For the past three years, we’ve asked listeners
[http://www.studio360.org/story/whats-your-creative-new-years-resolution-2015/] to
share their creative New Year’s resolutions — artistic projects
they need a little encouragement to jumpstart. This year, we heard
from Garman Herigstad [http://garmanherigstad.com/], who has created
special effects [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1069317/] for movies and
TV shows, including Harry Potter
[http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Complete-8-Film-Collection/dp/B005OCFGTO/wnyc-s360-20] and
X-Men
[http://www.amazon.com/X-Men-Hugh-Jackman/dp/B000IMKDPC/wnyc-s360-20],
for over 25 years. Lately, though, he’s felt less fulfilled by
effects work. “As movies got bigger and bigger and bigger, it felt
like they were getting less and less creative and more just knocking
out burning buildings and smashing cars,” Herigstad tells Kurt
Andersen.
At the same time, he's growing increasingly fond of hand-made
lettering, a skill he first cultivated as a university student.
“Whenever I see some really beautiful calligraphy or hand-drawn
lettering, my heart just kind of melts,” he says. So, for 2015,
Herigstad decided to get back into his own calligraphy work. His
resolution: to hand-letter the entire Book of Proverbs
[http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1490998608/wnyc-s360-20/]. Why
Proverbs? “It’s about 700 little snippets of wisdom,” he says.
“It would force me to do a huge body of work, which would help me
build up my skills. At the same time, there’s a lot of variety in
each one.”
Right now, Herigstad is really feeling Proverbs 27:1, “Do not boast
about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.”
“I’m setting a goal, but I want to keep my expectations out
there,” he says.
