May 2012
Going through work over the past week, it dawned on my just how much photography and montage has driven my process these days. They’re old tricks, picked up over endless hours spent in Photoshop during high school. It’s arguable that the most recent work is visually stronger than the simpler posters I made years back, but its come at the expense of being able to do more with less. And that’s something I miss.
A lot of the work I did years ago was minimalist because of how my beliefs in life influenced the way I treated design. I get a kick out of reading, and more than a few philosophies have rubbed off on me over time, most of which focus on simple living. People, experiences, and a rich inner life are worth far more than things and frills. And that way of living bled its way into the work: trying to strip away the white noise and diving right in to the things that matter. I know, that’s probably ferociously groan worthy, but everyone needs something to hang their hat on.
These days, it feels like the internet has treated minimalism as a trend to be exploited for short term notoriety and profit, and its overexposure has ultimately diluted a perfectly rational means of bringing to life an idea. It’s become a bandwagon to hop on to because the formula, however broad and far reaching that is, has become tired and true.
People cling to what they miss the most in their lives, and for all of our advancements, modern times remain anything but simple. Maybe minimalism’s proliferation couldn’t be helped.
