The Giant Spoon

Siiigh.  Minneapolis.  My home far away and completely opposite of where I grew up.  I’m originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, and moved here at the end of 2011.  When I lived down south I had no idea Minneapolis or the Twin CIties existed.  I, like many other people, got it confused as Mindianapolis.  Now that I’m here, I will say that it is a pretty cool place to live.  It has the most green space, is the most bike friendly, was named the “gayest city” last year (beat San Fran), and kind of reminds me of a snowy Austin, TX.  There is art inspiration everywhere whether you’re into architecture (there’s actually a Frank Lloyd Wright house a couple of miles away from me and I really need to take the time to go see it!), sculpture, grafitti, painting, and graphic design.  There’s tons of different kinds of restaurants and bars catering to literally any food that you can think of and, every now and then when bands get the courage to travel up here, there’s some pretty decent shows.

One of the gems of this city is the Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden.  It has over 40 pieces outside and some are absolutely gorgeous.  Now, like I said, I have lived here for close to 3 years and I have just now got around to taking the 3 miles drive over to this place even though the “giant spoon” is splattered across almost every single poster and ad dealing with Minneapolis.  Another reason for starting up a blog!  I actually take time to myself for inspiration!  So, I walked around and took some pictures and here are some of my favorite pieces.

{Just a note…  When I came upon the next two below, I let out an audible “oh my god!!!” The first was just plain amazing, and the second is a piece by Roy Lichtenstein.  I. Love. Roy Lichtenstein.} 

Isn’t the building itself so beautiful?!  I tried my hardest to capture it with my camera, but it was really hard since it’s huge and right in front of a highway.  Since this was an impromptu trip, I wasn’t really dressed for squatting and laying down for shots.  Short skirts are not practical for photographers.  

I had a really good day that day going out and exploring what this city has to offer. I really need to take the time to get out by myself and think.  Working, starting school soon, and taking care of my kids is a lot of work, and its always nice to get out of your normal routine, stop thinking, and just take in everything around you. So, here we go…  The giant spoon:

Till next time, get out in your city or town take some pictures and send a link, so I can see some cool things where you live!

 

{To check out the artists’ information for all works head over to The Walker Art Center Sculpture Garden.  Maybe even think about making the trip!}

Why Design?

When I told my coworkers that I was going to school for graphic design a lot of them wondered, “why on earth you would want to do that?”  First, I will say that I am not in the most creative job right now.  I work security at the airport.  I was former military and have no degree, so working security was an easy transition into a civilian job.  You can imagine why I want to get out!  No creative outlet what so ever, you get told how to do everything from how to wear your hair, how to dress, and how to talk to passengers.  It gets pretty repetitive very quickly.

When I was a little kid I can remember drawing ALL the time.  I used to draw pictures for my mom and write my own books.  As I got older I still sketched every now and then, but also started to paint.  Later, sewing, knitting, and crocheting interested me and pattern making began.  Then came my first blog and I fell in love. In the beginning it was nothing to brag about, but it was mine.  I developed it over a year, learning things little by little, and now it still sits as The Tattooed Housewife.

I loved blogging but a lot of things in my life have changed, and I want to start fresh.  I moved out of living with my husband over a year ago, and we actually just signed the official documents to finalize our divorce yesterday.  It is sad that our marriage ended, but we are both happy that everything is over.  We can finally have closure and focus on the two little girls we have together.

Let’s get back to the topic at hand, though.  Why did I choose a design path?  Design is literally everywhere you look.  From the composition to tattoos to the labels on a juice bottle.  It can be anything that you (or the client) want it to be.  I have friends that design t-shirts, some that do websites, and a sister-in-law that makes backstage passes for huge bands.  There are so many different ways that you could go with your craft and I love that (in the past I had a reputation of jumping around to different mediums a lot).

Design can be inspirational.  It can make you emotional or make you feel desire for whatever the subject is, as in advertising.  It can be art or a quick way to identify the subject, like a logo.  Everything that goes into the font, composition, colors, subject matter, and tone has to deal with design and you as the designer can take it anywhere.  I want to be able to create something beautiful and functional.  I want to help someone else be proud of a business or product that they have worked so hard to develop.  I want my work to be out there and help inspire my daughters and others to go after their dreams and show them that doing what they want really is attainable.  But most of all I want to be happy.  I don’t want a job that is boring and will hinder my creative side.  I want that side of me to come out again and pursuing a career in graphic design will give me the opportunity to have it happen.