Maintaining Punk Rock Integrity

Brian Manley, a renowned artist, starts out his talk on graphic design by telling his audience a few of the things he knew he didn't want to be when he was young.

This included not ever owning a suit for work and not be a "normal boring old adult." In short, he wanted to make sure that he wasn't a "sell out," which to him, meant not compromising on his values and interests just to achieve economic success. To not sell out, would be to hold on to his "punk rock integrity."

As he grew up, he found these ideals harder to hold on to, as he took jobs that didn't exactly help to facilitate the punk rock integrity he held onto so dearly. Throughout his talk on graphic design however, he explains how he was able to transition to a creative role that allowed him to combine his creativity with what he did. He says that a big part of this was allowing himself to "get in the pit," a punk rock metaphor, which describes a place of danger, community and happiness.

By using his own career as an example, Brian Manley motivates his audience to hold onto their visions of themselves and to not be too afraid of instability.