Society, Here’s Screaming Skull
In my last post, I explained how the growth of my art coincided with coming of age. Trust me, if you haven’t read it yet, you should. It's very profound. I talk about smearing black lipstick on my face and how to repair the world’s ills.
Anywho, this time around I’d like to delve into what happened when, after pursuing art as a hobby for years, I suddenly realized I wanted to harness creativity into a career.
During winter of 2020, I was in my Junior year of college at Wayne State University. An existential crisis over the majors in Psychology and Political Science I was completing began to overtake me.
I really enjoyed my classes, genuinely liked studying, and got high grades. Though as graduation loomed, I feared following a career path that left my creative side unfulfilled. I didn’t want to leave college without figuring out all the potential possibilities - or worse, feel regret over what could’ve been. I decided I needed to take a step back and think hard about what activities brought me joy. It was one thing to work hard and learn, but it was another to implement the skills and knowledge I gained through school through something I would get real fulfillment from. Before, I had been convinced that being a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist was my calling. At that time, though, it was hard to visualize counseling others when I was still developing myself.
My time and accomplishments at WSU felt surreal.
(Photo taken by Andrew Mullin)
So, I converted Poli Sci into a minor to make room for courses in Life Drawing, Illustration, and Graphic Design, which propelled my artistic skills further than I could have imagined. At the same time, I thought about what the style of my work should look like, which color schemes I was drawn to, and what I most liked to depict in my art. Eventually, after following other creatives online, I got the idea to group all of my projects under the umbrella of a brand. I wanted the logo to be edgy yet cutesy. While brainstorming and listening to my Spotify music library on shuffle, a song by Sonic Youth I hadn’t heard in a while came on. It was distorted, fuzzy, and silly. Then came the lines:
‘Superchunk, Society
Sunset Strip, Screaming skull’
That was it. The hasty colored pencil drawing that would eventually become the logo you now see on the header of this site was conceived. It’s evolved as I’ve garnered more skills and design sense.
Fun Fact: I chose the current typeface because it reminded me of Guitar Hero.
I don’t gatekeep…it’s called Metalista Black.
Hopefully, these first couple blog posts have solidified the story behind my art brand’s aesthetics. I pour my heart into my work, and it’s my goal to show you that.
I’ll catch you on the flip side!