In July, we partner with illustrator Calvin Sprague.  Calvin is a California-born, Texas-raised American, living and loving life in The Netherlands.  For his Creativity illustration, Calvin says, “The pencil is the visual starting point of creativity for me.  While ideas are floating around in my head, it is not until I put a pencil onto paper that the visual concepts will start to come to fruition."

For a little more about Calvin, here's a short Q&A:

Where is home for you?

Texas.

What is your definition of a successful life?

To me, being successful is the opportunity to keep growing and learning.  Working for yourself in the field of illustration has its challenges and, therefore, gives me plenty of moments to reflect and continue to keep improving my craft—failure coincides with success.

How did you get into design?

At the age of 13, when I started playing music with my brother, I began to learn and appreciate the visual side of music.  It was innocent at first, designing flyers, posters, and cd covers. However, once I figured out that music and design are mutually coherent, the rest was history.

Where do you find inspiration?

Inspiration can spring up anywhere.  I often find outlets from small things like cycling and taking in my surroundings, listening to music, watching movies, or hearing other people's stories.  However, all creatives do experience some form of designer's block.  When I have designer's block, it sometimes takes a day or two of just doing nothing to let my mind recharge.

What's your dream design project?

A dream design project of mine would be to develop sculptures or toys inspired by my personal work.

What was the inspiration behind this design?

Influenced by the Art Deco aesthetic and stain glass patterns, this was manifested by combining the two.

How does Creativity play out in your life?

It is a part of my life in almost everything I do!  From experiencing a new culture to illustrating a detailed scene, creativity gives me energy in anything I do.

At the moment, what is your favorite…

Color: Red
Food: Tacos
Song: Love by Ben Lukas Boysen

Thanks for sharing with us, Calvin!