Today’s Creative Road Map
Royal Institutions: My surprising art school link to vehicle design and embracing the messy middle.
A Playful Mindset: Finding harmony and control by focusing only on the creative essentials.
Sketchbook Playdate Preview: Unlocking a rich colour spectrum with a limited palette.
Today’s Dispatch: Where I’m writing from and how I’m making it feel fancy.
Royal Institutions
I’m no petrol head, but I do appreciate a well-sculpted vehicle. Aerodynamic lines, a high wheel arch, the shape and shine of the lights, the texture of the engine grill and of course the all-important colour. It’s a design thing, and at heart, I’m a designer. In fact, there’s a little-known link to vehicle design in the distant past of my Royal College of Art days.
The Vehicle Design department was on the floor above mine in the grey glass tower of the art college. There used to be a distinct separation of disciplines at the RCA, design and art apparently being entirely different entities, never the twain shall meet. Content to remain in my corner of the building, probably because I was too shy to venture any further than absolutely necessary, I made friends with the folks in my Design Products department and the floors that sandwiched it.
Our floor was a mishmash of accumulated material experiments that grew up around us. It formed dens around our no longer visible desks because they had been engulfed by stuff. Design students eagerly generate things when left to play with whatever takes their fancy, at least they did in my day.
The vehicle design department couldn’t have been more of a contrast. For a start, you could see their desks, all set out in neatly ordered rows. The only things covering their desks were drawings, pens, and pencils. Even their drawings were neat and tidy. Render after render of stylised aerodynamic slickness. A million miles away from the scribbly working drawings of my floor. Even in their workshop, it was like stepping into a different world. Donning white lab coats and tenderly caressing large clay models of their concept cars was a curious sight to behold. They took it all so seriously, and the concentration was evident on their faces.
Our workshop was more laissez-faire. Popping to and fro between studio, wood and metal workshop, quickly testing out an idea, making an adjustment and hopping back to note it down, not a white coat in sight.
I remember going upstairs when I needed to clear my mind and take a breather. I’d marvel at the tidy calm of this neighbouring design discipline, but was always rather pleased to come back downstairs to the quirky, familiar Design Products floor with stuff spilling down the walls and across the floors. That could be why we were downstairs, in case our enthusiasm started creeping out the door and trickling down the stairs, getting in everyone else’s way.
I have many fond memories of those two years studying for my master’s. Pushing the envelope of what I learned during my degree while trying to figure out what being a self-reliant grown-up human being was all about. It was all a bit messy. The cringeworthy awkward moments of a tender age tempered by the invincible euphoria of youth. I would not have the energy to live it all again, too much adrenaline involved, cortisol, of course, being the kryptonite of women my age.
However, the bit that has never faltered is the desire to chase curiosity and indulge in the messy middle. My whole career has been one of visual problem-solving. Working out the hows and whys of a thing in order to find a practical solution. These are, of course, the attributes a designer must embrace daily, and the working life of an artist, at least for me anyway, is as much the same.
My studio is the welcome messy middle of experimentation. Hopping between the art table and desk to try things out and note them down. A way of life learned at art school and embraced and cultivated to this day. This may be why I started today’s letter by sharing a pink embellished drawing of an RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) vehicle today. A symbol of help, a port in the storm, a rock to rely on. It represents both chaos and calm simultaneously.
I’m sure the vehicle designers I knew back then would have a laugh at the quirky, wobbly lines and the highlighter rendering of this particular utility vehicle, as well as the blatant disregard for a streamlined representation of precision engineering. I am, after all, a designer with an artist’s soul, and I will continue to embrace the messy middle of problem-solving while squeezing out every drop of curiosity that comes along the way.
Differences are brilliant; they are what make the world go round, and we have the opportunity to embrace them with both hands. Explore a new idea, let the tangle of discovery take over, and when all is said and done, the calm of completion can be your prize if that is what you seek.
My seasonal calm spell is coming to an end. The summer gathering is long since complete, along with organisational tasks synonymous with early autumn. I’m now looking forward to getting stuck into the messy middle of a new painting collection. It all feels like the Aesop’s Fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper. The work of July and August is done, so I can now enjoy the delights of a winter tucked away in The Garage, sifting through the stored research, sketches, and reference material to see what new delights they produce.
We all have our own rhythm of ‘calm spells’ and ‘messy middles.’ Which phase are you in right now, and what surprising discoveries is it leading to? Share your thoughts below—I’d love to hear how you embrace the tangle of discovery!
