Hello Joumana, please tell us a little about yourself, your background and your passion for art and design?

I’m Lebanese, born and raised in Beirut where I acquired a passion for drawing and creative work during the long days of being stuck indoors during the war. I majored in Graphic Design but I lean strongly towards illustration, which I had to learn on my own and am still developing in every way I can. I have a compulsion to create, to “make pretty things” (as my business card says!), though with me they also tend to be meaningful, cultural things.

Could you tell us some more about your work?

Professionally, I’m in charge of the art department for a game development company based in Jordan. I create game graphics and interfaces but also write games on occasion. It’s the best job because researching means playing games for hours! Aside from that I work with a master calligrapher (for the Arabic script), which is a privilege and as much an apprenticeship as it is work, and I coauthor and illustrate children’s books about Lebanese Heritage. On occasion I get freelance work in storyboarding or illustration for advertising.

My personal work is dearest to my heart, though. It varied wildly for a while, but at the moment my most serious work seems settled along the lines of Comics, Icons and Calligraphy. I started writing and drawing a comic series, Malaak Angel of Peace, in late 2006, which should run up to 7 volumes (I just published the 4th).

It’s the story of the Lebanese superheroine and draws on local folklore/mythology as well as our war memories. I have loads of other, different comic projects in mind though that I will focus on when they solidify.

Computer icons are something I started playing with back in 2000, especially after discovering the Iconfactory. Except I enjoyed them so much I ended up forgetting the “computer” part and iconifying the world around me like a Reducto curse gone mad! I make sets of cultural objects, food items, things that I encountered on my trips, anything that would look good on a tiny scale. Because my sets became so large (I rarely make anything with less than 50 icons now) I started dubbing them Collecticons and orienting them towards posters and printed products.

The Calligraphy started coming out of me after a few years of assistant work. The Arabic script has a unique relationship with geometry, and I learned by osmosis to interpret it in modern ways while respecting its essence. It’s very different from anything else I do and it provides a welcome relief from computer work – handling paper, protractor and pencil again, not to mention the gilding process.

I almost forgot to mention my drawing tutorials, for which I’m best known in some corners of the web. If you ever needed proof I’m a perfectionist!…

What or who inspires you?

Life, really. I look at things we take for granted and notice what a perfect shape or texture they have, and it makes me want to draw them to show what I see. When I travel, which I do a lot of, I go nuts, as I get so much new input to process and turn into a creative project, but even being at home in Beirut, I keep seeing things on the street that I feel would be a pity for nobody to see, and I integrate them into my comic. It can be an an awkwardly painted wall I walked past or a forgotten, numinous mythological being I re-discovered during my research, it doesn’t matter. Ethnography has been a privileged source of inspiration, but so is the animal world, my martial arts, etc.

I should also mention that I have a very rich dream life, that is, a good access to my own unconscious, and it frequently overflows into some of my work.

As an artist and designer, what has been your greatest resource?

The internet has been a boon… I would never have had access to any kind of references without it, without buying them at great cost from abroad. When I started drawing and making comics in my teens, pre-internet, it was so difficult for me to find resources (no easily accessible libraries here), now all I have to do is google. The internet also provided entire communities of artists, and without this contact I would not have been motivated to try so many things and develop my skills. Finally, it has been a place to spread the word about my work and market it. I don’t know where I would be today without it, either in Lebanon not doing art, or doing art but not in Lebanon! 

Which is your favourite creative project so far?

That’s a real hard question as my answer would have to change constantly! Based on time alone I should say my comic book, since I’ve been doing nonstop since late 2006; that’s motivation! But right now I’m really into the geometric calligraphy I’ve been experimenting with, both because I’m constantly amazed with what turns up and because it’s such a pleasure to return to paper, brushes and gold leaf.

Could you tell us more about your creative process?

