Entrepreneur's article entitled 'How To Manage Time With 10 Tips That Work' is full of the usual clichéd but nevertheless important advice on how to manage your time - sleeping the correct amount of hours a night, removing social networking sites from your workspace and writing down plans. But the most distinct, and perhaps enlightening, point made is that it is not productive to work in 'physical time'.
According to this article there are two types of time: physical time and relative time. In physical time there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year, and all time passes equally. In relative time however, time flies or drags depending on what we are doing, which is why three hours of housework can feel like a week and an hour of your favourite tv show will only feel like 5 minutes.
It is therefore important to recognise that we don't perceive time in a linear format and so we cannot expect to work and be productive using the physical time system. However, we can increase our productivity by specifically factoring for the tasks that we love and the tasks that we dislike, the things that need to be done and the things that we want to do. In terms of writing down an actual plan we would still need to use physical time to allot hours to these tasks, but it is more useful to factor more time for the tasks we dislike (as they will typically take us longer to complete) and divide up that time into manageable chunks separated by small breaks or fun activities. If we know that the tasks we enjoy take a shorter time to complete, these can be scattered throughout the day in order to provide relief from the bigger tasks, while still maintaining productivity.
Ultimately there is no set formula to increasing productivity, and a productivity plan will be unique to each person, but recognising how your individual time is spent allows for a better understanding of where you are losing time and most crucially, where you might gain time.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Thursday, October 22, 2015
OUGD402 - Be A Sponge
Inspiration within any practice can never be limited. Regardless of what your practice is, influences can come from anywhere - blogs, galleries, zines, the street, socials, performances, poetry, the past, the future, friends etc. Here are just a few sources that I find inspirational in my work:
Re:Surgo! Berlin
One of two spaces run by the Swedish-French printscreen duo Christian Gfeller and Anna Hellsgård. Gfeller and Hellsgård have been working together since 2001, creating and producing prints, artists' books, sculptures and zines across both Berlin and Stockholm. The space itself is used as a studio and to display their own work alongside works and publications from local artists, as well as serving as an exhibition and launch space. I was lucky enough to visit their studio in Berlin last summer and already being a fan of screenprinting, their enthusiasm and commitment and to what they loved was something that really resonated with me.
Valentino
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, simply known as Valentino, is a world renowned Italian fashion designer. I have always loved his work and his more recent collections have been, for me, awe inspiring. The intricacy and delicacy in his designs is simply incredible and the dresses above from his Pre-Fall 2015 collection heavily influenced a publication I made in May 2015.
Antifurniture
Antifurniture, in their own words, are 'a mobile bookstore and image research lab'. They consists of a simply website and an instagram, which is where the majority of their content is posted. They collect together miscellaneous materials, ranging from prints and sculptures to photographs, books and furniture, and post details of the artist as a way of inspiring others. I have followed their instagram closely for several months now and I always find something of note.
Josef Albers
Josef Albers was a German-American artist and educator. Best known for the hundreds of abstract paintings and prints that make up his work 'Homage to the Square', he was also an accomplished designer, photographer, typographer and printmaker. His teachings, at the Bauhaus school in Germany and at the Black Mountain College and Yale University in the United States formed the basis of some of the most influential and far-reaching art education programs of the twentieth century. Colour is a fascinating area for me personally and I love both his work and the many papers he wrote on the interaction of colour.
Katie Paterson
Katie Paterson is a Berlin-based visual artist from Glasgow. Her work crosses many different mediums but most often takes the forms of sculpture or performance art and concerns the solar system and our position in the universe. The above work for example, Timepieces (Solar System), consists of nine wall clocks that tell the time on all of the planets in our solar system, including Earth's Moon. The durations of the day ranges from planet to planet, from the shortest on Jupiter to the longest on Mercury. Each clock is calibrated to tell the time in relation to the other planets and to the time on Earth. Paterson's work inspires me to think more conceptually, outside of the sphere of 'graphic design', and consider the broad range of mediums that even simple ideas can be communicated through.
The Mezzanine
The Mezzanine is the debut novel by American author Nicholas Baker. It details 'what goes through a man's mind during a modern lunch break', in sometimes excruciating detail. The plot meanders from one thought to the next, from the upgrade of cardboard milk cartons to glass bottles, to whether shoelaces wear evenly and if they both snap at similar times. The book take a very slowed-down look at modern life and becomes almost absorbing as Baker hammers out the infinitely small details of floating paper straws and the miracles of perforation. This book is both a fascinating read and an eye-opener to the everyday things we never even think about in life, and I increasingly find myself pondering things in Baker's stream of consciousness style.
