Has to be one of your best people pieces ever Anne. As I read through the interview, I thought his observation that ‘People on the internet seem to like repetition’ was going to be it. My analogy being with TV soaps, which are more repetitious than the cowboy movies I watched in the 40s and 50s ever were, but you kept me waiting for the very best until the very end: I loved Max Kolomatsky’s ‘creativity = muscle’ idea/approach to what he does. I never thought of it before, but now I know the things I do every day (write, make boxes, draw maps, bake bread) strengthen me as a person, and they do. Suddenly, weeks away from being 80, there are ways in which I feel better about myself than ever before, thanks to you and Max. Bless you both - a truly, wonderful insight!🐰
Definitely one of my favorite issues, Anne! If Max is representative of his generation, there is hope for us all. I love that he recognized the charm of the handmade flyer on NY streets (although I am, sadly, not a New Yorker), since that isn't what I would expect to hear from a younger person these days. Something about that pure originality and imperfection has always appealed to me. And Max's philosophy of doing things just for kicks and especially if it puts a smile on someone's face, is something we all should try to do more often, artist or not. I think you and Max have a lot in common, both of you bringing joy for joy's sake, and having such a lovely outlook about the goodness of people. LOVE the idea of deliberately noticing people being kind to each other! I am going to start doing that whenever I go out.
As a graphic designer in my past life, I really love these renovations! And the whole idea of doing it to both please himself and the "client"—if the client ever sees it!!!! Pure heart and genius.
I LOVE the story about Max. How truly uplifting (there really ARE good people in the world) and it brought a big smile to my face. Thank you for sharing that with us. :)
Yayyy for Max! Thank you, Anne, for bringing us his story. The advice for artists to give yourself space to do something just for fun really landed with me. It’s something I’ve been trying to do myself and it’s very encouraging to hear someone else say it out loud. Especially an artist with Max’s talent! Those flyers are really stunning. Side note, I think any flyer with Comic Sans on it should be retooled, but I’m sure there aren’t enough artists on the planet to take that job on. Looking forward to hearing what you do with that $64 that’s burning a hole in your pocket, Anne!
I had heard of this project before but I like it even more after you posted this interview. Tempted to make a shitty flyer and post it on Myrtle Avenue for a free graphic design upgrade...
Also, you buy valium for your neighbors?! Where exactly do you live again?
Wow! I loved this interview! Restores my faith in the creative people who know how to nurture themselves and to also give back to their community in a fun way! Good work Ann!
Ha! This totally reminded me of how a couple of years ago, someone stuck a flyer for housekeeping services to the front door of our building. It took me 15 minutes, Windex and a lot of elbow grease to scrub off the remnants of paper and glue, she must have epoxied the darn thing to the glass. Seemed like a terrible way to make the first impression, so I thought I'd be a helpful person and text her to say, hey, NOT a great way to do this. As one less naive than I might expect, she didn't take lightly to the critique and replied with a barrage of guilt-tripping about her life, and how she's just trying to make a living, and shame on me. Blah.... Being a guilt-prone person (yes, I was raised by a Jewish mom) I felt bad, and her flyer was JUST. SO. CRAPPY.... So I redesigned it and texted it to her. She replied with a stream of satisfied emojis and that was that. I thought at the time how much fun it would be to do this all the time. But, I didn't do that, nor did I bother to put it to Instagram — because being an actual working designer, I have no time for either LOL. (Wait, I don't even have Instagram...) I did ponder if there were other designers in this city who just couldn't help themselves, and I am so happy to see that yes, they're out there indeed. Kudos!
I really dig Max's design style. It's so clear that he gets a lot of enjoyment out of doing this kind of work — and it's not easy! The best kinds of "work" assignments are usually the ones that no one asks you to take on. They're jumpstarted by your own drive to do something or know something.
Other readers here have noticed how thoughtful and grounded his answers were. Surely, hitting the social media jackpot can do weird things to a person, but he seems to understand how the game is played and doesn't want it to impede his joy. Kudos to him, and you, Anne, for sharing his story with us!
