Every Saturday morning, I would head out with my dad to run some chores. Usually it would consist of a stop into Lechmere Sales and Somerville Lumber, but first, we had to make a trip to the local dump. Most kids would dread having to run errands on a Saturday morning when they could be watching cartoons on Chanel 56 (yes, kids, our cartoons were only on the T.V. one day a week!), but I loved spending the time with my dad. On the way to the dump, we would play word games like “I spy”  or “I’m thinking of something.” As I got older, we would try to solve the world’s problems one by one. Those simple trips had us going off on many tangents and got my brain churning.

When I begin a design project, whether it’s a new painting or a new logo, I usually start with a brain dump of sorts…I start with words and write anything and everything relevant to the idea. Nothing is wrong at this point. I’m just getting thoughts on paper, which usually leads to more thoughts and more paper. Erasers are not allowed.  I still use my thesaurus I was given in 6th grade and of course the internet is the ultimate thesaurus. I do try to save that for last because I find it stalls the creative juices if the ideas are at your finger tips.

After the initial word dump, I start sketching. This is another round of dumping with no limitations. Often times, the best solutions are ones that are offshoots of the original ideas so you can’t limit yourself here. Sometimes I dump, then let it rest for a while, then come back with fresh eyes and dump some more.

I will then look at all the ideas and pick the ones that I think best capture the idea and start sketching them in greater detail. Sometimes this happens on paper, and other times I jump right to the computer to work with fonts and colors. Erasers (or Command X) are allowed here!

I’ve been dumping a lot in the last few weeks. So many different ideas swirling around in my head. I will be working on a few series of paintings, such as the “Farmhouse” Series and the “Simplify” Series. I am tossing ideas around for a “Townie” series and even perhaps a respectful redesign of our town crest. One of my brain dumps was a list of over 100 ideas for new paintings. So many great projects on the horizon!

Please follow along with me as this simple trip turns into a journey with many twists and turns. I promise we won’t end up at the dump!