We go Under to get a peak (of the week) at what makes Gnu’s art director Shawn Bishop tick. We find a carefully curated tableau of weird, wild, magic made up from eclectic inputs, meticulously crafted outputs with just a bit of the Black Lodge hidden behind a big friendly smile.
What’s the color of your energy?
Purple Rain
Four things you do to get in a creative Headspace?
1. Always be looking at design stuff and art or just random stuff. It’s a piggy bank for creative fuel. It could be as random as an alley quest or hardware store run. Don’t limit your mind to look at what is just “good design”.
2. Start with an initial idea. Put it down on paper or a sketch or jump into a program to ruff out a few designs, real loose. Can’t move forward without the first cut.
3. Turn up some tunes, super heavy and loud to create the silence to just rip through more ideas until it starts to firm up. Get excited about what you’re working on and believe this is the one.
4. Play with it, walk away from it, and sometimes start from a new angle. Ask people what they think before you get too far… ask people that you know will give it to you straight. If it’s going good Pete will go, “BISH?! What?!! YEAH!!!!!” Then you know it’s going in the right direction.
Five random things you’ve streamed during Covid break?
2. Orvis Fly Fishing podcast with Tom Rosenbauer
4. Aquarium Drunkard: Transmissions Podcast – Favorite
5. Protomartyr – Ultimate Success Today (New record)
Three things you can’t live without while trying to bag a Peak of the Week?
Planning.
2. Water/Snacks
3. Chill attitude
Last time you screamed and why?
Backside slappy feeble. You go so damn fast at the curb, if you miss the back truck placement you land on your ass so fast! I have not locked into a super long one yet…
Tell us a fish story
Five favorite features in the Snoqualmie park?
1. Mountaineers to green horn park in the winter season with the Burtners.
2. Tubes for days. All of them
3. Battle box – up flat down
4. The rhythm jump section
5. Wall ride
One skate trick and one snow trick that are in your sights and “for sure getting done!” And where are you going to get them?
Skate: Backside slappy feeble – Ballard curbs
Snow: Front board QUALM any down rail
Three best shows or DJs on KEXP?
1. The Road House with Greg Vandy
2. Sonic Reducer – Brain Foss, DR. Wess, or Jenn
3. Positive Vibrations – Kid Hops
What have you learned?
During this COVID period I have learned nothing can stop you if you want it. Want to fix something do it, read a book, do it, don’t wait for anyone to do it for you. GO for it. DIY for life.
Bish has a hand in all things Gnu and even does original art for some of the boards like this year’s Antigravity, Carbon Credit and Gremlin!
