probably the more common, and Old Tom labels from this period do not lack for personality. They all feature a cat, often perched upon a barrel, and the more decorative among them add flourishes to the lettering. In this case, I’ve chosen a trifurcated style that works well with the floral plumage framing our feline friend.
When the “Looking For” mural* got featured on the Atlantic. I hand-lettered personal messages from a woman seeking a boyfriend on an 8’ x 20’ wall. That project was a race against time, so getting it finished without taggers destroying it (which later happened) was a relief; then seeing it shared on such a prestigious and storied platform gave me a lot of pride.
I need a fair amount of alone time every day to feel centered and focused. But, I love the creative dynamic of working with someone who is really passionate, intelligent, and open. My favorite projects have been the ones where my client is my creative partner and I feel really lucky that I’ve had so many of those.
The Daiquiri (Early 1900s)
The illustration here references a copy of the La Florida bar’s souvenir cocktail book. If Bacardi began the popularization of the Daiquiri, Ernest Hemingway completed it, and he was introduced to the Daiquiri by the previously mentioned Constantino at the Floridita (as it was known to locals.) Constantino made 4 signature Daiquiris, all of them very precise, but Hemingway, never one to defer, made Constantino customize the recipe of the Daiquiri number 4 for him, asking for no sugar and twice the rum. This Daiquiri was blended, which you see here in the illustration with the drink piled up above the rim of the glass.
I hope to get to Malcolm Gladwell’s level one day. His podcast, Revisionist history, uses his skill as an investigator and his platform as a writer to make powerful arguments for social justice. Before I was a designer, I thought I was going to be a musician. I couldn’t handle touring so I changed direction, but when we got pregnant I started writing music again. I hope I can record something for our daughter that stands up next to “Morning Phase” by Beck or “Tamer Animals” by Other Lives.
I sing with my daughter. I dance with my daughter. I (try to) do yoga so my back doesn’t hurt so much from sitting at a laptop. And I have long, intense, passionate conversations with my wife.
The Monkey Gland (1920s)
Mr. MacElhone published a book, Harry’s ABC of Mixing Cocktails, and the cover featured the uniquely flourished sans serif lettering you see here. Some of the letters on the original cover are reminiscent of the lettering created by Edward Johnston for the London Underground. And some of them are channeling the earlier pomp of Victorian lettering in a “modern” and monoline style. With the advent of the machine age, serifs and ornament were suddenly old and outdated. Advertising featuring animals, monkeys included, was common for European spirits of the period. This particular illustration uses a photo of MacElhone himself as its starting point.
Ivan Cash inspires me with his belief in his creative vision. His ability to create projects that connect people mystifies me. Jessica Hische, in addition to being an incredibly talented lettering artist, is also incredibly generous in sharing what she has learned with other designers. I have her book, “In Progress,” and I’ve spent a lot of time reading the essays on her site trying to figure out one aspect or another of being an independent designer. Indhira Rojas just launched Anxy, a magazine focused on personal narratives around mental health. I think these stories are so important, and the caliber of writing and design in the first issue blew me away. The common denominator here is a high level of craft combined with work that genuinely serves people.
My Dad, Monty Wyne, is a copywriter. He worked for JWT for 27 years. Each time he got transferred, we moved. Freelancing wasn’t really a thing you could do back then. I feel really grateful for the freedom I have to be an independent designer and it comes, in large part, from people and platforms like Working Not Working. Remembering that helps me keep things in perspective when freelance gets a little sticky.
The Julep (Mid 1700s)
Just as American drinking was getting more flourish, American lettering was doing the same. Literacy was going up, the economy was picking up steam, and demand for the work of fine engrossers was increasing. The treatment I’ve used here for the Julep draws from the work of master penman George Bickham, whose book The Universal Penman is still world standard for roundhand lettering.
The Blue Blazer (1840s)
The author of this drink was also the author of the world's first bar book. In keeping with his diamond-studded level of self regard, this book has no less than three titles: Jerry Thomas’ Bar Tender’s Guideaka How to Mix Drinks aka The Bon Vivant’s Companion. All that being said (and it is a lot to say) his book was a landmark enough achievement to merit the titular excess. The lettering here is inspired by a later edition of the book. I adapted the flourishes to suggest flames.
Pimm's Cup (1850s)
The Pimm’s label is iconic and rightfully so. It has remained relatively unchanged since the 1920's. However, the company tried a couple different labels before settling on this one. Alia Campbell, archivist at Diageo, was kind enough to provide some examples for me. My design is inspired by labels from the early 1900s that featured borage leaves, the key part of a proper Pimm’s garnish.
