The (very first) Inspo Report
melancholy paintings, classic adidas silhouettes & pitch deck advice
Coming to You Live
Welcome to the first installment of The Inspo Report! A weekly newsletter designed to keep you inspired during ALL of your creative endeavors. We here at The Inspo Report promise to update you with all the best artistic morsels for your eyes, ears and hungry brain.
9 to 5 Nightmare
The Surrealist Melancholy Paintings of George Tooker
It was another painful morning at my office gig. The water cooler bubbling, a bunch of forced smiles, and really REALLY shitty Kuerig coffee brewing…Like a gift from the creative gods and goddesses, I stumbled upon the painting pictured above (Landscape with Figures). A perfect representation of the melancholy filled 9-5 life. Feeling trapped, and lonely while simultaneously surrounded by others. The combination of the sunset color palette and infinite office cubicles hit me hard. It instantly made me think about my life and career. This office life is NOT for me. After having a borderline religious experience to this piece I dove deeper on the artist, George Tooker. To my glee I found numerous paintings that had a similar feeling. Tooker explores the everyday but through a David Lynchian dream-like lens.
Above is “The Subway”, yet another perfect example of exploring fear, paranoia and loneliness in an everyday activity like the commute. Tooker painted this in 1950 y’all and it still hits! On my daily commute I look more scared than this but at least I have headphones to blast my pump-up mix before I get in the office (Carly Rae Jepsen and/ or Rage Against the Machine).
Pictured above: (Left) The Artist George Tooker, (Right) his painting called “Public Life”
Stripes over Checks?
Maybe just this time…
In the infinity war between Adidas and Nike, The Inspo Report team, 9 times out of 10 is voting checks over stripes…BUT the Campus sneaker courtesy of Adi Dassler’s namesake is an exquisite sculptural masterpiece through and through. I personally am not a “Sneaker Head”. Often I think sneakers infantilize my fits, making me feel like I’m back in middle school pretending I can kick flip. The Adidas Campus on the other hand is versatile but subtle. Vintage, yet modern. I LOVE THIS SHOE.
Pictured above: The fashion icons “The Beastie Boys” rocking the campus. Such a huge impact on how I dress and carry myself today. The Beasties were a shining monolyth to me growing up. I wanted to be the person who could be at home anywhere. Their ability to blend so many different styles together while truly remaining themselves is STILL inspiring. LEGENDS ONLY!
Pictured above: (Left) Young Leo DiCaprio with actor Lukas Haas and David Blane (Yes THAT David Blane) rocking the Campus. This image was during “The Pussy Posse” days of olde. If you aren’t aware the *P-Posse was a group of mostly actors (and one magician lol) who were rolling around LA/NY having sex with tons and tons and TONS of models. A bunch of dirty dogs, but hey at least the kicks were clean!
Now Hear This
Samples and Sexy Horns
Currently listening to “Wise Blood” a singer/songwriter I stumbled upon last week. Wise Blood creates all of his music out of sampling - often the only “original” thing on each track is his voice. WB hails from Pittsburg like Inspo Report favorite Girl Talk. While they both strictly use samples to create something new, WB writes honest inward looking lyrics over bubbly, sometimes familiar beats. One of my favorite tracks right now is called “Alarm” from his 2013 album “Id”. When the sultry horns come in I find myself slinking around and grooving like a dangerously sexy cobra.
Pitchers Pitch
Some advice on creating pitch decks for freelance clients
A lot of fellow artists and designers ask me how I attract freelance gigs. Yes some clients find me, whether it’s on Instagram or from word of mouth…BUT for the most part I reach out to brands I admire. Normally I’d start with a DM on Instagram (truly shocking how many large brands actually respond). I show appreciation to what the brand has accomplished and voice that I want to be apart of it no matter how big or small. Once I notice the client is interested, I offer a pitch. Pitch decks obviously change per project and client but all and all the blueprint remains the same.
First, I’ll start with a cover page. Yes it seems simple but this is a great opportunity to show: 1. You’ve done your research on the brand 2. You are putting in time and effort and 3. It instantly makes you appear more professional. Pictured Above: A screen shot of the pitch deck cover I created for New Zealand based clothing brand Checks Inc. I created a playful collaborative logo and used their classic Checks Orange throughout the deck.
Pictured Above: A few dms and a pitch deck later…led to our first official collaboration the “Don’t Forget About Peace” Hoodie. A lot of artists say to never work for free. For the most part I agree, but we have to be honest with how we define “Work”. For me putting together a deck, describing my vision and showing a mood board of influences isn’t work per se. The execution and delivery of the final piece is the work. You need to ask yourself how bad you want to work with a particular person or brand. Are you willing to grind out some work for free if it will later lead to paid projects? Of course some brands will be radio silent, when you send a pitch. That’s just the nature of the beast, but stay positive. Keep creating and keep reaching out!
Another very important part of the pitch process are mock-ups. For those who are visual individuals, a quality mock up can really sell your idea and vision. Pictured above: A original mock-up of a t-shirt design I sent Philadelphia restaurant Little Fish. This helped show the full actualized vision of the design and instantly got myself and the Little Fish team excited to push this project to the finish line. The design later was featured on two long sleeve t-shirts and a canvas tote!
Just a reminder that these pitches have worked for me, but they may not work for you. I am no design Tony Robbins, but I am here for any tips or advice you need! Most importantly, remember to ask yourself if you are having fun. Until next time I’m Ryan Evans and this has been the first installment of The Inspo Report.