Joe Violante column for Graphic Design USA encourages design and branding creatives to tap into meaningful sources of inspiration–from neighborhood walks, to Warhol art tomes.
The solitude of quarantine may be stressful, but it presents opportunities to reconnect with the joy of creativity, advises Joe Violante, Executive Creative Director at CBX, in an essay for Graphic Design USA.
“When Zoom is your only way to commune with your colleagues, what choice do you have but to look within?” writes Violante, who has more than 25 years of design knowledge and experience in branding, packaging and corporate identity.
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In the essay (“Staying Creative While Staying In Place”), the Westchester County resident points to the massive contrast between the pre-pandemic workplace and life under lockdown.
“As head of our creative studio in New York, I’m accustomed to spending my days in our ‘brand rooms’ riding the energy of in-person collaboration,” he writes. “I’ll dive into animated debates, hang sketches and designs on the walls and exhort everyone to push the limits of their creativity. I have come to cherish such collaboration every bit as much as the sight of one of my own ideas brought to life on a package or in a logo.”
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But these days, Violante, like many of us, spends his workdays at home with his family. In the essay, he draws on his personal experiences of this shift to offer tips for staying creative.
Faced with a sense of unease (as when staring at a blank canvas), creatives could easily give in to resistance—procrastination or losing oneself in tech-driven distractions. Going for a contemplative walk, Violante writes, could be a better alternative. “When you put down your phone or TV remote and embrace what’s happening within yourself, you reconnect with your creative wellspring,” he explains. “It’s the first step to bringing fresh ideas to your personal and professional work.”
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