The Moment When Everything Changed

Have you ever experience some life changing moments in those years for as long as you live that would be carved in your heart as something precious and will be remembered for the rest of your life? Well, I have.

Back then, more than a decade ago and I was in my early thirties, I had to deal with the lowest moment in my life after losing my 12years job and left with the company's debt by the irresponsible owner who fled abroad.  

 

I looked for another job after that although I knew it wouldn't pay as much as before but I took it anyway to pay the debt because although it was not my fault but they only knew it was under my responsibility before. Therefore, I did worked for a few months to cover it and started to look for another option to earn any possible income. 

 

Then, my sister gave me a link to one website for design contests. I was being skeptical at first and didn't really believe it would worth it. I tried and left half way after several attempts only to return for another try a few months later when things got more difficult and I really needed to earn something out of my skill and experiences. I even registered myself to continue my degree with my parents help for me to return to them later for the student loan. Finally, after 3 months efforts with 100 contests entered, I made it and won a contest as a starting point for what would be done in the next decade later. This picture of mine for this post was the memorable one and would be the first to be always remembered for my new spirit of not ever giving up in life. The moment when everything in my life changed for the better from the worst.  

 

Art and Clients Series: 5. The One Who Like Wild Animals & Nature

This client has one specific theme and idea in his mind: combining wild animals and natural disasters into one combination in graphic designs or illustrations for their merchandise - stickers. 

It all started from one competition for one health supplement company for their promotional merchandise - stickers. The theme was as mentioned above, by combining wild animal, natural disaster, human in one picture - illustration and unusual custom sticker shapes. The picture in this post was one of the examples of sticker series which were made after I was chosen as the winner in the competition. This one was a white bear standing on an iceberg meanwhile an avalanche happened from a far while a tiny human playing ski in the forest beside it. Total of 8 different illustrations were made for this theme and they liked it so much. 

This was one of the most fun projects I've done in several years because it challenged me to come up with ideas how to put it all together in one place with original handmade human art when AI was not exist. 

The picture is for my portfolio purpose only. Any use/copy/share/repost/re-upload is prohibited.  

 
 

Original Human Art VS AI (Artificial Intelliegence) Slop

After 3 years since AI is widely used in everyday nowadays life by many people, I just need to share some thoughts of how it affected me greatly especially for my field of work.

Artworks which were created by original human hand used to be so highly respected and appreciated, but now has been savagely degenerated by technology which made the recognition no longer exist for those who did not care about the process and hard work of real talented artists. These days, some people thought they can put themselves in the same level with real artists by merely typing prompts, had been annoyingly being shameless for asking real applause from others for the so called AI slop not real art. In reality, those are just delusional people who fooled themselves thinking they are successfully absorbing art skill by writing prompts which the prompts itself only from a mere sentence without any brain cells ever used in their mind. And the result they get is voila! 'magic' from violating a lot of original creations, only to come up with shitty soulless result. 

Well, I'm one of those real human who try to create real art with my own hand which now truly affected by massive use of AI everywhere. Now, more and more people without enough knowledge of art can not differentiate between the real and the slop anymore. Basically the boundaries between real and fake is harder and harder to be distinguished. Unless, they truly use their heart and mind to feel the soul from the real creator. Not to mention, the environmental destruction caused by AI from water to electricity. To be honest, this is really threatening to my work and any other artist in general and in the same time, heart breaking to face it in reality lately.  I just wish there would be something good to prevent this technology to really rob the life out of everyone. Although to be honest, art thieves has been there since before this era, but AI just made them felt justified for doing something completely wrong.

*the picture is my concept for one promotional social media post back then by redrawing the famous Monalisa.     

  

 

 

Art and Clients Series: 4. The One Who Turn Their Lives around with Extreme Decision

They were one of my clients with amazing back story about how they started their own business. 

At first, they gave me an inquiry for custom illustration to be used for their coffee product label. Then, they gave me another projects for cocoa label and also t-shirt designs related to their business. After a few orders, I checked on their social media profile in which they explained themselves as a new business owner in pottery starting just a few years back and left their office jobs for the sake of better care to their family and they made it. Their business grow bigger and they even open and a special course for their skill in pottery. I wish them the best and the experience of working together with them was one of the good one for me.

The picture that I post along with this was the initial concept for the coffee label. the final design was different but nonetheless with the same vibes.   

 

 

Internet world: The Toxic 'Now' and The Will be Missed 'Then'

One day I came across a meme picture that described the differences between the internet now and then. So, I decided to draw the picture in my own version.

As someone who live in the era before and after the internet become a common thing in life, I truly know and experience the differences in real time. I spent my early childhood in the 80s, teen life in 90s, young adult in 2000s and adult in current 2020s. To put it simply, I'm included in the era between generation x and millennial or known as gen xennial. I've been through the era where the technology shifted faster than ever and things did not last as it used to be for a long time.

Before the 2000s era, everything has been manually done for life and computer still in its early development and so did the internet. Every day was filled with Daily mail, postcards, magazine, newspaper, television, home phone, fax, radio, limited and slower information about everything etc. However, things were changed after that era when the internet slowly easier to be reached and used as tool.  I remember back then, I was so fascinated with internet and felt that I found a whole new world as an introvert to communicate with people from other side of the world, let alone they were strangers to begin with. Back then, there were no such thing of faking IDs and scam or spam as a bunch of it now, or at least it was not something so common as today. I even befriended with some people from different countries and chat so often as if we live nextdoor. That time I thought I finally found a place for me to runaway from the hectic daily life, social pressure and boredom and it worked. However, as time goes by, everything has escalated quickly, the changes is unstoppable and internet is now no longer a place I know as it used to be.

