PSDFan Extra

Interview with Angie Bowen of Arbent Creative Designs

Welcome to PSDFAN. Thanks for agreeing to do this interview. Would you mind telling our readers a little bit about yourself and your websites?

Hi Tom, thank you so much for asking. I’m Angie Bowen a 31 year old freelance web designer and co-owner and creator of the Arbenting Design Blog, Dead Wings Designs and the Social Media Directory for Designers. Arbenting is our design blog which has a large focus on web design and wordpress as well as freelancing. Dead Wings started as a print design blog but is about to get a redesign and will be turned into a place to get premium vectors and other design elements. The directory was an idea we had a while back that would allow designers to easily find each other among the vast sea of social media sites and design blogs.

Is design something that you’ve always been interested in? How did you get into the field?

Actually it’s not, I just became interested in design a few years ago. I’ve been an artist for years then a while ago decided to start learning html & css. That was my first introduction into the design community and I quickly became fascinated with it. So I spent a few years on the sidelines, studying and learning. I’m completely self taught (which a lot of people may find obvious lol) and have learned so much from the online design community that I wanted to give back. That’s when I decided to start Arbenting.

Your gallery shows some very diverse work. Do you have a favorite type of design?

Web design would have to be my favorite because I love to build as much as I love to design. There’s a logic to it that I’m a huge fan of, combining usability and aesthetics is like solving a problem. I’ve recently also gotten into snowboard design which I’m having a lot of fun with. It’s getting me back to the open, no-rules art that I started with which has been a nice change.

What does creativity mean for you?

Creativity means never having to say you’re sorry. No, wait. That’s love. For me, creativity is like air, it’s a life force that some people require for survival and I’m one of those people. I find it impossible not to create, it’s something that just comes naturally to me.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?


So many places. I subscribe to about 250 design blogs which provide endless amounts of inspiration every day. I also live in what I think is one of the most beautiful places in the world (Manitou Springs, CO). I’ve never taken a walk here and not come out with new ideas. I also frequently visit local art galleries and online galleries such as deviant art, behance, css galleries, etc.

Do you have any favorite designers or websites that you follow?

Wow, this is an extremely hard question to answer. I love design blogs and have so many that I find helpful. If I had to pick a couple that excite me most to see updated they would be Janko at Warp Speed which is a wonderful web development blog that I’ve learned so much from and Just Creative Design where Jacob Cass offers his great perspective on graphic design.

Could you let us know about your future plans online?

I just got back from a 2 month hiatus and have a lot of plans. My number one priority right now is getting Arbenting back on a regular schedule. I’m also working on a redesign of the Social Media Directory for Designers as well as adding some features to make the site easier to use. I think it still has tons of untapped potential. And as I mentioned above, Dead Wings is about to undergo a huge transformation, but it’s still a ways down the road.

Thanks again for doing this interview, is there any closing advice that you’d give to aspiring designers?

Don’t let anyone discourage you. There are so many people, especially that you will run across online, that will do everything they can to quash your potential. Learn to listen to constructive critisism and accept it gracefully while tuning the negative people out.


About the Author:

Tom is the founder of PSDFAN. He loves writing tutorials, learning more about design and interacting with the community. On a more interesting note he can also play guitar hero drunk with his teeth.

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10 Comments:

  1. Emily says:

    Great interview! Thanks to the Universe for artistic self-taught geniuses! ;-)

    This is just one more reason why Angie rocks!

  2. [...] Read the original post: Interview with Angie Bowen of Arbent Creative Designs [...]

  3. Hezi says:

    Angie Rules!

  4. Angie Bowen says:

    Thank you so much guys, this is my first interview and I’m very excited!

    And thank you Tom for putting it together so well and making me look so good :)

  5. I know what Angie means about the enjoyment of web design in terms of logic. When you see your design come to life in a functional and usable format it is the most rewarding aprt.

  6. [...] – Interview with Angie Bowen of Arbent Creative Designs – Tom from PSDfan did me the honor of asking me to give my first interview. Read about Angie’s [...]

  7. Angie Bowen says:

    @Adam – Yup, I really get a rush from seen a finished website and I’ve built from the ground up. It’s one of the best feelings in the world!

  8. Johnathan says:

    Really great interview I agree that seeing a finished website that you designed gives you a warm feeling inside.

  9. [...] PSD Fan is a great Photoshop blog whose offerings range from high quality tutorials to fanstastic freebies for, what else, Photoshop. Photoshop, the feature of a future installment of Designer’s Tools, is hugely popular and there are a number of sites dedicated to this designer delight, but PSD Fan, is by far, one of our favorites. The tutorials are always top notch and a valuable contribution to the community. Now would also be a good time to mention that he also does some really quality interviewing over there now and again, such as his interview with our own Angie Bowen of Arbent Creative Designs. [...]

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