WEEK ONE
- Angie Moyler
- Jul 18, 2022
- 9 min read
Updated: Aug 14, 2022
THE BLINKING CURSOR.
As I begin this MA and face the dreaded 'blinking cursor' moment my mind is racing with all the ideas and possibilities and daunted by the heroic juggling act that is required to even begin - leave alone complete this MA module.
'I come with credits' (announced in an overly dramatic tone) which means I join this MA half way through, scrambling to catch up with the structure as well as the work. What am I doing? I must be mad. But, alongside all the - mostly hidden - abject terror, there is a huge part of me that just loves it! That totally gets that I am doing what brings me alive. Saying 'yes' to challenges which come with that compelling combination of knots in my stomach and sheer exhilaration, just says that I am fully engaged with life and am doing what I was made to do.
So - here goes.
Planning, strategy and management. Philosophies, roles and approach.
IMAGE 1 - Angela Moyler 2022
Studio Philosophy.
As I think about how to respond to this weeks assignments and questions of what is good studio practice and how to put that in place my first response is – I don’t want to set up a design studio. I did that with differing degrees of success and am now on a different trajectory. So, my response will be reflective in order to articulate that which has formed the reasons for why I am still in this visual communication game.
On that note I am struck by the words of John Maeda in his Redesigning Leadership talk as he reflects on start-up companies and end-up companies. I am not a start up but an end up. Both need each other. A start up wants to be an old company as that means they have lasted. Have stayed the course. Still in the game and moving forward. In order to keep moving forward an end-up needs to watch and learn from a start-up and vice-versa. There-in lies a life philosophy. We need each other to progress. Collaboration.
My progression as a graphic designer – a visual communicator has lead quite naturally for me in to teaching visual communication.
Lecture one (notes on 1&2 below) contained some interesting observations and responses to the questions on setting up a studio. Nothing ground-breaking for me but affirmation of what I have learned through my own experiences. Some of the take homes from my notes are;
What can I do for you? Rather than what can you do for me?
Provide a service. Start from a place of generosity. Be specific in costs – but also work with ‘value’ above cost. Know your value and the value of what you are designing.
Ask more questions and listen.
Space. Equipment. Accountant.
I would argue that know your ‘why?’ and a desire for authenticity has to come first. As famously outlined in Simon Sinek’s top 25 TED talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA
Ditch the putting on a persona approach. Fakes are spotted a mile off and it is exhausting to keep up. Take steps further in and know a level of self-belief, a good measure of risk and a genuine interest in involving others with your creativity. Start with these and the practical elements will come.
Ask more questions and listen.
Be a storyteller. Learn the art. People buy into a narrative at an emotional level. Connect through story.
Ask more questions and listen.
Structure your filing system!
Ask more questions and listen.
Collaborate.
Ask more questions and listen.
Handle criticism. Don’t let jobs run on forever. Build in boundaries.
Ask more questions and listen.
MAKE THINGS – just for the sake of it. Look after your creativity.
Ask more questions and listen.
On writing my own mission statement.
At the risk of being dismissed as corny or too fluffy, this powerful avert just about sums up my life ethos. Please watch;
My mission statement would be based on lessons learned in a life time of visual communication and of a very full life. It would start with this train of thought;
IMAGE 2 - Angela Moyler 2022
The practice of effective graphic design reflects the practice of a life well lived.
Generous. Consistently creative. Authentic. Inclusive and collaborative. An acute awareness and recognition of others. Respectful. Clear boundaries. In the moment. Find the common ground. Everything is connected.
These words are easy to say, make for worthy Instagram fodder and generally most of us would nod in enthusiastic agreement at them. However, the reality of living out these high ideals can be hugely challenging, costly both emotionally and financially, humbling but worth every ounce of blood sweat and tears in the fulfilment and richness in relationship and creative collaboration that follows.
I have several ‘mantras’ with which to check my walk. One of them which seems to cover most things is using the metaphor of the dining table. ‘Work it out and get back to the table.’ My experiences can tell you that this applies as much to effective studio practice as it does to life. I am also known for the quote 'do what brings you alive'. As again we can all nod easily in agreement, living by it can be a hard fought battle. However, with the resilience to stick with it will provide an incredibly uplifting infectious result.
Extra observations - There is a need to know yourself and your world view as everything that you are will reflect in your art. Content/context cannot be separated. Personal meaning and expression of ideas are in sync.
What is the container from which you see life? Continue to critique that in order to be effective in your creativity. In order to be able to include and communicate to all. Have you out grown your container? Life is transformative therefore containers or reference points evolve or just don’t fit any more.
Epistemology - such a great word and I would argue has a lot to do with effective graphic design. The meaning poses great questions for designers to ponder -
How do you know what you know? How do they know what they know?
Bottom line – what matters to you?
What kind of visual communicator do you want to be.
On studio philosophies;
IMAGE 3 -LOVERS website banner.
Having not been involved with the Contemporary Practice module as a recommended resource I looked into the philosophy of Lovers design studio which I found very appealing. I am intrigued by this concept as it feeds into my personal philosophy ‘do what brings you alive’, It’s great to see how this approach works on a collective level. On researching their set-up my questions and intrigue revolve around conflict resolution and interviewing strategy in order to maintain that healthy approach to power - power with, rather than power over. I would imagine this requires a high level of input on self-awareness and leadership- skills.
I have highlighted some quotes from their website which have also fed into my thinking on ideas for this module which I will return to on future posts.
If our tails don’t wag, it’s a (polite) no.’
Nothing is more powerful than an engaged, harmonised group of imaginative people on a mission.
