Some food for thought on the creative battlefield.

As creative people, I think most of us are our own worst enemies. That is, of course, unless you are full of confidence and play to the market. If that’s the case, there’s no need to read any further. I’m talking about doing the work for work’s sake.

I’ve always been inspired by people that are passionate by what they do. Case in point, I recently heard Eryn Shewell and her band live. It never ceases to amaze me the passion behind the voice. Eryn’s collaborator, guitarist Pat Ruh, is astonishing to watch. You can actually see him enter the zone. It’s like there’s no one else in the room except the man and his guitar and what comes from his soul. He doesn’t play to the room, he plays for his Muse. Hearing Eryn Shewell and her band live, one witnesses how inspiration touches talent and gives birth to truth and beauty.

I know this might be met with skepticism by some, but have you ever wondered how inspiration will sometimes come from out of the blue. I have always held the belief that hard work garners results. And, the most important thing about art is the work. Resistance and procrastination create a constant battlefield, but when we make the decision to do the work and become a pro, providence does step in. And, when we do the work, we pay homage to the holiest ghost I know…the creative imagination.

For inspiration, check out Steven Pressfield’s book, The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle. It is an engaging and practical guide for succeeding in a creative environment. It identifies the internal enemy and how to conquer it; setting a path for success. If you’ve read the book, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts, so leave a comment below!

Get inspired with the Color Scheme Designer!

The Color Scheme Designer is a handy and useful website for designing with color. Created by Petr Stanicek, a professional web designer and online application programmer from the Czech Republic.

Since this site works with web-based colors, you will be using a six-digit number referred to as a hex triplet. You can select a color on the wheel or input the primary RGB value. Enabling “show text” will also give you a preview of how copy appears on the color backgrounds. See screen shot below.

 

Now, the fun begins. Explore the complementary, triad, tetrad, analogic and accented analogic color models. It’s very handy to enable “Show Tooltips” under “Help” in the menu for an explanation of these color models. There’s also an “Adjust Scheme” palette for hues, saturation, brightness and contrast. I especially like viewing web page examples of selected colors with the option of choosing a light or dark page. There’s even a “Vision Simulation” option for color vision deficiencies. But, the biggest payoff is the ability to export your color scheme in various formats for real life application.

Bottom line, it’s nice to see real-time results of color schemes before creating a design. A great site for designing with color whether it be for websites, interior design, fashion design or just plain old inspiration.

So check it out at http://colorschemedesigner.com and get inspired! If you’ve used this tool, I would love to hear how it’s worked for you. Leave a comment below!

A special shout out to Bradford Stevens of New Jersey Creative Professionals and O2 Marketing for sharing this tool.

Creativity is everywhere!

Bridesmaid for hire—a very creative blog for the bride and groom to be! I know the subject has been tried before, but I get a sense of passion behind the actions. I love it when people do the things they love. Check it out.

My kind of town—B Town is!

Recently developed logo comps and final for B-Town American Bistro & Cáfe in Branson, Missouri. I’m liking the iconic look of the final logo. What do you think?

From concept to completion.

A number of pieces produced for McCabe Dentistry in Middletown, NJ…and the outdoor signage is complete! Thanks, Jay Davis, at Mr. Sign of Marlboro, NJ for a beautiful job.