Visual Scrap #12

Tools

I want this corner stapler for making boxes, but in no way can justify it.

I have been working with a cancer non-profit, and stumbled upon the National Cancer Institute's Visuals Online. The majority of their imagery is Public Domain and so free to use. Some are Copyright Protected, so keep an eye out. But this is a great resource if you need accurate cancer-related imagery ranging from historical images to modern lab techs to interesting research visuals such as: "Nanomaterials-Induced Endothelial Leakiness (NanoEL) Might Accelerate Metastasis (above)."

Always love artist Imin Yeh's paper projects, and this is no different. She makes these for her class, and offers up the remainder on her shop.

Compile a list of One Hundred Ideas
A personal stockpile of inspiration. More importantly, a place to remember the really bad ideas that can be avoided (hopefully) in moments of impulsivity and under the pressure of a deadline.

Keep a running list of One Hundred Artists.
Artists that relate to what you like, what made you think, what you hope to do. Humans have been doing this for a long time. These are artists that you should know off- hand and know where your work sits in relationship.

A semester of school lasts about One Hundred Days.
These lists are easy tasks if you treat them as a daily practice. A habit, regular contributions, muscle memory. A contribution towards the harder task, a lifetime thinking and working as an artist. 

Thoughts

Well, here goes Alex Morris hitting the nail right on the head again. This is my new job description when someone asks what I do.

Creative ideation in a sentence: “WHAT’S THE SAFEST WAY WE COULD BE RECKLESS?"

I know, I know, you're sick to death of articles about AI, but Toolmen, by Mandy Brown is a different take. If "linearly increasing intelligence is super-exponential in nature," how do we measure the Intelligence part? And then should we? History is full of people getting this very wrong.

Odds & Ends

Generally, there are two kinds of websites: a) the template based design which is exactly what you expect, but easy to move around in or b) the wacky UI that is more interesting but frustrating after about 10 seconds. Palmer Dinnerware merges the two. It looks cool, and the interface actually makes it useful to browse. You can easily opt-out of the "experience view." The movement and interaction feel natural. I hate the sites that want to move things around for the hell of it. They don't sell direct, so they can get away with a bit more as a "brochure site." My complaint is they could be more up front as to where they do sell – they play a bit too hard to get on that one important point.

I have been following @katharinahandmade's project of making a miniature goth house out of a vintage suitcase. Here is the start of the suitcase project. ASMR doesn't do it for me, but I find this both soothing and interesting to watch – how someone with the right eye can bring unlikely materials together to make something completely unrelated.