The creative part is not much of a process: suddenly an idea is there that wasn’t there before. My job is the nitty gritty of manifesting it on paper or on the screen, and how that goes varies with each project. However, I always, always start by scribbling in a sketchbook. I carry at least one at all times, to pour ideas into, or sketch thumbnails till I find the composition I want. Most of my illustration work also starts with “pencils” in a sketchbook, which are actually done in ballpoint pen. Roughing a subject with a pen is my favorite part of the process, it’s like sculpting on paper.

Do you keep a journal or sketchbook, and would you mind if we had a sneak peek?

I have many sketchbooks, each for a purpose! Sometimes I even make the sketchbooks myself because I love bookbinding. But they’re messy and not very pretty, as opposed to my travel journals which are a lot more exciting. Let me show you sneak peeks from both.

Would you like to share a photo of your studio space as well?

Ah, the glorious mess that it is! It’s also my bedroom, which doesn’t help. It looks bigger in the photo than it is. I would love to have a proper work space but that has to wait. 

What is a typical day like for you?

Most days I start working almost the moment I get out of bed (around 6), out of sheer motivation, before I even make my ritual cup of tea. I can keep up an uninterrupted pace till early afternoon; that’s when I start to feel I need a break. Often then I drive across town to a neighborhood I haunt, where I set up “my office” in my regular coffeeshop. Work becomes more social then because I’m bound to run across people I know. Several evenings of the week, I train (I practice Chinese martial arts) which is a good way to relieve the day’s mental tiredness. Needless to say, I sleep like a baby at the end of the day.

How has self publishing and the Internet influenced your work as an independent creative entrepreneur?

I created my website in 1997, just a year after the internet arrived in Lebanon. I had a lot of writings and illustrations I wanted to share and it was so exciting being able to post them online where they could be seen anywhere in the world. I was 17 then, just about to graduate from high school, so I wasn’t thinking of any kind of work-related purpose for it, in fact I was too new to the ‘net to measure the impact it might have on anyone’s professional life.

A graphic design degree later, I revamped and expanded the site, and moved it to its own host. That’s when I picked the name  Cedarseed: the new site now had a large section about Lebanon and I wanted something related, but not so related I could never use it for anything else, and it had to be simple and memorable. I brainstormed and came up with Cedarseed (for those not aware of it, the cedar is the symbol of Lebanon), which I only started using as a username when visitors to my site started calling me that!

I added the blog in 2002, then I abandoned it for a while because writing journal entries (at the time that tended to be the use of blogs) did not fit in with the site. It’s only recently and after years of experimenting and being active in several communities, and exploring social media, that I finally settled on a way to integrate all of these tools into one website that can both present my work and facilitate my making an earning from it. (I should also mention that I was encouraged in doing this by the amount of work I got, and works I sold, online before I even tried to make it happened, which opened my eyes to the net’s potential).

I try every avenue open on the net for independent creatives, drop those that lead nowhere and focus on those that work for me. Self-publishing through print-on-demand sites was one of the best, as it allowed me to make available some of my work that was worth making into a book, but that it would have been too costly and risky to publish with a traditional printer, for instance my tutorials, which are now personal best sellers as PoD books (Note that I print my comic books traditionally and wouldn’t have it otherwise; it costs me, but that’s the kind of product it needs to be).

Now, getting to your question in this roundabout way, if you peruse my site you notice that it’s entirely about my own work, not about promoting myself as an illustrator or graphic designer. I even moved all client work to a single portfolio page. That is how the internet influenced my work: it made it possible for me to be an independent creative, rather than a freelancer. I hardly freelance anymore. I’m happy with my game designer position, and the rest is all about my inspiration.

What do you find to be the greatest challenges and rewards of being an artist?

For one thing you have to trust your gift, it will develop in ways unforeseen and you have to follow, not try to lead. You also have to learn to love uncertainty, because it’s a solitary path and you’re not going to have a career (you could, but for myself renting my creativity full-time would kill me). You mostly depend on people liking your work enough to buy it or commission you, and there’s no knowing how often they’ll come; you can earn a lot one month and nothing the next. Also, people with no artistic sensitivity will constantly be talking about your work in terms of how you should maximize your profit, as if you were selling potatoes.

