Nothing is more powerful than an idea

I recently ran a half marathon for charity which has been keeping me very disciplined, working to a structured training regime and I guess a matching frame of mind. As I am in the process of designing for the Climax chapter which is the most creatively demanding, I feel that having such a disciplined frame of mind may have hindered my ability to release the full potential of my creativity so far. After the last test, I have come the conclusion that my subconscious creativity has become restricted which could be a combination of training for the half marathon and from using airbrushing techniques as appose to brushes. However I am always looking to forward my approach to design and feel that my awareness of 'holding back' is important in order to change and really allow my creativity to flourish.

I have been inspired by the progressional nature of colour from the beginning of the concept for the book, and have been looking at ways in which colour and texture is used in art, film and photography to express a sense of personification and 'trippy' reality for the Climax chapter. I like the idea of beginning with a blank canvas as this reflects the way in which the subconscious is penetrating the mind without realisation and allows for me to experiment with the idea of progression which is the main focus for the whole concept of the book.

I tested this today in the studio and it was the first time where I have truely immersed myself into a design without thinking too critically about what I was doing. I feel that there are both positive and negative aspects to this mode of working as colour compositions and textures tended to work really well however I feel that precise application was affected. I feel that by feeling totally free, my eye was drawn to the image as a whole, as appose to focusing on minute details in order to make the design appear as professional as possible. I am going to make sure that I focus my eye on certain details for the final design to ensure that the look has been carefully considered.

The thing I most enjoy about this design is the element of climatic suspense as I feel that this reflects in the personality of a dream, and how it progresses like a movement, both visually, audibly and emotionally. The design reflects the build up of emotion through colour and texture, with the layers of colour metaphorically showing the layers of both conscious and subconscious thought. The black paint seeping onto the face creates an element of uncertainty within the mind until the face reaches a 'black-doubt' fantasy. I really like this play on words as I feel that it succintly sums up the progression of the book. It links to the theory raised in my short film which also shares the same title. Here is another quick link:

Filmed and directed by Lara Himpelmann