Creativity as a vocation is a bold leap for many young people to make. Uncertainty seeps in from all around for people who are making their creative passions their full-time job. Does one fully plunge into their artistic endeavors or opt for the suit and tie? Often when discussing the arts and employment, the conversation seems to end in an either-or. Yet, a marriage does exist between art and a dependable job. Noah Windham came to Union set on finding that balance.
A junior graphic design major, Noah has angled his passion for drawing and design into a field that needs both unique artists and savvy businessmen.
“The idea of selling paintings for a living was daunting and scary,” he said, leaning back in a metal chair outside the Logos Library. “That thought of being a starving artist really scared me out of being an art major, but I remember one high school class where we had a professional artist come and talk to us and I realized there totally is a career in this.”
We’re meeting during one of the first days in Tenessee that truly feels like Spring, an accident that feels somehow prophetic the longer we talk. Before college, Noah never tried his hand at graphic design, sticking more to hand drawing, something he continues to enjoy to this day. As he began to research what kinds of art degrees would suit him though, he found graphic design, a field with high demand for artists.
As we talked further I become curious about the place a graphic designer’s voice holds within the creative process of making a logo. Ultimately graphic designers are making a product for a company, so what is line between Noah simply fulfilling a job or making something in line with his vision?
“As a junior designer I’m still developing my own style,” he said. “I think I’ll get there, everyone has their own style. I think as I build my own style and as designers build their own style, they’ll draw clients based off that style.”
Noah’s position, and the position of any designer, is to find a balance between their own style and the demands of a client. A key element of graphic design is finding ways to establish one’s vision while meeting the needs of an employer. It’s not a free-reign job, but rather one that demands adaptability.
Noah is a calm person, choosing words carefully and speaking in a softer tone of voice; he cares about what he says. Towards the end of our conversation, we began to discuss what influences his creativity and what he does to stay inspired. For many artists, including those operating at a high level, the answers vary between some combination of citing man-made art as influence and discussing life experience. This makes sense considering most art is informed primarily by those two fields.
Noah’s answer surprised me though, he of course mentioned other artists but they seemed an afterthought to him.
“I think a big thing is just being in nature honestly,” he said. “God is the foremost creator and my creation that I do is imitating his work. So being in and around his work is creative in some way.”
His answer subverted what many would expect to hear when considering what drives someone to be more creative.
“I think anyone can walk around in nature,” he continued. “But I think a big thing is asking yourself what are you getting out of this? People look at trees all day but then when you look at a tree you can study it and ask your self what about this tree is glorifying God? Nothing I ever make will be as beautiful as simple as a leaf. There’s so much that goes into a leaf down to a molecular level that is so beautiful. I think being aware of that and the grandeur of the universe and respecting that is key.”
Inspiration, not by examining the finite bank of manmade art, but by basking in the infinite creativity found in nature. Of course, Noah learns from past graphic designers, and of course, he has practical skills found in the classroom, but what fufills him, what encourages him to continue striving to make good work is reminding himself of the infinite beauty found all around him.
The artistic process often finds itself at odds with stability in the workforce. Some artists choose the leap of faith, full commitment to something that has low pay-off rates, but others, like Noah, prefer to search for the balance between their vision and the vision of others. The field of graphic design is that balance. Through it all, Noah finds refuge in the limitless creative energy around him, striving to capture even a fracture of the creativity found in a leaf.
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