Collectivism’s rise isn’t restricted to the creative workplace either. It’s helping young people to stand up globally in the face of environmental negligence. It’s the wind in the sails of social justice, insisting on greater equality in our societies. As we evacuate our ‘too big to fail’ structures we must work together to design new alliances and systems that work – and will continue to work – in the future. Encouragingly, all of our greatest movements emerged this way.
We’re writing the book on modern creative collaboration. For Lovers – Everyone in the group takes time to articulate who they are, and we only get them involved in projects and initiatives that will inspire their best performances.
For Brands – We work closely with brand owners to go through strategic objectives and establish a project agenda. Once we have that we assemble a perfect, motivated team.
WEEK ONE CHALLENGE:
Write an ‘about’ paragraph – an elevator pitch on either your current positioning or one you would like to establish.
This challenge is a good starting point for me in connecting this module with an idea that I have been working on for a few years now. In my role as an art and design lecturer I have created a collection of over 60 short projects to be completed as part of the HND units. They all take anything from an hour to a day to complete. These are to replace ‘all in’ workshops that are a bit of a hit or miss according to the experience of the individual students.
The ability to self direct options from a collection of short projects has proved to be very successful on so many levels – ownership of learning, confidence to stretch individual ability, development of quick thinking and curiosity, avoidance of unnecessary peer pressure.
Having started with the standard graphic design subjects for enrichment workshops I began to realise that there are other subjects which I would consider to be core practice for any design course.
How can the revolutionary ideas of Walter Gropius in his 1919 manifesto be applied to current foundation or graphic design curriculum? Intuitively I am drawn to a circular diagram than a linear one. Perhaps a reason why I have to work hard at a spread sheet. Is that a default of most 'creatives?'
Having already been inspired by the Bauhaus circular curriculum, as referred to in lecture two, my idea is to look at the relevance of introducing unexpected - perhaps, subjects with related short projects as resources, which would become the core of a circular curriculum for art and design courses and in this case specifically graphic design.
These are my take aways from the charming and rather lofty manifesto of Walter Gropius which feed in to my current thinking and practice in education (red text mine);
Architects, painters and sculptors must learn a new way of seeing and understanding the composite character of the building, both as a totality and in terms of its parts.
This world of mere drawing and painting of draughtsmen and applied artists must at long last become a world that builds. When a young person who senses within himself a love for creative endeavour begins his career, as in the past, by learning a trade, the unproductive “artist” will no longer be condemned to the imperfect practice of art because his skill is now preserved in craftsmanship, where he may achieve excellence.
Architects, sculptors, painters—we all must return to craftsmanship! For there is no such thing as “art by profession.” There is no essential difference between the artist and the artisan (a quote from Artist. Craftsman. Artisan. Whats the difference? 'However, the reason I think creativity in advertising is a craft is because what we produce has a function. And that’s common to all objects produced by a craftsman. And yet, sometimes – especially these days – it seems that we are also producing what could equally well be described as aesthetic material without function, and that’s a pure definition of art.http://fielding.co.uk/?p=12532. The artist is an exalted artisan.
Merciful heaven, in rare moments of illumination beyond man’s will (the idea), may allow art to blossom from the work of his hand, but the foundations of proficiency (core topics/processes/subjects) are indispensable to every artist. This is the original source of creative design.
IMAGE 4 - Wheel diagram of the Bauhaus curriculum.
Initial curriculum wheel sketch;
IMAGE 5 - Wheel diagram of the Bauhaus curriculum. IMAGE 6 - Notes 1. Angela Moyler 2022.
Elevator Pitch;
My idea is to write and design a collaborative, evolving, on-line and physical resource of short projects for use as core subjects in the development of influential graphic designers within a curriculum across a range of undergraduate art ad design courses. This resource will highlight the benefit for collaboration with other skills and specialisms alongside the traditional core subjects in order to grow a curious, confident, creative mind which sees others, collaborates to generate ideas and is then able to connect those ideas effectively with a given community. Armed with a dynamic core the designer will be an intentional inclusive communicator, future proofed in attitude, creativity and approach. This resource will be fed and watered by a global community of designers of all generations and background.
IMAGE 7 - Nielsen D. Thurber S. 2019. pg34.
At the moment my idea for an artefact to add to the end submission will be a circular pack of cards. Each one representing a short project from any of the proposed core subjects within the curriculum. This concept adds to the approach of an holistic approach to education. Circular and inclusive in form, with the challenge of 'pick a card - any card' delivering a touch of risk and magic.
So, my intention with this module is to look at how to set this resource up to not only use in conjunction with graphic design courses and other connected art groups, but to create an opportunity for other creatives of any practice to contribute their ideas for core practice projects/challenges. Contributions would be welcomed not only by artists and designers, but by those from other skills and professions of all generations who have useful challenges to help build connected skills. This would also provide an opportunity for contributors to promote their work and perhaps life and practice 'hacks', and also for all to make connections in terms of employability, skills and creative collaboration opportunities.
To this end I will look in to existing undergraduate workshop resources, the core values and attributes that a graphic designer needs to develop the necessary skills for not only what is happening but what could happen in terms of design futures. This has come from the an immediate and very real awareness that the jobs we are training our designers for may not exist in 5 years time due to technological advances and cultural shift. What personal strengths are needed to manage and embrace changes in design? Instilling an holistic approach to graphic design and inviting broad collaboration from the beginning will allow a broader, more global awareness which in turn will deepen a sense of self and place. This can only result in an increased level of intentional, innovative, people centred design.
IMAGE 8 - Notes 2. Angela Moyler 2022.
Also – the best platforms to use for this purpose. How do others interact intentionally on-line? What is my intended reach and how do I get there? What is the attraction – the draw - to engage others in contributing? So many more questions.
Blinking cursor conquered.
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