The Sazerac (1880s)
I did a lot of research for this one. The Sazerac company used to produce bottled cocktails, but the lettering wasn’t very inspired. I found some original Peychaud’s bitters bottles, but while beautiful, the lettering is pretty simplistic. I even found some old Sazerac de Forge et Fils Cognac bottles, but again, they didn’t have enough magic to match the cocktail they lent their name to. So, I used the contemporary Peychaud’s bitters label as inspiration, and as far as I can tell, they’ve been using it since the early 1900s, though the lettering used to be green before they adopted the cochineal color used today.
MIKE O'DONNELL / EDITOR
Tell us a bit about your creative background. Who is Annica Lydenberg and how did she get here?
I have been freelancing for 15 years - it wasn’t by choice at first but I certainly made the most of it. I designed a lot of Flash websites in the early 00s that was a thing, but eventually I got sick of websites and wanted to learn hand lettering. I enrolled in the Type @ Cooper program in order to get a proper typographic education and I did a great deal of personal projects to get more relevant pieces in my portfolio. Personal projects both when I was getting started, and still today, have always driven the kind of client work I get.
What was the impetus behind building “The 10 Commandments for Clients”?
One of the big things I’ve been focusing on is bringing more honesty into my work, making personal work that is relatable and will hopefully make someone feel less alone. Of course, I relate to the plight of the freelance designer; we’ve all been there through those terrible client moments. So after having written these maybe 7 or 8 years ago I finally moved forward by inviting 10 other badass lettering artists to execute their favorite one. This made it even more of an act of solidarity with others.
Throughout your career, have nearly all of these commandments been broken by your clients at one point or another?
Yes, absolutely. And none of them only once… I literally had a client who tried to tell me she showed a packaging concept to a focus group. Upon asking questions about the demographics of the focus group, she finally admitted she had just shown her mother.
Do you think it’s ever wise for creatives, either young or well-established, to do work for free? And if so, is that strictly something that the creative should offer, as opposed to the client?
A friend told me recently something that I thought was fascinating; they said the world was made up of ‘askers’ and ‘guessers’. ‘Askers’ just ask for whatever it is that they want with no concern given and ‘guessers’ only ask when they are nearly certain the answer will be yes. As a result ‘guessers’ have a hard time saying no because they fear it was presumed they would, in fact, say yes; ‘askers’ are well aware that no is an acceptable answer. I am a ‘guesser’ and it pains me to say no to people and I have often resented being put in a position where I need to do so. But you practice it and it gets MUCH easier.
All you can do is educate yourself, know your worth, realize your actions impact your peers and don’t be scared to say no. But ultimately only you can make the call. There are other ways a job can have value.
Do you have any advice for creatives to make it even easier for clients to follow these rules?
Be clear from the beginning. Always make sure your expectations are communicated early on and also be sure your client is doing the same for you. I ask a LOT of questions at the beginning of a job and always state what is typical in terms of work process, payment process, and where the job begins and ends. Also, don’t ignore red flags. Sometimes it’s best to walk away.
Aside from creating “The 10 Commandments for Clients,” what can creatives do to look out for one another and make sure their peers are being treated fairly?
The best thing we can do is listen to one another and help each other see what we are allowing in our lives. In figuring out how to treat ourselves fairly as individuals it makes it so much easier to demand the same of our clients. I find great value in these conversations.
I’ve been a freelance designer for well over a decade and have worked with many clients. These relationships have been varied: some phenomenal, some functional, and a few… failures. In thinking about what makes some more successful than others it is clear to me that, just as with any relationship, the rules you establish at the beginning can be very hard to change later. As a freelance designer, you are your only advocate. Be clear about your rules, communicate well, and communicate often.
The 10 Commandments below, adapted for Clients, will provide the much-needed guidelines which, if followed, will make all of you the exceptional Clients we know you can be. The ultimate goal is always to have a relationship of mutual respect for one another’s time, skills and knowledge.
These struggles are not unique to my path as a designer so I reached out to ten of the most talented freelance designers and lettering artists I know to each select and illustrate one commandment. These are people that I believe work carefully, deliberately and deliver the best work a Client could ask for.
– 1 – Thou Shalt Have No Other Designer But Me
Dear Clients, When we work hard and give you lovely design files, please do not change them without us. Do not pass them off to your cousin’s roommate for future updates or hire a different illustrator to emulate the style we developed for you.
– 2 – Thou Shall Not Covet Design Done On Spec
Dear Clients, We would never ask you to do work for free. All work, including treatments, sketches, mockups, and concepts have value. No one goes to a bakery, asks for a custom made cake, and then says they’d like to eat it before they decide if they want to pay for it.
– 3 – Thou Shall Not Use the Word ‘Exposure’ In Vain
Dear Clients, As it turns out, “exposure” does not pay our rent and we cannot use “increased followers” to buy coffee or to cover health insurance. This is not an acceptable form of compensation and we both know it.
