Start your week on the positive (+) side with us, get inspired by our very first featured artist of the week! We hope you ENJOY these new features and that these fabulous artists inspire you the way they inspire us!

Chris has been the Art Director at MauiTime since August 2009, during that time he has transitioned the company to an entirely new design software platform, redesigned the entire publication for the first time in over 7 years and prepared the company brand for its print and digital future both stylistically and technically. Along the way, Chris has won MauiTime it’s first American Advertising Federation Pele Addy Award and become a finalist at the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies Award Competition in the Cover Design category.

ONE ON ONE WITH CHRIS:

Q: How do you stay positive in the midst of a negative situation?

A: Well, the trick to staying positive for me is to never get too stressed out. Sometimes things can seem overwhelming, but things always have this funny way of working themselves out. You have to just believe in yourself and your talents and let God do the rest. Life’s just too damn short to waste time being negative. A positive attitude can go a LONG way.

Q: What’s something weird that inspires your art?
A: Probably the weirdest place I’ll often find inspiration is in music. Although it’s not visual, music is amazing in the way it can make you feel, and subconsciously think. Some of my best work is directly influenced by the music I was listening to when I made it.

Q: What’s something normal that inspires your art?
A: Obviously, being a designer I constantly find visual inspiration everywhere. From the type treatment on my beer label, to the design of my new shoes to the layout of a menu at a restaurant—I’m constantly taking in design—both good and bad. You get inspired by the good and learn from the bad. I think great magazine design inspires me the most though. Each month magazines like WIRED, Esquire, GQ and TEXAS MONTHLY constantly impress me—and make me strive to be a better artist.

Q: Do you emulate any other artists?
A: I take pieces of style from all sorts of places. From past Design Directors and designers I’ve worked with to designers’ websites and blogs I constantly absorb things I like. That’s one of the greatest things about being a designer. Hardly anything is truly original anymore. Most of the time it’s a “remix” or “collage” of things that have been done before—whether you meant for it to or not. The trick is to walk that fine line of being new and fresh and not blatantly ripping people off.

Q: What was the last meal you had, and when?
A: A sandwich that I brought to work. I rarely have time to leave the office for lunch, so goldfish, chips, fruit and a basic turkey sandwich are the key to my day. I also don’t drink coffee, so on occasion I have to rely on my old friend Mountain Dew for a pick-me-up.

Q: Name one song that always gets you pumped up.
A: Well, more so than a song I have an album. The newest Freelance Whales album “Weathervanes” is my recent “go-to” for background noise while I design. It’s hard to really pick a single song because I normally just throw something on in the background and let it run. Another great album I’ve had in rotation recently is the new Broken Bells album—it’s fantastic.

Q: What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken? Did it work out?
A: Well, I’d say the biggest risk I’ve taken so far would be taking the job as Art Director for MauiTime out here in Maui. I had never been to Hawaii, and accepting a job sight-unseen was pretty risky considering I was in a really great agency job at the time in Houston. But, in the end I was craving really creative editorial work—and the idea of running my own show and revamping a publication proved to be too tempting. The risk was definitely worth it—things have been going really great out here, and I’ve been getting lots of press and high praise both locally and nationally. There’s nothing like taking the reigns of your own project and taking it beyond people’s expectations.

Q: If you weren’t an artist, what would you be?
A: Probably a bum. I really can’t ever remember a time when I didn’t want to be a artist. But I suppose if I hadn’t pursued art there was a good chance that I would have tried my hardest at music. I’ve always had a real interest and love for music—but I’ve just never had the patience (or skills) to actually attempt it.

Q: Do you have a motto or favorite quote?
A: My design concept/philosophy is simply to “go with the flow.” I try to not anchor a creative idea I have in my head too much from the start, because due to my budget and time constraints I normally have to be liquid enough to change those creative ideas at any time to still make the piece work. I’ve always found that when I try to make a piece exactly to what I have in my mind—I almost always fail myself. But, if I go into it with an open and fluid thought process I almost always surprise myself.

Q: What is your question for our next featured artist?
A: Who do you credit with being the most influential instrument to your artistic success?

To see more of Chris’ work check out his website: Lucky 11 Studios

Written by: Madeline Hollern, Gracie Gonzales, Cindy Menjivar, Chris Skiles