interview with Christian Enwere

Chris and I sat down and began by showing each other some of our current work and then things we have done in the past. We only had certain parts of our conversation recorded, so my notes are a bit messy. 

He first showed me a project he is currently working on : RU BABY

He was given a project in class to make a cliche, something similar to the idea of the "I love NY" symbol. People are afraid to graduate, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. He created these images of different babies, homeless baby, stripper baby, big booty baby. He has a binder of about 50 different babies. Super baby, baby gone wild, bad baby. He wanted to make a project that people could be aware of, for it to be seen around Rutgers. 

CE: People can wear it, on a pin or a button or something. 

Each baby has a quote next to it

CE: I started out on my own, improvised and then the more people saw, the more advice I was given, more ideas and I was able to ask people, what do you want to see? The more I put it out there, the more ideas came. Because eventually I ran out of babies on my own. 

CE: It started out as a fun project, but now it needs meaning.

KM: Do you find that challenging?

CE: I find it to be annoying. Some people are good at bullshitting ideas, but I don't know, I mean I'm not a good bullshitter. In freshman year I had a friend that would back me up when we do a project just because I'm not a good bullshitter. No matter how good a project is, I can't bullshit the idea. You sit there and you go on critiques but I don't like critiques because no matter how much work you put into it someone can just go and destroy it by saying something, pointing out the little minor error and the whole project will be looked down on. 

KM: I think there needs to be the balance. I find critiques to be extremely helpful for me. But I think it's very different for you and me. I think for painting, a critique is very important. For design, it is probably a very different experience. 

CE: Yes, it is. 

KM: I think the way you are getting feedback from everyone, posting this on facebook, hearing what people think and getting new ideas for new babies, I think that's a critique in itself. 

CE: Yeah, that's a critique in a helpful way, not just saying, oh I don't like the idea. I don't know, when it comes to graphic design, they will kind of just tear your work apart.

KM: Well, you can still get really bad feedback on facebook. They can say oh I don't like that one, I think you should have done this. 

CE: True

KM: I like the format of doing a critique on facebook because it can be taken more lightly. When you are in a room and it is a really formal critique..

CE: And you have a professor there GRADING

KM: It's sometimes more harmful than helpful

Chris then showed me some of his older work. He designed various book covers. 

CE: We were asked to choose artists you like, I chose three and interpreted their best work into a design. 

For example, one of the book covers was for Leonardo Da Vinci, and he used the silhouette of the last supper to create a design. Another was for Botticelli and he used the image of "Venus". He was creating work that people can easily understand and respond to. He explained the element of pleasing your employer. He is given a project and is eager to hear the "OK" and get paid. He doesn't need a personal attachment to the assignment in order to create a successful design. 

CE: I don't design for myself, I design for the employer and it's a relief when they like it.

KM: It's applicable for the real world, very different from my painting experience.

CE: I began off drawing and painting. I took a painting class freshman year at Rutgers. It was too expensive, I don't know how you could do it. 

We then talked about the differences between my painting process and his designing process. He designs with someone else's thoughts in mind, and I paint for my own personal pleasure and expression. His work translates into money whereas mine is eating away at any money I have. 

Talking with Chris was good, it's enlightening to hear such a different view on art.