Jim Phillips 接受 designboom 訪問談及藝術創作生涯

自 1975 便開始為創意單位 Santa Cruz 工作的加州藝術家 Jim Phillips，經過 40 年的時間他已經與無數單位合作推出過聯名設計滑板，T-shirt，貼紙及廣告等潮流產品，所作出的貢獻對美國的滑板以及衝浪有著重要的影響。而近日設計網站 designboom 便對該為藝術家進行了一次專訪，除了談及到他小時候所受到的影響外，更為未來的藝術家以及年輕人提出了建議。留意以下內容的同時，可前往 designboom 查看完整的訪問。

What was the thing that initially made you want to become an artist?
I grew up on army bases and we frequently moved. I went to eight different schools by the second grade so it was hard to catch up academically and I basically just gave up. since they give you paper and pencil and require you to be quiet, I spent my class time drawing. during those days, in the 40s, television was not yet available so to pass time at home and entertain myself I drew characters inspired from the newspaper funnies, and it set in motion my style and humor content. my grandfather heard about my drawings and sent me a book from the speedball pen company titled pen tips on cartooning, which showed various cartoons with illustrations of the various pens (pen tips) as if they were drawing each particular line. I bought my first bottle of higgins india ink and became good at drawing cartoons. through my early life it was the only thing I was any good at besides surfing so that later you could say I didn’t have many other options available to earn a decent living.

Which project or period of your career have you enjoyed the most so far?
My greatest joy was to have my own studio with a gaggle of studio artists under my training, as I had with phillips studios in the late 80s where we cranked out skateboard art for santa cruz skateboards. as a youth, the artists at walt disney studios such as carl barks and the famous ‘nine old men’ were some of my earliest inspirations and I loved to look at those old photos of walt standing with his artists in front of his studios, imagining who was who and what must have transpired within those walls.

What do you do to keep your ideas fresh?
King solomon said there is nothing new under the sun. that was three thousand years ago, and it’s still true to this day – there is nothing fresh. to make matters worse an artist must compete with every artist who ever lived because their works always remain and continue to be held up to the highest standards. the modern artist’s job is simply to fall in line and do the same old stuff, maybe in a new way, maybe with a twist, and hope for the best.