About Fish
Hi, my name is Fish McGill. It's a gift and a curse; I once met the artist Gary Baseman and he said, “Your name sounds like an 'I Love Lucy' character!” I have been called every variation of FISH you can imagine, but I always love hearing new ones. Some of my favorites include, Fishtopher, Van De Kamp, Pescadito, PEZ, Ryba, Salmon, just to name a few.
I am a design educator with over 10 years of experience teaching. It's my distinct privilege and pleasure to have worked with students from around the world, from high school age through the graduate level. I have taught at The ICA Boston, SMFA, Tufts, Northeastern University, Montserrat College of Art, Artward Bound, MassArt, and the Dynamic Media Institute. I am particularly fond of working with beginners to bring their unique identity into their work as they develop their creative practices.
Not only that, but I have been in business as a designer, artist, and educator at my studio for over two decades in Boston where I live with my family of five. I have worked with amazing people and some great companies including, MTV Games, Harmonix Music Systems, Continuum, Moth Design, Nike, Stoltze Design, 47 Brand, Johnny Cupcakes, CloudKid Studios, to name a few. Along the way I have been part of a Webby Award-winning team at Harmonix, given presentations around the US, and have done residencies with the City of Boston, Montserrat College of Art, and MassArt.
Here are my ten steps for creating original work, try them out yourself or get in touch and let's collaborate.
1
Listen to distractions.
2
Eliminate time, materials, and options.
3
Draw a pile of terrible ideas without thinking too critically.
4
Work with and around other people—in the studio, a library, a café, a classroom, listening to podcasts, etc.
5
Take breaks, get some fresh air, take the stairs, drink tea (and some coffee).
6
Write thank you notes. Express gratitude in the mail, in person, and in life.
7
Show your work in progress, as it comes together.
8
Document along the way (better yet, marry a photographer).
9
Make time to do nothing.
10!
Work on multiple projects at once. When stuck, switch things up, or just write a list (like this one!).
1, 2, 3,
Let's work!
Let's work!
Habitual Line Sketcher
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