Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Design = Heart

“When your conscience is so flexible, how can you do strong design?”
Stenfan Sagmeister

After reading the article Design = Heart? I spent time reflecting on my own work and my senior project. I know in my own work that if I don’t believe or enjoy what I am doing (if my heart isn’t in my work) my photos are only decent. My photos seem flat and only surface deep, they are still properly exposed, lighted’ and focused but they lack the depth and awe that I can bring out in my photography when I am passionate about what I am doing.
I wish I would have read this article earlier this school year because it corresponds to what I was trying to figure out and articulate last semester. Last semester my photos were frat and lacked depth passable maybe but not what I wanted. The more I shot and struggled the less I liked the outcome and I stopped enjoying photography so I shot less. My heart was not into my project. Each person I talked to had a different opinion or idea and after each conversation I would direct my focus on what they said. Each person was different so when I would change my direction to suit the person I talked with another person would ask me why and I wouldn’t have an answer. I was floundering and wavering back and forth to try to please other people, instead of thinking about what I wanted, and my own convictions. I knew I was unhappy and not passionate about what I was doing, my project. I started to question myself, my direction in life: am I unhappy with my project, or my choice of photography as a profession, and does passion matter.
I decided that for me passion is my work does matter, it is my driving force, and I believe this is what Stefan Sagmeister is getting at when he talks about heart in design. Without passion or conviction (heart) in design or art the outcome I standard, passable, but not brilliant; for me the real question is how do we inspire passion for a project that doesn’t mean much to the artist/designer.

Sunday, January 20, 2008