#FridayFive with Shillington’s Amy Gardner

Inspiration can come from anywhere. So, on the first Friday of each month, we’re sharing some of our Shillington team’s favourite things from the past four weeks. This month, Marketing and Communications Assistant Amy Gardner shares what was on her radar in July.

1. To Follow: Lee Lai

Lee Lai is an artist creating amazing hand drawn and painted comics out of Melbourne, Australia. I absolutely love their style. They have a quality to the linevwork in their drawings which is gestural while also being delicately refined and precise. Over all what captures my heart is their story telling. The comics have a quirky intimacy to them that has this way of inviting readers into all of the wonderfully tangible and familiar awkwardness of every day life in granular detail, while still feeling magical and fanciful.

2. To Read: Don’t Get a Job… Make a Job by Gem Barton

One of my favourite books on the subject of creative careers! The stories and testimonials that author Gem Barton has brought together in Don’t Get a Job…Make a Job reveal the many self-created career journey’s that design graduates have found themselves taking after graduation. For me, it is an inspirational tome and call to action for new graduates to blaze their own career path and create unique opportunities for themselves as they step out into the world of design.

3. To Go Stay Home!

While there are so many incredible TV series or podcasts I could suggest, I’m actually going to take it old school and suggest a book for this one. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern is an epic fantasy novel which will throw you head and heart first into its quirky mysteries. The book will draw you hungrily through its meandering and suspenseful stories before depositing you at the other end with a heart filled with longing and an itch to create something with all the inspiration you found within its pages. Grab your warm or cold beverage of choice and hunker down for a great read. Then let’s catch up to talk about it… so many feelings.

4. To Listen: Creative Pep Talk

Creative Pep Talk is one of my absolute favourite podcasts. I’ve been listening to it for a few years now and it has kept my creative fire burning, even when it felt like the coals were barely warm. I often find myself listening to the podcast when I’m spending hours finishing off the line work in a detailed illustration or dreaming up new ideas on long train journeys. Andy J. Miller has the most infectious energy as the host. He will stoke your creative energy while simultaneously loading your mind up with useful tips on how to build your audience, find your artistic style and create the work that matters most to you.

5. Wildcard: Jeffrey Cheung / There Skateboards

Jeffrey Cheung is a skateboarder, artist and queer skate community powerhouse. They are also the artist behind the incredible designs and graphics for the well known USA-based queer skate community group Unity Skateboarding. I’m deeply in love with their new skateboard company There Skateboards, which along with tasty graphics also recently put out their first skate video Euro There in May 2020. Give it a watch and get stoked!

Take a look back at what’s been inspiring our team over the last two years! And for some drool-worthy visuals from our Shillington students, read 16 handmade album covers and 14 app designs.