A Tech on Titan: Why everyone should learn how to code (it's not impossible!)

So for the past 1 year I took a break from designing (not really) and started to teach myself how to code. Why the sudden change, one wonders? Well, apart from the classic increasing demand argument, I felt the need to upskill myself and take on a challenge to learn something new.   

And yeah, you bet, it was a hell lot of fun. I started without even knowing what HTML is. It's like one of those moments where you just go, "Yeah! HTML, CSS, I've heard of that somewhere". But not entirely sure of what it does or worse, what it is. 

The days were tough when I first started visiting the codeacademy page for the first time in April 2014. Thankfully the awesome team over there gamified the whole learning experience by chipping it into small bits. It's nice you know, to be awarded virtually meaningless badge of honor whenever you complete something trivial (like adding a line of comment or clicking the submit button). But the psychology behind the reward and recognition system keeps you going, and I haven't stopped since then. 

Now I am at best in my embryonic stage when it comes to coding (major self-awareness) - afterall I only do front-end web development anyway. But knowing a few css-tricks, jquery animations and javascript frameworks has earned my bowl of noodles for the past few months designing small websites for various clients. So even though I am considered as a "pseudo" developer in the whole community of tech geniuses, all I can offer is just a burning desire to learn. The pocket money from small gigs here and there is of course nice to have, but the joy of creating graphics and animation out of a Notepad (I remember being utterly shocked when one of my childhood friend told me it was possible) gives me an immense sense of delight. 

So going back to this tribute of the massive tech companies of our times. I think it is only when I finally get my hands dirty in reading and writing codes where I realised the extent of complexity, impact and creativity these guys generate to do things that matter in the world. Here's a start of a non-exhaustive list, but these are the first 4 that instantly cross my mind: Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Apple. It is by far one of the most (if not the most) powerful tool to create. And that's why if you are bored and stuck in Netflix or busy torrenting all day, consider Ctrl+T-ing and start learning how to code. 

GOING INSANE IS NORMAL

It's been almost 2 months since I posted in this blog. And holy balls my english just turned potato. Anyway, it's really sad to have your study and part time job to take out the better of you. Turns out living away from my family, trading soul for peanuts, while organizing 3 events at once (a concert, a recruitment drive, and a conference) wasn't really the smartest move to make. Can't even remember when was the last time I treated myself with a quiet self-reflection time with cold green tea infusing my brain while dabbing my hands into paint. Fish. It's funny to be known and yet so lonely. Getting paid yet so unfulfilled. I guess it's those one stage of life where you have to suck it up and just blanket yourself with the fluffy dream of tomorrow. 

Ah where was I? Yes. Stress and depression turns out to be good friends with creativity. It makes you more sensitive to situations and sometimes it leads to happy accidents. These artworks below were not happy accidents though. I have been drawing with this kind of style for a while now. It first started when I got sick of following "normal" gradient and composition, and so decided to abolish the rules and be a little bit more adventurous. Never would I try mixing neon green, blue, and brown markers together with pink and black crayons on top of washes of watercolor. It was a spontaneous move I would say, as if I became a vessel and i just grabbed whatever is on the table and drew whatever came to my mind at that very instance without any planning whatsoever. Chaotic much? you guessed right. Heart break fueled these pieces of work. These are then scanned and edited with photoshop using gradient map and increasing the saturation, a feature that only digitization could achieve. 

Culture Shock - 2012

First piece done using this style. Thinking outside the box, skewed viewpoint from what is right and what is wrong. Seeing with the body, pure ecstasy, disregarding logic and following the frantic dance of emotion. 

Waiter - 2013

 Footsteps becoming like clockwork, abolishing basic anatomy to show disfigurement of one's schedule and sense of time. Waiting for money to be spent and earned. Sadness on one shoulder and monstrosity on the other. Unevenness of vision and financial burden. 

