Things Take Time by Christian Veloso

Things Take time

What if we took our time and slow down, and pay attention to everything that we rush past?

Abstract

When time is bounded, we tend to lose patience and want things to happen now. We are living in a world that is driven by consumerism, which drives value away. I find that time and patience plays a factor in our values and how we perceive things. These findings suggest that we should not take time for granted, as it is for time and patience that we need to acquire to perceive true values.

Contents Introduction ..................................................... Background ....................................................... Impacts of time ................................................. Dexterity ................................................ Expenditures .......................................... Quality .................................................... Process............................................................... Management ...................................................... Results ............................................................... Dialogue ............................................................. Inference ........................................................... Bibliography .....................................................

...................................................................................................06 ...................................................................................................08 ...................................................................................................14 ...................................................................................................15 ...................................................................................................21 ...................................................................................................29 ...................................................................................................33 ...................................................................................................37 ...................................................................................................43 ...................................................................................................45 ...................................................................................................47 ...................................................................................................51

Introduction

We are rapidly increasing in the growth of manufacturing and consumerism that we have lost the sense of value that is only acquired through time. A primary concern about patience is that we simply say we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the time. In practice if time was limited, we are limited to gain the Knowledge of skills that require the time needed to achieve the level of quality. Thus, the quality of our work has diminished the value of the outcome or our product. Regardless of this objective, design process is shaped on the basis of the parameters of time, and how that affects: skill, cost, quality and time management. I further my research by looking into the virtue of patience and how that plays an important role in time management in design practice and how in overall the contribution that time and patience has to the value of an outcome.

Background

This research manifesto explores the area of time and how that relates to design practices. Things take time, for example to come up with an idea or solution, to craft something from start to finish, and to learn and gain new skills and abilities. I have taken the interest of being unique, creating something personal. I look into how design is used as a platform of art and craft to create a personal statement. A design that creates individuality and identifies the character of a person.

iPhone 5/5S device stand made from acrylic, sand blasted on one side for a matte finish, and brass brackets.

Close up detail on the bracket. Suede lining to prevent scratching on the phone.

There was the time when I was given an iPhone 5S, rose gold, for my eighteenth birthday. The reason why is because Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m into the combination of white and gold, thus influenced my work on my first semester project in prototyping, where I crafted a stationery set that was unique to the others. This was executed by using other forms of materials in contrast to the others, like using brass to convey gold, using white paint and adapting suede leather. Time management has a prominent role in my work ethics, I usually finish earlier than the rest but still execute a high standard of outcome. With time comes patience, and with patience comes decisiveness. As for me personally, I am a patient person Macleod and Pingle (2007) state that patience (or indecisiveness) has a virtue because it protects against accepting a poor alternative as a choice. This design exploration intends to identify the importance of time and patience with their role within the design practice.

My finished handmade stationery set, packaged in a handmade box with nests for each stationery.

Impacts of time

Time has a massive impact in our everyday lives, it determines our growth, costs, quality and schedule. The reason why I chose to explore the area of time and patience is to find how these are related to what makes a design innovative and of great value.

Learning a skill takes time and does not come naturally into a person overnight. Sometimes others are more talented and will catch on a skill much more readily than others. Talents lie in hands of skilled artisans, handmade designs clearly help with the understanding of manufacturing and design processes, material properties and with the making of models and prototypes (Keegan, 2011). Mastering a skill is often associated with years of practice, with that comes discipline and focus. Like the art of bonsai, a bonsai plant needs years of cultivation – all with great patience (Saxon, 1998). Same goes with mastering a skill, it takes years of training to execute an outcome that is of high standards and quality. Patience and the art of bonsai go hand in hand (Rosenthal, 1986). Like bonsai (I have an obsession with bonsai trees), learning a skill and gaining knowledge needs to be crafted in the same way. We learn in different ways, some are more visual than others where on the other spectrum some tend to find words and numbers more promising to their learning abilities. We have education to help us learn the basic skills and knowledge later in life and we use this information and craft it the way we want to understand and we use this to our own advantage, just like what Yuji Yoshimura says (Saxon, 1998) ‘’To create bonsai, you must have two things: horticultural knowledge and artistic ability,’’ Mr. Yoshimura told an interviewer in 1990. ‘’Maybe I should say talent: that is the word. How to grow something, I can teach that. But I cannot teach how to create beauty; that is inside.’’ Knowledge can be taught, but being creative is an art form that can only derive from inside of a person. Talent should be recognised from within as a gift, and with that talent we craft our gifts into practical skills. Bonsai trees look the way they look because of the person who shaped the way the branches grew and the form of the foliage, like the art of bonsai, we shape the way we learn and our skills become something personal and unique.