– 4 – Respect the Weekend and Keep It Holy
Dear Clients, No Monday deadlines. As freelancers, it is often expected that we
never stop working, but please respect that we, too, would like to be off the clock on
the weekend.
– 5 – Thou Shalt Not Use Opposing Adjectives to Describe thy Project
Dear Clients, Do not set us up for failure. Please be clear about your values, your mission, and who your audience is. Do not ask us to make something for you that is both “whimsical” and “edgy” at the same time. This isn’t a thing.
– 6 – Honor thy Designer’s Expertise So thy Project May Be Pure and Wise
Dear Clients, When giving feedback, avoid giving design direction. This is why you hired us; it is what we do, and we are good at it. Instead try to speak to ways in which the design isn’t fulfilling its ultimate aim and we will fix it.
– 7– Thou Shall Not Request Work Be Completed “Yesterday, hahaha!”
Dear Clients, Unless you can send us the project request “Last month, hahaha!” then this is not helpful. And it isn’t funny. If you want to be funny please send a good dog meme, and then give a timeline that reflects reality.
– 8 – Provide Final Content That Is Final
Dear Clients, Whenever possible please do not change the name of your company after we finish your logo, please do not rewrite your copy after we’ve done your lettering. These are not changes they are a redesign. When a redesign is unavoidable, please expect to compensate accordingly.
– 9 – Hold Sacred All Invoices to 30 Days
Dear Clients, Surely if we can get your project done on time, you can write a check in 30 days. Just saying.
– 10 – Thou Shall Not Consult With thy Neighbor’s Wife for Design Feedback
Dear Clients, Random opinions and personal preferences alone are not useful. Unless your neighbor’s wife is a designer who sat in on our meetings and read the brief then we don’t want to hear it. If you feel a focus group is necessary then let’s do that together. But your mom is not a focus group.
Photo by WNW Member Ebru Yildiz
For some, #vanlife is merely an aesthetic, a lifestyle veneer they aspire to. But for WNW Member Jessica Lehrman, it's all she knows. Growing up mostly in an RV, Jessica traveled the country as a kid: living in Seattle, Tucson, Colorado, Los Angeles, Purchase, and currently Brooklyn (clocking in at over 6 years). Through her upbringing, a natural inquisitiveness for people emerged. Jessica has since been able to translate this into a passion: today she is a world-renowned and highly sought after photographer and photojournalist. She documents everything from the underground rap community in New York to political organizing and protests.
In our interview below, Jessica talks about the dynamics of family road trips, the second family she's found in Brooklyn's underground hip hop scene, and where her craft may take her next. "I think it's in my blood to be continually moving and floating around. I kind of just go where the wind takes me and end up in some pretty starkly different realities and lives. I'm attracted to the most intense aspects of devotion: to one's craft, to one's family, to music, to politics, to love or god. I will follow people across the world for any of those things."
Tell us a little bit about your creative background. Who is Jessica Lehrman, and how did she get here?
I grew up with an incredibly supportive family that nurtured the idea that your artistic endeavor should exist at the center of your life. My childhood was spent bouncing around between different states, cities, schools, RV's, and situations based on that guiding principle. Whether I was living unschooled in the mountains of Colorado, or trying to figure it out as a teenager in Venice Beach working for a newspaper, my parents had instilled in my sister and I a sense that life was the biggest art project. And further, that we should set our lives up as creatively and as in support of others as possible.
I wanted to be a lot of things growing up but all of those things involved art and social documentation in some way or another - most I was pretty bad at (although my parents would tell me otherwise.) It wasn't until I discovered photography that I truly felt I had found my instrument with which to tell stories.
I’m not quite sure where “here” is yet, as I feel every day I am changing my mind on where “there” is that I'm trying to get to. But I would say I got to where I'm at by lots of chance meetings with magical people along my path, who have been interested in the stories I want to document and have helped them to be seen. That might involve dropping out of college, going to India, huddling under small umbrellas with strangers at Occupy Wall Street, or getting sent on rap tours or anti-fracking buses.
Across the street from Trump Tower in Central Park, Presidents Day 2017.
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Do you have a signature style or process that links all of your projects, or are you more interested in approaching each shoot or experience with spontaneity?
I think I have a pretty distinctive style that fortunately or unfortunately I can't seem to change. My work is extremely personal and no matter what I'm photographing I tend to approach it in the same ways. First, by getting completely entrenched in the world I'm documenting and believing in it and rooting for it and loving it as much as I can, probably for the rest of my life. And secondly, if I can't find common ground or understanding or if I am shooting something that is based out of a culture of hate or discrimination, such as a Trump Rally, I try to go into the experience with as much of an open mind as I can and shoot from somewhat of a blank slate.
