MOKITA: The Sentimental Gene

Hannah, Mikey, Ani and I attended the second MOKITA symposium, an event organised by Geoff, Darryl Clifton, and Roderick Mills at Somerset House. This year's theme was around sentimentality, and 'The Sentimental Gene' in illustration, which is far less twee that you'd expect it to be. There were some incredible speakers present today, with some fascinating outlooks on sentimentality within their own work, and there was some pretty heated debate today that really made you think about the position and role of illustration in both the commercial and editorial world. There was some furious tweeting from some audience members to say the least, and I tried my hand at tweeting along too. Speakers included Sanna Annukka, Laura Carlin, Jonny Hannah and Rob Ryan. We got to have a good look at their work, and see what really inspired them in both their editorial and commercial work, sentimental parts of their lives, whether it be stories, memories, or the people they loved.

I think it's really important to have that influence in what you do. It enables you to connect with people, and frankly illustration means communicating with your market. There were arguments on whether illustration needs to have meaning... As far as I see it, it will always have meaning so long as you love what you are doing, whether it be intentional or not. It's not always a political outcry, and I personally feel like many people misunderstand that difference. Meaning comes truly from the viewers opinion: if it matches that of the artist, it means they're doing their job right.