What’s Your Canvas?

Meet Andrea Pippins, a Graphic Designer and Illustrator. I worked with Andrea when we were Designers at Hallmark. She has since moved on to work at TVLand and has recently decided to pursue a Master's degree in Graphic Design. She also runs a fabulous  blog called Fly.

1. What inspired you to become a Designer, and how did that transpire?
Honestly, there were three things: Halle Berry's character in Boomerang where she was the designer for the advertising agency. When I was about 13 I saw a PSA on TV that featured different jobs and one of them was an art director at a magazine, she started as a designer and I thought, "wow I could do that." Finally, I thought it was my only option as an artist. Somehow I got it into my head that I wanted to go to Temple University's Art School where I studied graphic design and fell in love with what I could do with my creative talent.

2. You started a blog called Fly, which has been recognized in several  magazines. What is your blog about and what inspired you to start Fly?
Fly is about inspiring other young women to be creative and exposing them to elements of fashion, art, and design that they may not have seen before. I started Fly because I had all these pieces of inspiration (i.e. art, magazine clippings, ephemera, etc.) that inspired me but felt others could benefit from seeing them as well. I wanted to share what I thought was beautiful.

3. More and more schools are taking art education away. What are some of the  benefits of art or design in the education of today's youth?
Wow, where do I even begin. I think it's so unfortunate that creative outlets like art and music are being stripped away from schools because some kids are put on this earth to do those very things. They can excel in those areas which will give them the confidence to do the same in other areas of study. When I was in school our creative departments were very limited, sometimes I wonder what kind of artist I might have blossomed into if I was exposed to more. Thankfully my mom encouraged the drawing and painting...I think I got off on a tangent. Benefits...it's another way of seeing the world, math and science are wonderful but in a lot of ways very black and white. Art allows you to examine the gray and forces you to think beyond what you see. One plus one will always be two—there's no argument in that, but your interpretation of a painting can be totally different from mine and that's okay because there's not right or wrong answer. That kind of dialogue will expand your mind.

4. How has art/design education helped you personally?
In design school you have to be able to stand by your creation because in critiques people will sh*t on your work. So you have to be able to explain why you did what you did and accept it when people just don't like it. So school helped me develop those skills and feel confident about the creative decisions I make, and it forced me to be able to speak about my body of work (which is totally necessary in interviews and in the work place, execs always want to know why and if that reason is worth the money they are spending to support a project). Outside of the career realm, art school definitely gave me a better appreciation for art and artists altogether and how important it is in our world.

5. What are some things you do to treat yourself?
When I lived in New York I loved walking over to the Little Pie Company after work for a slice of carrot cake. That was always a treat. Other things I do is take the time to cook a really good meal, splurge on something I've always wanted, or talk on the phone for hours with a friend I haven't spoken to in a while.

  6. What can we expect from the Flygirl herself in the near future?
More webisodes and other contributers to Fly. Also, I want the blog to be more interactive for the readers to share more of themselves, and Fly will be a brand that spans across fashion, art, music, beauty, design, televsion, ect. It's gonna be really fly :).
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If you know a Designer, Writer, Business owner, or any supporter of  design/art whose work inspires you, please send me their e-mail and a short explanation, web-site or blog by submitting to treatblog@gmail.com.