Re:Surgo! Berlin
One of two spaces run by the Swedish-French printscreen duo Christian Gfeller and Anna Hellsgård. Gfeller and Hellsgård have been working together since 2001, creating and producing prints, artists' books, sculptures and zines across both Berlin and Stockholm. The space itself is used as a studio and to display their own work alongside works and publications from local artists, as well as serving as an exhibition and launch space. I was lucky enough to visit their studio in Berlin last summer and already being a fan of screenprinting, their enthusiasm and commitment and to what they loved was something that really resonated with me.
Valentino
Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani, simply known as Valentino, is a world renowned Italian fashion designer. I have always loved his work and his more recent collections have been, for me, awe inspiring. The intricacy and delicacy in his designs is simply incredible and the dresses above from his Pre-Fall 2015 collection heavily influenced a publication I made in May 2015.
Antifurniture
Antifurniture, in their own words, are 'a mobile bookstore and image research lab'. They consists of a simply website and an instagram, which is where the majority of their content is posted. They collect together miscellaneous materials, ranging from prints and sculptures to photographs, books and furniture, and post details of the artist as a way of inspiring others. I have followed their instagram closely for several months now and I always find something of note.
Josef Albers
Josef Albers was a German-American artist and educator. Best known for the hundreds of abstract paintings and prints that make up his work 'Homage to the Square', he was also an accomplished designer, photographer, typographer and printmaker. His teachings, at the Bauhaus school in Germany and at the Black Mountain College and Yale University in the United States formed the basis of some of the most influential and far-reaching art education programs of the twentieth century. Colour is a fascinating area for me personally and I love both his work and the many papers he wrote on the interaction of colour.
Katie Paterson
Katie Paterson is a Berlin-based visual artist from Glasgow. Her work crosses many different mediums but most often takes the forms of sculpture or performance art and concerns the solar system and our position in the universe. The above work for example, Timepieces (Solar System), consists of nine wall clocks that tell the time on all of the planets in our solar system, including Earth's Moon. The durations of the day ranges from planet to planet, from the shortest on Jupiter to the longest on Mercury. Each clock is calibrated to tell the time in relation to the other planets and to the time on Earth. Paterson's work inspires me to think more conceptually, outside of the sphere of 'graphic design', and consider the broad range of mediums that even simple ideas can be communicated through.
The Mezzanine
The Mezzanine is the debut novel by American author Nicholas Baker. It details 'what goes through a man's mind during a modern lunch break', in sometimes excruciating detail. The plot meanders from one thought to the next, from the upgrade of cardboard milk cartons to glass bottles, to whether shoelaces wear evenly and if they both snap at similar times. The book take a very slowed-down look at modern life and becomes almost absorbing as Baker hammers out the infinitely small details of floating paper straws and the miracles of perforation. This book is both a fascinating read and an eye-opener to the everyday things we never even think about in life, and I increasingly find myself pondering things in Baker's stream of consciousness style.
OUGD402 - What's Happening in November?
Ladyfest Manchester 14 November
Featuring a mix of legendary female performers, local favourites and up-and-coming bands from across the country, Ladyfest MCR will showcase some of the finest female talent in Manchester and from further afield. As well as a musical lineup spanning 11 hours across 2 rooms they have art, zines, stalls, film and a wide selection of workshops including zinemaking, podcast making, photography and more
yellowbluepink 15 October 2015 - 3 January 2016
This new installation by Ann Veronica Janssens explores light and colour as she fills a gallery with coloured mist. The colour is caught in a state of suspension, obscuring any details of people, objects and depth. Questions are raised about states of consciousness and perception of time. At The Welcome Collection, London.
