JANUARY 4, 2020: INSPIRATION THROUGH EXPLORATION: HOW DESIGN PRINCIPLES INFUSE JEREMY GREGORY’S ARTISTIC PROCESS

Tacoma-based artist Jeremy Gregory dreams up whimsical creations across mediums. Although he’s comfortable with letting his imagination run wild, he sees the design process as a timeless way to structure exploration and relentlessly search for the best expressions of creativity. A resident artist of the Global Innovation and Design (GID) Lab, he is excited about collaborating with others to stretch community imaginations.

For artist Jeremy Gregory, inspiration is inseparably linked to exploration. It may be one reason why his work has spanned so many mediums, from graffiti to murals to puppets to stop motion animation to comics to paintings and more. Three projects – a podcast and two murals – have already resulted from his residency at the GID Lab.

His fantastical and futuristic creations are grounded in real people. Inspiration comes from his excursions into the neighborhoods he paints for, where he chats with anyone willing to share. His search for stories often leads him to people who are ready to be heard. Through conscious or subconscious means, their stories often get a new life in the worlds he creates. Reflections of reality show up unexpectedly. Once, he painted an image of a little girl in a Hilltop mural without thinking of anyone in particular, but then she recognized herself in the scene.

Playfulness animates Gregory’s approach to art. He values the freedom he has earned to follow his imagination wherever it leads. But in the beginning of his career, he was accountable to what kind of art his clients wanted. At times, this was frustrating, especially when people’s imaginations were limited: “You want me to do another painting of Mount Rainier when the mountain is literally right there? Come on.” These initial challenges pushed him to probe how and when to let other people shape his art, especially while preserving his artistic integrity.

Now, he uses prototyping tools to structure community feedback early in his process. Word lists — 20+ words “that community reminds me of” — and rough sketches give people a glimpse of what is possible in Gregory’s worlds. At the completion of each project, when the community sees what Gregory envisioned for the first time, they always love it.

For Gregory, the design process starts with exploration and picking an idea. Then you have to “redo and redo and redo.” Iterate and iterate. Make “lots of sparks and see what lights a fire, what burns the hottest.” Winnowing bad ideas through mass creation ensures that the good ideas are given a chance to come out.

Producing many ideas is core to his training. When he studied at the Art Institute of Seattle, his instructors required 100 thumbnail sketches, pushing the limits of students’ inventiveness. A similar principle in design thinking echoes this, reminding designers that their best idea is not their first — and maybe not even their tenth. Gregory links this tenant of human-centered design to his mentors’ teachings in the 1950s. There may be new words for it now, but these principles are age-old artistic rhythms.

Gregory insists that ingenuity is in everyone. “Many people don’t see themselves as artists,” he says. Just like many don’t see themselves as designers. “But they haven’t even given themselves permission to try! ‘I can’t draw.’ Yes, you can!” Sometimes what fledgling artists see as their weaknesses, others recognize as original expressions. Gregory wants everyone to see that creative confidence and endless practice are all it takes. Reflecting on the future of the GID Lab, he says, “Art is my magic thing. It saved me. I want everyone to experience this.” The more people that encounter the design process through community collaborations, the better.

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