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Gary William Musgrave is incredibly busy. When he’s not teaching at CSULB, he’s developing visual designs and art for corporate clients (his list of clients<\/a> is impressive), working on his own art, spending time with his family, and pursuing his love of motorcycles. <\/p>\n Although Musgrave can render nearly anything in any style, his personal style which, to me, harkens back to a bygone era, feels both fresh and familiar. Locally, he’s probably best known for creating cover art for many Write Bloody Publishing<\/a> books and, last year, creating the extremely popular jump-roping zombie girl<\/a> t-shirt design for Zombie Walk 2012. <\/p>\n Tomorrow, there will be an official unveiling of his new Zombie Walk t- shirt design at Vapes of Wrath as part of their opening reception for artists Nick Sawyers<\/a> and Dirt Cobain. <\/p>\n “I’ve been drawing for as long as I can remember,” Musgrave recalls. “This sounds dumb, but I’ve never considered myself any good at it. In fact, when I finally decided to be an artist\/ illustrator, it was when I decided that I would rather starve doing what I liked. I honestly believe that I have no particular talent. I do however have a competitive stubbornness that I have yet to meet my match. I feel like I’m just willing to do things that interest me longer and harder than most. <\/p>\n “What may take some four hours to do may take me eight. I don’t care. I want the work that I put out to be the best that I am at that time. Once, in a middle school English class, I had turned in a really poorly done homework assignment and the instructor, Mr. Bryan, called me out on it. He asked me if this was my work and I said yes. He asked if it was the best that I could do and I said yes. He then berated me in front of the class, stating that I represented my family, my parents, and everything I was by putting my name on it. I always remember that. I don’t put out anything unless its the best I can do. I later come to realize that it’s pointless to do anything if you aren’t trying your best. <\/p>\n “I talk about that with students often. I really try to be creative, without any criticism, when starting anything. That is extremely difficult. After creating a number of ideas and exploring them to the best of my abilities, I then criticize and refine the work. Most of the time I hate everything until it’s almost done. <\/p>\n “It’s like I see what I’m trying to make in my mind, but it’s blurry and undefined, then I hate everything I do until somewhere in all the mess and foundation, whatever it was that was blurry becomes clear. The end result is always a surprise.” <\/p>\n Musgrave admits that teaching helps him to think differently about his own creative efforts.<\/p>\n {loadposition latestlife}<\/p>\n “I have knowledge that I can share, more than I often think. The thing is, they often ask questions that I would never come across in the standard way that I work. Because of that, they get me thinking about new ways to approach my own work. <\/p>\n “I’m hardly old. In fact, most of the time the students think I’m a student. I very clearly remember being a student only a few years ago, and how an instructor would introduce new ideas to me. At the time I just wasn’t open enough to doing much with it. I was struggling just to understand what they were talking about, let alone doing anything with it. I imagine it is similar for my students. Myself, on the other hand, have had time to digest information and now can really squeeze out ideas for all they are worth. <\/p>\n “The main class that I teach is focused on transitioning art to a format agreeable with commercial reproduction, so I’m always looking up how printing process are done to optimize my work in reproduction. This translates into everything, though. I make sketch books, build printing presses and furniture. The list goes on and on. <\/p>\n “More than anything, I try to get students to learn to be resourceful. I would chalk that up as my second strongest trait following stubbornness. I constantly try and build everything myself. I want to know how it works and how I can make one with what I have already. <\/p>\n “Just as the middle class is dissolving- richer\/poorer, people are also dividing into knowing and not-knowing. Very few people know how anything works anymore and it’s like everything just works on magic. That’s just lazy bullshit. We have Youtube and Google. We should know everything now. I really go out of my way to learn everything I can. People should be able to open their car hood and diagnose what the hell went wrong! <\/p>\n “I think that, when your iPhone freezes, most people assume that it’s broken. I think that people tend to give up too easily. If your iPhone is, in fact, broken then you can’t break it more by trying to fix it yourself. The one thing that can’t be taught is to have a curious mind. I feel like a mind can only be inspired to be curious.<\/p>\n “I don’t try to be an expert in everything. I do, however, try to understand as much as I can about whatever topic I’m involved with. Now that I have a firm grasp of printmaking, I can either trouble shoot my own problems, or know enough to be able to ask the right questions from a professional. I think that a professional will treat me with much more respect if I show that I treat their trade with respect.” <\/p>\n With all that Musgrave has on his plate, I couldn’t help but wonder why he’d take the time to create designs for Zombie Walk. <\/p>\n “Long Beach is my new home,” Musgrave said. “That’s why. The world tries to shape people, but that isn’t how its supposed to be. We are supposed to shape the world. I do what brings me joy and I share it whenever, where ever I can. Plus, by participating in the Zombie Walk, I get to garner points toward becoming a Long Beach Native!” <\/p>\n Learn more about Gary and his work at GaryMusgrave.com<\/a>. Also, check out a project he created<\/a> in support of leukemia treatment in Canada.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gary William Musgrave is an artist, illustrator, and educator who is best known, locally, for his Write Bloody Publishing book covers and last year’s Zombie Walk t-shirt which featured an adorable zombie girl jumping rope with another zombie’s guts. 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