“May I always be blessed with the monotony, the dull sameness of identical days, my indistinguishable todays and yesterdays, so that I may enjoy with an open heart the fly that distracts me, drifting randomly past my eyes, the gust of laughter that wafts volubly from the street somewhere down below, the sense of vast freedom when the office closes for the night, and the infinite rest of my days off.”
— Fernando Pessoa
“I sure hope that you are reading books. Books of paper. Used books are cheap. One book will lead you to another. If you only read a page or three you will still get done with a fat book in a month or two. Read while falling alseep.
Don’t jump off buildings or kill millions of people in games. Read a book for your heart.”
— Gary Panter
“I’ve discovered that in lengthy prison terms, sensitive people are in danger of becoming embittered, developing grudges against the world, growing dull, indifferent and selfish. One of my main aims is to not yield an inch to such threats, regardless of how long I’m here. I want to remain open to the world, not to shut myself up against it; I want to retain my interest in other people and my love for them. I have different opinions of different people, but I cannot say I hate anyone in the world. I have no intention of changing in that regard. If I did, it would mean I had lost. Hatred has never been either my program, or the point of departure for my actions. And that must not change.”
— Václav Havel
“I believe life is a continuum, and that no one really dies, they just drop their physical body and we’ll all meet again, like the song says. It’s sad but it’s not devastating if you think like that. Otherwise I don’t see how anybody could ever, once they see someone die, that they’d just disappear forever and that’s what we’re all bound to do. I’m sorry but it just doesn’t make any sense, it’s a continuum, and we’re all going to be fine at the end of the story.”
— David Lynch (RIP)
“You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.”
— James Baldwin
“This is also why we have friends, isn’t it? To laugh about random stuff and tell stupid jokes and tease each other and goof off?
I think that’s where I landed with my heavy friendship thoughts this week: a huge chunk of every day should be spent goofing off, and a huge chunk of every friendship should be about laughing and acting absolutely idiotic together.
Life is too short for relentless emotional heavy lifting. We need to be ridiculous and obnoxious and sing dumb songs into each other’s voicemails. We need more dance parties and puppet shows. Friendship should be loving and real, but above all else, it should be fun.”
— Heather Havrilesky
“We know that in the history of all arts, the arrival of perfect realism coincided with perfect decadence. Why is it that when technique is primitive everything is beautiful, and when technique is perfected, almost everything is ugly? Technical perfection can only create boredom, because it only reproduces nature. Why the hell would anyone go to a movie when they can have the real thing? So imitating nature can only read to the death of an art form.”
— Jean Renoir
“It is a shame there is not more levity about what we do, because graphics is not brain surgery. I take the business of design very seriously, but I want to have fun doing it. There is real pleasure in coming up with a witty solution. The pay off when you finally get the answer is a real high. You do not experience that in any other categories of your work.
That is why ideas are very important to me. I have lived my whole life as a designer with the intent of making ideas the central part of my work. When I start on a job, I never set out to be humorous. My ultimate goal is for the idea, and the way it is executed, to be smart. Wit, in my definition, is about being clever, crafty and smart.
I would rather do posters than anything. I like it because they can be solved quickly and I don’t get bored. Many of my pieces would not be nearly as good without words. When I approach one of these poster problems, I often start with words. I use encyclopedias, synonym books, anything. I start with a category, at a point that makes sense, then work to either side of it.
I try to be very calculating in the way I approach a problem. It is never just intuitive. The first thing I do is learn as much as I can. Then I sit down did try to make something happen – I could do this, I could do that. If I know I am not getting anywhere, I get away from the job for a while. I go to a bookstore, turn on the news, take a shower. Then I try to think what subject or element I have not considered, which might offer another avenue.
What usually happens is that I come up with a lot of ideas that I don’t really like. I struggle for the one that I think is perfect. It seems to me that people take as long to solve a graphic problem as there are hours between the drop dead date and when you begin. So it doesn’t really make a difference how long you have.
There are times when I really get stuck, and need outside input. So I speak to someone about it. I am amazed how often a person who is uninvolved will come at the problem from a completely different direction.
It is funny how ideas can just emerge. Once you have done your homework, they sort of present themselves.”
— Woody Pirtle (via A Smile In the Mind)
“I don’t really concern myself too much with how [a design] looks. I am much more interested in what the work says. Finding a small bit of truth in a job or client or piece and letting that be the focal point. That interests me. A lot.”
— James Victore
“When you read a text, you’re on your own time. That is not the case in film. In fact, in film, you’re dominated by my time. But time is different for everyone. Five minutes isn’t the same thing for you as it is for me.”
— Chantal Akerman (via)