How did you first get involved in documenting the New York rap scene? And how has this ongoing interest developed?
I’ve pretty much always shot music. In college, I went to the very music-focused SUNY Purchase and would shoot every act that came there. A lot of my friends were in bands and I would shoot their promos and go on mini-tours and go to the city with them when they had shows.
When I left school and moved to Brooklyn, I continued to shoot bands and protests, my two main focuses, both equally electrifying movements. In 2011 I was spending most of my days at Zuccotti Park during Occupy Wall Street, and was very broke and had lost weight from not having money for food AND a metro card. I then got a call to go on a 14-day tour across the South with Jermaine Dupri (whom I didn't know anything about at the time, to be honest) for what at that time was “a small fortune.” I said yes and left the following week and fell in love with touring, and with hip hop. When I came home I fell back into days at Occupy and nights shooting rap shows. Brooklyn is small and so is the music scene, and underground hip-hop in Brooklyn is even smaller. I met the group World's Fair at Fools Gold Day Off and they became my family and some of my best friends for life. They introduced me to Bodega Bamz and The Underachievers; fast forward and the stories of the artists in that group of friends became ones I felt I wanted to help share with the world. Those guys are all family.
“I’m attracted to the most intense aspects of devotion: to one’s craft, to one’s family, to music, to politics, to love or god. I will follow people across the world for any of those things.”
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I think it's in my blood to be continually moving and floating around. I kind of just go where the wind takes me and end up in some pretty starkly different realities and lives. I'm attracted to the most intense aspects of devotion: to one's craft, to one's family, to music, to politics, to love or god. I will follow people across the world for any of those things, and all of the stories I've spent some time on share that in common.
A post shared by Jessica Lehrman (@jessierocks) on
Yes, I have done a bit of directing but haven't really found my voice in that medium yet. I would actually like to do more and maybe just need an excuse to do so.
Dance. I love watching people dance. It might go with my obsession with movement and intense emotions but I feel like dance performances encompass so much passion that I want to capture in my work. I’m also very intrigued by and have started to experiment with quilting and textile arts, but I don't want to say too much before I put out some work in that medium.
“Honestly, it makes me want to cry with happiness. I want nothing more in life than to see my friends succeed and get the platform they deserve.”
You’ve seen artists and friends you started with early on go on to flourish with their craft. Joey Badass and Flatbush Zombies, who are now Billboard-charting international stars, come to mind. What has it been like witnessing that growth process firsthand?
Honestly, it makes me want to cry with happiness. I want nothing more in life than to see my friends succeed and get the platform they deserve. I love all those guys dearly and am more than excited for everything they are getting!
Through your work, you’ve traveled extensively. What is it like working from the road? What’s the one or two pieces of equipment you can’t travel without?
I LOVE working from the road. I love touring because it's traveling with your best friends and having slumber parties and getting to experience newness but also familiarity. As for equipment, I seriously never change what I have if I'm on the road or here, and it's very little: I have a 5D and a 24-70L and a flash. I'm little and I don't like to carry more than I need and have found that to be all I need for anything. There are little non-photography things I have been very happy to have on the road, such as a headlamp for in the bunk on a tour bus when you are looking for your socks, a fanny pack for batteries when you don't want to carry your whole backpack, Wellness Formula so you don't get sick, and face wipes because the number of times you are showering is very little.
“Sometimes I feel like being a photographer is just a cheat code for getting to go experience whatever part of life you can imagine, and having an excuse to do so.”
You experienced a pretty unique gypsy summer with your parents and sister a few years back. What advice and lessons learned can you offer to making the most of family road trips?
I think compassion is key with family road trips. It's something that I am forever working on and that my sister and I run into issues with when we are crammed together in a small sedan for days on end. I think learning to be patient and understanding and see things from another's perspective is so important with family in general. Road trips just emphasize whatever issues you have with whomever you are traveling. For me that's my biggest problem I want to work on and my sister helps me with that. Families are great for teaching you lessons about yourself as they know just how to push your buttons. But if you can address those reactions in your family, I feel like they become an issue you don't have to deal with in other relationships.
Do you see yourself settling down in New York or do particular places you visited often call to you?
I would like to live in nature and have a stream nearby and a treehouse and room to make art and travel for work. Not sure NYC is the place for that but I haven't really found it yet so until then I'm here.
What part of being a photographer keeps you most fulfilled?
Sometimes I feel like being a photographer is just a cheat code for getting to go experience whatever part of life you can imagine and having an excuse to do so. I don't know that the act of taking photos is very fulfilling to me, but getting to know new people constantly and hear new stories and fall in love over and over again with humanity is more what keeps me fulfilled.
#tbt miss my bros cc @xcodybwarex @affanarif not pictured 🌐
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