Fun A day is great for all kinds of projects. I first joined to build a creative practice and get through the winter doldrums. Some participants use it as mental and physical therapy. Others are trying to finish a project, or get in shape, or be better at keeping in touch with loved ones. And lots of us just like to dabble. I think the biggest group of all is actively working on learning something new.

Meet Lizzy. She’s a graphic designer based here in Pittsburgh, and she’s in that last camp. She also created the cool logos you might have seen on our social media pages. And if you click here, you can download the SUPER COOL poster she made, and hang it up in your fave coffee shop/library/public place around town. Or in your living room, if ya really dig it!

Off the top of your head, tell me Three Fun Things!
1. I have color-grapheme synesthesia, meaning I see letters and numbers in color! For example, every letter “A” I see is always in red. I see the original color of the letter as well as if it was written in red. (scroll down to see an example!)
2. I’m participating in The Sketchbook Project, which is a crowd-funded sketchbook library in Brooklyn, NY.
3. I can juggle!
 
Do you consider yourself an artist?
Yes! My official job description is graphic designer, but when I’m not working on a project for a client, I love keeping my creative juices flowing by trying out new media. My favorite go-to medium is my tiny trusty sketchbook when I’m out and about.
 
What are you going to do for your Fun A Day project this year?
I’m making a short 2-5 second animation everyday. I’m going to try out different animation methods to expand my skills. I want January 2018 to be a month of experimentation.
 
What is your regular creative process like? How do you start a project?
Most often, it starts out with a sketch or a storyboard just so I can get my ideas onto paper. Inspiration tends to strike me indiscriminate of time or place, so it helps to have my sketchbook on hand. Then I try to ride that creative energy as far as it will take me.

I could ask you a million questions about the synesthesia…
As for my synesthesia, it could fill up a whole blog post on its own, haha! I’ve had it my whole life, so I don’t really register it until I actively think about it. I’d love to do a design project about it someday (FAD 2019??). I’ve gotten so many questions about it in the past that I eventually made a handy reference for folks 🙂

Here are a few selections from Lizzy’s past projects, and you can check out her website at http://www.lizzynolin.com/

Want to share your thoughts, work, or musings in a blog post on Fun A Day? Drop me an email at funadaypgh@gmail.com.

–Laura