Work in Skateboarding, an Interview with Ian Johnson

WORK IN SKATEBOARDING ARTIST INTERVIEW 2015 _

ian johnson

WORK IN SKATEBOARDING IAN JOHNSON INTERVIEW

BY SUZIIE WANG _

IAN JOHNSON

INTERVIEW Ian Johnson is the Creative Director for the skateboard company Western Edition, and FTC skate shop in San Francisco. With an distinct aesthetic that draws from Jazz and the inner cities it’s not hard to see that anything that hosts the Western Edition Moniker has spawned from Ian’s hands. He comes from a non traditional background as far as most modern creative directors are concerned but offers some great insight on how to break into the industry and not blow it.

What made you decide that you wanted to work in skateboarding?

- It was basically the path of least resistance for me. I liked skateboarding so I hung out at a skate shop after high school.

Eventually they gave me something to do, which led to a job. I was pretty terrible at retail but ok at drawing so I ended up doing the graphics. I never really “decided” per se.

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WORK IN SKATEBOARDING IAN JOHNSON INTERVIEW

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WORK IN SKATEBOARDING IAN JOHNSON INTERVIEW

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How did growing up in New York influence your art?

- Well, I was born in upstate New York, Syracuse to be exact. Then when I was 8 or 9 we moved to Stamford, Connecticut which is about an hour from NYC. My mom commuted and had an apartment in the city so I would go there and stay with her sometimes. So I didn’t grow up in NY but I went there and spent time there as a child and throughout my life. I think everything you experience influences you in some way or another. As far as direct influence of New York, I think it is more that a lot of art and music I like came from New York and that influenced me as opposed to being directly influenced by the energy of the city or something like that.

Did you study or gain a degree in the arts? If so where and do you think it was a good path for you to take?

- I did not get a degree in the arts. I did go to Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for one year because my mom told me I needed to go to college for at least one year. In my mind I just went to fulfill that request and never intended to stay any longer. In hindsight it was good and I learned some things that were useful. I wish I would have paid more attention and worked a bit harder. I think a better path would

If someone wants to pursue an art career I think if you know the discipline you want to do, just apprenticing with someone is probably the best way to go. have been to go to a liberal college and got a degree but I had / have no direction so that wasn’t ever going to happen. If someone wants to pursue an art career I think if you know the discipline you want to do, just apprenticing with someone is probably the best way to go though. Obviously it’s different for everyone.

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WORK IN SKATEBOARDING IAN JOHNSON INTERVIEW

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WORK IN SKATEBOARDING IAN JOHNSON INTERVIEW

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When & what inspired you to move out to SF? - It was 1993 and I wasn’t inspired, my dad just had to come out here to help start a company in Silicon Valley so we moved out here.

How did you come to start Western Edition?

- It was actually the name of a snowboard company that Kent had done around 96 for a year or 2. When I approached him about doing a company, I did not have a name and he always liked that name so we went with it. The images I wanted to use for the beginning lent to it, Eric Dolphy and a muni bus black and white photo were the first 2. So learning more about the neighborhood’s (actually spelled Western Addition) history which was that it had been a predominantly African-American community and a big jazz / cultural center of the city, it just made sense to keep the jazz theme going. It went with my aesthetic and the history of the place so we just rolled with it.

Where does your Jazz influence in your art come from?

- Just a love of jazz music and an interest in lost times and music that spans time and was used to make hip hop records that I had when I was a kid. When I was even younger my grandfather used to listen to the jazz radio station in Syracuse. I think hearing that early kind of planted a seed that was watered with the samples of rap albums and then fully bloomed when I first saw the Stereo video A Visual Sound.

Do you think there any parallels with jazz & skateboarding?

- Sure. The best skating moments are or feel improvised which is basically what jazz is all about. Lines in skating are akin to melodic lines in a jazz solo.

Working with the architecture of the city, which wasn’t built for skating, and making something new a beautiful, and working chord changes in old songs to do the same thing. They are 2 of the few original American art forms. Jazz can feel like the city and if you’re skating around the city instead of stuck at a spot all day, it has a similar feeling.

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Do you do all the art for W.E or have you worked with other artists?

I have done most of it but we have had many people contribute over the years. Ryan Wallace, Andrew Schoultz, Swifty, Matthew Palladino, Rich Jacobs, Jonah Miller, etc.

You have a very distinct style, what approach do you take when creating a board series?

It’s usually starts with an idea that I then plan out, build on, work at, change, and rework until I’m satisfied with it or run out of time.