As for the rewards, you’re doing nothing less than “following your bliss”, as Joseph Campbell put it. What more can anyone aspire to in life?

Where do you see yourself within the next few years?

Things have a way of taking unexpected turns so it’s really hard to predict where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing. I’m pretty sure calligraphy and comic creation will be prominent, though. Ideally I’d love to live somewhere with a spacious work space and little demands from the outer world, so I can devote myself to my comics and other creative projects, as well as my practices.

You’re exceptionally versatile and productive! What is your advice for someone who struggles with getting going or gaining momentum?

Hmm, I think everyone has to find what works for them as it very much depends on one’s temperament, but I can tell you what works for me: absolute single-mindedness. It’s ok to multitask in the initial phases of a project, for instance I might collect research for a tutorial while answering emails and scanning things simultaneously. But once I’m in the making phase, I need to wrap my brains firmly around the project and not let go till I’m done. This means I don’t give attention to ANYTHING that requires em to shift my attention (I still go train in the evening because physical exercise is beneficial and not such a distraction). Interruptions are deadly, if I lose my momentum I know it may be weeks or months before I get it back for this particular project. When I’m working on long-term projects such as my comic, where I can’t cut myself off from everything else till I’m done, I practice single-mindedness a day at a time: one day dedicated solely to this, one day entirely focused on that, and I’ll have just one or two “scatter” days a week – meaning days for fulfilling errands and chores, where I basically get nothing done but at least all the interruptions are grouped together!

So basically my advice is, apply your mind to ONE thing at once and you’ll waste a lot less time. We’re in an age of tremendous distraction and I believe most people are just not used to keeping their attention in a single place anymore. If you’re like me, working on a computer with a browser and Twitter in the background, you’re constantly jumping back and forth between 1000 places on top of life’s daily solicitations. The key is to juggle what can be juggled but known when to ignore everything that’s not the task at hand when needed.

What is your advice for someone who would like to turn his or her creative dreams into reality?

Don’t be afraid, start immediately. Nothing requires you to drop everything else instantly, so there’s really no reason to hesitate.

Get yourself a website or a blog and start putting your world together, because it will take time for you to find your creative identity and establish an online presence. Above all, be yourself, because it’s the only way your work can be really unique.

What do you do for fun (besides art and travelling)?

I most like playing with friends :) Board games, football, darts, … Even spontaneously mobbing our favorite pastry shop and tweeting the same cake from different angles!

Check out Joumana’s web site Cedarseed and connect with her on Twitter or Google+. 

Tags: blogging, calligraphy, creative business, design, desktop customization, illustration

Today’s guest is artist Jamie Berry from New Mexico, The United States. Jamie works with natural media and experiments with photography. Jamie is a digital pioneer with a sense of wonder that comes from being present and viewing life through the lens of creativity.

Name: Jamie Berry
Location: New Mexico, The United States
Web Site: Jamie Berry

Hello Jamie, please tell us a little about yourself, your background and your passion for art and photography?

Hello, Kate, and thank you so much for having me! I was born into a family filled with creatives of every type – performers, musicians, painters, photographers, and writers going back for many generations, so you could say in some ways it that it was just hard-coded into my DNA. I grew up surrounded by art and creativity and the implements with which to give it life. The funny thing is that in spite of all of this, quite simply art is something that just what drew me in, no pun intended. I grew up fairly poor, in a city that was rapidly becoming a gentrified and wealthy cultural center that had formerly been one of the poorest parts of the United States. As I matured and emerged into my own life it became a powerful tool for communicating and relating myself to the world – it was something that came from inside me, a way of seeing that was independent from material resources or the lack thereof, a way to express things with an eloquence that being very young in age was otherwise elusive to me.

