An Interview with Seth Neilson of My Outdoor Alphabet

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

The day job has me working as a creative director for a creative services agency here in Bozeman. I’ve been doing this for about 17 years or so, coming through the dot com boom in Seattle all the way through different agencies, both interactive and print side of things, running my own shop for a while, freelance, illustration, photography, dabbling in that whole creative services arena. We ended up here in Bozeman about four years ago, and work now as a creative director. That’s what keeps me going during the day.

This Outdoor Alphabet thing started when I was freelancing. I put together a little flyer that I took down to Outdoor Retailer, trying to find something that matched up with the things I was most passionate about, the things that I cared about, which was design and the outdoors, family, with the idea that there’s an appreciation for the history and the language and the culture of this sport that might not necessarily get passed on. There’s stories and nuance and details that are interesting and worth preserving, so I wanted to create something that maybe had a shot at teaching those to my kids in a way that made them smile or at least putting it out to the world in a way that people would get. I’ve always been the doodler, the drawer, the guy who drew all over his papers at school, and so it seemed like a natural fit. It started with the Alpinist’s Alphabet. I kind of categorize myself as a climber. From the Climber it went to the Backpacker’s and the Cyclist’s and the Skier’s. And we just launched the Paddler’s Alphabet, for kayakers and canoeists and rafters and stand up boards and that whole world. It just doesn’t stop. There are stories to be told about all of these things that we enjoy doing.  It’s fun to think about the potential and keep going.

To what extend do all of your projects play off of each other?

I feel pretty fortunate that I get to do what I do for a living in the creative field and I have a hard time not doing anything. So even when I’m not working, there’s a camera in my hand or there’s dots to be connected or yet another URL to pick up and do something with. It’s been that way since forever, and the internet and the rise of the availability of these tools almost makes it worse. So I’ve found now that after doing this for so long that I have to be really careful about what I get myself into, what I commit to. I think what I have out there now is this detritus of seventeen years worth of side projects and experiments. I think I’m lucky that it does all kind of have a similar theme. I guess it all comes through me as a filter. There’s definitely interconnection. Honest Lines as my photography, trip report platform. The canoeing trip was the genesis of the Paddler’s Alphabet. Those trips turn into fodder for future projects or opportunities, which opens the doors to other people, other brands, other creators seeing my work. That turns into illustration projects or photography projects or consulting gigs. So it is all a big stew pot of connectedness, which is nice because that’s ultimately what I want. That was king of the goal, to be able to work with the kinds of people who get what I get and understand and like what I like.

Is there one letter of that alphabet that stands out as a favorite?

I think the easiest answer is that I’ve had my name now for 39 years, so “S” has always been for Seth, so “S” is an easy one. I’m partial to the Stove illustration on the Backpacker’s Alphabet, but I think I have a favorite letter in each of the posters. There’s kind of that classic one that came right away, that was easy to get, but off the top of my head it’s probably the letter “S” because that’s Seth.

How about any notoriously challenging letters to come up with words on your posters?

Yeah, for sure, you know, “Q”, “X”, “Z”, those kinds of letters across the board are typically more difficult, but it depends on the sport. You know, for climbing, to do a Z-Drag, that came right away. For the Cyclist’s Alphabet, you kind of have to dig, and so Team Zed is a little bit more obscure, which is a good thing. I’m trying to come up with things that are true and authentic to the sport and something that appeals to the guys who have been around for a while as well as their kids, and so you have to dig a little bit deeper into the history. And so while they’re a little more difficult, when you hit it, it’s ultimately more rewarding as well.

Some of them you kind of have to get creative with. “X Marks the Spot”, might be a little bit iffy. On the Alpinist’s Alphabet, “X” took a minute to figure out. Not only does it have to be authentic, but you have to actually illustrate it. So how do you illustrate a “X Rating” on a climb? You put sharks underneath it, and it makes it, you know, if he falls he’s going to die kind of concept. You have to make sure that whatever the word is, whether it’s a word that makes sense or not, can I actually bring it to life in an illustration that makes sense. So there’s a number of variables involved that determine how difficult it is, but so far so good.

Who are some of your design heroes?

I’ve always been partial to the history of things and where things come from, so I’m a big fan of the older generation, mid-century guys – Charles and Ray Eames, I really love their whole approach to design and problem solving, their whole multi disciplinary approach is super inspiring.

Contemporary guys, I really like Geoff McFetridge as an illustrator and designer. Aaron Draplin is a big inspiration in terms of the hustle and putting stuff out there, thick lines. We collaborated a little bit on his Montana state poster (buy it!), which was fun. There’s a little secret WASA Industries symbol on that one, which makes me proud.

The guys from, like I said, mid-century, Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Robert Brownjohn I really like. And not even just designers though, I count Yvon Chouinard as a design inspiration. Just that pure, simple kind of approach to problem solving. There’s definitely a lot of heroes out there for me in that field, whethere they’re photographers or illustrators or product designers, you gotta have respect for those guys. They paved the way for us to be able to do what we do today.

Do you have any favorite poster artists?

I’m a big fan of the gig poster genre. I like the Heads of State guys, Ames Brothers. From an inspiration standpoint, I’ve got my kind of file of guys, in looking at colorways and different things, so…gigposters.com is a big resource, and that’s where all those heavy hitters hang out and throw their stuff up. There’s a lot of good stuff out there. A lot of poeple doing interesting things. Screenprinting is a fun little niche to play a part in.

In this digital age, how important is a pencil and paper in your creative process?

