When I’m not making art or creating a design or talking to a client, I am keeping my eyes peeled for ideas and inspiration. Over the years, I’ve been developing a specific sense of taste that I try to cater to all my projects. I was recently asked who my current favorite artists are; it was a great chance to take a break and consider who’s work I continuously return to for inspiration and for the pleasure of seeing what they have created.

I think it would be great to start a collection of the creative thinkers that are inspiring people, so I’ll start and perhaps you can add to the list by commenting.

Here are a few people that I’ve never met, but who’s work I admire and who influence me.

Designers:

Jason Munn

Jason Munn is the man behind the renowned Gig Poster Shop-Small Stakes Design.  His posters are absolutely beautiful.  His strength is in ideas.  His posters generally revolve around a single, wonderfully whimsical idea which becomes the centerpiece of an otherwise minimalist poster.

John Solimine

John Solimine is the artist behind Spike Press and another one of my favorite poster masters.  His work, in contrast to Jason Munn, is quite detailed.  He is based in Chicago, and the spirit of that city often bleeds through his work.  His posters are characterized by his beautifully crafted illustration.

Jesse LeDoux

Jesse LeDoux is a man who’s work I have loved for a long time and recently discovered his name.  Have you taken a look at some of the  posters and CDs that have come out of Sub-Pop Records over the past years.  If you have, then you’ve probably noticed the unique characters and worlds that inhabit the designs for every sub-pop artist.  Here is the man to thank.  Jesse LeDoux worked as art director and designer at Sub-Pop Records for 7 years and now is concentrating on his own artwork and projects.  His characters are wildly imaginative, he is a man who could not be accused of producing clichés.

A Little Bit of Everything:

Jim Henson

There is not enough to say about Jim Henson.  He was an incredible artist, inventor and thinker; the man who made The Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock and the countless films, commercials, and inventions that played a significant role in my childhood.  He was a man who took old things and revived them.  His characters sprung from his mind to his notebooks from his notebooks into puppets and from puppets into people’s lives.  How can anyone not love the man who created characters as delightful and memorable as Kermit the Frog, Big Bird.  The humor, the personality, and the drive of Jim Henson’s work and life have played a significant and unalterable role in my art and my life.

Zooey Deschanel

Zooey Deschanel, besides being the indie-heartthrob of the world, is a delightfully quirky actress, phenomenal singer and smashing dresser.  I have yet to see a film of hers which disappoints me (of course, I haven’t seen “The Happening” yet).  I especially enjoyed “500 Days of Summer” and “The Go-Getter.”  I once had the pleasure of hearing her sing with M. Ward in LA and I was impressed her talent but impressed even more by her apparent modesty and humility.

Photographer:

Luigi Ghirri

Luigi Ghirri is a photographer that I first heard about while studying in Firenze, Italia.  He photographed scenes from his life, things he passed by daily, in way that composes both a visual diary of his life and a record of the Italian landscape.  He had a love for polaroid cameras and outdated film.  The thing that draws me to his photographs is the way skill, geometry and careful compostion are foremost in his work and yet his photos speak with warmth and gentleness.

Painters:

Vincent Van Gogh

Van Gogh needs no introduction; I love him because of his spirit, his beautiful paintings, his compassion and care for people—especially those less fortunate than him.

Paul Klee

Paul Klee’s work is insanely clever.  He was a artist who taught at the Bauhaus.  His work is full of child-like images. He pieces together his art from all sorts of common artifacts—spare cloth, cardboard and ink.  My favorite thing about his work is his great literary titles which often blend humor and seriousness together.

Jean Dubuffet

Jean Dubuffet is a painter who loved chance and freedom of the mind.  The first thing I saw of his was “The Cow with the Subtle Nose” and from then on I have admired the sculptures and paintings that he produces.  He is a man who made whole worlds with his artwork.

Musicians/Songrwiters:

Bob Dylan

Anyone who loves music, especially indie music, owes a huge debt to Bob Dylan.  He road the coattails of the Folk Movement and utterly changed songwriting and what can pass as popular music.  His characteristic mumbling, sliding, scooping, nasaly voice can be a hard adjustment, but the sincerity that lies behind it coupled with the artistry and poetry of his lyrics, are as profound and complex as they are mysterious.  Lines from his songs and images from his lyrics constantly spring to mind, besides, who doesn’t love listening to a record that sounds like a bunch of guys jamming at the pool hall or pizza place.

Derek Webb

Derek Webb is songwriter and limit pusher who is never lukewarm about his work.  His desire to speak powerfully about sensitive and often overlooked subjects has resulted in him writing some of the most powerful analogies and metaphors that I have heard.

M. Ward

M. Ward is a songwriter and guitarist who has his mind set on writing something permanent.  His music pushes aside flash and trend in his mission to create the lasting work.  He has been quoted as saying that his favorite song is “Amazing Grace” because it is a song that all people know and it is a song that people will always sing.  His goal to make lasting work is truly inspirational, and his wonderful folky music is often playing as I work on my designs and art.

Those are some of the people who inspire me, who inspires you and why?

ADDED TO THE LIST!

Sorry for the delay folks. Here are your responses!

Michelle San Jose and Geoff Jenson suggested:

Jimi Hendrix

Michelle San Jose suggested
eddie vedder
mike mccready
jeff buckley
brian andreas
r.s. thomas
anne lamott

Vivian from BBG Design Studio suggested:
Michael Beirut
Paula Scher
Phoenix
Minimalist Coffee Shops