Still later I discovered many additional benefits to viewing life through the lens of creativity, likely too numerous to go into in great detail, this is certainly not restricted to the arts, but nevertheless art can be the most immediate way of communicating anything that’s difficult to articulate with words. My passion for the visual arts is derived from this. The connection with what we can see in color or texture is much more immediate and visceral than what we might, for example, read and then process intellectually to extrapolate its meaning for us personally. The visual arts have a way of sneaking around the intellect and showing us a truth that is unhindered by our preconceived notions about things. While both are certainly powerful means of communication, and as I’m sure you well know, they can pack quite a punch in combination with each other, I would liken the visual arts to being more akin to a lightning strike whereas the written word is a bit more like an ember, which burns more slowly before there is the all-out inferno of having been catalyzed. So, for me, the visual arts and music in particular have more power to shake us immediately from our torpor and engender excitement, inspiration, wonderment, and even hope, and of course nature itself does this best of all.

Could you tell us some more about your work?

Of course. Because art, for me, is primarily about communication, whatever the message may be, a sense of story is very important to me. I like things that have a visual impact but contain more for us to chew on the more time we choose to spend with them. I am also a big believer in form following function, so the medium is usually determined by the message, I actually stop and ask myself what is the best vehicle for a particular thing and take it from there, I think it’s good to have the versatility of being able to work with whatever best suits our purposes, or even with what we happen to have on hand.

 

We learn of course that color, design, light and shadow, these are a language we can use to convey what we can’t quite say with words. But taken further, when we integrate this language it becomes a working vehicle for our inspiration. I think this is the point when, though the challenge always remains, and what good is life without challenge, really, It’s how we grow, but at this point things cease to be a struggle in our works. And for me, whatever a viewer may take away from anything I’ve done, this is what I put into everything I do, to create that harmony, even if it is a harmony of dissonance, to meet that challenge, not just artistically, but in presenting the story of a particular experience or, time, or bundle of sensations, thoughts, and feelings, that heat of being there. In the end that’s what determines a success to me, these are the things I am proud of in my own work, and it spills over into the rest of life. It can’t help but do so. And yes, sometimes I do see something and just go, ‘Wow. That is SO cool!’, and that’s good enough for me.

What keeps you motivated and inspired?

For me, it really is as simple as living, continuing to meet and encounter my life directly. A healthy curiosity here coupled with a willingness to embrace whatever it is that’s actually right in front of me and use it as my raw material, a place to begin, is all the inspiration and motivation myself or anyone will ever need as far as I’m concerned. Also loving the things that I really love and am interested in, not being coy with myself about it. You gotta own it. It is from this space that our voices emanate – life is something that is continually evolving for each of us together and separately, macrocosm to microcosm, and you know, openness and trepidation cannot occupy the same space simultaneously. All we need to do is astonish ourselves with our own boldness, our own daring, and life will present the opportunities over and over again, and it’s up to us to accept them. There is always something new for us to encounter. What we make of it is art, and this is what sustains me – as life goes ever on, so does the necessity to share it if we are not shut down to the new facets of it, the possibilities that are around every corner.

As an artist, what has been your greatest resource?

Definitely my family. They have always believed in me and have supported my efforts, even the stranger ones. I think things like that are what inform the other stuff – a sense of well-being makes everything else easier, we all need people that love our weirdness.

Which is your favourite creative project so far?

I’m always sure my favorite will be the next one! But honestly, my own life is my most important creative project, and again, that comes back and inspires everything else, without life, there is no art. The most fun project I have had thus far working on though, was an independent Japanese action/horror film I worked on a number of years ago. The creative camaraderie of something like that when everyone is on the same page is pretty breathtaking. I have enjoyed being independent in my own creative interests on the web these past couple of years as well, the spirit of exploration is terrific fun. Extending this back out into the ‘real’ world is also quite an adventure.

Could you tell us more about your creative process?