The Miles and Out To Lunch series started as wanting to have a group of musicians that played together all on individual boards that would give the feeling that they were kind of in the same room together so they would work together and separate.

First I looked for old photos of all the members from around the same time they worked together.

Then I pick the ones that I think are the most interesting and try to arrange them together in a way that works as a whole but with each person standing on their own on a single deck. Next draw it out, scan it, tweak it on the computer, add colors, edit, etc.

Other series that don’t fit together as a set I just start with an idea or image I like, then lay out it out on a deck template to my liking and try to make a few more similar different color ways.

What have been some of your favorite boards you created for W.E? I probably most like some of the one offs based on drawings I did around 2003-2006. A Nina Simone one and Charles Mingus one come to mind. I don’t really like the series’ that much to be honest, and particularly can’t stand the Victorians one but It was the best seller we ever had so I guess that shows what I know!

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You also work as the Creative director for FTC, how do you keep your art for W.E and FTC looking different?

- FTC has always been more of a hodge podge that incorporates lots of different styles and people. It doesn’t really have it’s own look per se so it’s more about doing things that make sense with our history as a skate shop balanced with what’s going on in skateboarding in general at the current time. It’s more of a committee so I do not really incorporate much of my own art into it and try not to overly push my personal aesthetic into it, which can be challenging at times. I design some things but it’s not really me, it’s like, oh that would be a cool FTC shirt or something. For Western it’s more my personal tastes mixed with things riders want to do that doesn’t stray too far from my own tastes.

What do you think of current skateboard graphics, do you have any favorite skateboard artists?

- I think there are a lot of dope companies out right now, more then ever.

I don’t know who does all the artwork for them all but I like Palace, FA, Hopps, Magenta, Mood, RAW, etc...

Every company has things that hit or miss subjectively with any given person but there are a lot of mid range to small companies right now that do interesting stuff.

On the more historical tip Mark Gonzales is obviously an all timer creatively and Evan Hecox had made so much rad stuff for Chocolate over the years. Cliver and McKee made tons of rad stuff though that’s not really in my visual wheelhouse generally.

Tell us about the book you just published, what inspired you to create it?

It’s called I Know You’re Somewhere.

It’s about a collection of about 70 images of drawings and paintings I have made since my first book Beauty Is A Rare Thing came out in 2008. I have a friend Brian Hudgins who is a fan of my work and wanted to help put a new book out.

He kind of got the ball rolling. Then Park Life was contacted by Gingko Press about doing me doing a new one so I put it together and they published it.

Where can it be purchased?

- I have a few copies left on my online store ianjohnson. bigcartel.com Other than that you can get it at Park Life

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WORK IN SKATEBOARDING IAN JOHNSON INTERVIEW

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in SF or on their site, through the Gingko Press site, SF Moma, through your local book store hopefully.

What other clients do you work with outside of skateboarding?

- Over the years I have done work for The New York Times Magazine, Wax Poetics, San Francisco Chronicle, Gilles Peterson, Sach, all kinds of random jobs that are escaping me right now.

How do you approach working outside of skateboarding?

- Pretty much the same way although usually you get a lot more direction and guidelines. And many, many more revision requests.

And tighter deadlines.

What advice would you give an aspiring artist who wants to get into designing board graphics for skate companies?

- Same thing really I guess, just make lots of work, build up a strong small sampling of your very best work and try and show it to people that work in skateboarding and art departments that align with your style specifically. I will sometimes get these portfolios in the mail that are like drawings of dragons and shit with no message in the envelope and I just throw them away. Clearly it is a person that just printed up a bunch of post cards and sent them to any skateboarding address they could find. You may get work like that but I think it’s a waste of your time.

It rarely happens but when I end up using graphics from an unsolicited submission it is usually because they did the following steps:

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WORK IN SKATEBOARDING IAN JOHNSON INTERVIEW

BY SUZIIE WANG _

A. The person emailed me directly with a clear and simple statement about why he or she likes our brand and wanted to submit.

B.

Attached a neat, clean easy to open pdf

C. Had graphics that I like that make sense with our brand D. Seemed nice, thoughtful and respectful with no expectations.

It also helps to lay it out on a board if you want to do board graphics specifically.

If you’re good and you put stuff out there, send it in a non invasive, non irritating way and are easy to work with, you will get work eventually.

If you don’t then perhaps it wasn’t meant to be. If you really want to do it, you will keep trying anyway.

http://www.ianmjohnson.com/ ianjohnson.bigcartel.com 12