daydreamer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was introduced to this graphic designer yesterday while reading an interview from Samantha Hahn for Working Press [ a new online print gallery from sub-studio ] –
I am interested in learning more about who designers draw inspiration from, so when Hahn mentioned Christopher David Ryan, I had to check him out.

CDR is a Portland-Maine based graphic artist …“ daydreamer, pseudo-scientist, wanna-be astronaut and untrained intellectual who tends to find inspiration in pretty much anything... especially music, the universe, the human condition and natural phenomena. “  I fell in love with his Daydream print [ at the top of this post ] and was really taken by his Daily Postings, a visual diary in an unexpected and delightful horizontally scrolling format. Chris very kindly answered a few of my questions and it’s my pleasure to share his thoughts with you :

EB : Your Daily Postings from 2008 are incredible visual diaries. Do words lead your images or do images tease out words?

CDR : As much as I try to have a method for forming ideas that lead to pictures I never get anywhere. I have sketchbook, napkins, envelopes and various pieces of random ephemera that I have words jotted and images doodled/sketched on. These ideas range from things I think I heard in songs, random abstract thoughts, something that I saw or something that I can't explain. Somehow they are all connected. They have to be. They are all intertwined. One thing leads to another. If I have words, I will think of an image and vice-versa. There are the very rare times that both come at once. I appreciate these times... just as much as I enjoy the time that I have no idea where I am going with an idea.

EB : What do you do to overcome creative blocks?

CDR : I'm about to sound egotistical but I don't have creative blocks, seriously. I have times when I have blocks on "good" creative, but I can't recall a time that I have ever been blocked. I often feel cursed in some way. I find it difficult to not think creatively. It's something that I am currently really trying to work through.

I have a lot of ideas and do a lot of work that I find completely unworthy of being shared with the rest of the world. When I feel like I am in a place where I am feeling this way, I find that I need to step away from working or trying to come up with something. I need to go for a walk, listen to an album, watch a movie, have a conversation, whatever. I find that my best ideas come from simple observation, observing the world around me. There are many ways to do this, but I've found that staring into a monitor or a blank sheet of paper does not always work so well for me.

EB : What are some of the challenges you currently face as a designer?

CDR : Working too much, relaxing too little... and that's about it really. I would love to get more work or get representation and such things ... but I should try harder at making these things happen before I list it as a challenges. Ultimately, I am pretty happy with where things are going for me. Maybe that is a challenge.
Perhaps I could be more of a go-getter...
but I don't think so.

Find more of CDR’s work at :
cdryan.com | mylittleunderground.net | hellosleepyhead.com | alittlemorelikethis.com

im-pressed

 loving these coral placemats from chilewich’s Pressed Vinyl Collection

made in philly

“ Philly Works is a survey and exhibition of work by 60+ students and professional designers, crafts people, artisans, architects + manufacturers based in Philadelphia and the region.  Prototypes, hand made limited editions + mass produced goods will be on display to illustrate the many types of production still alive in hopes of inspiring new work, new connections, and to bring light to what is happening in the city. “

Join Loop for the opening party at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design : October 9th, 5:30 – 11pm, Meyerson Hall, 34th + Walnut Streets

Part of the week long design festival that is DesignPhiladelphia + sponsored by Made In Philly.com.

buzzed

 

loving the insect / arts + crafts architecture / futurist black lace detail
from Alexander McQueen’s Resort 2010 Collection

25 of 500

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yesterday was a glorious day ! Amid moving boxes half-unpacked and a dining table full of loop orders half-assembled, a little buzz at my [ new ! ] front door door shooed away the clutter for a moment.  A package had arrived from Kobe, Japan bearing the most delicious red pencils I have ever seen … !

Do you remember my gushing over the 500 pencils program last month ? Somehow, someway, my little blog post caught the eye of the PR + Events Coordinator of Felissimo, the maker of said pencils. I was invited to participate in their Creative Ambassador Program, whereby I’d be given a full subscription to the pencils program in exchange for participation in their competitions + their online community and just general social buzzing about the program.

From Social Designer : “Change doesn’t happen by chance, it happens by design.“

“Social Designer strives to spark new thinking about the issues that matter most by encouraging the design community to create fun, socially-relevant graphics for tees, totes and other goods. We do this both by holding design competitions to create products that support meaningful causes — all winning designs are available here — and by selling goods with a strong social or environmental value.”

I can’t tell you how excited I am to begin drawing with these glossy new wood-covered creatures ~ with colors dubbed Spiffy, Jessica, Toy Box, Scarlett O’Hara and Apple Pudding, who knows what will happen !?

“ Nice to meet you, Constantine … “.

At the other end of the world, a swath of printed fabric hangs precariously in a stairwell. From a distance, the black and white graphic looks like Moorish tile or a Macintosh illustration, the intricate foreground competing slyly with the figural negative space.

Upon closer inspection, one discovers that the inked motif is actually a building, sketched by a hand adept at conversing with it’s master’s eyes. Mirrored and repeated, this sketch stretches the running length of the cotton and becomes pattern. Ah !

Then you learn it’s 12 metres of the new Constantine fabric collection by Architect Lorenzo Nassimbeni, on display as part of the ‘Architects as Artists' exhibition at the Cape Institute for Architects, curated by Suzette Bell-Roberts. And you love it !

Fabric and wall coverings distributed by MAVROMAC :

Johannesburg: [ +2711 ] 011 444 1584
Cape Town: [ +2721 ] 021 797 4739
Durban: [ +2731 ] 031 303 8203
Port Elizabeth: [ +2741 ] 041 586 3338

ps – thanks for the great pics, lorenzo !

a-washi in color

 

I love the translucent breath of color that this japanese washi tape adds to wrapped gifts !  Torn easily by hand and *repositionable*, I think I could have hours of fun with this stuff… [ Yukio Taniguchi’s tape show here on loop’s eon’ wrap at MoMA ]

With my favorite season approaching, these warm hues from happytape have me feeling the cooler breezes of September already !

