A Busy Bee that Rafts in Rough Waters, Sometimes Can't Fly.
Hello again. I trust you all have been enjoying the nice change in weather. If you are in the North Hemisphere, you are finally breaking out the shorts and sunglasses. If you are one of my Southern Hemisphere friends, welcome back to your Autumn and its cool weather delight.
As for me, I have been super busy since the last post. I know, I was super busy then lol. I have excavated a bit more of my apartment and settled in a little bit more as well. Honestly, packing and unpacking and moving takes me FOREVER. I'm way too meticulous about things and, if I'm frank with myself, there are far too many things to be meticulous about. I have been working on purging things as I unpack them. It just takes so much longer to do things this way. I feel like Jennifer Anniston in that movie Along Came Polly. There is a scene in the film where Ben Stiller's character is a bit judgy about Ms. Anniston's packed boxes that are still packed even though she moved months previously. So my life is a bit like that right now. So many irons in the fire and some of those irons are still packed. Anyway... I'll get there. I have also been diligently working on transitioning into a new career here in the city all at the same time. I could really use some copies of myself like Michael Keaton had in the movie Multiplicity (good movie, if you don't know it)
So busy busy busy seems to be the lay of the land these days for me. I'm just a busy little bee. This brings me to what I'd like to talk about in today's post. I had a Facebook Memory (gotta love 'em) pop up relatively recently with some posts I had made about a logo design I had done for a Bagel cafe here in New York City. It was aptly named the Busy Bee Bagel cafe. The post was mostly about my in-person visit to the cafe here in the city before I lived in the city. What this memory really brought up in my mind is slightly more current and considerably more important and impactful to all of us in the US. It made me think about how the restaurant industry, or small businesses, in general, have been affected by this pandemic and the logistics of what all human beings have needed to do to stay safe throughout this past year. Essentially, What is making businesses close their doors for good.
Since I live in NYC and the Busy Bee Bagel Cafe was in NYC, let's take out a statistical cross-section of that pie. The restaurant industry in NYC had 23,650 establishments in 2019. They provided 317,800 jobs and paid $10.7 billion in total wages citywide. The industry was on a growth trajectory; increasing by 61% in just a decade (2009-2019). However, mandatory closure mandates and tighter restrictions, due to the covid-19 pandemic, took their toll on the industry here. Employment had dropped 55% between March-August 2020 and around 2000 establishments shut their doors permanently never to reopen again. While 2K out of 23K doesn't seem like much on paper, it certainly means the world to 2,000 former business owners and the 150,000 (now unemployed) people that used to work there.
Of course, this phenomenon has not been subject to NYC alone. This has happened everywhere. It's almost a pandemic in and of itself, even though it's only a symptom of one. It's a Causality Casualty. In the United States alone, more than 110,000 eatery and drinking establishments closed their doors permanently. A report published on Yelp showed that an estimated 163,735 small businesses had closed nationwide between April and September 2020, roughly averaging out to 800 small businesses closing each day. Let me say that again. 800 small businesses closed DAILY for 183 days in a row...
I'll give you a minute to take that in...
This obviously doesn't include current numbers as of April 2021. I'm not trying to fear-monger by any means, because the outlook isn't as bleak as things may seem for business owners right now. Times are, of course, very tough, but they are not impossible (according to the statistics), and there are federal and state programs that have been trying to keep our small business economy afloat. There is hope if we can hang on.
I don't know if all of you can relate to this analogy, but as I was pouring over these statistics and figures in my research of this topic, I couldn't help but be reminded of a particular theme park ride. Most theme parks have them and they are called something different at each park (obviously). Many of you will know exactly what I am describing and might shout out the name of the closest one in your memory. But for everyone else, I am going to give you a short description of this type of ride.
