Justin Allen — Profile and Q&A
Justin has worked as a designer for over a decade and has 15 years experience in the niche retail industry. He is the design and store manager at 826 Seattle (a.k.a. Greenwood Space Travel Supply) and co-owner of the design and print studio, Cellar Door Mercantile. He has been a science fiction fan ever since his dad let him watch Riddly Scott’s Alien, at the age of seven.
CMS: How do you define creativity and apply it in your career?
JA: I define creativity as seeking out and implementing innovative solutions to problems. These can be material problems, such as solving the challenges of habitation (architecture, city planning) and solving the riddle of existence (physics, theoretical science) - or ephemeral, such telling your story and connecting with others (art, literature).
Problems are solved and challenges are met every day, but not always creatively. For me, creativity has a spark of ingenuity and newness.
In my work, I have some pretty straight-forward design challenges; create an invite for an event, design a book. It would be easy to just follow established design protocols and create boring event materials or an unexciting book. I like to stretch things further and create something unexpected. A fundraising event invite that is also a board game? Why not?
CMS: Where do you find your best creative inspiration?
JA: I find most of my inspiration from mid-20th century design. This period in American history was tumultuous; the entire society was turned on its head. Design and creative endeavors reacted with a wild and fearless innovation that continues to influence designers.
CMS: What’s the one creative advice or tip you wish you’d known as a young person?
JA: The people who are successful at design and art are not successful because they know some secret piece of wisdom; they are successful because they work hard, try new things fearlessly, share and borrow constantly, and understand that there is always room for improvement.
School is great for learning techniques, processes, and the fundamentals of how the tools of the trade work, but these are things you can also find in books, through your own research, and through trial and error. School is not great for teaching creativity, but it does provide an opportunity to receive and give feedback that will help you grow.
If you don’t have the drive to put in the hard work, you’d be better suited in a different career
CMS: Who would you like to hear speak at CreativeMornings?
JA: Aaron Rose, founder of Alleged Gallery in NYC.
CMS: Where was the last place you traveled?
JA: This is a funny question because it points to many of my current obsessions and influences; in 2010, I traveled to Iceland for a very brief three-day trip. But it was a very eye-opening trip. Iceland is socially progressive and artistically innovative - in literature, music, and visual arts - but this innovation is rooted in a fierce pride of the country’s traditions. Since returning to the States, I have taken up studying the Icelandic language (the oldest unchanged modern language), traditional Icelandic literature (the Viking-era sagas), Icelandic-style knitting, and the growing wave of Icelandic musical artists (Bjork, Sigur Ros, Of Monsters and Men).
CMS: What is the one movie or book every creative must see/read?
JA: I would recommend the book “Lipstick Traces," by Griel Marcus. Superficially, it is about the history of the punk band the Sex Pistols. But it goes much deeper and examines disparate and unrelated art movements — including the French Situationist International, the dadists, and the medieval Brethren of the Free Spirit. Marcus discusses how these groups are tied together by their acts of social commentary and how their daring and ground-breaking methods have influenced many types of creative endeavors. It is a holistic examination of the creative experience on a global, timeless scale.
