Joe Blaker Sketchbook Talk

Today Jo Blaker came to give a talk about sketchbooks, research and how to apply this to your design and apply it to develop ideas. She said how she researchers, which is most relevant to her is to collect and gather images, pictures, materials which contain interesting shapes, colour schemes and textures, which can then be experimented with and expanded upon. Another important aspect of researching is observing, but not just this, you need to actually notice and look at things in a deeper meaningful way. You need to look around you, and create images and pictures out of the simplest things, be imaginative, picture making from the world around you. The most important things for Jo to look at are form, texture, organic, natural forms, line marks and qualities of line. Looking at the shape of objects and life form within nature.
 The most important thing that Jo applies within her work and art is play, in order to enjoy what you are creating and to get the best ideas, you need to play with the materials. That way you find things by happy accidents, and tying to explore with new materials. When you get bored or gain a block within being creative, just move on to a different material and start experimenting with that instead, start a fresh. Within using sketchbooks you never have to have a fixed idea, it's always about playing around with materials, and in doing so ideas are formed and come as a result of this process.
  Jo stated that using a computer doesn't actually help her thinking, it clouds and restricts creativity and her ideas, therefore she applies her creativity to her sketchbooks instead. You need to engage in a physical way with materials and this way you will create new ideas and ways of working with different medias. You don't necessarily have to be in the studio, in fact Jo said her best ideas come when she is out and about, when things come up randomly and inspires her, sitting in a cafe or when out on a walk amongst nature.
  After speaking to Jo about her involvement with children and workshops of teaching them processes and ultimately helping them to be more creative. She has directed me to many different organisation which do similar things and also given me the email address of the Hepworth where she works who I can now contact for volunteer opportunities.
  From this talk I will take away new directions to take upon researching within  brief and new ideas how to use my sketchbook and to take it out with me at all times. I will also begin to take more photos of things that inspire me and interest me as you never know when they might be useful for a project. I have also realised that you don't have to be labelled, you can just do your own things and not have to be specifically tied to a certain creative area, you can be all rounded. Also it has encouraged me to want to use different materials within experimentation in my sketchbook, and begin to engage with briefs in a physical way.