yanmos

“Creativity” talks with Rubyred!

How does being a creative person and pursuing your creativity affect other aspects of your life?
As well as being a creative person by nature, I’m employed to be creative. I work as Head of Graphic Design for an international publishing and events company. I’ve worked as a graphic designer for over fifteen years and as most arty types would tell you, you can go through periods where you feel drained of any sense of creativity and end up just going through the motions. I was going through one of those periods when I stumbled upon RedBubble. Joining and participating in the Bubble community has given me back the enthusiasm for design and creativity. I have renewed energy at work and my projects are benefiting because of it. In terms of other aspects of my life, I’ve started to see a wider picture. I’ll look at global issues in more detail than before, to see if I can represent graphically a particular issue whether it’s oil, war or the Beijing Olympics for example. I like to involve my two young children with art projects as a way of them expressing themselves. Kids can have a lot of distractions these days and being able to sit down with them ‘sticking and making’ gives me and them, a lot of pleasure. It’s a cliché but the simplest things are often the best and that often applies to design.

Tell us about one person or moment that has made your time on redbubble particularly special or meaningful
I find it hard to point at one person, or even one moment. But, when I uploaded one of my earliest and currently most popular t-shirts to RedBubble (Winds Of Change), the response was fantastic. The comments I received really lifted me and gave me a needed confidence boost. The fact that you can reach a huge audience of like minded people through one website is amazing and I thank everybody who spares the time to view, comment, favourite and purchase my work.

Show & tell us about five works on redbubble that have moved or inspired you
In no particular order, here goes:
Environmental Footprint by nofrillsart.

I could pick many pieces from Glen’s folio, in fact, I often check his pages before I start work on a new piece because a few times recently I’ve come up with a great idea only to discover Glen was there long before me. He has a very sharp creative mind that is well worth checking out.
Binalong Avenue by Danny.
I discovered this when Cathie Tranent listed it as one of her 5 favourite pieces in her interview. It’s a very moving piece of writing.
The Geisha Tea Party by thickblackoutline.

An epic piece of illustration greatness, the details just keep coming and coming.
Clepsydra by Yanmos.

I know it’s one of yours Yannis, but I do like people who have a strong consistent style, and you certainly have that.
Oil Kills by Frank Stillitano.

A great piece of bold, powerful and meaningful graphic design – just what I like!

I could have listed so many more, apologies to everyone I missed. The quality of most of the artists and work on this site continues to impress and inspire me. Thanks to RedBubble for providing the vehicle and long may the journey continue.

Thank you very much Roger for your time!
Jo O’Brien ’s idea Mission Share The Love