Andy J. Miller - Creative Pep Talk: Inspiration from 50 Artists

Preface and compilation copyright 2017 by Andy J. Miller.
Introduction copyright 2017 by Brandon Rike.
Artist statements, bios, and artwork copyright by the individual artists.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781452152776 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Title: Creative Pep Talk : Inspiration from 50 artists / preface by Andy J. Miller ; foreword by Brandon Rike.
Description: San Francisco : Chronicle Books, [2017]
Identifiers: LCCN 2016019503 | ISBN 9781452152080 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Commercial artists. | Inspiration in art.
Classification: LCC NC1001 .C74 2017 | DDC 741.6092/2--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016019503

Design by Andy J. Miller

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107
www.chroniclebooks.com

BY ANDY J. MILLER

BY BRANDON RIKE

While the word pep is not the first one I would use to describe my mission amidst a global creative community, its simply a different name for the same thing. Whether the word is pep, inspiration, optimism, persistence, dedication, effort, excitement, or any other synonym you can find in the thesaurus, the sentiment is the same: In order to achieve and maintain success in a creative field, you must prioritize enthusiasm. As idealistic as it may seem to expect people to keep smiles on their faces, a deep exhaustion only reminds us of its importance. A career spent extracting every last creative molecule from our brains on a daily basis tends to drain us so completely that we must have another motivation beyond money or deadlines.

Gratitude is necessary in creative fields. There is an imperative to appreciate the fact that our work is born out of our talents, as opposed to our obligations. We draw pictures for a living. If that isnt a reason for our heads to explode every day, then I just dont know what is.

But this creativity comes with an emotional price. What we make often comes from such a personal place, and is such a representation of ourselves, that putting it out for approval and having it criticized can feel as though we are constantly allowing ourselves to be disrespected and prodded on a daily basis.

But thats not what is actually occurring. We are being creatives for a living, and we often wear our hearts on our sleeves. Revision requests are not an attack on our humanity; rather, they are another cog in the creative machine. A little self-talk can remind us of this process and give us the courage and enthusiasm to push on.

Sometimes, it may just take a little creative pep talk to get us through.

BRANDON RIKE
FREELANCE GRAPHIC ARTIST

HOST OF THE GRAPHIC
SOUND PODCAST

DONE IS BETTER THAN NONE

When I was seven, I penciled the first picture book that I didnt finish. I expected it to turn out better than it seemed it would.

That process of getting from the dreaming to the doing has proved a continual challenge for me. Eventually I realized I wasnt going to get anywhere while I had my expectations set so high.

Rather than setting out to create a masterpiece... I just had to aim for done.

LESS TALK, MORE ACTION

We all know its far easier to talk about what we are going to do than it is to actually do it. Whether it is enthusiastic declarations of plans for personal projects or endless committee meetings, we can get lost in a cycle of discussion where little is achieved. Commit to a direction. Do it!

DESIGN TAKES TIME

A successful design should be the culmination of a myriad of approaches and solutions explored, a patchwork of both good and bad ideas. Dont beat yourself up if the solution isnt immediately in your lap; its not always meant to be that simple.

LETS DO SOMETHING IMPOSSIBLE

This piece was created for the Chicago Design Museum. Several artists were asked to work with the phrase Lets Do Something Impossible to create posters that would be given away to the museums Kickstarter contributors. I love the line. Its so succinct yet its a very strong call to action full of optimism. I wanted to merge very graphic, almost violent imagery of flowers with these wordsit just felt like a good dichotomy. Beautiful yet chaotic and challenging at the same time. I think any creative person can relate to the feeling of having to achieve something impossible and going through the chaos to see the beauty and the color on the other side.

EVERYONE HAS A STORY TO TELL

Its easy to forget that we do. Its easy to get caught up with trends. Its easy to lose our own voice. But its worth remembering and repeating: Everyone has a story to tell. Whats yours?