It’s essential. It defines my creative process, the pencil and paper. It starts there. I’m a Field Notes guy as well (Editors Note: Field Notes goes with me everywhere!). Field Notes or a ripped in half envelope, whatever it takes. There’s always a pencil and paper involved. Specifically with the posters, 90% of them start as rectacngles drawn in a sketch book. Everything starts with pencil and paper. The day-to-day stuff too – to-do lists, sketches, concepts, reminders, and notes. I love my iPhone, but the physical effort of putting pencil to paper makes a huge difference for me. Big fan.

Your favorite reaction to one of your posters?

I think my favorite reaction is the transaction of cash for poster (laughs), but close to that is when people stop in front of it and try to “get” all of the letters. When you put it in front of a person who’s seen it for the first time, and they want to get all of the letters. To have the competition between friends has been really fun to watch. People smile and the get it and they nod their heads and they say “yeah, that’s cool.” I enjoy that, when they try to prove how cool they are. I’m not pretending to get all of these off the bat. I reach out to friends. It’s a lesson for me just as much as it is for anybody else about these words.

How much input do you get from your own children have on your posters?

A little bit, yeah. The best example is from the most recent one, the Paddler’s Alphabet. We’re in canoes, we did a fifty mile trip down the Missouri River through Montana a couple of summers ago. The genesis of that list came out of my son and I sitting in a canoe, talking with my dad and my other son in the other canoe. Let’s do the Paddler’s Alphabet. Can we get through the whole alphabet together? They had their ideas and input. We’d laugh about some, and try to come up with the best word for all of them. So yeah, they’re involved. They’re not the final decision, but they like to participate and come up with ideas as well. And they’re part of the process from soup to nuts. My boys help stuff posters in tubes. The girls often decorate the tubes before they go out. So they’re part of the process. It gives me a chance to talk to them not only about the sport, but business kinds of things too. And hopefully gives them an example in that sort of world as well.

The other funny thing is, on the first edition of the Backpacker’s Poster, there was a typo. It was my son who found it. He wasn’t quite sure how to bring it up to me. He knew it was going to be painful. But I’m glad that he did, and we ended up fixing it. I spent some time customizing a good number of them. We ordered a new batch of Backpacker’s Posters, but there’s some out there with a hand painted, hand stamped fix. From Helmet to Headlamp is what we had to switch. So yeah, the kids are involved for sure.

If you were forced to pick one outdoor activity, which one would it be? Why?

It would probably have to still be climbing in one form or another. What I’ve really enjoyed the last couple of years has been alpine climbing, where we’re able to hike to a destination, climb somethign, whether it’s third or fourth class, or an actual trad route. But just hiking to a destination, gaining some elevation, climbing something, and then coming back, I think is what I really enjoy. It’s the most rewarding for me. It doesn’t have to be a tough route. I’m not the world’s greatest climber, but spending time hiking, getting to a destination, climing it, then ideally jumping in a lake or river before you get back to the car. That’s the ideal outing for me right now.

How about a favorite recent outing?

One of the best days I’ve had recently is a twofer. I have to split these up because of the nature of who I am and what I do. Last month, some friends and I hiked Beehive Peak out towards Big Sky. A beautiful part of the country. We took off after dinner and cllimbed Beehive Peak at night, summiting at about midnight, and then came back just in time for sunrise. It was fun to be out there in the dark, when you’re typically not out there doing that. In a beautiful area. The weather was perfect, the stars were out, good company, great climb, a really nice mix of hiking, and a pretty steep little snowfield couloir, a scramble, a belay pitch that we had to do. Doing it in the dark was spicy enough to make it really fun.

The cool part was being able to come back a few weeks later, during the day, with the kids, my wife, and some friends. We just took a picnic hike up this trail, into this little valley, and enjoyed the same location, but in a completely different way. To have the climbing experience with my buddies was great, but it was equally as awesome to do something completely non hardcore with just the kids, family, and friends was just as beautiful and rewarding.

Any advice for parents who want to get their kids excited about getting outside?

That’s a good question. I think we struggle with it like all parents right now. The kids are drawn toward hanging out with their devices. Which is tough for me to have a problem with, because it’s part of what I do as well. A big part of it comes down to example. There’s a time and a place for me to put down my work and devices. And I have to be purposeful about that. If I’m not consciously deciding to walk away from the computer or my iPhone, the kids pick up on that. And they’ll do the same things I do. So I have to make time. We try to get out as a family as often as we can. It’s definitely not enough. But like last night, we shut down for the day, and took a walk. Put in a couple of miles around the neighborhood. Montana makes that easy, which is one of the reasons why we’re here. But I think there’s value in attempting that no matter where you are. Just go outside and notice things.

A couple years ago, I did this print of a Latin phrase, Solvitur Ambulando, which means “it is solved by walking.” That’s kind of my creative secret weapon, is this idea that when all else fails, whether it’s work or parenting or whatever obstacle I’m up against, 99 times out of 100, it’s solved by walking. To get up, put a mile or two on your feet, and to let your head do what it needs to do to come up with a solution. So that’s been a good mantra for us. We have it up on the wall at home. If the kids are getting rowdy, we just know that it’s time for a walk, a bike ride, time to chill in the river, whatever it takes. I don’t know if that answers your question, but that’s what works for us.

What’s next?

Trying to finish up the Surfer’s Alphabet, as well as running, fishing, sailing and gardening versions. Lots of ground to cover. I’m also working up an Overlander’s version and collaborating with a friend to make that happen. The other part of this is spreading the concept out into a few other products that make sense—bringing back the t-shirts and kids clothes, maybe some patches and the like—lots of options out there, but want to be somewhat selective about what we make happen.