To us Aussie’s, Tishon is quite an unusual name. We’re more familiar with names like Ben, John, Wayne or Michael. Prior to meeting Tishon, who features in this here little interview, I had never met anyone with his name. And like the uniqueness his name suggests, the 26-year-old Brooklyn-based self-described “graphic designer art director, writer, and oatmeal lover”, who has already worked for clients including Ubiquity Records, Tortured Soul Records and artist Jeff Cylkowski amongst others, is pretty on-point and/or spesh. Tishon has got it going on (we also wonder how many times he’s had to endure that little rhyme… at least it’s complimentary).

How long have you lived in New York, and what do you like about this city?
I’ve lived in Brooklyn since August 2001. I moved to Florida for three months in 2005 but I came right on back. There so much to love about the city: instant access to art and museums, the dance scene, bike culture, FOOD! I think what I love most about the city though, is the fact that I can get on my bicycle and ride anywhere I need to be. I’ve decided that if I ever move anywhere else, it has to be a place with a decent cycling infrastructure.

Describe your personal approach/ethos when it comes to art and design.
Make it appropriate. Make it good. The type of work that I do isn’t necessarily about expressing some kind of personal artistic vision, it’s about solving problems. A client comes to me with something they want to communicate, and my job is to help them do so. My process involves identifying what it is my client is looking to have done, finding out as much as I can about the client and the problem, and then finding an appropriate solution. I really just try to do good work. Good work means good business, which is good for everyone involved.

What kind of difference is there in the way you approach making art, versus when you are practicing graphic design?
Well, I rarely every make visual art for the sake of making it. I’m more of a problem solver than a maker of things. My art for art’s sake is probably my writing. I approach writing the way painters paint. It’s a compulsive act. If too much time passes without my writing something, I get depressed. If too much time passes without my designing something, I get worried about paying bills. I love doing both but I need them for very different reasons.

What kind of things have been inspiring you lately?
Lately I’ve been fascinated by pictures of the future from the 1930s –1950s. It’s fun to see how far off we are, but also how some ideas have actually made it into our daily lives. Music is always a constant inspiration as well. I’m totally on the tUnE-YaRds and Dirty Projectors bandwagon. I’m also still a big fan of The Lucksmiths (they broke up in 2009). They’re from Melbourne. I always wondered how big they were in Australia, or if I was pretty much in love with the Oz equivalent of like Matchbox 20 or something. That’s not to say that Matchbox 20 is a bad band. They’re just one of those bands that people look at you and shake their head when you say you’re into them. Anyway, yeah — music is a huge inspiration.

Tell me about your favourite project you’ve worked on.
Hmm, probably a label design I did for a friend of a friend’s homebrew. It was called “Muhammad Ali’s “Aint No Vietcong Ever Called Me A Lager” Ale, which I found hilarious. I was supposed to get paid in beer. Still waiting on that one.

I saw an excerpt from a “novel that will probably never be published” on your blog. Do you write as well?
I do. Writing is my “secret” love. I’ve written poetry since I was a child. I performed poetry on stage between 2001-2003, doing the slam thing. In 2002, I featured at the LouderArts (www.louderarts.com) reading series. The last few years, however, I’ve only been working on short stories and novels, few of which have been seen by anyone else. I actually got invited to perform on Feb 12, 2010 at a benefit show for Behind the Book (www.behindthebook.org), a non-profit that raises money for low income students of NYC. I’m going to be sharing the stage with Staceyann Chin and some other really talented poets and musicians. I haven’t done a show in years, so it’ll be interesting. You should totally come!

Where can we visit you on the internet?
The Ministry of TISHON aka www.tishon.com




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