Nowadays, in the span of not only 15years but more than 2 decades, internet has turned into a scary and toxic place to be if we don't use it wisely. Yes, the technology is much more advance and all the things that seemed to be impossible, now is truly possible and information is faster by the minutes or even seconds.  We can share everything but the scary part is, we can lose everything and affect or damage our lives seriously. The doxing, scam, phishing, fraud, crime and all other bad things that could possibly happen is in our very own hand through mobile phone to see. So much so, to avoid it, many people suggested to go back to real life, nature and limit the access to it. Life is shifted into online, socialize online, work online, even everything has to be online. It would be extremely exhausting and troublesome if we don't follow it for the sake to stay relevant but it can't be helped anyway. Well, do we even have other choice to make? none. And now AI finally made it worst. I wonder if there will be new founded thing to counter this to be better next time, again who knows.    

 
 

Art and Clients Series: 3. The One who Think of Family & Friend the Most

The first time I received a project offer from her, to be honest, I was a bit skeptical. Why? because I was a bit trauma with some people who gave me projects for certain price but they expected more results and files which in the end did not match with the early agreement. However, I was truly wrong. She turned out to be one of the best clients I've ever work with and truly understanding and not to mention, appreciated my ideas and efforts for her projects.

 

The  first project was that she wanted me to create illustrations for her custom song book for her grandson. She gave me full freedom in doing the illustrations based on the songs she chose to be on the list. It was a great pleasure for me and she was satisfied with the result as well. Then, another projects a few months after that which were similar but for different purposes such as a friend's birthday cards, motivational book for family, etc. I couldn't be grateful enough to her for the work plus the appreciation she'd given me and I was really happy whenever she contacted me for any project she wanted me to do because she would rewarded me handsomely for it. I truly wish her the best in her life.  

 

*the picture above is the example of my work for her. For portfolio purpose only. Any use/copy/share/repost is not allowed. 

Art and Clients Series: 2. The One who like it Customize for Holiday Season

The story went back to 2012 when I won in his contest for custom Xmas family postcard illustration which featured his family and related to the current trend that year - Gangnam style music video.

Since then, he regularly contacted me every year near holiday season to order custom illustration related to any trend happened that year for his family postcard to be printed and sent to all their family, friends and colleagues with a very specific details in his brief of what I should do to come up with the illustration as he would expected. Until one day, it stopped because of a reason.  

 The reason was Covid19, and so he stopped ordering in those years until he finally reached out again for another annual custom card illustration after the pandemic era was over. we still continue working together until last year because I wouldn't know whether he will do so for this year. Nonetheless, I wish him the best. I almost forgot to mention that he also let some of his friends and neighbor to give me their personal projects and I really was grateful for him for it. 

*the picture attached in the post is a part of early concept for one of the illustration I made for him. For portfolio purpose only. Any use/copy/share/repost is not allowed. 

 

 

Art and Clients Series: 1. The One with Unique Imaginations

In more than two decades of my life working in art designing, both in fashion or clothing and graphic or illustration, I've come across so many different challenges and type of clients.

As for now, I would like to share one of my experiences with one certain client who wanted to build his own business in clothing industry with his his own brand back then a few years ago. He was a young man with a lot of unique imaginations which I need to put into illustration or graphic design form for his clothing products. The picture which attached in this post was one of it. He had one original character as the main brand mascot in all of the illustrations I did. There were many other illustrations in which I, as a designer wouldn't think that far for the ideas and inspirations. 

We worked together for 2-3 years producing some designs and he even sent me the sample of his products and a nice appreciation letter. However, we suddenly stopped working when I asked him to give me some times to finish other project with tight deadline before working on his latest idea. Maybe he was also in a rush and couldn't wait for me to do it.

In the end, overall it was a nice experience and I always appreciate what he had done for me in the past and for his trust in using my design service. I wish him the best.   

  

 

Music Cover Illustration from a Missing Client

A few years ago, I had a string of projects from someone who claimed to be a newbie artist/rapper as for the new beginning of his career after he left his old work related to martial art or sport (I forgot which one). 

 

He continuously gave me new order for each song he wrote and recorded. He even gave me the lyric and song to understand better about the specific concept he wanted for it. And so I did as he requested for all the songs with various illustrations. He even started his own channel on one big social media to share his music and also showing those illustrations for each of them. We worked together for almost a year for it and I tried to support him on his channel. Until one day the project came to an end. He said he would contact me one day if he ever need my design service again. He was good as a client and I had no problem working for him that time.

 

Time went by and after around a few years later and many other projects that came after him, I got curious to see how he's doing with his new career and I checked his channel only to see all of his songs had been gone as if those weren't there since the beginning. I googled him by his real name that he'd once mentioned to me but to no avail. I wonder what had happened to him because it seemed like everything related to him were erased. Until now, there was no clear news about him or rather, I found out something but couldn't be confirmed that it was him related to it. Something that definitely would made it understandable as to why he disappeared. Only God knows.

 

The picture I attached in this post was the initial illustration for one of the song in which the final one was way different than this.