Makeshift

I was born in 1980 in Lahr, Germany. My dad was in the military and we lived there for a bit. I moved to Canada when I was 1, so I very much consider myself a Canadian.

i discovered my artistic side after I dropped out of college and I had nothing to do. I had never felt that side of me before, and at that time, with how my life was, i had alot to express and art was the only output I could find.

In terms of "exposure", The Saved by the Belles website (www.savedbythebelles.com) got alot, winning a 2003 Boomerang Grand Prize for best Arts/Culture website, and was also nominated for a SXSW (South by South Western) for best Extreme Entertainment website in 2003. It was quite an innovative project, BlueSponge did a real good job on it, I was just happy to be able to give it a facade.

As far as personal success is concerned, I've always had a softspot for an issue I did for an online magazine called Fields. It was such an inspiring project for me, it paved the way for many of my following projects, and helped me grow as an artist.

David Carson. He is the person that really got me into art design. Before I saw his work, I was a typical designer, following the rules and thinking in terms of "can I do this or not", thinking and not feeling. which isn't always bad, but it can really put a strain on someone's creative process. DC's approach to design helped me develop the foundation of how I would approach design and art from that point on. I respect him because he did what he felt like doing regardless of what everyone else was thinking. He was an original, creative, groundbreaking pioneer, he influenced so many designers and is still doing so. I am very grateful I was exposed to his work early on or else i don't think I would have gone down the same path.

Technique wise, I don't really have one, I just do things I feel might work. It's a very step heavy process, alot goes into every image I make, and it'd be impossible to define a technique to it. It's very intuitive, much like the creative process I use. I just go with the flow and like I said, feel what would be good. I trust my eye, that is the only sure thing about my process. Trusting your eye is very important, i'm usually able to look at something and know right there what is wrong or right about it, it's a 6th sense almost. I might not always be right, but it's a great way to evaluate and make adjustments on a project. I get into alot of grooves, sometimes it'll go fast, sometimes it'll just be empty, if I block I like to rest my mind for a bit, and then go at it again later. It keeps things fresh and helps with the sanity level.

I use anything I can find that interests me. I pick up things in the street that I think could be used, it's embarassing sometimes. I like to give an organic feel to my work, so I use alot of real materials, things you can almost feel by looking at it. I draw a bit as well, but it's subtle stuff usually.

Not all the time, I've tried to take more and more pictures but my camera just ain't good. I wish I had a photographer that could work for me, I crave for better photos to utilize, it's often a bottleneck in my creative process. Scans/textures wise it's always done by me.

Like I said above, DC was a big influence on my work, he got it all going. My main influence is defenitely my life. My life has affected my work a ton, it's where I got my inspiration from. I had a real tough period of about 2-3 yrs where I was depressed and not feeling too good, and I poured it all into art. If you look at my earlier work, they were all very dark and not too happy, but my more recent work is more subtle, and more broad, it's not focused on a sad state of affairs anymore. :)

I am a person who thinks and feels very deeply, I think about life and philosophical matters most of the day. It gives me headaches, and I dream about 5-10 times each night. They say the worst thing in life is to not feel at all, I'm at the other extreme. I use that deeper awareness of my world/life in my process.

The process is what makes the end result, and it is the most rewarding of the two. The road taken is an experience in itself, unique for each piece, it is how you grow as a designer, it's where you are tested. The end result is just a dot at the end of a book.

I wouldn't say it's a theme across my work, but rather of a period where i felt like they would fit perfectly into my work at the time. They represent freedom, throughtfulness, personal exploration and the limitless possibilities that life offers. It fits well with the emotions I try to convey: I like to make people think and question themselves. Too many people are too caught up in their own daily routines and lives that they never stop to look deep inside themselves. That, of course, goes for my personal work. When it comes to professional work, that usually ain't my goal. :)

That was a while ago. Like I said, my process is so random and improvised that I couldn't say even how I did it. In general i'd say it's alot of "tries and misses". How long it takes to complete depends entirely on two things: if it's personal work it could take a month or two to finish, on and off, if it's for a job then i'll force it out much faster.

I've abused MVOldStyle quite alot, I haven't seen a better serif font yet.

There's a use for every font out there, even the ugly ones, and I don't really have a hatred for fonts. :)

I use Photoshop for everything except for of course vector work and pre-print. Both are incredibly powerful tools, i've never had to use anything else.

There were stretches of time where I had no work at all, which is sometihng you have to get use to when you do freelance work. It goes up and down, sometimes you're too busy to even breathe and some other times you're just waiting. The stability of a full time job is nice in that aspect, but depending on the job, freelance can offer more exciting opportunities.

It's a wonderful thing, because it can add both functionality and beauty to our lives. Design is the enchanting skin to an otherwise cold and barren world.

Right now I am working at an IT company, doing corporate web design and programming. It's not my ideal job, far from it, but it pays the bills. I was offered an incredible job at Arnold Worldwide in St-Louis (an advertising agency) but the US Govt. refused me a visa because I don't have a college degree, even if the job doesn't require one and they had already hired me. Go figure.

I'm working in my own studio doing creative work, pushing the envelope, and innovating. I could see myself working at a magazine as well, i'd love that. I'd also like to get into film, namely as a director. I have a wide array of interests in art and design, I want to touch at everything and hopefully, soon, I will have my chance, once again.