Evoking a Creative Glow
By Patricia Belyea / Guest Columnist
Marketing /September 2003
Rosanne Olson, a close friend and accomplished local photographer, is in two art clubs. When she told me about them I was envious.
One group is called Art Chix. The women (about six, I believe) choose a theme every month and each person creates a piece of art that relates to the subject. It can be a painting, a photo, a poem, or any other artistic expression. I know that this month's theme is "Lunch Box."
Rosanne is also involved with a group of photographers called Cranial Crowbar. This club produces photographs as the final output. This month's theme is "Strange Beauty."
The idea of working on a monthly creative assignment is very appealing to me. I'm not a fine artist so I am not compelled to sit around and make wonderful art.
I asked Rosanne if there was any possibility that I could join Art Chix. She asked the other participants and reported back that they were not interested in adding a new face to their intimate group. I was rejected and dejected.
At Belyea, we were waffling on what to do for our next self promo. We all decided to do personal art projects instead. This was the beginning of our own Belyea Art Club.
As a group, we decided to create parameters for the monthly art. Each piece would be square (ideally 11 x 11 inches) and able to hang on a wall. Other than that, there would be no restrictions. The club is open to anyone at Belyea, including our Business Manager, IT Director and Marketing Coordinator. Everyone on the creative team is highly encouraged to participate, especially the interns.
Earlier in the year Belyea started a corporate ad campaign where each ad features just one word. There are twelve ads in the series. We decided to use these words for the monthly themes.
The first month's theme was "Momentum." A star submission was from Wendy Brookshire, an intern from Colorado, who made a little book. The pages are filled with pictures and stories about entries in Green Lake's Milk Carton Derby. There are cryptic comments on each crafts' floatability, creativity and momentum. The book states that if you cut out all nine pictures and tile them together, the resulting image is 11 x 11 inches.
This month the theme is "Excitement." Anne Dougherty, a senior designer who is always so calm, reflected on what makes her excited. "My cats!" she exclaimed. Her charming watercolor painting is almost all white paper with a simple line drawing of a cat and a butterfly right overhead. The word "excitement" in a naive script below underscores the feline moment.
A new word is now posted on the hall wall. It is "Confidence" with "Four Weeks To Go" on the weekly count-down sign. Naomi Murphy, another senior designer, confided in me that she has already started on her next piece. "I have all these art supplies but it is always so hard for me to get started. Being given a theme really helps."
I know that the Belyea Art Club has been transforming for me. I have spent hours sketching, visiting art supply stores and just getting messy. It is hard to actualize my ambitious concepts but it is rewarding to try.
Our little art club is gently breathing vital energy into our creative firm. We have only just begun but I see this program sparking new ideas, uncovering each other's artistic potential, and revealing personal interests and stories. Not bad for such a simple notion.
Patricia Belyea is founding principal and Creative Director of Belyea, a graphic design firm specializing in branding and marketing programs. She can be reached at patricia@belyea.com or 206-682-4895.