One picture is worth a thousand words
The life of an artist, designer or illustrator is a constant uphill battle. To work with confidence, you must have the courage to fight for what you believe in and to accept high risks, even if this could mean losing a commission or your employment. The courage of one’s convictions, linked to one’s talents, can be an unstoppable force. I work in my own way, in line with my ideals, neither for fame nor fortune, but according to my ideas and convictions. In accepting professional constraints, whether for an advert, a poster, a magazine or a publicity spot, an image created for a business can represent a compromise, a doubt, a downer or a misunderstanding. A businessman will never respect a professional who doesn’t believe in himself or his work, but he will often exploit the artist for his own ends. In expecting an artist or designer to accept certain constraints, the client must also show an example by trusting that person’s sense of direction. It’s well known that pressure to conform kills any form of creativity. On the other hand, the creative artist who wishes to avoid being dictated to by public taste or the vagaries of the market must be clear about his role in society. It is this self-affirmation that justifies the risk. Above all, he must try to distinguish the real from the imaginary.
Some clients have a tendency to look for an artist with a pioneering spirit who can guarantee an original result, something really out of the ordinary. Others jump onto a moving trend that happens to be “in”, without even considering whether it’s going in the right direction, or that it corresponds to their needs. The response and enthusiasm generated by the success of a product or brand leads many companies to propose doing “something like company X”. There are also those who believe that the role of the creative artist should be strictly functional, and that it is up to that person to adapt and conform to a specific socio-economic context. It seems to me that such simplistic “off the peg” approaches do not recognise the importance of visual conception, and suppress creativity by favoring such attitudes. Specific problems require equally specific visual solutions, with the objective of reconciling an esthetic ideal with a commercial goal, in the interest of the client and the consumer.
It doesn’t matter whether the endeavor concerns advertising, events, voluntary work, or is for a friend. We are all human beings, and to flourish we must remain true to ourselves. Even if a picture is indeed worth a thousand words, the selection we have published for you in this special issue should leave you speechless.

20 August 2007

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