Interviewe mat Elliot Chaves

Graduated from Philadelphia University in 2003. Moved to New York City and began my design career working for Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. From then on, I "Ping Ponged" around from firm to firm until I met a couturier that opened up my eyes to design and built my foundation of knowledge as a creative.

I was meant to. I can't explain it. I feel it inside. It is truly who I am whether I want to be or not.

I chose to listen to my intuition

I used to design apparel but over the past year, I have become more of a product designer. This being my first project as one, I am going to continue in this direction

Listen to themselves and believe they are capable of anything. Work harder than anyone at obtaining the skills and always continue to raise the bar in what they do.

Experience of course but more importantly I think a great designer is very well diverse with their skill sets. Self-aware and mindful of themselves, personally and professionally.

To me it is kind of a funny question as the term "good design" never falls into a category. I think design must be great, it must have a wow factor, no matter how simple or complex. That being said, being able to know the designers thought process from concept to completion by simply looking at the finished product is a start. Did they hit the mark in all realms needed? etc.

Without putting my nose in the air as I very much respect "good design", as there is always a place for it but to me, I would invest in great design.

I would design products or services that are completely eco-efficient. I would design for anyone who would support it as I believe it is a designer's responsibility to think about the end use of any product they create to know what and how it effects the world we live in.

I am not sure about this one since I have not yet realized it. However, it would be an honor to work with certain designers and design firms who I look up to and respect.

Haven't found it as I don't consider myself a success, yet. I also don't think there is a secret ingredient. I believe the way to be successful is simple but not easy.

My range of "design masters" may be a bit off the path but they range from Peter Beard and Alfons Mucha, to John Meada, Tom Kelley, William McDonough and Michael Braungart. Even though Michael Braungart is a chemist.

Wow, thats like naming your favorite bands.

Haven't designed it yet.

be truly self aware and mindful. follow your intuition and work your butt off.

probably be a snow bum

i think design is a very high and masterful understanding of form, function and evolution. design is knowing the effects of the product before you even begin.

my mentor, Mr. Ali Rahimi and of course my mom

I don't consider myself a great designer yet

I am still trying to get over them and am light years away from being a master. being a master takes a lifetime.

what speaks to them

cant pull the curtain away just yet. hopefully better design.

to be truly respected for my talents, whether you like my style or not. To have companies come to me to create or improve what is needed, working for myself.

not sure what the question is exactly

because literally everything we all see has been designed. without design, the world would be a sad, mundane place.

with each project I get giddy about the creative process and with learning something new as each design project is like I am a beginner all over again.

since this is my first actual "product" design, I would have to say this one because I began to find myself for the first time as a designer

no matter the creative specialist, all designers think about eco-effectiveness which I must thank William McDonough and Michael Braungart

i think it already is but a greener one

that is an unanswerable question as there are too many variables

the niche market to which it is designed for. consumers are the expert critics

intuitiveness

everything

always use my sketch pad a paper. more feeling and realness for me. then Creative Suite and CAD programs when needed but since I am far from an expert on the computer, I use help where my weaknesses are

color is everything. there are so many emotions, feelings with color. then comes ambient as it influences you whether you realize it or not. the materials can be both planned or felt out depending on the end use.

i am a big why person so why did you design it?

hopefully an understanding of the designers personality

someone who is great at everything I am not. absolutely, great design can never be accomplished alone. anything great for that matter

for the first time, none. this project i did just for myself. i designed it for me.

i am still developing them as I am far from being a master. but to get to where I am now, rigorous devotion and ambition and repetition, repetition, repeitition

George Lucas, Alexander McQueen, Richard Branson, Peter Beard and Shane McConkey and the list goes on...

I am not famous by any means. I am honored to have received the awards and recognition.

blue and or green have a strong tie,

any mountain with snow with my close family and friends

mexican food

fall/winter

dont have a favorite thing or brand

got fired from a couple firms because I thought I knew what I was doing

the fact that I create for a living. I have always been motivated. it just wasnt ever an issue.

that is a question for my mother

I just hope we are still here. Hopefully the human race finally learned from all our mistakes. We learned to design for the future rather for now, keeping our planet at the forefront of all design.

I think fans are for performance artists.

I knew in 1994 after seeing an Alexander McQueen runway show that I wanted to be a designer. I thought it was apparel but I now know it is product and development design

It is not a company, just my design alias for now and seeing if it sticks.