Imagine, if you will, a very large circular raft. A raft that is made of steel and fiberglass and is large enough to seat several passengers within it. Passengers are all seated in a circle and they are strapped-in with "seat belts" for their safety. In the center of this circular raft is a large (usually metal) circular tube (almost like a table in the center of the raft) that the passengers can hold onto at any time during the ride. When I lived in the South, we called these "Oh Sh*t!" Handles (OSH for short). The rafts are moving slowly on a moving platform and you have to board your raft and get strapped in before the ride operators give your "crew" the thumbs up; releasing your raft into the wild, I mean ride. Obviously, this is a water ride I am describing, a very wild one. As your raft dips down into the flowing river of water and you depart from the boarding platform, you might say to yourself, "Oh this isn't so bad. This is just a pleasant float down the river." This is. of course. before you see the very first, and usually, a very deep dip of this river rapids ride. Your eyes widen and you might even say to yourself "Oh Sh*t! Here it comes!" and grab hold of the OSH in the center of your raft. Then, your raft takes that first scary dip and the water just rushes into your boat soaking whatever and whomever and then you are OFF; racing down this man-made river full of huge and swelling rapids that sometimes soak you and sometimes drench your neighbor. The raft is moving swiftly and is spinning in circles as you race down the river to god knows what (if that's your first time riding it.) Every turn and rapid you hit is a surprise. You have no idea what's going to happen and the rapids sometimes dip your boat down so far that you are SO sideways that you might as well be upside down. You're just praying (if that's your thing) through gritted teeth or just clenching on to the OSH's hoping that your raft doesn't mistakenly flip over like on a real river rapid adventure. Then, if you weren't already soaked enough... HERE COMES THE WATERFALL. And SPLOOSH! Someone in your raft just got caught under all that water and is literally so wet by this point that their fingers could be raisins. Somehow, you all make it to the end of the rapid river adventure, some perhaps wetter than others, but safely returned to the land. I KNOW some of you know the exact ride I am describing.
To me, I feel like this ride is a good analogy for this past year. It has been full of deep dips and swells that feel so scary and dangerous. And oftentimes it felt like maybe the raft might flip over or we might fall out of it. The harsh reality is that some of us did fall out of the boat and some boats did turn over because they are not here with us today. I'm very sad about that, but, I'm also thankful for everyone who did make it back with me to dry land, again. Some of us wetter than others, of course. Some of us more affected by the loss of loved ones, loss of a business, or loss of a job completely due to complete industry shutdowns, of course. Covid has taken a lot from this planet and from the people who still live on it. If you have lost someone, I am truly sorry. My heart goes out to you. I hope you won't think my analogy flippant or insensitive. It really was meant to illustrate more so the loss or effects that the pandemic has had on business owners and on those who have found themselves (pandemicly) unemployed. Like being completely soaked with water vs. more or less dry after the ride is over. The good news (if it could be called that) is that you can eventually dry off. Meaning that we will be working on finding solutions to help these people and get this economic problem hopefully "dried out" and dried out soon. The point is that we are still alive to work toward a solution. I am grateful for that.
So...
...we are all somewhat/vaguely familiar with the struggles of current small business owners in the world right now, right? So let's shift the focus over to the aspects of business closures that predated Covid-19 here in New York City. Busy Bee Bagel Cafe had, unfortunately, fell victim to business closure and had closed its doors permanently since my visit those many years ago. However, it wasn't a global pandemic that took them out. No. There are other reasons.