I don’t have a rote process, really. An idea will get catalyzed for me and then it just sort of comes about of its own accord. I see images that are born of experiences and I develop them by following them where they want to go. Let me tell you, this made me a terrible commercial artist! They used to tell me to stop feeling and just spit it out (which is actually good advice at times)! Just generally speaking though, regardless of how I actually end up making something, I usually begin with either written notes or drawings. This relates to the next question though, so more on this in a moment.

Do you keep a journal or sketchbook, and would you mind if we had a sneak peek?

Yes, I keep both. I’d be happy to share them with you. For myself, these are my sketchbooks, not my ‘finished art books’, they are a safe space to just play around and explore, to work out the kinks and keep things strong and aligned, sort of like artistic yoga! And using them is really the closest I have to an actual process – what happens here is what lies behind everything else, virtually all of my ideas for visual art emerge from the depths of these books, they are in effect visual journals. I keep written journals as well, my latest is one that a friend made and gave to me as a gift, a lovely handmade book. I write all of my insights down in it as they occur to me. Together, they leave a trail that’s a little more tactile, a little easier to navigate than a trail of just bits and bytes. Though in the execution of our art things may be very spontaneous, those spontaneous actions usually consist of a multitude of impressions coalescing in the moment. One brush stroke can contain a thousand days in the mark that it leaves when we’ve lifted our hand, you know?

Would you like to share a photo of your studio space as well?

My work space is a little bit fragmented at present, I am in the middle of a transitional move! But I’ve sent you some pictures. Another yawn-inducing dictum from me: it’s important to be able to work in the space we find ourselves in. Not all of the things I do are portable, but making the most of the space we have is a handy skill to possess. Art can happen anywhere.

What is a typical day like for you?

I actually wrote a small essay about this on my website entitled, ‘A Formerly Typical Day’, it was meant to imply that my days were rapidly becoming anything but typical, and this remains the case today. I do however hold the same basic ideas in mind: each day there must be work, there must be play, and there must be rest. That’s it in a nutshell.

How has the Internet, self publishing and social media influenced your work as an independent creative entrepreneur?

Oh, my, where to start with that one? I’ve been with the web since the very early days, initially doing digital imaging and making websites (I began with Photoshop in 1994 when a power Mac could still set you back $10,000 and a 1 megapixel digital camera was in the same ballpark). I have always loved the idea of democratization, but it’s worth noting that this is something that within the milieu I cut my teeth in as a very young man. The attitude was that if there was no alternative we would damn well create one, and this was before there was a world wide web. So my thinking had always been traveling along those lines anyway, I wouldn’t say that for me personally it is an influence per se, and we were doing our own publishing and so forth then.

That said, the great thing about the web to me is its reach, and the opportunities for connection can be fantastic, people are using it all in a lot of cool, creative ways. I am of the first generation that grew up with a very visible and ubiquitous technological presence, and to me social media is really just a bundled amalgamation of pre-existing services and tools, some that have been around for a long time. I see it more as an evolution of things like BBS to chat rooms, to posting in forums, to blogging and so on – it isn’t really anything new! But it is more convenient today, and that’s a good thing. I know people have virtual Tupper Ware parties for crying out loud, so I suppose the opportunities can be as expansive as we’d like!

The trends I’ve seen in social media over the past number of years as they pertain to our conversation, though, at times it seems more akin to a recreation of the very systems we’ve been purporting to escape or outmaneuver rather than being an alternative to more mainstream channels! I personally think it’s foolish to tie our work or our identity to a handful of services that we have no direct control over. Using the tools, but allowing them to be a supplement to our real world activities is important, I think. In spite of all that, things are always cyclical and always evolving, I still believe that the potential for impact is better today than it ever was in the past if we are mindful about what we are doing, and cool new ideas are proliferous. At present I’m on a bit of a social media fast, I closed my Twitter account, for example. To me it is showing up for our real world activities that ultimately determines our effectiveness anyway, however information pertaining to them may be relayed or disseminated. For me it’s important to remember that tools are tools.

