Fad NO# 2: GRAPHIC DESIGN

My current J-O-B is in graphic design. It's a bit of a misnomer to call the job itself a fad, as it was a fluke opportunity that I stumbled across in a time of need and took up gladly in order to keep a roof over the cat's head. It was advertised as a 'graphic artist position in the textile industry', and as a badly struggling wannabe freelance illustrator with vague and broad-reaching creative goals, it sounded like it could be my new fad-du-jour. Once I got through the scary first month or two, making hi-there-howdy-and-hello chitchat with my new colleagues and nervously sweating all over the keyboard and wacom pad, I found I quite enjoyed the fact that I got paid to draw all day on the computer and crack gags with my new pals. It had plenty of perks - a part-time position, job-sharing with another illustrator; free garment samples to take home once the company had finished ripping off the overseas graphics; improving my computer skills... but soon the honeymoon started to wear off and the shiny realm of fad morphed into the grey-edged world of drudge. I began to see the garment industry (rag trade, sweetie!) for what it is... a voracious consumer of resources, both human and material, for the purpose of making and selling crap quality clothes. Don't get me wrong - I recognise the need for clothing production, and low budget clothing at that, but I think you have to be really INTO the whole vibe if you want to work in the trade and not get horribly bitter and twisted like I'm beginning to sound (eeep!). Really, it's not so much that it is all the work of Satan - it's just not my bag, baby! So I'm at the point where I rock up to work with a groan and tell myself that there is something out there better suited to me, something that I can feel good about, something that ADDS to the goodness in the world. This month, that something looks to be teaching! And I don't subscribe to the "those that can, DO, those that can't, TEACH" bullshit. The good teachers that I have known are doing the do right there! And training to be a teacher means I get to go back to Uni for a while and break away from 9-5 for just a little longer - woohoo!
... Just some thoughts on what I think people might get out of this blog should they stumble across it...
I guess if I'm talking about fads I've dabbled in, especially with a mind to making a lving out of them, it might be interesting/helpful/relevant to make brief mention of anything useful I've learnt about the fads I've tested out.
So, if you want to work in the clothing industry, these are some skills that it would be good to have:
- basic drawing ability (life drawing is great)
- good computer skills (Photoshop, Illustrator, using the net)
- interest in fashion (aha! This is where I fell down!)
- good sense of colour
- no moral objection to reproducing other people's artwork with minor changes to avoid copyright infringement

Now that I've had my rant about my job, I think the rest of the blog should be a bit less ANGRRRRRRY and a bit more happy-happy joy-joy!
Toodles! And remember kids, fashion is the work of the devil!