Step into Chinatown, USA, and I could almost convince you that you’ve been magically transported to mainland China. The boundaries that have existed for years are eroding, and our food, culture, and beliefs are blending into some sort of exciting fusion cuisine. We don’t know what the result will look like, but we’re excited to find out.
The same thing is happening in the arts. The internet and the rise of digital technology are blending creative, technical, and technological fields, and now, one is barely distinguishable from the other. Innovations like NFT’s and virtual reality force us to reconsider our idea of art as a field, and coming innovations like the Metaverse promise to disrupt whatever conclusions we draw.
Crazy things are happening, but Delano Myers is determined to stay ahead of the curve. His end goal is to achieve a mastery of all creative and technical fields he’s interested in. Still, for now, he’ll settle for amalgamating all his passions into one and creating a fusion cuisine of creative skills fit for the hybrid world that’s coming.
Getting started
Delano has always been creative, and it shines through in whatever he does. He says, “For as long as I can remember, I have always been obsessed with creating, especially with what I had readily available.” It didn’t matter what it was; photographs from his time in the photography club in high school, metalwork in technical drawing class, or paint in art class, Delano always found a way to create with what was on hand.
This mishmash of influences meant that Delano grew up with multiple creative passions, and he is constantly finding new ones to add to his collection. “My obsession brought and is still bringing me down many creative paths,” he says to me, “I still have lots to learn, which excites me and intimidates me somehow, but it’s all part of the journey.”
Learning New Things
Delano is a UI/graphic designer and web developer, but also a painter, sculptor, and author. However, despite his vast experience, he remains humble in the face of knowledge. He says that “if I don’t know how to do something, it’s honest and empowering to say, listen, I don’t know how to do this. And even if I lose out because I don’t have the skillset, this is just an opportunity for me to learn.”
In a constantly changing world, learning is crucial to developing skills that meet the needs of the future. Delano says, “never stop learning. The moment you get comfortable, you miss out on innovation.”
Exploring new Channels
Delano takes his skills and applies them to established channels to create new experiences. His latest foray is into YouTube, where he is using his knowledge of user experience and design to develop new types of videos. He’s also taking time to learn from experts in the field. He says, “a lot of YouTubers have set a bar that I’ve been trying to reach for some time now. Just to name a few, Peter Mckinnon, Ali Abdaal, Brownlee, and Chris DO, just to name a few.”
Being Technical
At some point, Delano dabbled in the sciences. He wanted to be an architect or a scientist, but he caught the creative fever and became a designer instead. But the time spent gaining technical knowledge did not waste, and Delano is incorporating it into his creative process. Blending the two fields of sciences and arts is what he tries to do every time he designs websites—keeping the aesthetic quality while maximizing function and ease of use.
Exploiting Technology
Technology plays a massive role in Delano’s dream of fusing his creative skills. Software like Adobe Photoshop, Animate, and Illustrate help him create his designs and blend them with other creations like storylines or animations. 3-D visualization and sound editing software also supply new avenues to expand his creative branches.
And while technology does play a massive role in his fusion process, Delano admits that analog methods still hold immense value. He says, “I’m a bit of a technophile, I love good quality software, but I think my best work comes when I put pen to paper, or just start a quick note.
If at First, You Don’t Succeed
Like Fusion cuisine, creative fusion is about experimenting and blending new flavors to see how they mix while working towards an artistic masterpiece. There will be many failures like any experiment, but Delano believes each loss brings him one step closer to his goal instead of being disappointed. His most important traits are his perseverance his willingness to learn and put his ego aside. He is equal parts excited and intimidated by the creative journey he’s embarked on, but in his own words, “I find that the things that intimidate me the most are not as intimidating once I just start.”
You can follow Delano Myers on his Instagram account.
