Crosspollination - Finding inspiration from other fields.

Out of all the vast swathes of YouTube channels one of my absolute favourites belongs to Adam Savage. For those that don't know him, he is a model maker, a special effects designer who worked at ILM, and for a number of years co-hosted the excellent show "MythBusters" in which he and the rest of the team would build practical experiments to test common myths, whimsical ideas, inventions from history, and even a number of scenarios from fiction in both film and tv.

Suffice to say the show in and of itself is worthy of its own write up for the lasting effect it had on a myriad of people. It has the rare honour of not only inspiring those people in to the pursuit of a single discipline but many, from engineers to model makers, scientists to stunt men, it represented a symbiosis of disciplines all wrapped up in the joyous pursuit of "What happens if".

But today I just wanted to focus on Adams current youtube channel "Tested". Now I know that may seem odd given what I've just said and the topic of this thread, but let me explain. Whilst MythBusters has absolutely inspired me and many others in the macro sense and even helped teach about differing overarching methods of work. It is Adams channel that has given me the most practical lessons about the minutia of creation and the systems that can surround it.

I have expanded my knowledge on colour theory thanks to his tips about model painting (blue mixed with grey, perhaps adding browns to account for different lighting set ups etc). The way he organises his workshop to accommodate his working practice rather than just by some neutral metric of efficiency reminds us to shape systems around our practice rather than shape our practice around systems. His passion and fervour for exploring the intricacies of how the smallest joint or link work is something we should all undertake, to remind us of the sheer wonder and privilege of human creation, and bring us closer to our own creation.

On a practical level any number of his maker videos or interviews illuminate a multitude of ways on how to develop a sustainable practice for you by considering the needs of the end result, whilst being littered with knowledge both deeply specific and at other times wonderfully general. I remember learning about greeblies, these small details added to models to increase their visual complexity, break up forms, and bring a touch of scale and realism to a surface that may feel artificially smooth otherwise. They're often comprised from leftovers in model kits, even the sprues that held the pieces in their plastic frames. Whilst i had done the digital equivalent to some extent before, it was only after seeing it in depth that i began adapting the technique throughout whole artworks at times, it was a beautiful moment of shared interdisciplinary knowledge.

That does rather bring me to my point. I write this whilst focusing so much on this specific channel -rather than general art or design instructional- because my work and Adams could not be more different in terms of practicality, yet I gain so much passion, inspiration, and practical knowledge from it. It is perhaps precisely because it is so different that the effect is so profound, as any lesson which can cross such a vast gulf of mediums is undoubtedly one which strikes at the core of the creative pursuit.

So i encourage you to pursue passion wherever you find it, knowledge obtained vicariously is still knowledge. The contrast between two things can highlight and bring far greater impact to their similarities than you may think.