If you’d like to see more of my vehicle and road sketches, please take a peek at the Road Trip Sketching link.
A Playful Mindset: Managing the Messy Middle
Harmony is the title of the next play date, and in my opinion, it is something that requires thoughtful consideration and dedication to get right. For harmony to work, it requires awareness and understanding. Sure, you can stumble upon harmony in life, work and in the details of a thing, but if you want it to stick around for a while, it’s best to ask some questions first. Why is a particular harmony working, and what needs to happen to maintain its presence?
One of the key ingredients to harmony, particularly when it comes to colour, is control. When all the things are happening all at once, it can feel frenzied, full of cortisol-inducing, out-of-control stuff. Start to take a thing or two out of the equation, and the frenzy reduces. Harmony is the result of consideration. A consideration for what is actually needed. While I love a bit of random colour thrown into the painting mix, it was after learning to master the principles of considered colour use that the harmony penny finally dropped.
Harmony is a powerful tool in art making. It can make the difference between consistently producing impactful work and the nagging question of why paintings don’t always work. The fundamentals of harmony revolve around keeping what you genuinely need and discarding the rest.
Suppose we’re sticking to a vehicular theme. What do you really need to pack in the car for a weekend away, versus cramming it with superfluous, just-in-case items that ultimately weigh the vehicle down and cause unpacking grief on arrival because you can’t find your pyjamas buried at the back of the boot? Unless you’re a minimalist packing guru (something I strive to be but never quite manage, as there’s always at least one outfit that remains untouched), you’ll know exactly what I’m getting at.
For one, packing only the essentials focuses the mind, enabling you to discover the full range of permutations these few items allow. This is also true for colour. Two colours mixed together will create a surprising spectrum of new colours, while mixing all the colours will inevitably result in mud. I know what I’d rather paint with.
So, as you step into the Harmony Playdate or embark on a weekend of adventure, have a think about what you really need. Will you be weighed down by all the things you could ever possibly need, or step out lightly with only the essentials? With two colours and a pot of black-and-white paint, I’ll demonstrate the endless possibilities of creating with harmonious tints, tones and shades. It’s an exciting prospect, and I’m eager to dive in.
When you start a new project (or pack for a trip!), what is your one non-negotiable essential that you always include? Is it a particular colour, a tool, or a mindset? Share your secret ingredient for harmony!
Sketchbook Playdate Episode 14: Harmony
In this episode, you’ll explore the power of a limited colour palette and how to playfully use it to make a series of unified abstract compositions. Through play, each composition will explore the harmony that can emerge from thoughtful colour choices.
This lesson will fundamentally transform your approach to colour by revealing the rich spectrum of hues available within a restricted palette. You’ll learn practical techniques for playing with value contrast and arranging engaging abstract collage compositions.
By the end of this episode, you’ll feel confident developing artwork in a series, knowing that a strong sense of colour harmony will inherently unify every piece you create. This skill will empower you to make deliberate and impactful colour decisions in your future art making.
Love the look of this lesson? The best place to keep the creative momentum going is to join the BRIGHT Family today! Let me know your thoughts in the comments. (And a £3 Ko-fi coffee helps fuel the inspiration!)
Today’s letter comes to you from a favourite coffee shop in the Old Town. Perched in a sunny spot with a view out the window, I can see a well-valeted, cream leather-clad, big fancy pants Jaguar SUV type thing, which, while it’s not my cup of joe, seems appropriate company considering the context of today’s words. I hope any budding vehicle designers who stumble across my words will approve of the link.
I also marked this gorgeously sunny autumn day by endeavouring to elevate a well-worn studio polo neck, with a much-loved cashmere cardy, and what is possibly now classed as a vintage Jaeger coat (how can it be 15 years old, I swear I only just bought it) and a handmade silver necklace encrusted with quartz and malachite beads. Why not make the day-to-day feel a little bit fancy?
What ‘fancy thing’ will you do to elevate your day today? Whether it’s adding a cashmere cardigan or just using your best pen, let me know in the comments!
PS The Weekender Sketchbook is now in the shop! This lightweight A5 portable journal with its beautiful Blueberry Blossom cover is packed with 28 pages of thick, smooth 170gsm white paper, ready for your next moment of inspiration. Slip it into your bag with a BRIGHT Pencil Pack and start your creative sketching weekend!