Nothing can beat NYC when it comes to people. I experienced it during 9/11, and blackouts. And come on, where else can one find a talented young artist who redesigns flyers. Awesome!🤗🤗🥰
Has to be one of your best people pieces ever Anne. As I read through the interview, I thought his observation that ‘People on the internet seem to like repetition’ was going to be it. My analogy being with TV soaps, which are more repetitious than the cowboy movies I watched in the 40s and 50s ever were, but you kept me waiting for the very best until the very end: I loved Max Kolomatsky’s ‘creativity = muscle’ idea/approach to what he does. I never thought of it before, but now I know the things I do every day (write, make boxes, draw maps, bake bread) strengthen me as a person, and they do. Suddenly, weeks away from being 80, there are ways in which I feel better about myself than ever before, thanks to you and Max. Bless you both - a truly, wonderful insight!🐰
Definitely one of my favorite issues, Anne! If Max is representative of his generation, there is hope for us all. I love that he recognized the charm of the handmade flyer on NY streets (although I am, sadly, not a New Yorker), since that isn't what I would expect to hear from a younger person these days. Something about that pure originality and imperfection has always appealed to me. And Max's philosophy of doing things just for kicks and especially if it puts a smile on someone's face, is something we all should try to do more often, artist or not. I think you and Max have a lot in common, both of you bringing joy for joy's sake, and having such a lovely outlook about the goodness of people. LOVE the idea of deliberately noticing people being kind to each other! I am going to start doing that whenever I go out.
What a great origin story for Mr. K.
And I loved the transparency and wit of the way you started your final question:
"What I think I hear you saying, or that I'll say because I want you to say it..."
As a graphic designer in my past life, I really love these renovations! And the whole idea of doing it to both please himself and the "client"—if the client ever sees it!!!! Pure heart and genius.
Mr. Kolomatsky is my new favorite New Yorker too!
I LOVE the story about Max. How truly uplifting (there really ARE good people in the world) and it brought a big smile to my face. Thank you for sharing that with us. :)
Yayyy for Max! Thank you, Anne, for bringing us his story. The advice for artists to give yourself space to do something just for fun really landed with me. It’s something I’ve been trying to do myself and it’s very encouraging to hear someone else say it out loud. Especially an artist with Max’s talent! Those flyers are really stunning. Side note, I think any flyer with Comic Sans on it should be retooled, but I’m sure there aren’t enough artists on the planet to take that job on. Looking forward to hearing what you do with that $64 that’s burning a hole in your pocket, Anne!
Love this story! And what he’s doing! And how you put it together! A joy to read!
I had heard of this project before but I like it even more after you posted this interview. Tempted to make a shitty flyer and post it on Myrtle Avenue for a free graphic design upgrade...
Also, you buy valium for your neighbors?! Where exactly do you live again?
Loved this guy’s spirit!!!!
Wow! I loved this interview! Restores my faith in the creative people who know how to nurture themselves and to also give back to their community in a fun way! Good work Ann!
"That’s enough $$$ to buy a Valium for all my neighbors who freak out when there’s an inch of snow on the ground!" ... when I tell you I *cackled*...
My new favorite piece. What a great message for artists. Love his vintage style.
Ha! This totally reminded me of how a couple of years ago, someone stuck a flyer for housekeeping services to the front door of our building. It took me 15 minutes, Windex and a lot of elbow grease to scrub off the remnants of paper and glue, she must have epoxied the darn thing to the glass. Seemed like a terrible way to make the first impression, so I thought I'd be a helpful person and text her to say, hey, NOT a great way to do this. As one less naive than I might expect, she didn't take lightly to the critique and replied with a barrage of guilt-tripping about her life, and how she's just trying to make a living, and shame on me. Blah.... Being a guilt-prone person (yes, I was raised by a Jewish mom) I felt bad, and her flyer was JUST. SO. CRAPPY.... So I redesigned it and texted it to her. She replied with a stream of satisfied emojis and that was that. I thought at the time how much fun it would be to do this all the time. But, I didn't do that, nor did I bother to put it to Instagram — because being an actual working designer, I have no time for either LOL. (Wait, I don't even have Instagram...) I did ponder if there were other designers in this city who just couldn't help themselves, and I am so happy to see that yes, they're out there indeed. Kudos!
I really dig Max's design style. It's so clear that he gets a lot of enjoyment out of doing this kind of work — and it's not easy! The best kinds of "work" assignments are usually the ones that no one asks you to take on. They're jumpstarted by your own drive to do something or know something.
Other readers here have noticed how thoughtful and grounded his answers were. Surely, hitting the social media jackpot can do weird things to a person, but he seems to understand how the game is played and doesn't want it to impede his joy. Kudos to him, and you, Anne, for sharing his story with us!
Nothing can beat NYC when it comes to people. I experienced it during 9/11, and blackouts. And come on, where else can one find a talented young artist who redesigns flyers. Awesome!🤗🤗🥰