During his career, Michelangelo mastered painting, architecture, and sculpture. Some of his most ambitious works fused all three. While I’ll never know the heights of artistic achievement that he attained, I think the above quote reveals something about the creative process that any artist or designer can relate to. When I am working on a design, it usually means that I’m sketching on paper or shopping for groceries while design solutions form in that “cloudy region between idea and image.” I like the idea that this area of the mind is one that all people – creative professionals or not – participate in and generate all kinds of thoughts and ideas from.

It comes as no surprise that even when Michelangelo was making casual remarks about his artistic process, he revealed something truthful about the experience of being human.

David Lynch touches on the same subject with his definition of intuition, which is “the combination of emotion and intellect.” In this brief clip, Lynch says, “Intuition is the number one tool of the artist.”

“Our thesis is that any one visual problem has an infinite number of solutions; that many of them are valid; that solutions ought to derive from the subject matter; that the designer should therefore have no preconceived graphic style.”

“Unlike painters who should have a personal handwriting, designers are often anonymous, but their work still achieves a vivid personality. Their identity is maintained by a consistently high standard of problem solving rather than by a consistent technique or style.”

Last year I heard a quote that really struck a chord with me. That quote was “To do well by doing good.” I don’t have the means to radically change the world at the moment, so I am starting small – with charitable t-shirt sales.

I have chosen to donate to the World Wildlife Fund because it is a charity with a great reputation working toward a number of great causes. Another reason is that WWF is committed to slowing the potentially devastating effects of climate change. This is an issue I am passionate about. According to their website, “Climate change has been a priority for WWF for over 20 years as climate disruption poses a fundamental threat to the vulnerable places, species and people WWF seeks to protect.”

The knowledge I’ve gained about climate change over the years has come from a variety of sources, but one source that left a lasting impression on me was a short documentary called The Possibility of Hope by director Alfonso Cuarón. The film can be seen here on Youtube or on the DVD special features of Cuarón’s film Children of Men. The Possibility of Hope consists primarily of leading philosophers and intellectuals weighing in on a variety of subjects pertaining to Earth’s future. To be blunt, the film’s vision of the possible effects of climate change on the future of human civilization is terrifying. However, I prefer to focus on the positive side: the hope.

“The magic is to turn a desperate situation into a new beginning,” says Slavo Zizek in The Possibility of Hope. Another person who has had inspiring things to say about the hope for counteracting climate change is Lord Digby Jones of Birmingham – a.k.a. the United Kingdom’s ‘Voice of Business’ – whom I had the pleasure of hearing speak recently. “The answer to this issue is science,” he said of climate change, before going on to remark that leading economies of the world like the U.S. and the U.K. got wealthy creating this problem during the last century, so we should lead on solving it. He has also said, “the next Bill Gates will be the deliverer of a highly technological solution to some of our climate change challenges.” We might be in for a very exciting century.

This is an issue that I will continue to write about and work towards in the future. Thanks for reading. I hope you’ll consider supporting Magnetic State and the World Wildlife Fund by purchasing a shirt. The werewolf has arrived just in time for Halloween, and people who own it love to tell me what a great conversation piece it is!

“Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide whether it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they’re deciding, make even more art.” -Andy Warhol

Mr. Warhol’s entire career is a near-constant inspiration to me. This quote will help fuel your work ethic when you are feeling tired or unenthusiastic. Talent is only one part of the equation of being a designer. I would argue that an ambitious work ethic is equally important. It took me years to really learn this lesson.

“Make it bigger.” -Paula Scher

The legendary Pentagram designer Paula Scher has done an impressive amount of exceptional work in her career. I tend to enjoy graphic design work that makes a big, bold statement, even if it is only a visual statement. When working on a design, I tend to try enlarging or expanding things greatly at least once. Even if it doesn’t wind up in your finished piece, it can help you look at things from another perspective or consider the little things on a large scale. Don’t be timid.

“It’s okay to pull a rabbit out of your hat, but sometimes, a rabbit out of your hat is not what’s called for.” -Sergio Baradat

Mr. Baradat is an illustrator and a former professor of mine at Parsons. He was an affable and quotable teacher and I often remember his words. Of freelance life, he said, “There is no office for this job. This job is in your head.” Of art openings, he said, “I love openings. I’d go to the opening of a window.” The rabbit/hat quote is useful to me not because I do backflips in my designs that often, but because sometimes it’s nice to have a reminder that doing the basic and simple things very well is often more powerful (and probably more appropriate for a job) than trying to impress people by reinventing the wheel.

“As you get older, you’re not afraid of doubt. Doubt isn’t running the show.” -Clint Eastwood

Eastwood is my hero and I hope he is immortal. He is not a designer, of course, but he is an artist. We all have occasional doubts about our work and our path through life, but it’s an obstacle that even the Eastwoods among must face. Often, when I find myself stuck doubting whether a design is right enough or good enough, I think of this quote, forget the doubt, and get back to work. Work will solve a problem; doubt will not.