I had an idea for a new type of blog post. One that’s not about me, but instead uses the connections I’ve made over the years with amazing art professionals, to get an insight into their working lives from (I hope) a slightly new angle. A Q&A comprising of questions I find interesting, that maybe aren’t asked all that often.
We are all dreamers in this job. In fact, we’re professional dreamers who have acquired the skills to represent those dreams in images. So the questions are geared towards that - what would dreamers imagine doing if constraints like earning a living (ugh) were removed.
The plan is to have the same (or similar) questions across all the interviews. But as this is my first set, they might not be great - maybe they are asking the same thing multiple times. But I’ll hone it a bit over time and see if I can’t think up some better ones. If you think of any, do let me know…
So without further ado, here’s the first.
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Peter Diamond is a multi-award-winning Canadian artist based in Vienna, Austria. He’s worked with global clients in publishing, editorial and advertising and his work, as you’ll see below, is f&$€* amazing. He’s also a very, very nice chap so I’m delighted he agreed to be the first Dreaming For A Living guinea pig.
Ayahuasca by Peter Diamond ©2019
In a parallel universe, what's your alternative, non-creative, career?
I had a ready reply until I realised you specified ‘non-creative’. That is very difficult to imagine. The closest thing on my list of other possible careers to something non-creative is Historian, but that’s not really non-creative at all. It’s just not artistic.
I think if I weren’t doing anything creative, and in this alternate universe I have to imagine that doesn’t drive me completely crackers, then I’d want to be a stay-at-home dad. If my 9-to-5 isn’t spent making something I care about, then I’d want to spend as much of it as possible with the people I care about.
Money is no object for a year - what do you create?
I think I'd work on my book project. Or one of them at least, there are several of varying scopes and degrees of impracticality. As it stands I pick away at them like digging out of prison with a toothpick. I suspect one year wouldn't be enough to finish one, but I could get a lot further than I can on my current schedule for sure.
You can only work on one project for the rest of your life - what is it?
That's nearly the same answer I think. The largest of my book ideas is essentially something I've been working on since my mother's passing some 20 years ago, although it's only been in the last few years that I've understood what it is I'm working on. Anyone who's been following my work closely could deduce an inkling of what it's about, and with some people I've discussed the specifics, but I'm not talking about it too much because it still seems too fragile to expose to the open air.
Ayahuasca (Spread) by Peter Diamond ©2019
You get to collaborate with any artist in any medium - who is it?
That's a tough one. I've rarely collaborated on pieces with other artists, in the sense of both putting marks on the same page, and am not generally a fan of the results that tends to yield. But working across different disciplines can be very exciting.
Like many illustrators who can't animate, I'd love to see my work brought to the screen by those with the skills and the gift. I think working on a film with Cartoon Saloon, adapting some ancient British tale, would be pretty amazing. I'd probably just be stepping on their feet the whole time, but I love the idea. I'm such an admirer of what Tomm has done picking up his Irish heritage and bringing it to life, and I can't wait to see his next film.
You get limitless funds (again) to set up a new company - what does it do?
Given the massive commitment of resources and focus a company requires, it's hard to choose something with any faith that it would last. But it would probably involve making beautiful and slightly weird things for everyday use. Jewellery and apparel, toys and collectibles, yardage and wallpaper. Just anything to bring more beauty and flights of fantasy into the daily world. Exuberant, ambiguous, beautiful things.
Die Nibelungen I & II by Peter Diamond ©2019
You feel in a rut with your work - what do you do?
You're asking at the right time. 4 or 5 years ago that's where I found myself, and my approach was to start going back to various traditional media I hadn't been using for years. Graphite mostly, and new things like masking fluid and ink washes. I experimented, played, attended workshops online and in person, and focused on making traditional media take more space in my workflow. I went out on some limbs, and in the past year or two I'm starting to settle, with some new approaches worked in to what I liked best about my previous methods.
I also did a lot of thinking about how to choose themes which, in drawing them, would help me explore who I am and where I come from. Themes that would connect to the things I value and am curious about beyond the art world, things that connect me to family and my ancestors. Things I think I could be happy working with for the rest of my life. That stuff is all starting to show through pretty clearly in my work now, in a way it didn't before.
Do you see yourself working as a commercial artist forever? If not, what does your work morph into?
Probably, yes, in that so much of what I want to do is not confined to galleries. But in the sense of commissioned freelance work, not necessarily. I am trying to do more of what we tend to call “personal work” going forward, looking for more authorship in what I do. I’m inspired by the way artists like John Hendrix, Sydney Smith and Jeffrey Alan Love have moved their careers towards books, and my art school buddy Jesse Jacobs shines a light for me with his brilliant comics. I think my ideal probably is a mix of commissions and authorship, the exact blend is yet to be determined. At this point I have yet to author anything of my own, so stay tuned to find out if this is all just hot air...
How do you cope with the ups & downs of a freelance creative life?
Right now it’s my family that keeps me on track. My wife and 2 sons and our little nest are the buttresses holding up the walls when things get shaky. 2019 has been a shakier year than I’ve had in some time but I’m able to roll with it so much better than ever before thanks to them.
Besides that I find it’s healthy to have that “personal” stuff running on the side if you can, turn to it when customers aren’t calling. I also discovered a few years ago that the digital stages of my workflow are noticeably more stressful and less enjoyable than the ‘analogue’ bits, which I get a kind of therapy from almost. So I have worked since then on giving hands-on art materials more primacy in my workflow, and have found that doing as much of the digital stuff as possible on the iPad Pro helps a lot too.
And not to be a suck-up, but I like what you had to say on the topic and would second it. Meditation, exercise, and keeping your view of your own work in perspective, are all really helpful.
Time to skill-up - new tech or traditional?
Well, traditional mostly as I just mentioned. But that same process also involved getting better acquainted with the digital part of things and figuring out how best to use it. I got an iPad Pro and that has made the digital part of my workflow more enjoyable and has improved my productivity with things that don't need that traditional touch as much. I also took a class to conquer my fear of bezier curves and now Illustrator is something I can occasionally use when it makes sense.
Sir Gawain & The Green Knight by Peter Diamond ©2019
What is/are the project(s) your young-self would love to see you doing?
He'd be pretty excited about the medieval themes I've been working with lately. But an officially-licensed Ninja Turtles project would make him absolutely hit the roof. And he is very much me, so yeah: Ninja Turtles please. A few years back I missed out on a Ninja Turtles gig by just a hair, and I'm hoping the chance comes back around soon.
One bit of professional advice for you ten years ago:
You're on the right track, just be careful not to outsmart yourself. Sometimes you need to keep it simple. And that office job will work out better than you think.
One bit of professional advice for you in ten years:
Maybe it's time to start going to the gym...
Sleepy Hollow by Peter Diamond ©2019