What do you find to be the greatest challenges and rewards of being an artist?

For me, the greatest challenge is the temptation to self-censor in an effort to speak very consciously about things, visually or otherwise. The funny thing is, once we’ve begun speaking our particular truth it is nigh impossible to backtrack anyway, but now and again I still have funny doubts about what I’m saying, or how best to say it. So far as the rewards go, I do know very well that our creative endeavors do make people’s lives better, even if we can’t explain exactly why. They do wonders for our own as well.

Where do you see yourself within the next few years?

I see myself doing my best work yet! And that, to me, is very exciting, and I think I am likely finally leaving the desert, though I suppose I’ll take a little piece of it with me.

What is your advice for someone who would like to turn his or her creative dreams into reality?

My advice would be to always listen to that inner voice, that inner prompting, that spark inside you that just knows. Listen to those that are further along the path than you may be, but always trust your own wanting as well. Make friends that do ‘get it’, friends are priceless during creative slumps, and they will happen. Master your craft. Dream big and be bold, never dismiss anything as being too impossible to try, and above all live your life, for there is no art without life. And for Pete’s sake, remember to have fun!

What do you do for fun (besides making art)?

I love to read. When I was a kid I read classical literature, things like Nabakov and Dumas, so I’m just over the past few years discovering things my friends were reading, like Stephen King! I love music, love to play it, and I still go to see the groups I like. I saw The Joy Formidable from Wales this year, and had a great time, they are fantastic. I am hugely into physical fitness and I love yoga. I love to cook, I am very proud of my swelling collection of recipes. I read comic books and I’m quite fond of astronomy and by extension, mythology. I am still a big Mac dork, I love my Mac. I love learning new things. And I love that you have shared your space with me, thank you, Kate.

Check out Jamie’s web site Jamie Berry. 

Tags: art, blogging, creative business, design, illustration

The second volume of Cute Cat icons (and the first set of Cut Cat icons is here if you missed it) have just been released over at the Iconfactory. The collection includes six cat breeds: the Bombay Tuxedo, British Shorthair, Birman, Scottish Fold, Turkish Angora and the Havana Brown.

I can’t decide what to do for my next set for the Iconfactory. A set with cute dogs? Or something completely different? A set of icons inspired by the time and style of Mad Men?

Tags: creative process, desktop art, icons, illustration, Japan

It was a real treat to find that a selection of my art work has been published in an iPhone app that presents Swedish illustrators and designers!

I’m represented by Illustratörcentrum (The Illustrators’ Centre), Sweden’s largest agency for illustrators and graphic designers. They’ve just released a free iPhone app Illustratörcentrum that presents Swedish art and design. The idea is to help clients find the perfect fit for their projects. There’s lots of inspiring art in this app and it’s fun to browse and see the wealth of different styles, ideas and techniques out there!

Tags: apps, art, design, illustration, iPhone, software

These Cute Cat icons have just been released over at the Iconfactory. The collection includes six cat breeds: the Abyssinian, American Shorthair, Bombay, Russian Blue, Siamese and White Persian.

It was a snowy weekend in January, when these super cute, kawaii inspired cat illustrations first turned up. It started with one, and although I wasn’t sure what to do with them, they gradually expanded into a whole family of cat characters and suddenly it became clear to me, that they wanted to be icons.

Now I’m writing from the middle of July. There’s a heat wave. Summer dresses made of cotton or linen, watermelon, iced coffee, Gazpacho (cold Spanish vegetable soup), Chlodnik (Polish chilled beetroot soup), Ajo Blanco (Spanish chilled almond soup), nectarines, feta cheese and midnight swims in the lake are my life savers. And the creative process for Cute as a Button illustrations seems far away. In deep winter. But here they are, the first volume of Cute Cat icons.

Tags: creative process, desktop art, icons, illustration, Japan