Most of my days involve sitting behind a computer screen researching and reading, trying to create designs that I am happy with. I try to get outside often and observe the world around me partly because this helps me stay inspired and creative. However, my most important tool is, and always will be my sketchbook.

I was first introduced to the idea of a sketchbook through my undergraduate design school. Of course I had taken art classes throughout my life, but none of them stressed the importance of keeping a sketchbook. It was really difficult for me at first because I was not used to the idea of writing concepts down and somehow translating them into images that helped illustrate my thoughts. I am not the best sketch artist so my drawings were often weak and sometimes elementary looking. It frustrated me that I could not illustrate my ideas as well as other students. After a couple of years in the program, and never giving up on my sketchbook, I realized that it is not about the quality of the sketch that is most important, it is about my idea, my concept. I began looking at my sketchbook at an artistic journal. I was not only sketching when I had a project due, I was sketching all the time outside of school. I would go to coffee shops or parks and sit and draw, come up with concepts, look at things around me and take notes of what inspires me. I saw an improvement in my overall style and execution of my final design. It was becoming easier for me to brainstorm with my peers, and critique their work. I was coming up with good ideas for myself, and I was able to describe my ideas to others with confidence. Read the rest of this entry »