Creativity.

I recently had a conversation with someone and resisted the gut wrenching urge to reach across the table to strangle him when I heard the words 'Graphic design and all that, that's not art'. I won't be naming anyone because I would fear for their safety.

I think you realize what my opinion is, I mean really, not art?. When does the fact that someone has the ability to work and create within deadlines and criteria on a regular basis automatically rip the acknowledgement from them? Is the only form of art really just 'art for arts sake'? Do we have to starve to be considered a true artist? If then someone is trying to get a political agenda across in their work, does this also mean that it isn't art?

Pop culture is born from demand from the 'defined popularity' and so art forms follow this. In reality each movement is more often a rebellion, it is in fact still a reaction to social and economic conditions, as is advertising and the imagery they create.

Shepard Fairey a skateboarder turned graphic designer, Illustrator, artist, and his world renowned poster of Obama, that would be considered a commercial job, or commissioned work. The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston calls him one of today's best known and most influential street artists.[2] His work is included in the collections at The Smithsonian, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. His art grew from street stickers to museums through commercialism, he has a book 'demand and supply' The Art of Shepard Fairey.

Does then the accessibility define the art? The fact that we see ads all the time that you see illustrations in every form of media does that take away from it's impact, from it's real quality?

(Pictures from Lost at E Minor.)
http://www.lostateminor.com/tag/shepard-fairey/

Lomo fun.

After many years studying and being given briefs with strict guide lines I have been going through a rebelion. The lomo cameras have caught my undevided attention.

Although the cameras don't allow for large reproduction quality, the sheer fun and experimentation is great. Who doesn't want a chrome fisheye for under $400!!!

After flicking through lots of the images that are saturating the net, they are definitely set to become a cult icon. They have these tiny little bodies and a comically oversized flash house, making them appear as though they should be in a magna cartoon. The product range is immense and they even manufacture there own redscale negative film, who wouldn't fall in love?

There are various designs, some with multiple lenses and colour filters, making your world of options burst out and turn into somewhere between Warhol and a hint of Diana Arbus (if your so inclined) and an urbanesque quality which is unmistakable and well executed.

Try them they are fantastic fun! x

(the above photograph was taken by Alison Zavos, feature shoot founder and editor)