Vessel-2013"Life is like a glass. You are given an empty one by the hands above. Fill it with a good mixture and you’ll get a good taste of life. Fill it once with toxic and your glass can never be pristine again. Don’t put too much, for it will be overpowering in taste. Don’t fill too much, or else your glass won’t hold. As empty or full as you view the glass, it is a mirroring testament to your optimistic or pessimistic attitude towards life. But try to fill it to the fullest brim, slowly and steadily, and with absolute humility your purity will resonate the potential you make out of your life. "

Endurance - 2013

Continuation of the above. Broken glasses, shattering of dreams. Suicide of art, sadness engulfing the vessel. Crack in the universe, repeating of cycle, immortality of a concept. "

Yes. I have officially gone mad. Put me in Arkham Asylum now. and this is why I don't want to do too much of these personal arts. The more I do it, the more I convince myself that I am a cuckoo. It's too private, maybe even ahead or perhaps way too late for this generation. But the whole experience of painting these is really cathartic, almost like eating sushi/pizza but better. So I'll keep doing it no matter how little time i have in my hand. With this little energy left before plunging myself into yet another string of uni/part-time/volunteer work, I shall bid you sayonara. 

HOW AN ARTIST SURVIVED VALENTINE'S DAY

It's one of those days again where people can choose to either dust themselves with the potion of love or just lament bitterly about loneliness. Me? I choose to work it off and remain opportunistic. Lately my mind seems to be gearing towards its business side. So to celebrate valentine's day, I announced to receive orders for caricatures for people who wants to give a little memento to their loved ones as a sign of affection. A sudden choice that I hope will not dilute the quality my artwork at any cost. In any case,  I have been doing these kind of caricature since I was in secondary school as a side job. It was hard back then because the material cost sometimes exceed the selling price and I was always. It's still hard to complete one now, but Photoshop and Wacom are real life savior that allows quick editing and painting without much regards for pictorial accuracy.

That being said, the response was luke warm. Within 10 hours of the application period I managed to only secure 5. Not sure if its because lack of sample, unsuitable pricing, or simply that people around me are all just single. (HA!). Still, it was a good attempt to dip my fingers in the market.  Besides, I will not be able to finish everything on time if set up a website or at least an official facebook page with a proper marketing campaign for the V day caricature drive. There was just too much commitment with AIESEC, Stereonesia, and Teritori. Anyway, here are the samples of works I have done for the lovely orders I've got from friends. :)

I'm just happy for you guys. Dammit. Ninjas please stop cutting onions. Happy couples, happy couples everywhere.  Nah but seriously, may all of you live long and prosper. :)

And these were the samples I shown to attract the initial orders. It was initially ordered for teacher's day to celebrate the Senior Admin's service to my high school back in Singapore, the proud standing ACS (Independent). Turns out this can be useful as well because all the samples of caricature I did back in Medan are usually given to clients because they exist in hard copy. 

Fortunately all the clients are satisfied with the work so that is a huge relief off my chest. In any case, caricatures are a great way to fill in some excitement amidst the boredom of constantly grinding over normal posters and flyers and even illustration. So I'll be happy to take on one anytime anybody needs a quick birthday gift or special event present for their loved ones at any time of the year. Just send your picture and character you desire to be portrayed as to james.rotanson@yahoo.com and you'll receive it within 1 working day. Well then, gotta go to work at my favorite chocolate bar and see all the couples frolicking over each other now. Oh wait. I survived!

WHY I DIDN'T GO TO AN ART SCHOOL

But decided to go for a business-oriented school instead. 

It really depends on one's own perspective and astuteness in analyzing both sides' own pros and cons. Just two months ago I was pondering whether or not to lodge an application to the Pasadena Art Center College of Design to study Bachelor of Entertainment Design. I reckoned that it will be a good opportunity for me to further my skill by being surrounded with equally or even more creative people.  There will surely be more relevant industries there, situated at the heart of LA and San Francisco. My reasoning was also preoccupied upon the notion that it just does not make sense to pursue art in a university mostly prized for its actuarial studies and accounting program. I was determined to once again set foot for my idealistic and misguided artist dream and told myself, "One does not simply go to a butcher and expect to be served hot chocolate. Go to a chocolatier instead. " 

I finished up the application, answered some of the most interesting essay questions ever and just when I was about to send it in, fate launched its clockwork on me. A series of events started to kick in. AIESEC conference, Google Ambassador, Indonesian society, and a whole lot of other works began to pour in like crazy because of the upcoming new semester. That was when I realized that it is actually a very smart thing to go to a business-focused school rather than an art school.

