The Power Of Collaboration ft. Morning Breath & Dabs Myla
collaboration
kəlabəˈreɪʃn/
the action of working with someone to produce something
Collaboration. Since the inception of Deadbeat, it’s something that’s cropped up time and time again. I came across a video that inspired me to delve into the act of collaboration a little more. New York brand Mighty Healthy teamed up with Morning Breath to create this little piece documenting the design duo’s process and a little background to their journey. There is in fact a hoodie you can purchase as a result, but the video itself is worth it’s weight in gold for any creative. Doug Cunningham and Jason Noto are Morning Breath.
Morning Breath's work is defined by its analog nature in both production and aesthetic. Here is a glimpse of Morning Breath's unique relationship to both collaboration and creativity.
The gentlemen talk about a process where Doug might create a graphic, pass it to Jason to do some typography and then they’ll work on colouring together from there. Generally just bounce ideas back and forth until they are happy with the result. The collaborative approach was born out of the pairings San Francisco, Think Skateboards in-house design days. Clearly it works for them as their work has been picked up by just about every record label you can think of having been nominated for a grammy as well. They worked with streetwear heavyweights like Stüssy, Vans to Adidas, Nike and a selection of skate/snowboard companies. They’ve even worked with Altoids, which is actually the ultimate combination for so many reasons beyond their name. Click through to their site to check out a range of work.
Doug had some words of wisdom at the end of the piece:
“Find your voice in all of this. Find something you own. Find who you are.”
Another great duo that came to mind when I came across these guys was Australian couple, Dabs Myla, carving a similar path in and around the same time period since moving to L.A. Their work is inspired by their married life, travelling, painting and experiencing the everyday together, arguably the ultimate collaborative partnership.
Both sets of artists/ designers have quite a playful, nostalgic approach, the aesthetic a little more polished for Dabs Myla. Their installations are perhaps the best way to experience their work, the example below, their 2015 MTV Movie Award set. Click through to their site to check out more of their work.
Seeing how these guys work got me thinking. Should we all have these creative collaborators? Well, maybe not. For some, the concept might appear disruptive. But sharing most definitely changes everything in the creative spectrum, and further afield in fact. We’re at a point where our generation shares more than ever, and there’s a lot to share. There are actually extreme collaborative environments where almost no co-ordination occurs bizarrely, but I guess that’s the internet for you. Wikipedia is probably the best example. Upload, edit, no help, no permission.
I suppose the label of collaboration doesn’t particularly matter if you’re constantly asking questions to peers about your work, offering advice and stepping outside of your comfort zone. But, perhaps, solidifying partnerships creates somethings more substantial, impacting not only your mindset, but equally the approach of people who want to work with you. Perhaps I’ll find a Doug or a Myla in the next couple of years, or maybe not. I’d be intrigued to see how the process would affect each aspect of my work. On a sidenote, apologies for the lack of content for the past few days as I’ve been plagued by toothache but I’m getting back in the game now so cheers for reading, commenting, sharing or any messages people send through. It’s appreciated.