Posts by Nicholas Wilton

Above: “Stenographic Figure” by Jackson Pollock.  1942. 40″ x 56″   A name is a placeholder for something. A title is another version – albeit a tiny one – of a work of art. What makes a great name? In the baby books they warn parents to be to stay clear of names like Hercules…

Six weeks ago I had an operation on my Achilles tendon. There was a small tear that probably occurred from years and years of trail running. After this particular surgery you can’t put any weight on your foot. As a result you are on crutches all the time and, as if you are back in…

I am on the plane flying towards San Francisco having just taught a workshop in Portland. Mulling over what were some of the more memorable moments of the weekend my mind settles on one in particular. Of course, it is always fun to meet a group of artists and it is true what they say…

Usually I know what I want to write about. For some reason this week nothing has emerged. I don’t feel particularly crazy busy in my life, which is usually the precursor to feeling uncreative. Actually everything feels pretty spacious. For me this is usually the set up for being creative. I know that if I…

I am wondering about why some people care so much about how things look. I know I do. I notice when things in my world don’t look too good generally they don’t work so well either. The thoughtlessness of design often crosses both appearance and utility. I see the outside color of cars that don’t…

I am going back to my old high school as part of “career day” this week. There are some designers coming, an owner of an ice cream store and probably a few others, maybe a lawyer, perhaps even an astronaut, all assembled to talk about different careers. Everyone has advice to give people, especially to…