3 ingredients for instant ’80s style
Hello, creative Mirror80 readers! Many of you have gotten in touch with me and shared your projects, ideas and endeavors. Interior design, visual art, music, writing and animation are a few of the many areas that your talents represent, and it’s been so wonderful to be a part of a creative community where modern style meets an appreciation for all things retro.
Marble geometric tiles
I wanted to spend time in today’s post talking about creativity, and to hopefully get a conversation going with all of you. I’ll start by sharing a little. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve woken up each day with the desire to create. It’s funny–I’d be on vacation with my family, and I’d be dying to get back home so I could start my next project. Over time I’ve grown to see travel as a source of inspiration rather than something that interferes with creativity, but you get the idea! I think for some people, creating art, music, stories, etc. is a compulsion rather than a choice. We create because we can’t NOT do it!
’80s glitz
Similarly, when I was a child, I loved writing stories, making pictures, redecorating my family’s house and playing school. I would do these things over and over again, and somehow they’ve all played into my career at various points. For example, I taught creative arts classes, I opened an antique booth that I constantly redesigned and filled with retro items, and now I write about interior design through blogging.
Cruise chic
People often ask me why I’m so focused on the 1980s. My brother and I were the youngest kids on our block during the Decade of Decadence. While playing with our neighbors (many were pre-teens), we would inevitably end up watching MTV. Sure, we built forts, ran around outside and all of that fun stuff, but we also spent time watching some of the first music videos to air on MTV. And there was just something amazing about their aesthetic and sound. I guess they stuck with me!
Licorice in primary colors
You can imagine the jolt of going from ’80s music and visuals to ’90s grunge/plaid/baggy clothing. Don’t get me wrong–I love the ’90s too, but they didn’t resonate with me quite the same way at first. In fact, I spent the first half of the ’90s watching Flashback Video specials, yearning for the early days of MTV. At some point I woke up and realized that I’d missed some pretty amazing music and creative movements. Which brings me to one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned when it comes to creativity: it’s important not to isolate yourself from the world around you.
Cutting the paper into strips
But that can be hard for creative types, right?! I love spending time by myself and working on projects, from tackling interior design challenges to creating collage art. And of course, blogging. I’m constantly having to remind myself to take a look around me, spend time with the people I care about and enjoy the NEW music, art and film that’s making an impact. Because there are some amazing things going on in THIS decade!
Neon goodness
I’d love to shift the post away from myself now and ask you some questions about creativity. It would be great to get a conversation going in the comments section below. If you feel compelled to jump in and share your input for any of the questions that follow, don’t hold back!
How do you juggle your creative endeavors with the business of life (work, responsibilities, etc.)? Have you been able to earn a living doing something you love, even if part time?
How do you balance the “alone time” required to complete creative projects with having a social life/relationship/family life? Do you collaborate with others in your creative endeavors?
Are there certain eras/decades/movements that consistently inspire you? How do you immerse yourself in their style without ignoring the world around you?
Are there interests you had as a kid that blossomed into talents as you became an adult?
Thanks for reading! I’m looking forward to hearing from you…
Luckily I’m fortunate enough to make ends meet from my electronics work, which I do greatly enjoy, but its been very difficult at times. I’ve always been dedicated to art, music has always been there for me, and its something that nobody can take away from me.
My social life revolves around my work, its part of the end phase of a project usually, when others get involved, and then theres shows. When you get older its natural to have less of a social life because everybody is busy raising their kids or on their own mission from god. So you don’t have to feel guilty as an artist spending time alone working on your craft. Plus these days were all really connected everyday online anyway.
I’ve collaborated in the past, but what usually happens is I end up having to do the heavy lifting on a project because of my experience and attention to detail. Though on occation its quite nice to work with someone talented enough to hit it out of the ballpark, when something like that happens I do my best to just stand aside and enhance what they did as best I can.
I’m constantly inspired by music from about 1977-1983, and 70s/80s fashion photography / album art. You can’t really re-create the great art of the 80s because so much of that equation was raw talent backed by big bucks, but you can learn what tools and techniques were used and try to use the technology we have today to create new art with the same spirit. The artistic climate today is all about just being yourself and following your own style, eclectic is to be expected. Especially with music, theres a genre for just about everything.
As a kid I was always the one that would stay after school and talk to the science teacher, or play with the macintosh in the music room. Those experiences definetly shaped my future.