Are you creative at heart? An artist who has a thirst for creativity? Or maybe you just want to get inspiration from other successful artists to boost your creativity?
One way of boosting your creativity and inspiration is by attending creative conferences like Graphika Manila.
You have a chance to gain inspiration from successful artists from different parts of the world and replenish your passion in art.
I am an artist at heart but I haven’t been able to practice it as often as i want to.
But I do have a thirst for it, so I attended this creative conference.
Graphika Manila is touted as the Philippines’ biggest creative gathering. Every year they invite different famous local and international artists to inspire art students, enthusiasts and professionals. And this year is the 11th year of Graphika Manila.
Most of the speakers talked about their childhood, when they started as an artist — how they had pursued their passion and the challenges they had passed to become successful.
Here they present the products of their success.
Here in the Graphika Manila event are some of the tips I had learned in the speeches of the featured artists:
VALERIE CHUA (Filipino painter and illustrator)
You 
should be clear of what kind of artist you want to be.
- You need a great support system (Someone who will boost you up, like your friends and families.)
- You can make ideas out of anything
- Don’t just work hard, work SMART!
TIMOTHY GOODMAN (Graphic designer and illustrator from New York)
He has this notable advise:
“Turn experience into art.”
He got heartbroken but he turned his experiences into art by means of creating a mural of what he should have said and done for his ex-girlfriend. His mural painting could be a lesson for everyone too.
He also shared several things like:
TOSH KODAMA (Imaginary Forces). (Design and motion graphic artist from Los Angeles)
“Al
ways fall in love with ideas…
….but get ready for the heart break.”
His team did a project for a brand client, but their first output was rejected. So they had to create another one which fortunately was approved.
Credit: Imaginary Forces – Toyota: “Dominoes” from Imaginary Forces on Vimeo.
RICHARD DE HOXAR and LUKE CHOICE (Vault 49). (Illustrators and Typographers from New York)
Lo
ve your culture. (People and places)
If you have something to show in your art, you must show patriotism. It is one way to show the world the unique place where you came from.
PATRICK CABRAL. (Filipino typography artist.)
He has an obsession with puzzles when he was a kid. That is why when he had his career in typography, his design elements were done with symmetry and balance.
He has a technique of putting his wife’s name in his designs to impress her. It is also a way for him to show his love for his wife
“The best obsession in life is the one you can put a ring on.”
Someone asked, “If you don’t feel inspired, (somewhat like creative block) what do you do if there’s a deadline?”
He answered, “Watch a movie.”
It must be true that in order to set an artist on fire, he should get some inspiration from his hobbies.
He was the designer of Graphika Manila’s flourish art layout.
MATTHEW ENCINA (Blind). (Motion graphic artist from LA, California)
He has some advice to artists:
Flourish. Move up!
His example was Bruce Lee’s last movie. He said that Bruce also started as an amateur and later become a master in his field.
a. Be yourself .– Don’t let professionalism bind you.
You must embrace your passion.
He tells that when he was a kid, he was a hardcore gamer. He spends four hours a day playing games.
And now that he is in the motion graphics industry, a client asked him to bring these characters to life:
And because he and his team were gamers at heart, they successfully created a teaser for XBOX’s “Jump ahead” for E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo).
Courtesy: http://www.blind.com/work/project/xbox-jump-ahead/
So he said, “Mom, look! I didn’t waste my time playing games. It was all worth it!”
b. Start even if you’re not ready
Getting out of your comfort zone means growth. So take a risk!
He explained that he had once accepted a project for a client, but he was not so sure if he could do it. However, because he was a super fan of the band Coldplay (which was the client), he accepted it.
He used all the resources he knew to finish the project on time. The output was a success and he learned new things. It could be viewed here: Coldplay.com/ink
c. Learn it. Teach it. Own it.
He was asked how he got promoted from being a Senior Designer to an Art Director.
And he said that to become successful, you should know about the Learning Pyramid:
For passive learning to become active learning, you have to teach others.
When you give something, you own it. Then you can achieve mastery.
And by teaching others, the solutions to problems become more complex.
So what you need to do is to simplify — articulate complicated processes — so you can teach this easily to others.
BENJAMIN SU (Pixar). (Animator from San Francisco, California)
When he was in Grade 1, he has an obsession for drawing that he was often caught drawing by his teacher. His parents was even called to the principal’s office because of his “passion” for drawing and he was sent to a psychiatrist.
He took a course of economy and business. But he later decided to become an animator.
He was one of the creators of “Inside Out” and he said that it was his favorite because he could relate to the main character’s way of thinking.
He had given out some tips to enable all aspiring animators:
And tips on how to enter the industry like Pixar:
HARVEY TOLIBAO. As a finale, this Filipino comic illustrator had an energetic speech.
He showered inspiration to the audience in a humorous way.
To all artists, you should have a desire to draw. Put your imagination on paper.
Optimism. You should believe in what you draw.
- Never stop building your portfolio.
- Do your best like there’s no tomorrow.
He achieved to create his dream — which was to illustrate “Star Wars”.
His big break was also a comic illustration on “Ironman”.
One of his notable tips is about his “trip” when he feels uninspired. To make some fun, he adds something that is far-off and not at all related to his illustrations.
He also showed us how he subtly included his alma mater, Bukidnon National High School in one of his comics illustration.
Some of his tips in choosing a team mate to create a successful project:
He says even if someone had stolen your artwork, your talent can never be taken away from you.
Then as his finale, he showed his old pictures, and then his present photos as an international comic illustrator.
There are other international artists who had given inspiring messages during the conference.
One of the notable things that they said was, “Art is used to communicate, not just to make money.”
Attending this event did not only inspire me, but also boosted my creativity and replenished my passion in art.
It once again tells me that I’m an artist and I should be doing something more worthy and creative to give meaning to the world.
(Written by Aimee V. Mendoza, edited by Donna Cueto-Ybañez)
