Art
feature: introducing ‘afronowism’: five funky philosophies
I was that kid at school who was always restless.‘Distracted’. ‘Boisterous’. ‘Excitable’. Just a few of the adjectives that were used to describe me in my school reports.All this much is true, as I have always had a relentless energy and over-active mind and imagination. I was, and still am a dreamer, and I know that I am not alone in these feelings. I also have an abiding passion for ideas (both my own and others). And it is this passion that has driven me, to pursue a life as a creative professional in design and advertising, a collector and curator of Afro-pop culture, a columnist and more recently as an independent creative director and artist. It has also led me on an internal quest to challenge myself and find an expression to encapsulate my creative approach. A definition, that could underpin my ethics and help characterize some of my personality traits. Traits, such as my insatiable appetite for thinking up ideas and putting them into action; my general impatience and high degree of self-gratification in wanting things done immediately; my refusal to wait for ‘opportunity’ and impulsiveness to just go out there and try to make things happen; my constant desire to challenge injustice, inequality, convention and the status quo. I am what I am. So in a humble bid to inspire and share with my fellow creatives, what I feel has been useful to me over the years, I offer you five principles that I try to live and design by, and which constitute my newly formed ‘AfroNOWism’ idea-ology:
By Johnny Daniel, AFROPUNK Contributor
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1. Seize The Time!
These words became one of the mantras of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, as coined by co-founder Bobby Seale. Together with Huey P. Newton, they created a grass-roots movement that inspired generations of people all over the world to take action and fight for their human rights. Someone once told me, you’re more likely to regret the things in life that you don’t do, rather than the things that you do. So what’s stopping you? I’m not saying don’t look before you leap, just be intelligent about your actions. The key to selling a concept, dream, idea or ideal is all in the ARTiculation.
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2. If you ain’t gonna get it on, take your dead ass home.
This P-Funk lyrical phrase, was coined by one of my greatest Afro Supa heroes and sources of inspiration. P-Funk is a complete and entire culture that manages to philosophically and aesthetically bind together a giant funk gumbo of; music and musicians; art and artists; and a plethora of super-cool funkativity masterminded by the most magnificent godfather of Funk, George Clinton. Fusing the greatest musicianship with black social commentary, psychedelia, sharp, satirical lyricism and general Afrofuturistic, cosmic creativity, it has informed my ‘through the line’ thinking and approach to branding and campaign communications on many an occasion and inspires me to bring my best game to all I do.
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3. Under-promise. Over-deliver.
When working with clients, one of the key virtues I’ve found is always to be attentive. As in life and friendships, listening is key. Be intuitive, and above all be honest. If you are confident and skilled at what you do, then you shouldn’t need to over-sell yourself. It’s far better to create a relationship based on honesty and mutuality, rather than one based purely on expectation and exploitation. Prepare both yourself and your client for whatever can happen and you’ll come back with ideas and designs that are resonant, robust and therefore deserving of reward and recognition.
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4. Form Follows Funk.
In design, there is an old adage that ‘Form Follows Function’. It’s a principle that I also believe in and adhere to often. But in freeing myself more and more of the constraints of working primarily with commercial and corporate clients and now adopting a more personal artistic approach I’ve also found the joy in creating things fuelled much more by instinct than instruction. Designers tend to be quite anal. Well “free your ass and your mind will follow”. Now I trust myself that the wealth of experience that I’ve gained, will translate instinctively in anything I do. I question myself less and just let things flow. If it looks right, and it feels right (to me), it can’t be wrong.
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5. Box outside the think.
Be Brave. Be Bold. Believe in yourself and fight for your ideas. Keep your eyes on the prize by constantly moving, bobbing, weaving and learning how to create and build momentum by exploiting the gaps between the question and the answer. You’ll triumph in the end.
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