So, why is it so difficult for small businesses to succeed in New York City? I'm not, in any way, an expert in this area. However, I did do some research on the topic because I was interested to know WHY IS IT So Hard for businesses to keep their doors open, even here in the Big Apple? Here are some of my findings:
One may think that it would be a breeze to open up any kind of store or restaurant here in the city and expect it to do well because the population is SO DENSE and "think of all that foot traffic"... but things are a bit more complicated than you might think. Aside from the major expense of having a brick-and-mortar/physical location in NYC, there are many other things that small businesses contend with. Numerous fees, fines, and compliance forms. Several NYC small businesses have closed citing that there are too many obstacles to running a retail storefront in the city to fight at one time. Competition/Similar Business Saturation is another variable that causes a small business to struggle here. State-mandated wage increases also play a large factor as to whether a business can keep its doors open or not. While no one will argue the merits for paying human beings that work for you a living wage (because otherwise what would be the incentive for humans to go to work?) the high living costs in the city require that wages increase in order to even provide some pale modicum of a living wage for many in this city. According to a study done by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, businesses with fewer than 20 employees often cite the already high cost of doing business in New York State as the variable that most negatively affects their ability to stay open. Businesses with more than 20 employees often site low/slowing sales and real estate/leasing issues. So, even before Covid 19 reared its ugly little head in New York City, many small business owners were already struggling to stay afloat just hoping that the next break, swell or rapid didn't capsize their raft completely.
I don't have any answers or solutions for you (sorry. As I said before, I'm no expert), and I'm afraid that the pandemic and economic fallout will only exacerbate this problem. I do hope that businesses will not only survive the current (see what I did there) unfortunate turn of events but be able to adapt, float and flourish with whatever sort of economy and work structure awaits us on the other side of all these rapids. I think it is obvious that this pandemic has certainly highlighted some very weak infrastructure points in our capitalist/consumer-driven society. I am curious as to what changes we can expect to see and possibly look forward to in regards to how we all do and view work and how we make a living, in the coming future. It's obvious that the way we have been living is not truly sustainable and you don't really have to be one of the experts to see that. It's sad that so many people had to die and so many people had to lose their livelihoods and suffer before it could/would even be acknowledged. I think that it's certainly something all of us are thinking about right now: "What is the future going to look like? How do/will I fit in it?"
I do wonder if we will see some sort of a return to Bartering. *shrug* only time will tell us.
Speaking of time, let's go back in it, just a little...
Several years ago, I received a commission to refine/redesign a client's sketch into a proper logo for their new restaurant. They sent me a sketch of this spunky, albeit charming, little bagel-bumble bee that was crazily "Zinging" off all of the coffee it had apparently drunk. His eyes were "bugged out" and he was obviously a "wild one", but he was also very charming. The illustrator in me immediately loved how there was a narrative to this character and how it would be not only the "face" of the company but also its branding. The client had already developed a great character, they just wanted my help to refine and tweak his appearance some; make an already appealing character more appealing. I came up with a few ideas for what the client has requested but, being me, I also came up with a few off-the-beaten trail ideas for the bee/bagel character and for their branding. As an artist, I always feel compelled to think beyond what the client originally envisions just to see what is out there and if it can possibly be a better option. In the end, the client opted to stay with their original idea, which I'm glad they did because it really is a cute and fun character.
As an aside, the above raft analogy somewhat connects here as well. THose circular rafts were usually painted a bright yellow, orange or brown. They often looked like giant bagels or bumblebees floating rapidly down the river with people inside them. Just sayin'.
Refining the character design of this little guy was a lot of fun. Not many of you will know this about me, but I was also an animation major at college. Even though I did not pursue that as a professional career, the knowledge of it, of course, is still there in my brain. To this day, I'm still an avid fan of animation and am still quite a very big nerd about it. I still try to watch cartoons in the morning, as it puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day. So, don't get me started on the topic unless you have some time. lol. Being that Character Design and Character Development were my focus in that part of my life, this project was a lot of fun for me as I recall. It was almost effortless in nature...
Almost.
My client had explained that the cafe would have a very "artsy" and "Bohemian" atmosphere to it. This gives you a bit of a wide berth in regards to aesthetics but also a lot of freedom in the design and illustrative choices.
