The Power of Words.
The Blot: Issue #2
Words in a flash
From the desk of Applied Creativity.
Maybe One of the most forgetful but also impactful ways words are used in the world is on signs, advertisements, and billboards.
According to a study done by the University of South Carolina, the average person is exposed to around 5,000 advertisements a day and 2 million ads a year. To be remembered, you either need infinite money to bombard everyone with your ad in all the best places, at all the best times, OR you just need one strong impression.
There are masters of ads doing this right now. With just a few words and a few seconds, they make you remember.
The next time you are out on a drive or a walk and an ad catches your eye, take time to understand why it stopped you and how you can apply that to your next design.
Artist Spotlight
From the Department of Style Shaping.
This month’s spotlight is an artist who knows the power of words.
Snooze.one is a mixed media artist that I have learned 3 things from.
1. The Power of Planning.
When you watch Snooze.one’s process it is clear to see that he knows how important planning is. One aspect of planning with traditional art is layering.
I started my art journey with ink, where layering is useless.
Then I started to use digital tools where layers don’t truly interact with each other and you can flip them around and adjust them at any time.
But Snooze uses tools that have no undo button. So, he must be intentional with every step and plan out his process.
This planning allows him to be bold and confident with his creative decisions. He knows how each element of the art is going to play with the other. But how? By experimenting. Which leads me into my next point…
2. Play Before You Plan.
To create engaging art, you must play. When we see the artists final product, we are amazed with how intentional the artist was in every step of the process. Behind every masterpiece is a shed, sketchbook, studio, or garage full of playful experiments. “Art” pieces that the artist gave themselves full permission to mess up, to play with, and to break every rule to see what would happen. Occasionally, Snooze.one will show all his practice attempts leading up to the final product that we saw. Don’t be afraid to break the rules of art.
3. The Details
The small details Snooze.one adds to his work makes all the difference. Let’s play a game. I’m going to show you two pictures that in writing communicate the same message but two very different emotions:
Which gave you a stronger emotional response? Even if very poorly done the way you present your message can make all the difference. Snooze.one knows how to use details like shape, color and texture to make his audience feel things, which is what art is all about.
Go check out Snooze.one’s Instagram page to see what you can learn from him to better communicate to your audience:
https://www.instagram.com/snooze.one?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
“The Power of Words”
From the department of Inspiration & Motivation
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.”
Proverbs 18:21
"To say the very thing you really mean, the whole of it, nothing more or less or other than what you really mean; that's the whole art and joy of words".
C.S. Lewis's novel Till We Have Faces
I think visual artists like illustrators, photographers, videographers, painters, and sculptors can often forget how important words are to convey feelings. There is beauty in the silent moments, and actions can speak louder than words. BUT, when words are used well, they can stick with a person and have a longer, lasting impact than any image or action.
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