My Creative Journey
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In 1972, I put myself through the School of Visual Arts (SVA). It was the beginning of a creative journey that continues to this day. A year before, I had taken a year off to figure out what I wanted to do in life. I realized I had always loved the arts, and having a life in the arts was something I wanted to do. SVA was the perfect launchpad in that it let one find one's own way in one's creative journey. It had a masterful roster of artists teaching there. Initially, I wanted to be a fine artist (an aspiration I still have to this day), and I graduated with honors by unanimous vote, but I had no idea how to earn a living as an artist. As luck would have it, the year I graduated, and after a six-month stint as office manager of a lovely Danskin mail order firm based on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village, Fairchild Publications hired me to do freelance cut and paste for one of their trade publications. I fell in love with publication design, and soon they promoted me to art director, and soon again, they gave me the opportunity to create a full-color publication from scratch. I was hooked, and I embarked on an amazing career as an art director in New York City.
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That being said, if it weren't for the brilliant designer Milton Glaser, I probably wouldn't be here. By my early thirties, after working half a dozen years designing magazines, I knew I was blocked creatively. For a week in the summer of 1986, I shut my life down and attended Milton Glaser's Design & Personality Workshop at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City (my alma mater). I cut off my hair, turned off my phone, took the week off from work, told my friends and family not to contact me unless it was an emergency, and prepared myself for a bunch of "all nighters" while doing a deep dive into finding my creative self.
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I have lived a life dedicated to arts and communication, and have always loved being around creative people. It is in my DNA. No one showed me the way in life. I found my own way.
Posing for a photo shoot in Bethany, CT, during my high school years. Photographer, Steve Lewis.
Performing continuity on a student film during my undergraduate year at New York University.
After my first year at NYU my father suddenly withdrew financial support because he did not want me to pursue a life in New York City. So I took a year off and figured out how to make my own way.
Studying for a Bachelor of Fine Arts at School of Visual Arts where
I graduated with honors by unanimous vote.
I graduated with honors by unanimous vote.
One day soon after graduating from SVA I was hired to work in an art department at Fairchild Publications. Six months later I was hired to be their Art Director of a footwear publication. Who knew one could make money art directing shoes?
Art directing a photo shoot in Brooklyn for Footwear News. Photographer, Mahlon Robinson.
Styling a shot as art director of Footwear News, a weekly tabloid where I was also founding art director of Footwear News Magazine. Footwear News was a part of Fairchild Publications and was my first job in publishing. Fairchild was located in Greenwich Village, walking distance from my apartment in Soho, a location that met my criteria for never venturing north of 14th Street.
Hamming it up on a cover shoot that I art directed for Footwear News Magazine. Film director Martin Brest posed as Charlie Chaplin for us. I also did all of the styling for his outfit.
Pausing during a photo shoot for Slimmer, a health and fitness magazine in Los Angeles. Polaroid by Raul Vega. I lived in Los Angele for a year in my late twenties and was very productive there but I missed the New York City publishing world.
Empire State Building photo shoot for a J.C. Suares book. Photos by Don Hammerman.
Setting up a cover shoot for Personal Computing magazine where I did a comprehensive redesign. Personal Computing was a part of Hayden Publishing, which was located in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, just a few miles out from the beautiful George Washington Bridge. Personal Computing was my first art direction job for a major consumer publication.
On my way to a meeting as Associate Art Director of Money magazine, located in the Time Life Building at Rockefeller Center across from Radio City Music Hall. In addition to being chief designer, I was responsible for assisting with staffing and tracking scheduling.
In my office at the top of the Time Life building where I was
Founding Art Director of Fortune Small Business magazine.
Striking a pose during a photo shoot for our Editor's Note at Fortune Small Business magazine.
All things come to pass. When the dot com bubble burst in December 1999 and the magazine business imploded, I regrouped, bought a home in Bloomfield, NJ, and created a home office where I worked for ten years billing out 400 jobs for numerous clients in New Jersey. It was another time of creative discovery, released from the pressures of the corporate world, and I thrived.
In another surprise, I found myself working in the wonderful world of Apple for eleven years. I worked part-time in three different locations, including the magnificent Soho store. It was an extraordinary experience and another form of communication, in this case customer-facing. I also maintained my home office and never stopped designing.
Presenting my Capstone Project on Rebranding at New York University.
After all these years I applied and was accepted back to NYU. I earned my Master of Arts in Graphic Communications, Management, & Technology. My life has come full circle. Magazine art direction is a wonderful career. Below are some Editor's Notes I have been featured in over the years.
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