Featuring a mix of legendary female performers, local favourites and up-and-coming bands from across the country, Ladyfest MCR will showcase some of the finest female talent in Manchester and from further afield. As well as a musical lineup spanning 11 hours across 2 rooms they have art, zines, stalls, film and a wide selection of workshops including zinemaking, podcast making, photography and more
yellowbluepink 15 October 2015 - 3 January 2016
This new installation by Ann Veronica Janssens explores light and colour as she fills a gallery with coloured mist. The colour is caught in a state of suspension, obscuring any details of people, objects and depth. Questions are raised about states of consciousness and perception of time. At The Welcome Collection, London.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
OUGD402 - The John Peel Lectures 2015 With Brian Eno
This years annual John Peel Lecture featured notable English musician, record producer and visual artist Brian Eno. In the lecture, Eno sought to demonstrate the complex nature of 'culture' - how both the individuals and institutions involved are crucially connected, and how they combine to create 'culture' as we know it.
He raised some very interesting questions about art and whether art is simply a luxury, or does it do something for us beyond that? He defined 'art' very broadly as 'everything we don't have to do'. And in many ways he is right - we don't have to create art, and we don't have to express complex emotions, but we do simply because we can. That comes in a similar vein to Eno's suggestion that we don't have to learn how to dance - movement is essential to our livelihoods, but we don't have to learn how to waltz. We do simply because we are able. From this he concluded that 'art' and by extension 'culture' are the embellishments we add to our lives.
But art does serve a purpose beyond that. Art allows us to see things, realise things, talk about things that would otherwise be considered too ‘sensitive’ in our actual lives. Things such as sexuality, gender, racism or death. In the American aesthetician Morse Peckham's book entitled 'Man’s Rage For Chaos: Biology, Behaviour and the Arts' he states that "art is the exposure to the tensions and problems of a false world in order that man may endure the tensions and problems of the real world." Eno then adds that it is also the exposure to the joys and freedoms of a false world that allow us to recognise those and locate them in the real world. He says that art provides us with a safe environment to experience feelings that we may or may not have felt before - 'it gives us the chance to have feelings about things that are not dangerous'. And this is possible because when you walk into a gallery and see an image, a painting, a sculpture that deals with extreme emotions, there is always the option to switch it off and walk away.
This lecture was an extremely interesting listen because to be able to define 'art' and 'culture' in such simple terms was fascinating to hear. Begin able to define my practice and what I'm doing within my work is something I have tried to do many time before but realising that anything in life that we can embellish can also be considered 'art' was eye-opening.
He raised some very interesting questions about art and whether art is simply a luxury, or does it do something for us beyond that? He defined 'art' very broadly as 'everything we don't have to do'. And in many ways he is right - we don't have to create art, and we don't have to express complex emotions, but we do simply because we can. That comes in a similar vein to Eno's suggestion that we don't have to learn how to dance - movement is essential to our livelihoods, but we don't have to learn how to waltz. We do simply because we are able. From this he concluded that 'art' and by extension 'culture' are the embellishments we add to our lives.
But art does serve a purpose beyond that. Art allows us to see things, realise things, talk about things that would otherwise be considered too ‘sensitive’ in our actual lives. Things such as sexuality, gender, racism or death. In the American aesthetician Morse Peckham's book entitled 'Man’s Rage For Chaos: Biology, Behaviour and the Arts' he states that "art is the exposure to the tensions and problems of a false world in order that man may endure the tensions and problems of the real world." Eno then adds that it is also the exposure to the joys and freedoms of a false world that allow us to recognise those and locate them in the real world. He says that art provides us with a safe environment to experience feelings that we may or may not have felt before - 'it gives us the chance to have feelings about things that are not dangerous'. And this is possible because when you walk into a gallery and see an image, a painting, a sculpture that deals with extreme emotions, there is always the option to switch it off and walk away.
This lecture was an extremely interesting listen because to be able to define 'art' and 'culture' in such simple terms was fascinating to hear. Begin able to define my practice and what I'm doing within my work is something I have tried to do many time before but realising that anything in life that we can embellish can also be considered 'art' was eye-opening.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
OUGD402 - Study Task 01 - Design Studios Matsterpost
Hey Studio is a graphic design studio based in Barcelona, Spain.
Heydays is a design studio in Oslo, Norway who are recognisable for their minimalist Scandinavian design.
LUST is a multidisciplinary graphic design practice based in The Hague, Netherland.
Studio Dumbar is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands and are the third most awarded design outfit after Apple and Pentagram.
Build is a Yorkshire based design studio that has had work published in over 100 books and magazines worldwide.
Elmwood is 'the world's most effective brand design consultancy'.
Bleed is a multidisciplinary design consultancy in Oslo and Vienna.
