My Mantra

As a graphic designer, sometimes you have just have to follow the client's direction instead of your own creative license (after all, they usually know their business better than you do). From an artist's perspective, this can be a bit trying sometimes, but I have a mantra that helps:

 

It is Latin for "Art for art's sake"; a Bohemian creed from the 19th century. Art for art's sake" affirmed that art was valuable as art. This is a good reminder when creating something that is not for yourself. I'm not saying compromise is always good, but sometimes, especially in business, it's necessary - heck, Michelangelo refused to paint the Sistine Chapel at first saying that he was a sculptor not a painter...but was soon persuaded by his "client" (Pope Julius). :)

I also created a wallpaper to use while at work. As you can see, I'm a big fan of the whole "erroded/grunge" style. :)