Photos by Igo Eusebio, MINT Photo Club
“Tell a story.”
This was the important lesson told by speakers during the MINT Creative Talks at the MMA Week 2019. It is an annual event that aims to highlight MINT’s Multimedia Arts program, invite over professionals from various creative fields, and showcase the skills of MINT MMA students.
Giving clients what they want
The first set of talks were by James Reyes, a fashion designer, and Noel Guevara, a marine conservation photographer.
Reyes began by sharing that he was an advertising creative before becoming a fashion designer. His background in marketing helped him become a successful designer because he has that “feel of what the clients want.”
“Put in what you want to see as the wearer,” he shared. For him, a great design is a functional one. “The style you believe in should work,” he added.
As for Noel, being a marine conservation photographer made him realize the impact arts have on people. “If people couldn’t see, they won’t care,” he shared.
For him, being able to capture wildlife in their natural state brought about understanding in people who views his work. His wildlife photos made his audience care more about his subjects and motivates them to do something to protect them.
Standing Out
‘Standing out’ is an important aspect of being a designer. A critic photographer, an animator, and a lauded creative director shared how “to rise above the clutter.”
Angelo Gian “AG” De Mesa, a photographer and critic, said “context is king.” Artworks, in all forms, should be able to reflect stories. A creator should be able to know what to do and how to do it. “Perfecting the thought,” he said, is being able to “capture the essence” of the subject.
For animator Cedric Hornedo, creators, designers, and artists should always “keep up” with the times. They have to practice their skills, learn new “tricks,” and observe the trends to be able to reinvent themselves and continue to perfect their craft. To end, he advised MINT artists to “be innovative.”
Remember the “Dead Whale” that went viral? It was a photo that spread across the globe through social media, showing a constructed carcass of a dead whale, with plastic trash spilling out of its stomach. This was the brainchild of creative director Biboy Royong for the marine conservation campaign of Greenpeace.
He went through the creative process of making the campaign to explain how it was able to not only catch attention around the globe, but also mobilize people to start a non-destructive lifestyle.
Royong adds that sometimes, creations don’t need to be extravagant, but rather something that people could relate to. “A working design should be able to evoke emotions,” he said.
The Spark
The last set of speakers showed how inspiration came about in their lives, and sparked their creative pursuits.
Well-known calligrapher and visual artist Patrick Cabral shared how he had his moment of clarity to get into the arts when he used to be a computer programmer. Despite his challenging beginnings as a child hailing from the province, he managed to be successful in being a graphic illustrator. His calligraphy skills were featured in different art campaigns.
He also shared how the negative feedback he received about his works didn’t hinder him as a creator, but instead fueled his passion and inspired him more.
“Create works that you love doing,” he said. For him, it’s important that the artist enjoy the process of creating. He believes that inspiration happens more if the artists themselves enjoy what they’re doing.
For Edwin Tuyay, a photojournalist, he never imagined that he would spend a large chunk of his life behind the camera. He fathered a child early in his life so he needed a job to be able to support his young wife and their son. He got accepted as a stillman at Regal Films, working with the biggest names in local show business.
Then, he pursued photojournalism when he got to work as a portrait photographer for magazines. From the glossies to the newsprints, he added names of political figures in his growing portfolio. His portraits of the newsmakers made it to various covers of both local and international news magazines. As he went about his career timeline, he relayed to the students how, at times, art would be the one to choose them.
The MINT Creative Talks perfectly captured how in art, there are numerous ways to come up with a masterpiece. As in a story, there would be specific events that would contribute to creating the big picture. As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” W