Jack of all Trades, Master of None
I had a very interesting conversation with a friend last night. We were talking about designers we know personally and how each one of them has a distinct style. Most designers have a style that is unique to them or that simply screams out that a piece was made by them. Others do not. This is what she said about my work. She started telling me about how I don't have a marked style and that it's not obvious my work is mine when she sees it. Is this a good thing or a bad thing?
It's never a bad thing when you see a piece of art and can tell who made it. You instantly think of the person who made it.. and that makes for the best advertisement ever. Looking at it this way, you might be lead to think that if people don't recognize your work then it's bad. Yes, from this point it's bad. But then again, what if you're work has various styles but does reflect a quality that lets people know you made it? I pride myself by experimenting with different styles and movements. I love retro artwork but I also experiment with modern, contemporary, deco, grunge, illustration and even 3D. None the less.. every piece I create has to have a certain level of quality.. and if I can't reach that level of quality I don't stop working on it till it does (no one sees is until I do).
Most designers have a pro they look up to. Up until now I've looked up to numerous artists from around the world, but I never found one that reminded me of where I want to get to. Sebastian Onufszak is that artist for me. I see his work and all of it is so different. Each piece is so distinct from the previous one that you can't really tell if it's his or not. What you can distinguish is the quality of his work.
"Jack of all trades, master of none" is a cliché I do not agree with. Who says you can't try to master several trades. Of course it's something terribly hard to accomplish and few people do. Onufszak is a great example of the possibilities. Examine his work and you will pieces of art that have illustration, 3D, photo-manipulation, typography, grunge, retro, modern, experimentation, and much more. The amazing thing about it is that all of it is very good work. The time and effort he puts into every piece is reflect by the piece itself and the detail (even if not obvious) evident in them.
I don't know about you, but I'm glad my work doesn't scream out my name. Why? Cause I'd rather explore every possibility than stick with one style and stay there until exhaustion.
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