::Monday's inspired human: Jessica Krause Smith::

I am so excited to introduce the inspired human for this week, Jessica Krause Smith. Jessica is an incredible graphic designer, painter, photographer, and all around creative inspired human;)

Currently Jessica can be found doing freelance graphic design work and taking photographs of everything and anything that catches her artistic eye. She has designed ads forBottega Venetta, Gap, and Estee Lauder among others and has created CD and digipack album art, posters, ads, website templates - oh my! And, the list goes on...

I was fortunate enough to get Jessica to answer a few questions. So, enough of my blurbing, lets see what she has to say:

Name: Jessica Krause Smith
Sign: Gemini ...(ok, a quadruple Gemini - sun, moon, rising and a fraternal twin, too)
Age: 34
What are your favorite medium/s to work in: photography, painting, graphic design

Who or What are you most inspired by right... NOW?: A few things I saw recently: a painted gold little main stage door on the outside of a theatre near Times Square, the huge pink cherry blossom bouquets that are right now in the lobby of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and these 4 different snowmen some people made in the park in our neighborhood in Williamsburg last weekend after a snowstorm

What is the first word that comes to mind for each medium (let it pop in- then spit it out): photography: moment// painting: abstraction// graphic design: cleanliness 

What was your first "real" job: Director of Advertising Production and Design at Paper Magazine 

Favorite Ad you ever designed?: I've always like the print ads I designed for papermag.com back in the day. One had a constructivist feel and another had a beautiful pastel color palette. The editors gave me a lot of freedom to be creative with those ads and I could really use color in a fun way. Also, working with Geoffrey Beene (while I was at PAPER Magazine) was a dream of mine, and I helped him with his ads so that was really memorable for me. Helping to create the "I Am African" campaign in Fall 2006 for Keep a Child Alive was a favorite project I worked on while I worked at Laird+Partners Advertising and Branding in NYC. A lot of celebrities were involved and the images were quite beautiful and impactful. 

I know you are an amazing photographer, what do you LOVE to shoot?: I do love to take the spontaneously inspired photo.  I see something or I am experiencing something and suddenly I feel like I must get out my camera and start shooting in order to capture it, and if you capture it well it seems like a little prize.  I am constantly finding compositions in things I am already seeing. Travel photography is a favorite because traveling is full of visual adventure. 

Squishy, bumpy, fluffy or smooth? Fluff of the cotton candy kind... 

Best advice for overcoming a creative block? Seeing other art in any medium (film, video, painting, music, performance, interior design etc...) and getting out into the world is a good way to spark your creativity, I think. Living in New York City helps a lot since there is so much to see here (like there is some fantastic and interesting street art in my neighborhood, williamsburg, brooklyn), but a walk in the woods or being in a supermarket can be just as inspiring if not more so sometimes.

Please answer the age old art school question; "What Is Art?": I have a very broad view of what art is. I really do think everything is art of some sort, especially when you can assign a metaphor to it.

Hobo, Boho, or HoHo? A boho hobo eating a hoho. I've seen it, I think! 

Describe what it is like for you when you are in the 'zone',when you are in your most creative moment? A chaotic but relaxed, happy and open, focused and flexible tunnel full of colors and light. My favorite place to be.

Where can we find you (blogs, websites etc... list them all;): there are quite a few,

::online portfolio:: www.jessicakrausesmith.com
::inspiration blog:: www.bananasarebeautiful.blogspot.com
::flickr::  www.flickr.com/photos/jessicajessicaj/
::my thematic photoblog:: www.bananagold.blogspot.com
::JPG magazine::  http://www.jpgmag.com/people/11krause11

::twitter:: http://twitter.com/jesskrausesmith

Please take a sec (if you have one) to leave a comment or two below for Jessica, or comment about whatever you read here today! 

Be well and have yourself a most groovy day, OK?


~Liza