Lately, I’ve become a little bit of a lazy bugger when it comes to putting pen to paper and creating shit. Between working full-time, writing and generally getting stuck in a very large Instagram hole, I’ve forgotten how to reserve the time for drawing and creating – my own personal refuge from the internet and a busy life. I’m ashamed to admit it but we all know the first step is acceptance and boy, do I need to move in from this lacklustre stage of creativity and get my groove on again.
A few weeks ago I came across a project from visual artist Scott Patt, and on my quest to ‘bring sexy back’ (sorry, not sorry), I thought I would share a few little snippets in the hope of inspiring some of you guys too. Because where would we all be without a little support, eh?
Patt embraces vivid colours, bold typography and symbolism to create his work and clearly inspired by Pop Art and post-pop consumerism, his work uses powerful slogans to confront society’s problems and successes. Alongside his art career, Patt has worked as a designer and creative leader for brands such as Cole Haan, Nike, Converse and Giorgio Armani – no pressure for the rest of us in full-time jobs then!
‘Bigger. Smaller. Funnier.’ was a year long project in 2014, documenting 369 of Patt’s paintings and thousands of ideas in over 800 pages of 7 sketchbooks – yes, that’s right – 800 pages, a note to every single art student out there who hasn’t managed to fill at least 3 pads every new term. The project explores everyday problems, social issues, experiences as well as Patt’s own day-to-day emotions and attitude towards purpose, love, faith, ego, relationships, sex, dependency, and genuine happiness.
Each day Patt brainstormed an idea, sketched it out and then painted an original conceptual painting – call it a visual journal of his life if you so wish. The variations in colouring, give a damn attitude and simple messaging makes it a wonderful project to browse through and you can see why they guy had some success upon sharing his work via a daily social update. On a slight side note his recent social coverage of the Women’s march was also really quite excellent – ‘WOMEN’S RIGHTS NOT WRONGS‘ and ‘IT’S MY VAGINA YOU DICK‘ being prominent protest messages throughout the day.
Now, when I put my mind to something, I tend to stick with it. I essentially managed to do Dry January (minus a friends birthday on Friday), I easily became vegetarian and I totally vetoed McDonalds years ago. So here’s me declaring to you, that I’m going to be a little more Scott Patt. While it might not be possible on a daily basis. I’m going to set aside time to draw and I hope to keep you updated along the way. I may even have to purchase one of Patt’s prints for inspiration.
If you’re also interested in getting your hands on some motivational goodies, the lovely guys at UStudio have also recently curated a collection of cards and giftware from the project, resulting in a vibrant array of desk accessories and tongue-in-cheek mugs – let me know what you think! Will you be doing anything to get your creativity back on track?
Such a cool project! You know I need to start doing something creative everyday… maybe this is part of the answer? Also LOVED the Justin Timberlake reference, copycat 😛
Exactly – just do a little something for you! Oh, cry me a river Natasha, haha x