Face. are a supermodernist design studio specialising in delivering honest branding across the world.
Dessein deliver effective, clean, clear, fresh, modern, colourful and contemporary design.
Wolff Olins are creative partners for ambitious leaders.
Studio AHxHA is a communication and graphic design studio established in 2011.
Sagmeister and Walsh is a NYC based design firm that creates identities, commercials, websites, books and object for clients, audiences and themselves
Heydays is a design studio in Oslo, Norway who are recognisable for their minimalist Scandinavian design.
LUST is a multidisciplinary graphic design practice based in The Hague, Netherland.
Studio Dumbar is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands and are the third most awarded design outfit after Apple and Pentagram.
Build is a Yorkshire based design studio that has had work published in over 100 books and magazines worldwide.
Elmwood is 'the world's most effective brand design consultancy'.
Bleed is a multidisciplinary design consultancy in Oslo and Vienna.
Face. are a supermodernist design studio specialising in delivering honest branding across the world.
Dessein deliver effective, clean, clear, fresh, modern, colourful and contemporary design.
Wolff Olins are creative partners for ambitious leaders.
Studio AHxHA is a communication and graphic design studio established in 2011.
Sagmeister and Walsh is a NYC based design firm that creates identities, commercials, websites, books and object for clients, audiences and themselves
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
The Gentleman of Letters
The Gentleman of Letters is a short film documenting the work of sign painters in Ireland. Looking at the history of sign painters through the generations it highlights the lasting impact of hand rendered signs and the importance of continuing a dying tradition.
It was a very interesting watch that led me to research further into hand rendering type and it served as a perfect example of heritage, which linked in with my Studio Practice brief for the rebranding of the betting shop Coral (OUGD403 Collaborative Study Task 01)
It was a very interesting watch that led me to research further into hand rendering type and it served as a perfect example of heritage, which linked in with my Studio Practice brief for the rebranding of the betting shop Coral (OUGD403 Collaborative Study Task 01)
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Made You Look Documentary and Q&A
'Made You Look' is a documentary exploring the challenges artists, illustrators and graphics artists face in a hyper-digital age. Interviewing a handful of artists and design studios from across the country, it provided a fascinating look at the views of both younger and older creatives and their opinions on traditional analog medias over digitally produced methods.
Some interesting arguments for analog production were made, the most poignant of which was by artist and illustrator Hattie Stewart. She made the obvious statement that when lifts were invented, stairs were not replaced. Both continued to exist and people just used whichever one was more convenient to them at the time. Therefore digital medias will not replace analog. Artists will simply use the method which applies most to their work, and will ultimately have more options as to how they create (which is no bad thing).
It was also interesting that many of the younger creatives still believed in the future of analog methods. Analog medias are still just as relevant today as they were yesterday, if not more so as many are looking for fresh approaches to their work. In the way that Photoshop is new to the older generation, screenprinting is new to the younger generation - there will always be an old method of creating that younger artists haven't tried before, and that they can reinvent to comply with todays demands. I think that whatever older creatives argue, analog is here to stay.
When asked about their personal opinions on using digital platforms to promote their work, many said it had left them feeling that 'it's like a million people putting their hands up at once' in terms of being noticed. But there are actually many more opportunities for an individual's or company's work to be seen when it's online, and for it to be seen globally by people who might otherwise have not seen it at all. Digital promotion has the huge benefit of allowing anyone anywhere in the world to be kept up to date with any artist, at all times, and it is a hugely useful tool that has been responsible for the launch of many artists careers.
However, I was disappointed to hear that when asked how they would feel if the internet was turned off many, if not all, of the artists replied that it would be of great benefit. They felt that many aspects of communication would improve and content production would increase because everyone would have the same level of artistic output and expression. I have to disagree with this, and not only because I am part of the digital generation, but because turning the internet off would ultimately have the same effect as turning it on - people would learn adapt to their conditions, learning how to use the recourses they have, but I don't personally think production or even the quality of work would improve. The internet and digital media as a whole has given artists a new freedom of expression that they would never have been able to find otherwise and has been such a valuable tool in the evolution of the art world today.
'Made You Look' was an incredibly insightful documentary that gave me many new ideas about both the industry and my own practice. The Q&A afterwards with local artists and businesses was also a very interesting listen and gave me insight into the art community that exists within Leeds - something I had been previously unsure of how to enter in to.