Expressing myself so people can understand and see who I am as a person with each product or service that is created while staying true to the products purpose and end consumer.

Any products or services that I can relate to and be able to put myself into each design.

It was a wedding gown I made. Of course I liked the beauty of how it looked but more importantly I liked that it was for my mom and how it made her feel. It was also a transitional period in my life and I learned so much while designing it both personally and creatively.

men's clothing

I do not have enough experience in the product design world to know my favorite material just yet as it used to be textiles since I was an apparel designer. I can say I love the fact that we live in an age where if we create it in our mind then we can pretty much build it, no matter the medium.

As creative's know the "creative juice" is not an on and off switch. So it is a difficult question to answer for me. That being said, there is no specific time, when you feel the juice, you don't stop creating until its gone.

the actual concept and end result.

purity, happiness and one of the extreme few things in life that allows me to live in the moment.

rush, creative high

a lot of variables in that question but here are two answers: if you can feel it inside and know intuitively that what you created is complete than you must listen and trust your inner self. Also, when the client or end user is overwhelmed with joy and speechless with the results, that makes all the hard work worth while.

who and what is it for.

to keep staying ahead of the curve and mastering your specialty while trying to be as sustainable as you can or innovate ways to do so.

I think I said it earlier when we live in a world that almost anything can be created so it allows for so many more options of creativity. I also think we are becoming a more creative world, a more competitive one and technology plays such a huge role, it is difficult to leave it out knowing how rapid the pace is now and I think it will only continue.

never had one

Everywhere, the world we live in. I get inspired from listening to a song or seeing a shadow shaped like something to different colors or something someone said to riding down a snowing mountain. I also love to learn about other artist in all fields as they can only push you and help you grow as their is so much talent out there.

My design style I guess would be clean and simple. When designing, everything must have a purpose. You know it is complete when you don't need to take anything out or put anything in to it. I love nature and pretty much any vintage styles with just a dash of modernism. I am an intuitive creator. When I feel it inside and I know the feeling quite well, I just know it is the right direction to go. My approach is research, research, research. Once I am comfortable with the knowledge of the project, I let the right side of the brain take over.

I live in Campbell, Ca. I think the cultural heritage of any designer is affected by the country they live in on some level. Whether it is subconsciously or not. How can our surroundings and upbringing not affect us as a person? I think the pros are that skies are the limit here in the United States whereas other countries do not have that luxury. Meaning ones who don't have the option of being able to design even if they wanted to or come from such poverty that they view design completely different. The cons can be a double edged sword in the fact it is more difficult to set your self apart because there are so many designers now in the U.S. while it also pushes you to grow and push yourself all the time to become better at your craft as the competition gets stiffer.

Like a marriage. It must be a harmonious relationship where both can learn and grow together.

Know what style and personality they are seeking because the more you know what you want out of your designer, the less you will have to manage them. The best relations are where you can simply give a designer a direction and let them run with it in a collaborative way. Know you can trust them.

When I have a direction, I do as much R and D as possible until I feel it inside and know it is the right one. Then I mold it and tweak it over and over until I have the final result.

quill pen, peppermint oil, charcoal, smoking joe's racing tin box, red desk lamp

wake up around 6am, meditate and work out after listening to my morning motivational videos, eat a big breakfast, do what ever I don't want to for the day to get it out of the way then work on whatever projects are currently at hand, come home and enjoy a nice dinner with my girl and try and spend some quality time together before doing it all over again the next day.

no matter how hard or long it takes, work at your craft and don't give up. Master your skills and be patient, your time will come. Make sure you believe in yourself, be confident and never stop learning.

I get to create things for a living, I make things look better. It doesn't get cooler than that. Not many negatives but a small one is that there is not an on and off switch to creativity. When you have it, run with it until it stops because you don't know when you will get it back.

Listen to my inside feeling.

knowing how to communicate. Knowing how to translate your idea to your audience.

pencil, pen and paper to start. Illustrator/Photoshop, Autodesk Fusion 360 and other CAD software.

That is one of the ultimate questions. When involved in a project, that is all I think about 24/7 until it is complete.

That is an unanswerable question as it depends on what you are designing.

Where do you get your ideas from?

Working for a couturier.

don't have any yet

anything to do with snowboarding or outdoor sports as they are my other passions

To work with a company where we can grow together and benefit from each others assets harmoniously.

my website or email address