Meet Jason: Our New Pensive and Nomadic Species
We've been on the hunt to build up our Modern Species family recently and we've found the elusive species, Jason Robinson! He is a free-spirited and contemplative creative that spends his time traveling, reading and making videos. When he's not working on design projects or flying off to another adventurous location, he can be found writing insightful articles on becoming a better human and getting lost in the wilderness.
Jason was given our usual list of questions and naturally, we've received some whimsical and profound answers. Continue reading to get a peak inside the mind of our venturesome creative. Put your hands together as we welcome Jason to the team!
When did you know you wanted to be a designer and what influenced your decision?
Well, my mamma would likely point out my early taking to freehanding existing pieces, or comfort and enjoyment with crafts and sewing. Maybe my mad coloring book skills; surgically preserving the relationships between medium and lines, sending most of the other coloring contest kids home crying. Lo and behold though, this early “creative genius” was later lightly diluted by the reality that a fine artist, unfortunately, I was not. Luckily somewhere in my mid-teens, as a burgeoning love of words, writing, prose and typography emerged, a happy marriage of form and function started to become a possibility. Add to this a divided mind, each equally-prepared hemisphere constantly battling the other, and the “choice” to become a graphic designer, in reality, wasn't a choice at all. Communication design; the cultivation and organization of images and messages if you will, has caused me to skip countless breakfast (and lunch) breaks and consume unhealthy amounts of coffee ever since.
Who are your favorite designers and what do you like about their work?
I have always been infatuated with Swiss design sensibilities. Reaching back to those battling hemispheres, there are few things that make more beautiful sense to me then well-organized, methodical and succinct design aesthetics. Separations of line and color, and a strong sans paired with a sensible and sophisticated serif typeface really get my engine running. Combine those with my love of line, and easily one of my favorite artist/designers evaahhhh is Alphonse Mucha. Simple, defined color, balanced (or purposefully off-balance...) compositions, and beautiful use of type and flourish. Also, drop me in a New York Subway and you might not see me for weeks. Massimo Vignelli created one of the most beautiful, methodical, and well-thought-out systems in history, both from a typographical and organizational standpoint.
If you had to pick 3 foods to eat every day, what would they be?
Wow. For someone who loves food, this is oddly difficult to answer. I guess, since I do it weekly, I would choose veggie pizza. But I make it from scratch, so it's hella delish, and the process of cooking chills me out and helps me hit the reset button. Win, win. Beer cheese nachos; again, from scratch, with guacamole. Ice cream, since I ban it from my place regularly, because it stands no chance if it's in house. Geez. How am I not like 500lbs?
If you could take a vacation anywhere, where would you go and what would you do?
US Virgin Islands. It's always been a dream to go, mostly based on references in song. I love island music and the idea of slowing down a bit. I would likely try to find a place fairly secluded yet connected, then make it a point to spend time daily reading a book in a hammock, doing yoga, or meditating a bit. Or all three. And eat properly caught, local food and seafood.
What book should everyone read?
Rules of the Red Rubber Ball by Kevin Carroll. Helps you stay grounded and view things from a childlike perspective. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Helps with those searching... How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The OG throwing down some timeless people- and life-skillz, yo.
How much wood, would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Are woodchucks and beavers different? Googling now. (Yes. This is literally how my mind works.)
Drop a wisdom bomb on us.
No pressure. Here goes nothing! I think it takes everyone a different amount of time to reach different epiphanies in life, and there is no end to those epiphanies; they just keep popping up over time. I think the biggest one can be the epiphany that we may not be, or want to be, what we thought we were supposed to be. Naturally, concepts instilled or acquired by default because of our early lives are by nature drawn from for reference or early goal-setting. But I think many find a point of enlightenment where they realize that the defaults weren't actually their conscious choices. At that point they are opened to the true choices ahead and what their belief system and future self might strive for and become.