Digithoughts

Paul Drohan is always creating. Known outside of Digitaria as d5ive, he is a prominent figure in San Diego's art community, and for numerous years has been a judge for FITC Toronto, AIGA design competitions, San Diego ADDY Awards, and The Webbys - the leading international awards honoring excellence on the internet.

As the keynote speaker at this year's AIGA San Diego Student Portfolio Exhibition, Paul offered his experience and guidance to the soon-to-be graduating design students. He was introduced to the design students as an extremely talented designer and artist with an extensive background in Flash and flat out one of the nicest guys in San Diego.

Paul informed the weary, recent alumni of common myths in the design community such as, "you'll begin working on inspiring projects right away" as well as how to market and sell yourself at work. Further, he recommended remaining creative outside of what you do at work, stating that you cannot fulfill yourself creatively solely with projects at your job. "You gotta do things outside of doin' things," he stated. "Let your creativity spill into your personal life where you're not limited by client guidelines."

Aside from mentoring young designers, the North Carolina native recently showcased his artwork at Salon Tonic in San Diego's Little Italy. The show displayed his new art installation "The Wrath of Faith" accompanied by a special acoustic performance by local band, Transfer. The event was picked up by San Diego CityBeat magazine, featuring an interview with Paul and a cover displaying one of his greatest pieces.

"The art show was such a huge success. The turn out was more than expected and having Transfer play was so amazing," said Drohan. His collection of new and old pieces were created using a multitude of materials and color palettes: "I use a rather wide range of materials from found items, wood, acrylic paint, pen and ink, pencil, nails, metal, wood stain, and resin." Within the art lies his inspiration found through his children, found objects, and surrounding environment. "A lot of my art is the interaction with my kids, my love for them and how they influence my life overall."

Paul's work is displayed on his website www.d5ive.com, and images from his events are open for viewing on our Facebook page.

Reena Leone Marketing and Social Media Coordinator

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