Garrison Conklin
Graphic Design Emphasis
My
work is where I get to experience ideas. It is where I take my time realizing
what a feeling really does feel like –what it looks like. Not just expression
but the boiling down and contemplation of what we as humans all relate to. What
better way of understanding us than by creating around what people feel and who
people are, which cannot be avoided in designing and making work. There are a
variety of mediums to my work that all contribute to the discovery and wonder I
get from the process of art and design. The success of each solution, the
finished work, is what informs me that my process and what I come to connect
and develop within it was real, not just a product of my own connotations in my
head. My ultimate goal is to accurately communicate and to share an experience
of understanding. This is what I have set out to do at Weber, to develop myself
and work into sharing whatever I myself am discovering in developing design
solutions, as well as when it is up to me.
I
enjoy the practicing of photography, as I had done at SLCC previously, and have
branched out to printmaking, 3-D Design, ceramics, typography and graphic
design; all trying to immerse myself within the medium. Seeing what it has to
offer and what different ways they can be taken. I feel that I am getting
something from whatever I am doing. I have focused on the nature of the actual
objects around us in 3-D works like wood sculpture and ceramics. I have
explored graphic interpretations of what we encounter, interpret and perceive
as humans in printmaking, drawing and my photography. Also, I have been
developing illustrative ways to show typography and graphic mediums while
communicating. Even if I am struggling I take the extra time and the practice
is always rewarding. I have chosen the graphic design route for the versatility
of its content, possible materials and types of work in the real world. It
carries so many applications in our lives and the chance to open minds of the
masses. I see the work that is acceptable in our world and then the work I want
to make and design. I understand that I can come across as different in my
design solutions, and its hard when graphic design has such an objective
nature. I know that I need to keep up to what I am doing and fine-tuning until
my different is fully functional, interesting, clear and acceptable. El
Lissitzky, the Russian Constructivist designer and artist did it in the way
closest to how I want to. The way he communicated with the spirit of his people
and his times all in the name of them and their future is what I aspire to. I
want to be successful in the arenas of design and the arts, Lissizky did this
and with many mediums.
I
keep all of my experience in craft and image making at arms reach in my
solutions. I want to be able to use all mediums as I create some sort of career
later because you never know where that perfect essence of an idea or concept
is going to lie (and when it comes down to it) it is all fun. Having a
scholarship the passed two semesters has helped me achieve what I have this far
in my education and at home. I am happy at Weber State and am committed holding
to this momentum carrying me through the development of a successful designer/artist/professional.
I understand that this will come with the extra work and diligence as I hold
steady towards relating with those around me with my work.
