The Designer Who Traded His Camera Phone for a Pad of Paper

Shridhar Reddy Wanted To See More Clearly.

From a John Muir Laws tutorial.

Shridhar Reddy was a colleague of mine. We always had great conversations at lunch. Afterward, I’d often find a mysterious book on my desk on a wide array of topics — from Winnebagos to UX design to nature journaling.

Shridhar mentioned he had stopped taking photos and started drawing on his daily runs. I wanted to know more. The shift felt like it could help others. It signaled creative regeneration. I asked if I could interview him on the topic, and he generously agreed not only to answer my questions, but to share his illustrations as well.

Me: You’re a designer and you’re married to a designer, so it might follow that you’ve always been interested in illustration. Is that true?

Shridhar: Yes. I actually was very attracted to my then-girlfriend because she was such a good illustrator. Growing up in India art, illustration and design were far in the periphery of approved educational pursuits. It was neither encouraged or even known as a hobby then.

Our Bay, illustrated by Shridhar Reddy.

When I graduated from design school in rather late in life, I had this gnawing complex that I couldn’t really be a good designer because I couldn’t draw and sketch like I saw some of my American class-mates do. Worse, thanks to a rather fatalistic attitude inherited from my culture, I also was convinced that I wasn’t quite “born” with that talent, therefore there seemed no point in learning how to draw. It took about a decade of living in America, before I finally realized that any limitation of skill was completely in my head.

Harbin Hot Springs. Illustration by Shridhar Reddy

Therefore, when I walked in to Argo cafe in Chicago on a first date to to meet a girl who is now my wife, I was absolutely struck to find her at a table doodling away in a little black moleskine. She showed me the sketches, and I saw a sunny little glimpse of our future. Surely, she could teach me to draw?

Me: Are you good at drawing? Be impartial. Most people think they’re terrible at it, but most people aren’t designers.

The Memory of Trees. Illustrated by Shridhar Reddy.

Shridhar: Honestly, I think I am mediocre, with a good chance at getting better. It is merely a matter of practice based on good inspiration and some tutelage.

If there is one fact about drawing that I would want anyone to know — it is that we are all equally good at drawing. It is our formal education system and our circle of friends/teachers/coworkers who ultimately might be the biggest inhibitors of our drawing. It has been lamented over and over that all kids are equally good at it until their middle school years and those that got good at it were those that continued drawing through their high school years in an unstructured way. The rest — just quit.

Me: How did you first come across the idea of nature illustration?

Shridhar: Landscape photography was my first introduction to the visual arts. It was a perfect complement to my motorcycle travels and i ventured forth with a camera tucked into my motorcycle luggage into many exotic landscapes that beckoned. However, photography is also equipment intensive, with a never-ending wish list of gear and gadgets. Over time, I noticed myself shooting too many photographs, too quickly, in too little time. I was not really absorbing the scene around me, just hoping for a few keepers, a time-stamp rather than a moment. It was the equivalent of fast-food.

It was after giving up on photography for a few years that I noticed an urge to get back into nature, but with the intent of simply recording it into my memory, and not the camera’s. I was delighted that by doing a quick water color sketch of a scene I was completely free from many of the rules of photography (light, color, composition). Here was a way to invent my own landscape, and yet never forget the landscape that I was in at that moment.

Me: You told me a little about John Muir Laws, whose gif I’ve put at the top of this piece. What is special about him?

Shridhar: John Muir Laws (may his tribe increase) is a rare individual in this day and age — his entire life’s mission is to spread the skill of nature journaling as a way to celebrate and preserve nature. He is a born teacher — no skill is too small for him to explain, and no subject is too difficult for him to deconstruct. Like a magician explaining his wizardry, he breaks down sketching into small, finite, easily learned and practiced skills. And of course, all of his teaching is free for anyone who comes to his lectures and nature walks.

From John Muir Laws’ incredible website.

Me: How does drawing differ from photography (apart from the obvious)?

Shridhar: Both are art forms, but for me, the differences that matter are:

1. Temporal: A photograph takes less than a second to take. A sketch takes a minimum of 20–30 minutes. When you spend that much time with a single subject, you are guaranteed to never forget it ever. To this day, I walk around the park in my neighborhood and greet some trees like old friends because I sketched them.

“When you spend that much time with a single subject, you are guaranteed to never forget it ever.”

2. Word and image: Photographs force words out of the image. At best, words survive as a caption and a line of description beneath. But with sketching, text is easily an integral part of the picture. I freely scribble my thoughts. They are a living part of my design. Sometimes as a scrawled texture, other times as a bold statement or quotation — therefore, a living journal of what i see and what i feel.

“[Thoughts] are a living part of my design.”

Me: Do you think this is something you’ll be able to continue and if so, what do you think will keep you going with it? What brings you back to nature illustration?

Shridhar: I definitely hope to continue this new found skill. As with many skills, it is essential to find the right sources of inspiration, the right venue to share it with and the right teacher/people to keep the inspiration loop tight.

