Eric Blair has been designing and illustrating since the University of North Florida released him into the wild in 2006. Throughout the years Eric has gained a diverse spectrum of experience through his work with Brunet Garcia as junior art director, as an educator for Chet’s Creek Elementary, and as an in-house designer at Citizens Property Insurance. In his spare time Eric keeps his creative monster well fed with equal parts illustration and collaborative projects.

Q:
So… monsters… elaborate.

A:
Just what it sounds like: old B-movie monster from the ’20s-’60s. I’ve dug them since I was a kid, really. I love the bad printing on the cheap monster toys, the day-glow artwork of the old monster models, and those movie-monsters with the visible zippers and fishing line…So much fun! They’re just so visually rich, and a classic piece of Americana!

Q:
Teaching art and multimedia to kids must have been challenging- how do you feel those experiences have influenced you professionally? Personally?

A:
It was challenging because I was only given a brief amount of time with each group of kids to explain a new medium, let them play with it, and then they’d be gone for a week. When they’d return, I’d either have to give them a refresher, or move on to the next project. There wasn’t really the opportunity to assign a project, let them work through it creatively, actually produce something and then present it. It was more like, “Hey, this is what animation is, this is how it works, spend the next thirty minutes animating something, and I’ll see you next week.” I was lucky in that a lot of the kids were very engaged because I got to teach the fun stuff, so I got to really see the kids’ imaginations come alive. And I was exposing them to a variety of creative outlets that they otherwise may not have ever learned about. What I realized, after a few years, though, was that while I loved the job, I didn’t really enjoy the “job” part of it. I didn’t feel like managing a classroom was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, and just really felt the calling to go back where I belong with design. So I did.

It’s funny, when I was applying for design positions, the interviewers would see the teaching job on my resume as a gap in employment and ask about it. But I absolutely feel like I got as much from that job as any design job I’ve had. From the speed-drawings I’d do for the kids each and every day, to dreaming up new assignments in creative ways, to just talking in front of a large audience all of the time, I grew as an artist, a speaker and a person. I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.

Q:
What do you do to keep your inspiration high while working in an in-house environment?

A:
I dedicate time to see what’s going on in the world: cruise blogs, run through training videos, but what’s most engaging is the assignments I give myself. I keep a sketchbook at my desk at all times, and write down every absurd notion 00that comes to me. Here are a few examples:

Animalgamations: I have various employees name off an animal, or series of animals, and I draw one that combines three of them. It’s a simple notion, but what I love is getting other people involved. I thrive on outside stimulus and interaction, so it’s cool to show them their animals and see them get excited about the next set. And it keeps the curveballs coming as they try to stump me

Poe-etic License: What started as a silly conversation with a friend became one of my favorite exercises for a while. I make sketches of word-associations of Edgar Allan Poe. I made Edgar Allan Crow, then Fro, then Toe…I made a couple and posted them on Facebook, and suddenly friends from all circles, from all over the country were throwing out Poes for me to illustrate. It’s such a dumb project, but so much fun to get brilliant ideas that I’d never think to draw. I’ve been working on doing more finished pieces in the set and writing poems to accompany them and compile them into a little ‘zine soon. As I write this, I have a Pillsbury Poe Boy baking in the oven – Seriously!

Basically, I stay inspired by keeping myself laughing and learning. I create because it makes me happy, and I want it to make other people happy, too. My recommendation would be that if something makes you smile, don’t just talk about it. Don’t just write it down. Make it into something and share it with the world. It’ll be a better place because of it.

Q:
You’ve done some killer collaborations with the likes of Dog & Ponyshow Prints. What has been your favorite collaborative experience thus far?

A:
Dog & Pony is always great to work with. It’s fronted by one of my best friends, and it’s always a blast doing prints with them. I love doing a project with someone who I admire as an artist and a friend. But really, I look at almost every piece as a collaboration, whether it’s with an artist or a client. I know it sounds cliche or phoney, but it’s true. My favorite collaborations have probably been with a friend in Virginia. He’s been doing one-man bands since I was in high school, and one day we were talking, and discussed my working with him on one of his albums. Since then, I’ve illustrated four of his releases, and it’s always fun listening to the music and discussing the art with him, and coming up with a total package that works. Plus he has a DIY aesthetic that’s really refreshing. And it’s really cool having cassette tapes and 7″ records with my designs on them.

Q:
What’s on the horizon for Eric Blair Extraordinaire?

A:
I have a few animation ideas I’ve been kicking around for a while that I would really like to make. I’m just hoping to continue expanding my creative arsenal with more work in photography and video. I’d also like to create some audience-participation projects that exist beyond my Facebook wall, and hit a broader audience. It’s nice to share the fun with friends, but it’s even nicer to make new friends because of it!

~ Ben, Membership Comittee