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