Nature illustration is only a form of sketching. It could be any kind of sketching that i will be doing. A project that I am currently working on is to sketch all of my son’s favorite toys. Another project is to draw all the trees in McLaren park that grab my attention everyday. Yet another project is the idea of the 10 minute landscape painting on small sizes. There is no end to how many reasons there are to pull out the paper and pencil.

“Flowers that I’d bought for Jess 10 days ago.”

Me: Last question. Do you think I should try it? Seriously, my drawing skills are jokily bad. Like worse than my daughter at age 3 bad. What could I get out of it?

Shridhar: You practice meditation, right? Then you are ready to start drawing. It is by far the easiest and most rewarding form of meditation. The parallels between the two practices are striking — an intimate space, a mind focused intently for 20–25 minutes, the body relaxed and aware and at peace. The only difference is that at the end of a sketching session, you have a visual record of your practice on paper. Imagine flipping that journal and re-living each meditation?!

From Danny Gregory’s published art journal.

I highly recommend any of Danny Gregory’s books on drawing. He doesn’t teach drawing, but convinces you to try it. I leave it to him to convince you that the last thing you need to think of is how your drawing looks. What matters is that you felt compelled enough to mark paper with pen. Do it for a few minutes daily, and you have a practice, and not too much time later, you will surprise yourself that you actually happen to like what you sketched. And oddly enough, it doesn’t matter then either.

Me: I am inspired by you and this practice. Thank you for sharing it with me and others, Shridhar!

Mindful Dirt Balls

Still taken from video by Jenna Close and Jon Held.

Unexpected Transformations and the Art of Hikaru Dorodango

This was once a pile of dirt.

I came across this post on thisiscolossal that blew me away. It describes an entire Japanese art form I've never heard of before. It's called hikaru dorodango (which translates to "shiny dumpling"). 

What you're looking at above is a shiny perfect sphere...of dirt. Hikaru Dorodango is the art of making dirt into extremely fragile, incredibly beautiful sculptures. It's an art of process, not outcome. Can I say that again?

It's the making of the spheres, not how long they last or the outcome, that is meant to be focused on.

In other words, hikaru dorodango is a mindfulness practice. I find this an inspiring and stunning testament to the act of creation. Check out the dorodangos on the shelf:

Hours of work have gone into these simple globes. Still taken from video by Jenna Close and Jon Held.

Hours of work have gone into these simple globes.

And yet, if someone were to turn on a strong hose, they would all disappear. But in the process of adding fine layer after layer of dirt, something is created, and it's not just the perfect ball. It's a sense of peace, calm, and connection with the earth.

Creativity is part of the core foundation of Beautiful Voyager, just like meeting other people is. The act of creation, and appreciation of creation, is a natural vaccine against stress. Use it when you can. I find just looking at these shapes—these rounded shiny globes made by human hands—very soothing. I hope you do too.

See a very cool video of Bruce Gardner's process of creating dorodangos here.   

Originally published March 28, 2016. Updated February 18, 2017.

When the problem isn’t what you think.

I had two very different conversations yesterday. Both of them underscored the same undeniable truth: When we need it most, it’s hard to achieve perspective.

The first conversation took place with a fellow Beautiful Voyager. Something was bothering him. He was spinning. I tried advice, but quickly realized it didn’t help.

Why? Because the problem wasn’t whatever he was describing. The problem was that he was in a moment of distorted thinking. What he needed was help regaining perspective.

The second conversation centered on a difficult career decision faced by one of my oldest and closest friends. She’s been waking up in the night, weighing pros and cons, looking for the right path.

It took a while, but eventually I shifted from information-gathering to intuition and feeling. There was fear in my friend’s voice. Why was it there?

Through conversation, we shifted the perspective from untangling details to untangling fear. Once we saw the fear for what it was, the whole picture got a lot clearer.

The more I work on this project and understand how anxiety and overthinking affect us, the more I’m convinced the root is a loss of perspective.

I’d love us to Leonardo da Vinci this situation together and gather up perspective-winning tips for each other. Anyone who’s felt it knows it’s true: gaining insight in the middle of a distorted perspective shitshow…feels like a work of art.

Love, Meredith

p.s. If a tactic springs to mind, share it here!

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This post first appeared in the Beautiful Voyager newsletter. Subscribe here.

How One Designer Gave Herself Superhero Strength

When I first came across Lan Pham’s profile image, it immediately grabbed my attention. Striking and specific, the illustration had me asking the question: Where did this superhero fly in from?

I found out by asking Lan directly on a voice-only app called Anchor. When we talked about her profile image, and I learned that Lan designed it herself in order to feel stronger in a time of need, I wanted to learn more. I sent her the following questions which she answered from her home in Poland.

Me: What was going on in your life when you created your superhero profile image? What made you think of doing it?

Lan: It was sometime at the end of my studies (in art/graphic faculty) a couple of years ago. I had a lot of work ahead of me: finals, projects and my thesis. I’m a total procrastinator so I had so much to do at the end. I was exhausted to the bone, sleep-deprived and kind of hopeless. You could call it an artist’s block.

Like any good procrastinator, instead of working I was browsing the web. In my reading I stumbled upon the studies that analyze how standing like a superhero lowers your level of cortisol, the stress hormone, and increases testosterone which boosts your confidence. Your body language can actually affects you, your brain, your biology, and thus — life.

