Blog # 6 prompt: What do YOU bring to the table in your work (design, photography, video, etc…) that is distinctly your own? How does your past influence your approach to what you are learning in this program? Please be specific about the ways you are aware of the singularity of your perspective in your (newly) chosen field.
I credit five key elements of my experience that factor into the unique perspective I bring as a designer.
First– My innate sense of playfulness and my investment in a relationship to my inner child. I’ve always been a silly and playful person, someone who trends more toward humor and delight than seriousness and earnestness. However in recent years I’ve learned how important that relationship with an inner child is to creativity. After completing the Artist’s Way I developed a practice called Artist Dates. The book makes the argument that creative generation is much like the energy a child brings to most aspects of life- openness and curiosity. Kids have so much energy and it’s about tapping into that. An artist date is where you take your inner child out on special experiences that allow that childlike curiosity and wonder to take the lead. By engaging this part of myself, I am able to build neural pathways around non-judgemental inquisitiveness, by literally exposing this part of myself to interesting and creative environments like antique malls, indie films, or walks through a new neighborhood. In these spaces I notice what I’m drawn to and ask myself why. I also refill my creative-well of inspiration to call back on when I may be engaged in a creative process at work or school.
Second– My fine arts background is a major factor in my identity as a creative and while I understand there are key differences between fine arts and graphic design, there are more similarities than I think is given credit. I have nearly two decades of artistic and creative practice under my belt. The practice of brainstorming, sketching, writing, researching, iterating, prototyping, playing, seeking feedback. As an artist-designer combo, I bring an ability to discern where I need to stay within the conventional guardrails of graphic design and where I may be able to bring some fine-arts ethos into a creative project.
Third– My time living abroad and being exposed to another culture absolutely factors into the kinds of creative spaces I am drawn to. I lived in London and the experience gave me the self-knowledge that I am a city person at heart. Growing up in the suburbs, I often felt stilted and lethargic by the slow pace and homogeneity. I am so stimulated by densely populated international cities, full of competing and coexisting cultures and visual landscapes. I know I am most inspired in an urban city. It is where I do my best work.
Fourth– As a queer person I’ve had the privilege to be given a vocabulary for questioning and interrogating the cultural norms that are projected onto us from the moment we are born. It has instilled in me a philosophy that nothing (except death) is immovable, unchangeable, and static. It has encouraged me to question most everything and to always bring a critical eye and to ask “why?” at every step. It’s allowed me to embrace the idea that there is no singular right way of doing anything.
Fifth– Over the past four years I’ve developed a mindfulness/meditation practice. What this offers me is habits around processing intense feelings directly, which allows me to stay grounded and less overtaken by moments of intensity that are inevitable in life. Staying embodied through the ups and downs of life, allows me to get out of my own way and reduce my suffering, which allows me to better focus on my life and my work instead of getting caught in false narratives my mind is concocting.
I appreciate these five aspects of myself and the ways the support me in being a designer and bringing my own unique perspective to my work.
