The Land of Make-Believe

I seem to be buying more and more animations lately. "Cinderella" was in my Target bag as I left there tonight. It's not just that I'm a kid at heart, although I have been known to buy Happy Meals just for the toys. This genre influences and coaxes me to "come outside and play". I watched "Robots" tonight. I bought it last week and thought I'd be watching it much sooner than this but it's the type of movie that I wanted to give my undivided attention to and nothing really seemed to get my undivided attention for more than a couple minutes until now. There are some movies that just require that. And being the creative person that I am, this type of movie-with all the genius that went into creating it-intrigues me greatly and I can easily lose myself in it. I got caught up in watching the extras on the DVD. Hearing the creators talk about it and explain some of their creative process in developing the animations was creatively stimulating. It sparks my creativity (which has been really lackluster lately I must add). I felt like I was with friends as I listened to the designer's commentaries. There is just a camaraderie fellow artists feel when around each other - no matter how different their styles or personal taste. There is an energy that each creative mind gives off. Designers feed off each other. I was struck with a bittersweet moment as I sat there entranced by their show-and-tell act. I was back, once again, sitting in the classroom at art school with about twelve other people crammed around a small table covered in sketch books, x-acto knives and rulers engaging (or listening to, in my case) in giddy conversation about design. I miss that. I have felt somewhat disconnected and lonely without other creative voices and input in my life. Even children seem scarce in my life at the moment. They can be quite the art directors. There was a little kid in our office today that made me laugh as he displayed his wild imagination and under-appreciated gift of discovery. He had me "convinced" that the spray that he was "pretend spraying" could change anything to any color he wished at his command. But I snapped out of it. Whew! That's part of growing up, right? Less dreaming and more reality. And it's hard as anything to convince grown-ups to see the whimsy or beauty in ordinary things. That's what makes a designer's job so hard. No one really GETS designers except designers. And really good designers are magnetic! Although it's hard to maintain that steady level of enthusiasm, designers are very perceptive and apt to sensory overload. They notice details. They will cry or laugh at the slightest trace of genius in a design or illustration or life in general. They are very emotional people. I mean, who else gets inspired by old industrial parts and can create a movie based on that inspiration that is warm, childlike, intelligent and entertaining all at the same time?