An Interview with a Creative Guy:
Jim Bauer

ADMIN

• July 17 2003
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Jim Bauer’s design concepts and original ideas have always impressed me, from the Odyssey 2003 catalog, which was a refreshing change from the stock BMX catalog layout consisting of action riding photos and studio product shots to the animated Odyssey commercial in the first Props Mega Tour video.But the impression that Jim has left on me goes deeper then just what he does with Odyssey. Every time I go riding with Jim he’ll do something to amaze me (I think almost anyone who rides with him would say the same thing). He’s not a Pro, but he always rides super hard and constantly pushes his limits. Another unique characteristic of Jim’s riding is his different approach to riding ordinary obstacles—I can’t really put it into words any better then that, but I’m sure if you ever ride with him you’ll understand. In conclusion, BMX needs guys like Jim Bauer, both for his creative design ideas and because he’s so fun to ride with.

What’s your position at Odyssey and what does that job entail?

Art Director and Team Manager. Art Director is in charge of everything creative, including graphics, packaging, marketing, ads, trade show, catalog, videos, soft goods— pretty much everything besides the product design. While Art Director sounds like a big deal, I’m usually directing myself. Team Manager is in charge of the team (Pro and flow), and everything that comes with that—travel, contests, etc.

What’s your scholastic background?

I have a Bachelor of Industrial Design from Syracuse University. Industrial design is based around product design, but the design process is the important aspect. At Syracuse the process includes graphics and packaging with product, so I have assimilated that into my current position.

How long have you been riding?

As long as I can remember. I was riding a bike at four, building dirt jumps at ten, and racing at 14. I actually never rode street or skate parks or even had pegs until my second year in college.

Click hereto see Jim take care of business.

Do you find it difficult to find the time to ride or do you ever find yourself getting jaded toward BMX since it’s your fulltime job?

It’s definitely difficult to find someone to ride with because a lot of people in Southern California ride during the weekdays, but I can get away when I need to put in some testing time. I go to my local cement park here after work, so my main concern is the time darkness hits. What also helps is the fact that it’s summer here year round, so riding everyday isn’t as important as it was back East when you had to get it all in before the snow or rain. I’m not jaded, but it is discouraging to see people who don’t appreciate what they have, or ride to their full potential. I still ride for fun, so riding with someone who’s lost the carefree aspect brings me down. It sounds cliché, and everyone says it, but people who care more about image and being cool annoy me. I have to say it because some of the main people who say that are the one’s who care about their image the most. As long as you have good people to ride with, that’s the most important thing.

Who or what inspires you?

Riding-wise, anyone who is psyched and wants to ride till the sun goes down. I like getting to ride with “Pros” because they’re so good; little things rub off on me and I learn new stuff all thee time. I also like riding with “Ams” because they are learning new stuff all the time, and that’s a great feeling—so they’re always in a good mood.

Art and work-wise, I get inspiration from almost everything around me—movies, books, museums, signs, magazines, packaging, foreign graphics, architecture, cars, music, etc. My best inspiration always happens during the whole process. When I’m doing something with my hands, getting dirty, or paint stained, I need a book to write or draw in to capture little inspiring moments. Basically when I let go into one thing, my mind starts running full speed. Wow, that sounds artsy.

How personally do you take your job?

I take my job very seriously; I put pride into my work, so when things go right I get very excited, and when things go wrong I get pissed. I would say maybe too personally, but how are you supposed to do something you don’t care about?

Do you think the fact that you personally test the products you design is an advantage over a company that has separate people design and test their parts?

It definitely helps a lot, but we also have our whole team and lots of outsiders test our stuff also. And it’s not me designing most of the parts. I have a hand in it, but Chris Cotsonas is the Head Product Designer, he deserves all the credit in that department. It helps to be able to get prototypes, ride them hard, and personally see the effect. Sometimes Chris and I are more in tune with what to look for, but sometimes you need 20 different riders to ride something their 20 separate ways.

Click hereto watch Jim defy gravity.

What do you think you would be doing if you weren’t working at a bike company?

Maybe I’d work at a sneaker or clothing company, a magazine, or snowboards, an art gallery, design consultancy, or maybe I’d do freelance work. Maybe even a stuntman, that might be fun…