25 colors x 20 months

I just discovered this on Twitter and have become completely distracted by the 500 pencils program from Social Designer : a simple subscription service delivers 25 curated colors each month for 20 months. The idea that this staggering collection can be mounted to the wall in sleek plexi holders made me marvel at the following : wall-mounted pencil holders would create a work of art that creates works of art, the display itself changing as different colors are taken down, used, sharpened to differing lengths and returned to the wall.  My imagination is slipping into blisssss …….

ps : my birthday is september 18th ; )

loop + GreetQ + Scoutie Girl

While there is nothing like the sensory stimulation of a good paper store – the colors, combinations + textures – the online boutique GreetQ is so chock full of good design, I can almost smell a clean, fresh sheet of writing paper when I visit. Beyond a well-curated collection of notes for all occasions from independent artists and small card companies, GreetQ thinks outside the envelope :

“” … We believe that people still appreciate the act of receiving a note or beautifully made card in the mail. That’s why we want to make staying connected with family and friends as easy as ordering a pizza. You never have to leave your home or office; just select a card, type in your message and we will handwrite or print your message, mailing it directly to the recipient in time for that important occasion.”

[ They have a great blog, too ! ]

Some of the great lines to choose from include, from left to right :
Masha D’Yans, Cartolina, Egg Press + Herman Wu

You can image Loop’s great delight in announcing that a large selection of our Loop and Doodlespark note cards are now available on this unique platform. We’re blushing at how excited Jennifer at GreetQ was to feature us in a special giveaway with Scoutie Girl as part of their Emerging Illustrators and Stationers Giveaway. Scoutie Girl, courtesy of vendor-partners, will be giving away the work of 7 selected artists and illustrators ~ visit now to enter by Sunday, August 9th !

hello, house !

After a year of looking all over Philadelphia [ and some of its suburbs ] – small, large, new, old, redone, short sale-d, in good school districts, in bad school districts, in scary fringe ‘hoods, in “up and coming” locations, north, west, south + east of our current 800 square-foot apartment – I think [ exhale ] we’ve found the house for us !

I’ll be posting more and more about this as the packing / moving / moving-in / renovating adventure continues, but for now I just wanted to share a few sneak peak pics of what will soon be our new house !!! I am SO EXCITED [ like, bubbling, giddy, can barely sit still and write this post excited ] at the thought of all the space we’ll gain – for my architect / inventor / techie husband, for Loop, for kids [ someday – soon ? ], this house has it all – great old details, hardwood floors + 10’ ceilings throughout, a little back garden + garage, and …. potential … Looks like our closing is July 30th, now that we’ve ironed out the post-inspection details [ our inspection lasted 5 hours !!! ], so stay tuned !

YAY ! Oh, truly happy day !

PS : wish the furniture was coming with the house, but alas, it is not ... that will be an adventure unto itself ~ anyone know a great source for local antique / used finds?

happy day !

 

loop is honoring today with a special ONE DAY SALE – we’ll take 15% off your entire order* !!! Stock up on note sets to bring to the beach, wrap for all the summer wedding gifts that need giving – or just stock up on your favorite styles.

what’s so special about today, you ask? here are a few things that make Loop happy today :

- it’s my parent’s wedding anniversary. they inspire me to combine a full heart with a hearty laugh.

- it’s a day with a 7 and a 9 in it, both lucky numbers for me

- it’s the day before Friday and it’s summer

- the city of Paris celebrates it’s 2001st day in existence

- ….. ?

what is important about today for you?

mobile phone captures

 

a couple of days a week I consult for bulthaup and I like to walk the 20 blocks home. it refreshes my spirit after sitting in front of a screen all day. these walks were so influential to me as I started Loop; walking to and from, watching the changing light in different seasons, helped me visualize what I wanted Loop to become, how I wanted my life to feel, and what I needed to do to make it happen. One foot in front of the other, with deep breaths and a full smile !

follow the wood brick road …

 

my favorite street in philadelphia, made of end-grain wood blocks.

construction sight

 

I’m loving the entrance to Anthropology on Rittenhouse Square, spied on an evening stroll -  ice cream in one hand, Loved One’s hand in the other hand, mind full of Loop, lungs full of summer, heart yearning and tugging then restful and calm, alternately.

World Ocean Day

 

I awoke this morning as usual, wishing I had more sleep and wishing the coffee would brew itself and magically appear at my desk. While waking up, a tweet caught my eye and gave a little more meaning to the day than was there before : Today is World Ocean Day [ thank you, Stephen Fry ].  I watched the trailer above, then surfed through various ocean-related websites. I found great info at The Ocean Conservancy about the problem of ocean debris and whole-heartedly suggest you read ‘The Rising Tide of Ocean Debris’ report based on the International Coastal Clean-Up 2008 [ I couldn’t bring myself to post a pic of the little seal tangled in the web that is their cover image ]. The top three key findings include :

1. A tidal wave of ocean debris is a major pollution problem of the 21st century.

2. Certain categories of debris show up more often in certain places.

3. Of the 43 items tracked during the Cleanup, the top three items of trash found in 2008 were cigarette butts, plastic bags, and food wrappers/containers.

I tend to get frustrated when I read about a pressing environmental issue, and yet feel like there is nothing I can do to make it better. Sign up for a clean up event in your area here.

Thanks as well to Ted Danson, for this calm and impactful call to action :