Positive Vibes Only

"I just want to encourage and be a cheerleader for just giving happiness a shot in any way that works."

Hailing from the flatlands of Leicester, Gav Strange, Director and Designer at the iconic Bristol creative studio, Aardman, talks us through finding inspiration, motivation and creativity from his little pink den!

By day, Gav focuses on all things Aardman, but by night he goes by the alias of ‘Jamfactory’, which he uses to indulge his passion for illustration, toy design, film-making and photography. “I created Jamfactory about 20 years ago, and it’s essentially a passion project for me. I spend time on Jamfactory as and when I can and I’m lucky enough to love both of my ‘jobs’. With two small children, it can be tricky to juggle the split, but being flexible is what’s it’s all about. One of the best things is having a space away from home to work in, for me to get into an inspiring and creative head space. My little pink den has been essential for me as being creative is my passion and my happy space.”

And boy, what a den it is! Surrounded by grass walls, bright neon pink paint and a plethora of some of his finest design work, the space buzzes with creativity. “For me, surrounding yourself with things that make your heart sing, makes me want to do more and gets me inspired, and I’m comfortable. It’s so hard to get motivated at the best of times, so this space really helps me!

I found this amazing neon pink paint used on film sets so I decided to blow the budget on that! It’s on the walls, the floors, the ceiling and then around the space I’ve got lights everywhere, toys all over the place, some which I’ve designed and some that I just love from a collectors point of view. If it has buttons and it glows, I’m in! I’m a bit of a magpie for anything neon or tactile. I just like to immerse myself in brightness, boldness and silly things, which I think is reflected in my design.”

But it’s not just the den that gets the creative juices flowing. Originally from Leicester, Gav lists just how pivotal Bristol has been for his inspiration. “I didn’t go to uni, I jumped straight into design work and having never lived away from Leicester, I came to Bristol at about 23 to meet one of my heroes, Bristol artist Mr Jago, and I just fell in love with Bristol. Being able to see the rolling landscape as well as the beautiful cityscape completely enticed me, and I was sold. The culture here in Bristol is so unique, and I’ve always loved the music, like Portishead and Massive Attack, and the graffiti, I love that too!” explains Gav.

“The creative side of Bristol helps me with my inspiration daily, there’s a real sense of pride being here. It feels like a small city but I feel like we go up against others like London with regards to our creativity and our diversity, which is just so fantastic. I absolutely love exploring on the little boats dotted around the Harbourside that you can hop on, and it’s these beautiful idiosyncrasies around the city that all add together to make an interesting hub that always surprises. I love just mooching around, and who knows what Bristol will look like in the future.”

“It’s about finding that little bit of joy in a day, a week, a month that really makes your heart sing.”

Like many of us, Gav and Aardman took the time that COVID lockdowns gave them to look at the business and how it can be developed. “People may know us for stop-frame animation, but that’s just one facet of what we do. For us, the main focus of the rebrand was for the company to reflect the work we do at Aardman and the many different styles we have, as well as the backbone of our work, our people. It was a little difficult trying to work to this brief whilst in lockdown as I did the majority of the work from my den, which made collaborating difficult. I really missed the connection I have with my work friends, but once the ideas started flowing and we had our main missions and values down, I could really concentrate away from the day-to-day office environment.”

With Gav using his work as a creative escape, some of his fondest memories were working on Art Ninja, a hugely popular series on iPlayer, teaching kids to get creative in any way that they can. “We all fell into this project actually,” explains Gav.

“Ricky Martin who is the host is a really close friend, and my old roommate, as well as Sarah who was in the series with us. He (Ricky) mentioned that the producers wanted someone who worked in art and design, who would also be good on camera, and so we went for it! It became this incredibly fun sitcom-style programme, where we were basically being silly and creative whilst hanging out with a group of friends. The main message Ricky wanted to get across was that you’ve got to find your own way, and not be penalised for not having the right skills or materials. It gives me great joy when parents and kids talk to me about how it’s helped or inspired them still, six or seven years on, what a legacy to leave behind!”

Whilst he is predominately known for his design and creative work, Gav is also a keynote speaker, as well as a published author. “My book ‘DO Fly’ is a self-help book for people who hate self-help books. It’s a pocket guide, a motivational mantra grounded in realism but with the energy of idealism. I hate the general ‘do what you love’ mantra, it’s such a misleading sentence, because it’s so incredibly complicated to find what you love in the first place, let alone having structures in place that allow you to do that! Every individual is different, everyone’s situation is different, and it’s about finding that little bit of joy in a day, a week, a month that really makes your heart sing and then try to pursue that in any way that you can!

I just want to encourage and be a cheerleader for just giving happiness a shot in any way that works. We’ve all been through so much over the past few years, and it’s been a really challenging, stressful time, meaning it’s harder to carve out time for yourself, but it’s more important than ever to give yourself a bit of respite. I completely appreciate the fortunate position I am in to be doing something that I love and have the most amazing family support, but you’ve got to find what makes you happy.”