My favorite animation aesthetic is that of 1950s animation powerhouse UPA Studios (notably known most by its most famous character, Mr. Magoo.) I'm also an avid fan of the studios, both then and now, that adopt this studio's visual aesthetic. For example, Ken Anderson, an Art Director for Disney Studios during the 50s/60s, brought the UPA vision and integrated it into the films that Disney Studios was producing during that decade. You can definitely see its influence in films such as Peter Pan, Alice and Wonderland, and (my Number 2 favorite film of all time) 101 Dalmations (the animated 1961 film.) More relatively recently is the work of French animated filmmaker, Sylvian Chomet, whom I am sure you don't recognize by name. However, I am certain you've seen his films The Triplettes of Bellville or The Illusionist (both remarkable and beautiful to watch.) Both have adopted/employed the use of the UPA aesthetic. This new style in animation was inspired by the fresh graphic approach that was happening in advertising and graphic design during that time period. I always try to find ways to integrate and use this wonderful art style within my own work. This logo design commission was perfect for that. So, I had the "artsy" now I just needed the "bohemian."
Through rigorous trial and error, I came up with a few different typography choices that blended the retro artsy style of the Bee Character with a more bohemian treatment in the honeycomb graphic hopefully blending the two worlds together and creating a successful branding for such a unique company. I remember we went through so many font choices before deciding on what fits best for the cafe and visually for the character. Also, I created a honeycomb graphic to help integrate the text with the company mascot, the Busy Bee.
The next rapid we hurdled through was color, which may not seem too complicated or complex... I mean you're just using bagel-related or bee-related colors, right? How hard could that bee? lol. Well, not necessarily hard, but certainly it was a process that we had to wade through. Granted, yes, we were using a pretty specific color scheme that revolved around golden yellows and browns. Very earthy colors. But we were mixing and swapping them over different elements trying to see what sank and what floated. The creative process became quite bohemian-esque in that regard, but we were having fun.
...but this is not where the Busy Bee Adventure ended. I was hired again, a few months later, to work on the menus for the Busy Bee Bagel Cafe. I was excited to come back and work with them again.
I remember in my initial discussions with the client that I wanted to bring in more Bohemian art elements into the visuals for the menu to further "marry" the two aesthetics that we worked so hard to combine in the logo design. I brought in many new visual elements to this project. I employed watercolor stains that were eventually used as backgrounds. I used more bohemian/artsy typography which was pulled from the type that both the client and I had previously liked on the logo project but had ultimately rejected. I also employed an ambitious and unique layout/shape for the menu itself: a silhouette of the Busy Bee character.
A quick aside: I had always lamented that my client never gave their Bee Character a proper name. He/She was only ever known (at least to my knowledge) as the "Busy Bee." They didn't really ever have a gender or a name. It's not really necessary nor important to have either but, that animator deep inside me wanted to keep developing the character. *shrug* Oh, well.
This menu is also very important to me as it became an artistic milestone in the development of the current style I prefer to illustrate in. This commission truly was the birthplace of my artistic style and technique. Granted, I have, of course, refined my method and it has certainly evolved over the years, but this project marked the very first time I began to use my method for digital collage. I remember that there was a very quick turnaround for this project. I also remember I really wanted to be very ambitious with it... go figure, the less time I have the more I want to accomplish (insert your eye rolls here, please. lol) I remember thinking to myself, "How am I going to pull all of these elements together very quickly?" Aside from the actual visual/physical layout and organization of the menu and all the information that needed to be typeset and included in its structure, there were many many small little food illustrations that needed to be done. I needed them to be done and done quickly and I was racking (rafting) my brain to figure out a solution to that. My brain kept saying, "Let's do something digital... that will save time." lol... yeah, I know right?! The computer, though a wonderful creative tool, does not mean you necessarily will be saving time through its employment. Just sayin'
I knew that I did not want a completely flat vector graphic (like the logo) because I was needing to bridge a gap between something that was very digital in aesthetic to something that needed to be more tactile in aesthetic (like the watercolor stains.) As I was trying to come up with creative solutions to this problem, I began searching through my pile (or should I say mountain) of forgotten art supplies from previous projects. It is almost like a treasure hunt full of surprises because you literally forgot what you crammed in the bottom of that box/bin when you last used it. Upon my hunt for buried art supply treasures, I came across some scraps of colored handmade papers and some fabric swatches. They were very bold and punchy in color and I began to wonder if there was a way I could integrate them into the project. I LOVED the tactility and texture that they had and knew it was the "feel" for what I was going for.