In a community full of people doing the same thing, basic human nature will prevent each other from promoting each other through the words of mouth. Especially in the likes of artists and draftsman, where expertise decides the thin border between life and death. Between being hired and disappearing to their own fantasy world of secreting tangible forms of ideas and feeling, there will come a time that one will realize passion alone is not enough without any sellable form of product, no matter how fleeting it is. In other words, artists needs to be able to not just make good art, but sell good art as well. 

Being in a business school prepares you the opportunity of networking. There is undoubtedly a multitude of artists far superior than each other in terms of technique and conveyance. But it is a privilege of a handful to be able to do what they love and make a decent living out of it. It is a very big assumption I am making here in terms of the selfish human nature aforementioned and the will of an artist to sell his art. Still, it is hard to believe that anybody is going to promote and recommend anybody if they know they have the capability to do it. 

That is why being the rare few graphic designers is around in a non-art school will mean that there will be lesser competitor around. Whenever a student, charity, or non-profit organization needs a new flyer or a brochure you can rise up to the occasion and provide some form of assistance. Even if it is free, I try to think of it as a mutual benefit because they are promoting my brand and work as well. Think far ahead, when these business students graduated and wanted to create their own business, iphone app, company or whatever it is. There will always be a demand for logo, user interface, website, sponsorship proposal or simply a facebook cover picture to market their service or product. And when that comes, hopefully all the long term investment sown will bore fruition. 

One might criticize this piece of rant as a testimony to how opportunistic I am in trying to commercialize art. But the reality is sadly as such and the bohemian era is now over. It is not survival of the fittest. It is merely an attempt to resuscitate the world of art by making it more beneficial to both producers and consumers of any form of design work. Such ideal might be further challenged by the fact that bowing into consumerism will reduce the creativity of artwork. My answer to that will be time management. Meaning, do design work to make a living, but do ingenious artwork to keep the artist spirit alive. 

And so, to end this, here are some marketing artworks I have done for a few student organizations that have helped me develop as a person, entrepreneur and of course, an artist:

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

It's time to celebrate Chinese New Year again! An annual event that always reminds you of how much of a good company you'll always have right by your side. And with very short time squeezed in between juggling art, friendship, and work, I shall give my thanks for the list of blessings I've been bestowed upon:

-  My mom and my two brothers. You have no idea how much I love you guys despite my poker face demeanor. 

- Dad. That's a lot of shoes you are leaving me to fill in, but you are always my role model. :)

- The courage to carry on doing art despite circumstances. 

- The patience to do voluntary work for the value and not for the profit

- The opportunity to be recruited by AIESEC together with a horde of equally lifeless people from different degree of retarded-ness and craziness. 

- The will to trade a significant amount of brain cells for a more experiential learning

- The pleasure of having a great company I've been able to work, play, and share stories with.

- The various companies I have worked with, from a funeral company to tuition and education center, from a chocolate bar to a top IT company.

- The people who have helped inspire me in continuing to do what is right and worth the cause.

- and finally, some bonus fun stuff just for laughs!

CONFERENCE AND FEATURED IN TERITORI STUDIO!

Finally, finally, finally! It's not Square Enix or Blizzard, but at least getting featured in an independent studio from my hometown delivers a certain tumult of joy! It's a pretty bold statement Teritori Studio is making. Setting up such a tertiary-natured company in a community where the people hasn't gone past the bare standard of living? What shot us in the head back then I wonder. Don't get me wrong. Being part of the movement really gets me enraptured. It is the benevolence of my mentor, Mr. Henryca Citra that makes all these possible with the contacts he gathered while working for years in Japan. Still, I was scared at the same time, setting out on a journey with real clients hailing unstoppably from all over the world.

