Badassery Magazine July 2018 Issue 26 | Page 9

NOTE FROM THE Artistic Director COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES About three years ago, during a parent-teacher conference, my son's teacher told me how important it was for Jonas to learn to color. At first I thought she was joking. Jonas knew how to color. He drew pictures all the time. He loved to paint and he used marker and crayons all the time. But then she went on to explain what she meant. His teacher wanted him to open a coloring book, trace the edges of the lines with a crayon and then fill it in with the solid color. Most importantly, he was supposed to learn how to stay inside the lines. The conversation with his teacher left me perplexed. On the one hand, I can understand the importance of practicing fine motor skills to improve Jonas's dexterity and control. After all, he was being seen by an occupational therapist at the time. But on the other hand, could there be a more overt way to stifle one's creativity than by literally forcing them to 'color inside the lines'? Needless to say, I did not teach him to color in the lines. I let him color however he damn well pleased. He had a beautiful imagination and I wasn't going to be the one to snuff out his light. That being said, I've always felt compelled to push against the norm always approaching everything with a healthy skepticism. But because the idea of staying in the lines and doing what you are told is so ingrained in our psyche, I've recently realized I was trying to fit most things in my life into tidy little rectangular boxes. When I sat down to design this issue of the magazine, all the rectangles and straight lines reminded me of how sometimes slipping into old boring habits is easy. I mean, what's more simple than a rectangle — no creativity required. Do I really want to create something boring? No. I decided to color outside the lines and get creative. I didn't want to stick to conventional patterns. I wanted to push boundaries, cross borders, and make a bold statement. I wanted to let my badassery out and infuse my design with it. But, I didn't only design to be more creative in my design work, I also vow to be more creative in my every day life, including my business. You don't have to follow the rules. You can create your own. JULY 2018 • 9