Like most ideas, the solution for what I needed to do came to me in a burst of inspiration, or rather as I was diving into research looking for ideas. I had decided to go back to and dig more into the things that I was inspired by when I was originally putting together the company's logo. I researched graphic advertising from the time period. I also researched the menus from several bars and restaurants from that period. I eventually had a bolt of inspiration: on-purpose off-registered color printing. It was a popular design element used in both advertising and later on in animation (UPA and UPA influenced studios). I decided I could marry the two concepts by creating an inked drawing of whatever food item it was and then producing and off-register "fill" using the textured and colored papers/fabrics. SO, I scanned all the paper and fabric swatches into the computer and got to work. It was SO MUCH FUN and SUCH A JOY to create all those little food items. It made me want to be a food illustrator there for a hot little minute. Little did I know that so many many moons later, I would still be employing this very same technique to my illustrations using some of the very same scanned in textures, papers, and fabrics. Of course, that collage swatch library has since grown.
I, unfortunately, was not documenting my WIP's as much back when I was working on this project. If my memory serves me, I believe my work for Busy Bee preceded this Blog entirely. In any case, I apologize that I don't have more development work to share with you like I normally would when discussing a project. Of course, there are changes that are made to the menu, but overall, what I had created was what they went with, in the end.
A year or so after completing both projects, I actually visited the cafe in person. It was a very cool experience to see your work living in a physical space, especially if that space just happens to be in the Big Apple, itself. It was my very first trip to New York and I was, of course, very excited to be in the city in general, but excited even more so (I think) to go have lunch at the Busy Bee Bagel Cafe. It was a very special moment in my personal history and that "dorky" look on my face is not feined, it's very genuine. I was swelling with pride and joy to see it in person here in NY. I was also very happy to patron a client of mine. The food, as I recall, was delicious and yummy.
I had no idea that in a few short years after that visit, that I'd be living, quite literally, just a few blocks away from where it was located. My first apartment, here in the city, was a 25-minute walk (which is not anything here) to where the cafe was located in Brooklyn. I'm very sad that it was forced to close its doors and that I'll never get another opportunity to go there, now that I live here in the same city. Aside from the fact that it was a fantastic eatery and a unique space in the city to go, the food was fantastic.
This is, unfortunately, the fate of many wonderful restaurants and businesses that pop up and go in the city, pre or post-pandemic; it doesn't matter which. It's sad to say it, but when you see it happen almost daily, here. You begin to grow numb to its occurrence. I hate that. I wish that wasn't the case. I would love to see more mom and pops thrive here because those are the places that make a city special and unique. You can only find them in that city and nowhere else on the planet; specifically and geographically unique. It's important not to forget that. I just hope that everyone can keep holding on to those OSH's as long as they can and we can make it through the rapids of these hard times. Hopefully, everyone can make it back to dry land more or less unscathed.
I will always look back on these two special projects and feel nothing but gratitude. Busy Bee Bagel Cafe created a wonderful and very meaningful personal memory that I will never forget. It also gave me the unique visual voice that I've been whistling with (down all those river rapids) ever since. I would encourage you all to dive deep into your past this week and find some of those defining memories that stand out to you. Something you feel in some way has defined who you are today. Sometimes, in rough waters, they can be a lifeline that helps to keep your head above water. My love to you all.
Until next time, friends,
Keep dreaming, keep sketching, keep thinking, keep laughing, and most important of all, keep making art.
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