■ PUT IN THE HOURS
Formywork,Ifeelthatitisimportanttoworkhardonmy
projectsandputinalotofhours.ThemorehoursIputin,the
more chance there is of stumbling across those happy
inspirational accidents.
■ DON’T RUSH YOUR PROJECTS
Donotbeafraidtostepawayfromapersonalprojectfora
few weeks or even months. It is good to let a project breathe
for a little time before revisiting it. You can always come
backtoaprojectanytimeandthenyouwillhavea
fresh outlook.
■GETAGOODCHAIR
If you are at your computer all day then it is important to be
comfortable. My Herman Miller chair is one of my best
equipment purchases in the studio. It is better to be
comfortable, and having a good chair to support your back
will keep you healthy.LABROOY’STIPSFOR
CREATIVE SUCCESS
WORK SMART AND HARDEYE ON DESIGN PORTFOLIO INTERVIEW
DO YOU HAVE ANY BIG PROJECTS THAT
YOU WORKING ON THAT YOU CAN SHARE
WITH US?
I have a new Auto Aerobics project that I have
been working on for the last few months. Should
be exciting, but I don’t want to share too much at
this stage. I like to keep things close to my chest
before publishing for maximum impact.IF YOU HAD THE TIME TO EXPERIMENT
WITH ANOTHER TYPE OF ART FORM OR
MEDIUM, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY
AND WHY?
Throughout my life, I have been fortunate
enough to explore other areas, which have
been very influential to what I do now. At
school, I did an art foundation, which covered
painting, sculpture, design, textiles and
graphics. I did 3D design for my undergraduate
studies, which was all about making stuff and I
really enjoyed working in ceramics, glass,
wood and metal. I did a Masters in product
design and did all sorts of stuff from furniture
to lighting. It is actually trickier for me to find
something that I haven’t done. All my previous
experiences feed into my digital work. With CGI,
anything is possible so to have a good grasp of
the real world is helpful.IN YOUR OPINION WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO
BECOME A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST IN TODAY’S
COMPETITIVE WORLD?
I think it is about trying to do something that is
new and surprising. The internet is great forgetting your work in front of people. You just
have to work hard to create your own voice
and perspective on things.HAVE YOU HAD TO OVERCOME ANY
OBSTACLES AS AN ARTIST?
I feel very fortunate to have had a successful
career and I don’t feel I have had to face any
major hardships as an artist. When I was
starting out and building a name for myself I
didn’t make very much money, but I had an
absolute blast working on my own projects
and trying to make fresh innovative work. I
think my only hardship would be younger
artists making work in a similar style to mine
and sometimes just going the whole mile and
ripping off my work.WHAT ARTISTS HAVE INSPIRED YOU OVER
THE YEARS?
I like Ettore Sottsass, Frank Gehry, and the
Bouroullec brothers. When I was younger I
would follow designers and research everything
they ever did. Things are different now and it’s
more about a particular project or image that
attracts me. It is comparable to music
downloading today; I just buy the track I enjoy
the most and not the entire album.My background is in product design, so it felt natural for me
to design letters as if they were products, food or whatever
else I could think ofHOW DO YOU PROMOTE YOUR WORK?
I publish my work on my website, Behance,
Instagram and Facebook. Behance has really grown
over the years and provided me with a lot of
exposure. The curators at Behance do very important
work and I would recommend all artists take
advantage of it and think hard about how you present
your projects. My agent, Debut Art, also helps
promote my work directly to clients, which means I
have a lot of angles covered regarding promotion.Sneaker ‘Adict’:re-envision something can lead to brilliant designs Having fun with the way you can