Open up your mind and say, ahh...

It’s a youngster’s rite of passage to awkwardly wield a pair of safety scissors, snip into a sheet of construction paper, swipe a glue stick across the scraps, and see the whole masterpiece stuck up on the fridge at home. Artist Michael Velliquette has taken the basic skill of cut-and-paste to a whole new level with his incredibly intricate paper sculptures. Ripon College in Wisconsin hosted his most recent solo exhibition, which showcased a survey of his work over the past seven years. “The title of the show–One From Many From One–was about the expansion and contraction of an artist’s process, the evolution of a body of work over a lifetime,” he tells Co.Design. “It was a chance to see the various ways technical, formal, and conceptual threads have woven together during a period of intense personal and creative growth.”

Velliquette’s passion for craft predates his paper explorations, but his desire to derive the biggest impact out of the most modest component parts has always been a major motivator. “I’ve long had a love of sparkle and camp, and gravitated towards things that were bright, flashy, glittery, and ornate–things that could easily be added on to make something banal into something fabulous,” he says. “As a resourceful young artist I used mostly found materials or cheap things from the craft store. Over time these evolved into elaborate objects and large-scale installations that spoke about a kind of imaginative transformation of everyday materials like cardboard and string into something ‘special.’”

He transitioned to using paper exclusively in 2005, and has since experimented with watercolor, drawing, and card stocks from all over the world, plus acrylic inks, paste, and “straight up” hot glue to achieve the effects he’s after. “Last year I began coloring my own paper in an effort to get more complex colors and to add visual texture,” he says. “But most all of my cutting is done with a standard pair of flat-edge paper scissors–nothing fancy.” It takes a solid 40-50 hours a week for Velliquette to keep up with his projects, which start as a mere twinkle in his mind’s eye. “I usually ‘see’ the piece in my head, like through a fuzzy lens, and then do a very loose sketch. I’ll then refer back to that sketch regularly as a work evolves, and sometimes take digital images of it in progress, print them out and draw on the photos to refine the composition,” he explains. “Even though the drawings can be quite detailed, there are still many improvisational ‘moments’ in them–the liquid nature of the media I’m using, the hand-cut quality of the paper, etc. Most of the art that I respond to has that same mix of planning and happening going on in it.”

In addition to his own projects, Velliquette teaches introductory classes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as well as weekend workshops for younger folks, and feels that the lessons learned will benefit even those who aren’t generally attuned to a hands-on kind of lifestyle. “More and more research proves that individuals in all types of professions perform better by being skilled with the creative process,” he says. “Plenty of people in all types of careers engage in their own work environments in very similar ways to what I do in my studio; they start with a raw material–maybe theirs is data, research, a theory, or diagnosis–then engage with a series of interpretive (and often imaginative) steps to ultimately create some sort of meaning from it. I truly feel that one of the ways we remain vital to contemporary society is by being teachers of that process.”

Maybe it’s his all-inclusive spirit shining through, but looking at his work there is a sense, however slight or improbable, that given a crack at those safety scissors again, you too could make something truly magical.

Purchase Velliquette’s monograph Lairs of the Unconscious here.

If the Mayans are right (note: they weren’t) and the world ends in 2012 (note: it won’t), nothing we’ve written or recorded in history–not even the endless array of Discovery Channel specials on the world ending in 2012–will matter. We’ll be gone. Our records will be gone. And the pale blue dot on which all of humanity anchors will be erased from the stellar sky.

But maybe there’s a bigger tragedy, that in the face of our species’ annihilation, that our collective last words will be nothing more than “oh f#&@!”

Peter Dean has a different plan. His Kickstarter-backed project, Love Letters to the End, asks, “If the world were going to end this year, what would you say to it?” The premise is sort of like PostSecret without epiphanies about sober lifestyles or how great siblings look in a bathing suit. Using 2012 as a peg, Dean just wants to see people share more about their lives while they’re living ‘em. “While we don’t believe in the doomsday prophecies, they provide a great reason to share stories, whether they be joyous or melancholy,” Dean tells Co.Design.

Anyone can submit stories, videos, or pieces of art that contribute to the theme, which will all be part of a blog and larger collaborative video series. “Ideally, each person would recount a specific story that they want to share as if they were at a memorial for the world,” Dean explains, noting that he’s receiving about five submissions a week but would prefer much wider participation.

And who can blame him? Because as the fireballs rain down from the sky, casting an eerie rainbow as their embers refract through the Kelly green acid rain, the last thing any of us will have time to do is invest in artistic diversions. Unless your Kickstarter campaign is labeled “A Spaceship For Humanity” or “Coconut-Scented, Locust-Repellent Candles,” my final investments will be in a case of whiskey, 10lbs of prime aged beef, and the fastest motorcycle I can get my hands on. Which I guess that means my first pair of leather pants may be involved in there somewhere, too.

Time to cut someone loose? Even if it’s long past time for them to go, firing an employee can be difficult. Follow these five tips and you’ll be on the road to happiness again.

Parting is such sweet sorrow–unless you’re saying goodbye to an employee who should have been gone a long time ago. Here are five tips to make firing someone easier on the both of you.

Get to the point. Long goodbyes are painful, so be brief. This isn’t the time to remind the employee about every conversation you had regarding his performance, nor is it the time to tell the employee how talented he is as you are showing him the door.

Prepare a brief statement and stick to your script. It’s those who veer off course that find themselves driving over a cliff.

Expect the worse. This isn’t going to be one of those situations where you come together and sing “Kumbaya.” This is going to be a tough conversation, even if you suspect the employee knows it’s coming. Be prepared. If you think there is a chance the employee will go crazy, then have someone from HR sitting by your side or another manager who can help diffuse what may be a hot situation.

Terminations are fairly standard. Anticipate questions that may be asked and have an answer ready. This will prevent you from having to get back in touch with an employee who may try to pull you back into the conversation you just had.

Don’t try and have the last word. Okay, so you wanted to say the words, “You’re fired,” and you’ve finally gotten the nerve. You may be thinking that you aren’t going to let anyone take this satisfaction away from you. Be open to the possibility that an employee may ask to resign.

Consider this request carefully and if asked, say yes. The objective is to remove this employee from the organization. It’s better for all, if the employee leaves with his dignity in hand and it may save your organization from having to go through a nasty unemployment hearing or worse yet, a wrongful discharge suit.

Find a quiet place. In workplaces where everyone works in the open, this may sound easier than it is. Look for a conference room with shades so you can shield the employee from having others observe his last hour at the office.

If no such place exists, look for a quiet table in a coffee shop where you can have a conversation. Or, wait until others have left the office so you can take care of the business at hand.

Just do it! I know business owners who are still talking about people they should have fired years ago, yet these employees are still with the firm. Pick a date and move forward.

If things haven’t gotten any better in a year’s time or more, they certainly aren’t going to improve anytime soon. Do yourself and your employee a favor. Say sayonara so you both can get on with your lives.

Image: Flickr user Vicente Villamón