My work usually is sitting behind a computer. That’s why I express myself with drawings. That’s how I ended up doing a 10 minute sketch of myself late one Sunday night.

Initially I didn’t have the specific idea of boosting my confidence. It basically was just another doodle to help me face another crappy Monday.

Lan notes, ""Poniedzialek" means Monday in Polish :)"

This was a quick drawing I did at first around at 4am at night.

Me: Did the drawing work? Did it make you feel more powerful? Does it continue to?

Lan: It was really just a doodle. But it’d say it worked! Not exactly the way I imagined it would have. But I put that picture up as my Facebook profile picture the same night. In the morning I received some really flattering, reassuring, and motivational comments.

This little silly sketch of myself made me laugh at myself. It cheered me up! Also it was the first thing in weeks that I created out of some non-commital inspiration. It wasn’t an obligation and that’s what made me feel less cranky and more like myself. It somehow lifted my artist block and boosted my confidence too.

After that I finished some of my projects without as much suffering as before. Then I redrew the sketch into the clean, flat-styled version I’ve been using as my profile image (as pictured under the title of this post). It somehow became my branding. Strangers started to recognize me from it :)

It’s always a great pleasure to put up my superhero pose.

It gives me a boost. It works every time! I think: “You go down, but then you go up again. It’s the best feeling.”

I have a couple of ideas for my Super-Alter-Ego-Hero shots that mirror my life. In those, I’d essentially create a series of illustrations. Kind of like a story or Adventure of SuperLan.

This illustration makes me more creative, reminds me to face things head on rather than hide from them, therefore, yes, it makes me powerful. It’s like a butterfly effect I think!

Me: Would you recommend that other people use this approach if they are feeling like they need to channel a feeling of power in their lives? Do you ever do illustrations for people?

Lan: Yes, I do illustrations for people! I’ve yet to start doing illustrations fully commercially but for a long time I’ve been illustrating my friends and family as a birthday gifts etc. Too bad I haven’t gotten around to collecting all of the works and finally updating my portfolio!

Anyway, I think the best approach is “just” this: draw/write/record/create everything and anything that comes to your mind. Don’t keep it in your head, get it out anyway you can. Not only it is cathartic and therapeutic but it’s our great power to create things.

When I create, I feel as confident and powerful as I can ever be.

I feel like conquering the world.

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Designer and illustrator Lan Pham lives in Poland. To follow her on your social platform of choice, select from the array found here on her site. To contact her about getting your own superhero, email her at lan [at] cloudsmaker.com.

Zone Out While Watching A Master Danish Potter

The Instagram looks amazing, too.

Apparently INSIDER, whose videos are suddenly everywhere, is a new Facebook-only sub-brand of Business Insider. So far, I like what I see. I could watch this video, of a man named Eric Landon who has been throwing pottery since he was 16, for hours.

No Matter How Rigid, Everything Can Bend

I came across this post about Spanish sculptor José Manuel Castro López and was blown away by what I saw. López carves his sculptures from quartz and granite, incorporating wood and other natural textures as needed.

The feeling it created in me, of transformation in the face of the immoveable, of waves of movement within the rigid, seemed like an incredible metaphor for The Beautiful Voyager.

It brings a smile to my face that López describes himself as "more of a druid than a sculptor."

"I've had my share, I'll help you with the pain. You're not alone."

This is not a story. I have no story to tell. Nothing to add to eloquent tributes I’m reading. I’m mourning. Nearly anything I’d say feels trite.

But something that’s hit me as I watch Blackstar over and over is that Bowie is as close as I’ve come to religion. His performances have always felt like an expression of shared humanity personally delivered to me. I’m thankful for his final message in the way I imagine worshippers are during service in church, synagogue, or mosque.

If you have outsider feelings (like I often do, for no good reason), you might feel like an outsider to the Bowie outpouring you see around you right now.

Realizing that David Bowie is my form of worship has changed that response for me.

These are my fellow congregants.

This is my exultant community.

Creative Early Adopters: Best Friends of Anxious People

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(I had to include a photo cause she's adorable. Sorry Gabi.)

I was given early access to the List App by my friend and hero Gabi Moskowitz. What makes Gabi a hero? From my perspective, it's that she's a creative early adopter. She's someone who supports projects like this before everyone else jumps aboard.

Creative early adopters are crucially important to people with GAD. Our sensitivity is profound. It inhibits us in many ways, but it can also make us attuned to ideas and trends. If we had less fear about consequences, we would be able to accomplish more. We'd speak up and start to evolve our seedling ideas without killing them for fear of exposure. The vocal support of others turns our sensitivity into a strength.

It's easy to join the party when everyone else has arrived. But showing up when the dj's just starting to find her rhythm, the drinks are starting to flow, and everyone's still a little weird is a true art.

I realized that List App was the perfect place to house a collaborative GAD reading list. Without further ado...

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Tap to see the full list of books on my list, and some that others are sharing. Download the app to share your own. We'd love to have you.

To see Gabi's life, Hollywood-style, check out the ABC Family show Young and Hungry.