Let's Talk Pony

I am a Brony.

I am not ashamed of this, nor am I shy about bringing it up. As a matter of fact, I'm rather proud of it.

For the unenlightened, a Brony is a fan (either young or old) of the Hub network cartoon, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. The show itself features colorful cartoon horses who live their everyday lives, who heroically triumph over evil, who learn from their mistakes, and who help us understand how to better our own lives. The show has plot, character development and excellent comedic timing. The Bronies themselves draw inspiration from the show to live altruistic lives. Their motto is "Love and Tolerate."

Not a bad idea, if you ask me.

That's nice, you may think. But, honestly, what does a cartoon intended for little girls have to do with the creative field?

Glad you asked...

In the spirit of the old Warner Brothers cartoons, the writers and artists who create My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic do not necessarily make the cartoon for little girls. There is always a wink-and-nudge tone written for us "grown-ups." One such nod was meant for those of us who make our living through creativity. That episode is titled "Suited For Success."

This story centers on a pony (a unicorn, to be precise) named Rarity. Rarity is an admirable and generous pony who works as a fashion designer and seamstress. She has won a major fashion show in Manehattan, and holds smaller shows in her hometown, Ponyville. She owns and operates a business to sell her designs called The Carousel Boutique. And, she has clients.

In "Suited For Success," Rarity deals with a group of clients (her five friends), for whom she's made ball gowns for an upcoming ball. Her song, "The Art of The Dress" pretty much sums up the roller coaster ride we all face when creating for a client.

See it for yourself. Go ahead and watch it. I'll wait.

We are not alone, fellow artists. Even color cartoon characters have difficulty with clients.

Of course, at the end of the episode, her friends realize the skill and experience Rarity holds are what make good fashion sense. All ends well.

Not so much for real life outside of the animated world of Equestria. More often than not, our skill, expertise and years of education are pushed by the wayside by the client so that we will get paid for our efforts. It is a rare occasion that we have the trust and respect of our clientele. It's about as rare as... a unicorn.

Of course, not all clients are that way. Some do actually work with you, listening to ideas while truly understanding the technicality behind the work. They are a joy, and we cherish that relationship.

What of the others? All we can do is listen carefully to their needs and hope that all ends well.

Love and tolerate!

Has It Been Three Years? Already?

Just like Douglas McArthur, I have returned.

I'm blowing the cobwebs off this poor, neglected blog of mine. It has been far too long since I've last set words to the ether of the online world, and I feel a little ashamed of it. The excuses I have are a bit... well, lame.

I've been working.

I've not been working.

I'm too busy.

I have writer's block.

I'm so sorry, but after winning the lottery, my career as a Professional Wrestling Referee skyrocketed me to fame, so on the advice of my twin sister, Heidi Klum, I've decided to retire from the human race and take up knitting sweaters from cat fur.

Oh, alright. The last excuse is fabricated. A little.

However, I've made the decision to stop the madness, and return to pounding out my thoughts about design, the creative process and all things art. My hope is to entertain and amuse all readers while making them think. And, if I'm amiss with any of these thoughts, I hope said readers will patiently take me to task and keep me humble.

And, most of all, I thank everyone for waiting on me. I'll do my best to not let you down.

In the meantime, does anyone out there know of a good distributor for cat fur sweaters?

The Other Johnny Appleseed

"Aw, yeah! I like a challenge!"

Words I've often uttered, only because I am fearless when it comes to change.

It was this very phrase I said to my friend Mary, who was also my boss at that time. We worked together at a little company called Classic Games about 18 years ago. It's not a real well-known company; they made minor league sports cards and a variety of games. Fun stuff. And, I was the newbie in the Creative Department.

I had graduated The Art Institute of Atlanta only a mere nine years before. I brought with me the arcane lore of marker comps, ruby and amber lith mechanicals, paste-up and photographic color separation.

I was ready to show Mary my amazingly mad skillz. "Okay, where's the workroom?" I asked. She took me to my cube/desk, and pointed to a small computer on the desktop with a cute little rainbow-colored apple on it. What the...

"Um, alright. Look, I'll need some markers for comps..." Again, but with a wry smile on her face, she wordlessly pointed to the little computer.

I was beginning to question her sanity. "Mechanicals. Where do you guys do..." She continued with her annoying smiling and pointing. "Typesetting?" She points some more. "Layout?" More pointing. More smiling. "How about a friggin' cup of tea??" Mary doubles over laughing, and we go get a cup of tea.

As we refresh ourselves, I try to take it all in. "So, you're telling me that everything we do is now done on that little Macintosh computer?"

"Well, not everything. But, about half of what you know can be done on a Mac. It makes our job as graphic designers and production artists quicker and easier." She got a little serious. "Things have changed a lot, thanks to the Mac. A lot of people have left the industry because they're stuck on doing things the old way. They're a little ticked off that they have to learn a new skill."

She gave me a sly, sidelong look. "You think you can adapt?"

I gave her my patented reply. "Aw, yeah! I like a challenge!"

It wasn't a tough challenge, actually. Turns out, that little computer was a powerhouse machine (at the time). By virtue of its intuitive use, I could tell it was well-made. I could make changes on the fly. I could see my designs close to how they'd look as a final piece. And, I didn't come home covered in wax and spray mount with half a finger missing.

I know I'm not the only person whose life was touched by the ingenuity and hard work of Steve Jobs. I'm just happy to have been a part of it.

On behalf of all of us old skool designers: Thanks, Steve. We really appreciate it.