I would agree

i concur.

I have noticed also that a lot of fine artists actually need help with graphic design, and promotional pieces. I have been going to a lot of gallery shows, and joined a few Artist groups, and have inadvertently pick-up some wonderful clients, and enriched my sense of design at the same time.

How do you get your dose of art in?

i also concur o gasmasked one

I love museums. I also check out art shows whenever I can.

I've found that true also. Almost every artist has business cards and sends out a yearly post card to their mailing list announcing their show dates. Some have brochures or portfolios. If you're into photography, they need to take professional quality photos and slides for entry into juried art shows.

Artists love to barter too. I've acquired some wonderful pieces in exchange for design work.

I think looking at fine art, old and new, is important. At least it's important to me.

At my last job I was really stuck on a project, so I went out at lunch and bought a couple of art history books with lots of full color images, just so I could have somethin to look through andmaybe spark an idea. My boss (a graphic designer and th art director) said, "Why the sudden interest in art?" I just kind of stared at her. I dunno, lady, maybe because I have a degree in fine art and we create ART here? I guess some people just don't see commercial art as related to fine art.

I find a lot of people seprate the two into distinctly different categories when in reality the two are not that far apart. Whenever I am stuck creatively I like to look at various types of art to get the creative juices flowing.

Agreed, but the same applies to all creative people, whether you're designing a business card, a house, a car, or a dress. The cutting edge artists and fashion designers get their inspiration from something too. Everything that has ever been created was inspired or influenced by something. Not just from the "art" world but from people we meet, experiences we have, colors and textures we see in nature, etc.

I think everyone should have a healthy relationship with the art world.

Everything I create becomes fine art or if not classic art. Seriously, I'm not a real big fan of the fine arts. While I enjoy the traditional skills they employ which I haven't in awhile, I seem most of the art either preachy or just plain weird. This bothered me in college to. The art teachers made us create something that had a greater meaning or statement, but I just wanted to do what I thought looked good or enjoyed. I also hate being forced into mediums I don't enjoy one bit. Now architecture is something I enjoy throughly.

OK, i have to agree with mynock on this one. to an extent. here's why:

i know some classic or fine art artists, and have generally gotten the opinion that (and I may be wrong here, but this the impression i've received) they look down upon us, for one reason or another. Maybe it's because we don't put in the same amount of studio time (or constant studio time) or that our medium is transient at best -- have to start over? hit delete. screw up a canvas, you have to buy or build and stretch another.

the real reason?

in a sense, we're whores. why? because we sell our "creations", and are quick to do it -- we'd take cash every time if we could. and our creations are often the result of "design by committee," making it hard for any one person to claim total creative license. we make changes even though they may not be asthetically the best decision -- why? because the client wants it that way. rarely, though not always, do we make designs for art's sake. often, you don't see a designer sitting around designing an ad just for the hell of it.

it does happen, though, and that's the point that always gets me about a lot of the "artists" i know. yeah, it pisses us off to have to make some stupid changes for clients, but did you see the doodle we were doing in creative meeting? that rocked. yeah, we wanted that logo a different color, but go and check the mesh that we've been playing with when we learned a new technique. we're as much artists as the next one. i mean, almost every fine artist has to pay some kind of bills...

however, the old masters, like michelangelo -- man, that stuff is amazing to me. the jackson pollock and lichtenstein stuff? eh, not so much. and rothko stuff? that looks like color tests that i've seen people do. but sculpture? man, i'd love to give that a try.

so, we're artists and we're not. this is where a food analogy comes in handy. we're sort of like chefs in a way. we don't make the ingredients, but we put them all together into something that's, hopefully, better than each part individually by pulling a little of each -- just enough, hopefully -- and coming up with something tasty.

of course, that's just my .02.

In addition to graphic design, I like being involved in the fine arts. While I have not had much time lately to paint, sculpt or draw, I find that these things help free my expression more so than my GD work. I think I feel this way because in GD, most of the time your work will be changed, mutated and sometimes absolutely raped by the customer. In this case you cannot always create a piece you can be entirely happy with. This is not the case with fine art. If I create it and someone/everyone does not like it, who cares? I already have a booth reserved at two separate fine art festivals that will be held this summer. Hopefully I will be able to find the time to create more for them and maybe make some extra cash by selling some of my art this year. In any case, I reserved months ago and wouldn't get my money back... so I'll probably be there even if I only have some prints of older pieces and three or four new ones. : /

I love going to exhibitions. But then again, I'm not just a designer, I also paint. Not enough to make a living off, but I've sold some pieces.

Art exhibitions are a great way to see how people are going. Graphic design exhibitions are even better.

I always make an effort to see the graduating show of the design school I went to. Always impressed.