 I went to an AIESEC conference in Adelaide a few days ago. If there is one thing I rediscovered during my 6 days of stay there, is that of courage. I remembered talking to a very interesting girl who changed her major from industrial design to business for the reason of financial security. During a particular drinking circle, I could recall how wearily my comrades, flushed out their emotion to vent away their apathy towards life. Countless times I found myself in awkward encounters, talking to new people above my ranks, with way more passion and zest than me trying to change lives with their eloquence. I saw people succeed, fail, try again, and from the wisest conference clown ever I learnt my lesson:

"Courage is not the absence of fear. It is knowing that fear exist, but still moved on to conquer that fear"

That is indeed true. Many times I felt inadequate being just a member and a designer of such a huge organization. Speeches were made, with hopes of uplifting "small but integral" pieces as part of the team. I don't know about other people but it always comes to no avail in my case. I saw so many lives being changed since day 1. Yet, I was still pessimistic that the vision of "fulfillment of humankind potential" is merely a gimmick. I almost fell to the trap of thinking that designers are just people who "makes things pretty". Being associated as a designer can potentially mean that I'll be judged only by my profession, and not as a person.

But that's exactly the fault. I was too afraid of judgment. If only I could've reached out more and see how people are actually inspired by my resilience to stay in the world of art. If only I have shared more of my stories and not be a wuss sitting at the corner and sipping a late night cup noodle. If only I can convince one more person to believe in what they are truly capable of, to challenge the status quo and have a vision. If only I could see the person and not the position, I'll have more and more stories to blabber about and introversion definitely isn't an excuse.

In any case, what's done is done and there's no use crying over spilt milk. I guess the post conference withdrawal syndrome is over now but as an artist, designer, and an AIESECer , I'd like to challenge myself to have the courage to stay by my stand and do whatever is necessary to move a step closer towards the dream.  That means having a vision and purpose instead of just being a draftsman. That means having the discipline to stay honest and undaunted besides the fear of uncertainty. That means working hard and smart for the projects I am involved in whether it's for profit, volunteer, or social purposes.

Man, that's a huge chunk of lame, cheesy, but necessary rant.

On a side note, teritori studio's portfolio can be seen here at: http://teritoristudio.com/

Laters folks!

LOGO DESIGN AND ECONOMICAL RAMBLINGS

Designing a logo might be one of the simplest but hardest task to do for a designer. It has to capture the client's needs, target audience, feel of the company etc. but most importantly, a good logo has to be recognizably different even at the slightest glance. It's like when you look at Nike's swoosh and "BAM!" it's the essence of Nike captured there, flavorful and full of finesse. 

I receive orders for logo design quite frequently from my friends, family members and sometimes I get lucky with companies. Most of the time they are all unpaid voluntary work, but when a real order comes, it's always hard to set up a price that will satisfy the client's need, especially when they are referred by close acquaintances. Being a novice designer myself, however, I tend to overlook the fact that I am underpaid or even not getting paid at all when doing these works. Why? I see it as a long term investment. I can testify that my work deserves to be pitched at a higher price and I am very open about this. Still, I feel that the good connection with client and an affordable price will keep orders coming in the future, which I believe outweighs the benefit of enjoying a few extra bucks now. (hopefully, *hint hint*) 

Having said that, it will be great to educate people about the economy behind design and artworks. I personally do not have an influence big enough to start giving lectures about why people should pay designers more. One of the things I have always trying to wander upon though, is there absolutely no fixed formula to correlate the visual stimulation produced to the deserved price of the design itself ? Is it legitimate to measure brain activity, popularity amidst the crowd, artist's fame or the time spent to determine the appropriate fee? I tried to look for an answer, but such attempt to put logic into the abstract harbors a fruitless result. Can we quantify that experience, that fame then? By using facebook likes? By winning real life competitions and converting them into virtual points that allows a designer to so-called "level up"? Would that diminish the value of art? What if we can do it, and designs can actually contribute some form of concrete economical impact instead of just "looking nice". I don't know, but I hope to find the answer within this lifetime.

Anyway, I shall stop being all philosophical and douche-y. Planned to post this compilation of logo and suddenly turned into an endless rambling *apologetic bow*. And well, just as a weird tips to fellow novice beginner, the more constraint you are set for a design, the easier it is to come up with ideas. That's why when dealing with clients, ask as many questions about how they want it to look like and do some prototype designs for them. If possible, ask them to fill in a free survey monkey form.  I generally do 2-3 alternatives so that the client will be able to choose and you don't have to redo it later on. It also shows that you are serious and professional about the order, which means you are subjected to even better connection in the future. That's it for now, ja ne and keep the artistic spirit alive!