I met Briana Feola and Jason Synder of Brainstorm Print and Design like 2 years ago at a craft show I did back when I was running the Indie Fixx Shop (sigh, I miss the shop, even though it sucked up all my time). They were sort of just getting started with their business at the time, but I saw such promise in their work (even bought a couple prints) and wasn’t surprised to see them take off after that. I also found them to be lovely, lovely people and really enjoyed sitting next to them at the show.
Fast forward a couple of years, and the pair and their work have been featured all over the blogosphere, including this blog as well as biggies like Design*Sponge. That’s why I thought it might be time to interview them for my Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx interview series and to share some of their prints and as well as some of their custom design work.
Where did your shop name come from?
The name Brainstorm Print and Design came about when we starting working together on projects in college. We felt it would be a fun fit as our company name since every project we work on is a collaborative piece. Every print we create has passed through both our hands before completion. We also encourage collaboration with our clients as well. When a new project comes along, we work with you on a very personal level to create something you’ll absolutely love. Brainstorming is our favorite part of the creative process!
Who are 3 of your favorite artists of all time?
J: I’m a big fan of Picasso, Jasper Johns, Delauney, Rauschenberg, Thiebaud.
B: Alphonse Mucha, William Morris, Henri Matisse, Milton Glaser. Etc. Can’t pick just three!
What have you recently been reading, watching and listening to?
J: Most of my reading, watching, and listening comes from the Internet. Design/News blogs, Hulu, Netflix, Pandora, XM. It’s all so much easier to stream it in on demand.
B: I’ve been reading blogs and too many emails. Watching Lie to Me. Listening to Dutch, The Black Keys, Sea Wolf, Curtis Mayfield.
What’s your favorite comfort food and why?
J: Anything involving seafood makes me feel pretty comfortable.
B: Annie’s Mac-n-Cheese. Cheese from the box. Guilty pleasure? I suppose it is junk food, but quick to make so I don’t have to cook my day away. That’s pretty comforting.
What’s something you’ve learned as an adult that you wish you knew as a kid?
B: I wish I knew to take more chances and be less fearful. Don’t take things at face value. Most adults don’t tell the whole truth. When you go to college, there will be a ton of money to pay back…so be ready.
J: I want to say I wish I knew to work harder to set myself up for a better future, but I also want to say that you’re only a kid once so you definitely should NOT work harder. Being an adult kinda sucks because you have to answer questions like that. Haha!
What’s better all the money in the world or all the free time?
J: I’d like to think all the money in the world would allow me to have all the free time I wanted. Even though I’d probably just keep working.
B: Me too.
What does indie mean to you? You can give a literal definition, choose to be a little esoteric or a combination of both.
J: Indie to me always brings up people doing what they want to do, for them. Whether recording your own music and releasing it or creating artwork and selling it or owning your own business of any kind. Indie is just free from big corporations making decisions that make you unhappy.
B: I agree with that too. Indie is a generation of people trying to find more substance in a world filled with garbage. Better music. Wilder art. Reviving old school techniques that are fading with time. Indie strives to revive, reinvent, and re-purpose the world we live in.
What’s been your biggest accomplishment so far?
B+J: Being able to bring together fine art and graphic design, turn it into a business, and live off it. Basically being our own boss.
What’s new or in works?
B+J: After our recent move to Philadelphia, it’s on our agenda to get creative in our new space and new city. We really want to put out a bunch of new editions of art prints and perhaps the possibility of creating a limited edition shirt line. We shall see!
great interview! I adore Brainstorm !!2 are in my bedroom
Great interview! I love that they have some very different answers, and some on which they totally agree. Briana’s definition of indie is really inspiring.
i loved this interview! I am on the same page as far as artists. and i love their prints especially the “take it easy” great job!!