nexus icograda
art • music • culture
vol. 1, #26
Prem ie Issu r e!
Jubilant Jen & her uncanny eye for art.
January 21, 2011
She reveals to us her side of the story & how she see’s herself in the art community. Also a sneak peek @ a few works & inside, what’s coming up next for her.
Jennifer Mabee: *artist & activist!
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I
nside the mind of up and coming female graphic artist, Jennifer Mabee. With a unique outlook on life and her approach to tackling some of the things that come with being a graphic designer. Here is a closer look: Q: What was your first artistic experience? What medium was it? A: My first “real” artistic experience would have to be when I was about thirteen years old. When I was very young I really spent a lot of time doing crafts but they never had any real meaning behind it. I had a lot of problems when I was a teenager, mostly with depression and eating disorders. When I was thirteen I was put into an in-patient psychiatric hospital where the day was filled with nothing but therapy. The only practice of therapy that really stood to make a difference was the art portion. We used to do these word collages, which were basically our emotions put into words on paper and layered until they became abstract. It was simple pen and paper but it really allowed me to heal from the present predicaments that I had fallen in to. As I allowed myself to heal, I also began taking photographs of the things in life that made me happiest and from there I began to accept the most potent forms of life, which was art.
Q: Does your design get inspiration from daily life?
Q: Anything good on the radio these days?
A: Absolutely. As mentioned before, looking at things you typically wouldn’t even acknowledge is sometimes the most constructive way to get ideas. I think inspiration is endless and it’s just about opening yourself to the world around you. I could be walking home and see a crack in the sidewalk that intrigues me or causes me to see something that isn’t really there.
A: Sure, why not? YouTube is more my route though. I’ve got seventeen gigs worth of music on my iPOD and I’m definitely not stopping there. Current fixations include the likes of: Cloud Cult, Spoon, the Mountain Goats, the Kills, and Fedde Le Grande.
Q: What brought you to this business?
Q: What would you say you enjoy doing most—artistically?
A: I’d have to say the need to make art a sustainable profession, that may sound shallow but it’s just true. I want to be able to live, travel, and eventually support a family of my own. I used to want to be a photographer but I didn’t want to ruin my favorite hobby. I really do enjoy design [don’t get me wrong there!], it’s just less personal for me. Q: What do you bring to this field? A: That’s a tough one. I could go with an answer like, “Well I’m good at multiple things, I have knowledge!” but that’s not really my thing. I like experimentation, thinking outside of the black and white borders. I like challenges, I really do.
Q: Who/what inspires you?
Q: What graphic artist do you want to emulate?
A: Anything and everything but if we are talking specifics I’d have to say I get the most inspiration out of the people around me. Also, anything sensory, whether it be neon lights, packing peanuts, street art, grass, sand, that’s the kind of stuff you stare at everyday and some days it just hits me. I also spend a lot of time working with GLBTQ (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer) activism groups. The struggles and joys of the GLBTQ community really inspire me and I’m also very interested in gender studies. Gender ambiguous or androgynous people are sometimes the most fascinating individuals especially since the gender binary system in the United States is so black and white. You can definitely tell in some of my artwork that I’ve tried to
A: It’s not really my thing. I really like all of the designers from the International Design period but I’ve never really designed that way. I tend to like a lot of different designers and am not fixated on a certain one.
A: Splattering paint, spraying out stencils, getting dirty. Recently I’ve been really into taking photographic negatives and turning them into stencils. Or if I’m feeling weird: being meticulous and precise.
Q: How important is collaboration? A: It can sometimes be tricky but is definitely worth it. I’ve collaborated on a few projects now and the melding of multiple design methodologies is very helpful in the success of a project. Q: Where do you see graphic design in 10 years? A: Well, that’s a hard one. Depends on if computers are running the show by then. In all seriousness though, I think the field will evolve as it’s been evolving. Web design came with all of the dot-commers and all of those new handhelds are going to need some sort of adaptable web frame. Not to mention the development of the tablet computer. Q: If you designed a typeface, what would it be called? A: Oh man, I could name it Jen but that’d be sort of egotistical. Jen it is.