In 2019, I visited Otis College of Art and Design with my newborn son strapped to my chest.
Fashion design was one of my other interests while a student there. As I visited the fashion department, I was instantly struck by the multitude of refinements.
Throughout the years, I’ve learned that creativity evolves with persistence. One of my illustration professors (I majored in Illustration) told me to draw everyday for at least ten minutes! And a mentor advised me to focus first on skill, then later style.
Now that I have a son, it is so clear to me. The way he thinks, moves, and expresses his thoughts and observations reminds me of the level of breadth needed to achieve a goal. Pablo Picasso once said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.” Children are sooo brilliant at simplifying; their way of expressing their environment is something worth rediscovering as an adult.
This is why I loooove art! It forces you to see things from a different perspective.
An article that stuck with me called The Beauty Myth challenged my preconceptions around representations of art. The Western ideals of beauty were heavily referenced in the fashion industry: extremely-thin models with pore-less skin–felt wrong to me. Looking back at my fashion illustrations (I did take a fashion illustration course at Otis), I notice it rejects those standard ideals of beauty and suggest a more realist, somewhat individualistic approach.
Overall, I love the subtle asymmetry in my early fashion illustrations; the deliberate imperfections add a level of depth and personality, (and playfulness 😉 ).
Skill is developed through countless iterations and numerous observations. Like a fashion designer, I noticed that my packaging designs acquired their own style.
Sometimes the things we once learned as students become clearer when we become parents.