The Arts

35 Aaron Walter

by · Aug 23, 2011

What’s it like to be a designer?

Aaron Walter started drawing as a kid. He took art lessons, summer classes in cartooning and even set up a studio in the basement to encourage his love of painting. All that’s gone to waste.

Well, not really. Aaron isn’t a painter but he still draws every day. Even more importantly his uses his art background to solve problems. He says art helps you think creatively and laterally (finding connections between things). And creative problem solving is what helps him manage a team that make software interfaces more human. For Aaron Walter’s site click here.

31 Amanda Gaddis

by · Aug 9, 2011

What’s it like to have your first book published?

Amanda Gaddis is a writer. As a free lance writer for the web, she writes those posts that tell you how to plant flowers, live on the tundra and build a hovercraft in your spare time.

And her first novel is to be released this fall. Getting a book published is a long process. First you write it, send it out to publishers until someone gives a you contract, make revisions, do line edits (the comma on page 32 should be a period), print a mock up, print a few books, send them for reviews, market them on the web and through book distributers. And you’re published, and out of breath.

Why write a book that is sci-fi, fantasy and a bit wacky? Amanda ascribes it to having her father read Tolkien to her when she was a child. Sure she had some nightmares but look at how imaginative she became.

25 John Glore

by · Jul 17, 2011

What’s it like being a playwright?

Although he interested in math and science, John Glore switched to theater in college. By night he is a playwright; by day he is a dramaturg (the drama expert in a theater). Sometimes his roles overlap. When John’s adaptation of A Wrinkle In Time was produced at SCR, he was both playwright and supervising producer. John’s advice for aspiring playwrights: reconsider. Or at least, make sure your day job can support you during the years it will take you to become and overnight success. Here’s where John worksL South Coast Rep

24 Allison Bibicoff

by · Jul 10, 2011

What’s it like being a choreographer?

Allison Bibicoff notes that if you want a steady pay check and work normal hours, don’t be a dancer or choreographer. In theater, you work nights and weekends, and relationships last only for the run of the show. At the end of six weeks, you’re off to a new set of people. And when you’re not working, you’re looking for a job. The upside is that you get to be creative, work with top performers, and get paid for what a lot of people would do for free. For a link to Allison’s website, click here.

18 Scott Johnson

by · Jun 12, 2011

What’s it like being a cartoonist?

I’ve thought of how much fun it would be to be a great cartoonist. Draw funny things for a living. But I can’t draw. Fortunately, Scott Johnson can. So he started Frog Pants Studios as a place to house his creativity. And when he’s not drawing, he’s making podcasts on technology, science fiction, and whatever interests him. If you were drawing a caricature of Scott Johnson, he would have a pen in one hand and a microphone in the other. For more about Scott Johnson’s cartoons click here.

13 Diane Doyle

by · May 15, 2011

What’s it like to work in theater?

Diane Doyle is an actor, writer, producer and advocate for children and the arts. She started as the class clown but went on to study theater in college, become the youngest member of South Coast Reparatory theater, and put on large scale shows for Disney and the Olympics. But she is proudest of her work with children. Diane founded a youth conservatory to teach children how theater can be a part of their lives. She has influenced, inspired and encouraged many. Just ask Will Ferrell.

10 Andrew Bosley

by · May 1, 2011

What’s it like to be an artist for a video game company?

Andrew Bosley is a artist. In high school that makes you special; in art school it’s the norm. But he says, the real fun is using art to solve problems. Andrew explains why drawing quickly is essential to his job, how a concept artist differs from a character artist, and when you should compare yourself to others and when you shouldn’t. He also explains the difference between blueprints vs. inspiration, and how he met the Queen Mum at the National Gallery, sort of.

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