Dexterity

Skill is knowledge Patience is art

Bonsai exhibit highlights

I remember when I was young, I was raised in a third world country of the Philippines. Money was scarce in my family and toys wasn’t even an option, if we were lucky to have toys I would have to share it between my brother. Although, I remember how my dad was a hands-on kind of man, he would make my brother and I a kite made out of sticks, string, tape and newspaper. I was inspired how my dad throughout my years created things with his hands outs of nothing. History plays an integral role in our skills and practice of today’s craft. Handmade objects in the past “reveal the developments and innovations that have occurred in each discipline at various points in history” (p.10) (Norman, 2012). Handmade objects in our history reveals “skill and ingenuity that went into making them” (p. 10) (Norman, 2012). It is evident that making items from hand requires a lot of skill and practice, especially when there are low tolerances where perfection takes place into producing quality outcomes. Handmade goods are still very alive in our society today, and it holds such high values. I looked at why handmade goods impact the value of a product. The main reason why crafting by the hand holds so much value to the cost of an item is because of what Norman (2012) says, “produced works of such fine execution, design complexity and artistic sophistication...were sought-after across continent.” This goes to show that there are only a handful of people who can execute skills of a high calibre by hand. The reason behind this I found was because crafting things by hand takes time and patience compared to mass production. Paying attention to every detail so they are done correctly, executed perfectly and reducing human errors. These attributes holds higher value in the first-world culture because there was an extensive amount of labour put into the production. I believe that handmade goods hold a personal statement from the maker and make it a unique product to the rest.

Court Dress of Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, 1820’s From the State Hermitage Museum via Nuvo Magazine

For a skill to mature Takes time to grow

National Arboretum Photography by Christopher Toepfer United States

We all have heard the phrase ‘time is money’ and that is exactly what it sounds like. Cost drives the delivery of an outcome from start to finish. In an article by (Bowen, Cattell, Edwards, Michell & Pearl 2007), it was found that cost overruns, in association to project delays, are identified as one of the primary factors leading to high costs. Often in projects, the budget limits the quality and form of the outcome and in worst case scenario the delays the due date of a project. Money drives production, labourers have to be paid by the hour or in some cases per day, the budget used on buying materials, transport, and other necessities. If the project is not well managed before the start of a project, the budget will become compromised and as a result the project will face expected delays or might not even be able to finish. Managing time correctly will reduce the amount of costs needed for a project. When time is managed thoughtfully it feels as if you have extra time. With this ‘extra time’ a designer can take this advantage to use this to focus on the finer details of the project, which in hand increases the quality of the outcome. An increase of quality in a product creates a higher value thus allowing companies to set a more expensive price tag on the item. With more time to spare, it allows room for further input into the thought and design process of the product and as a result creates more value towards the outcome. I have found out through others that I handle my time effectively and I have experienced finishing earlier than others without compromising the quality of my work. Allowing yourself to manage time and execute the primary steps creates room for spare time in the end. I tend to get my work done as early as possible, without rushing through and compromising the quality of my work, which allows me to indulge myself with the luxury of free time while others are still busy doing their work.

Expenditures

Money wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t create success, the freedom to make it will - Nelson Mandela

Vines on a White Brick Wall

There are disadvantages to the fast-moving world of manufacturing and consumerism. We are extracting materials at a faster rate than we can to reproduce them (this is called a non-sustainable source). This comes with a cost to our environment and our resources. John Makepeace states that the “world’s forests are still being cleared at an alarming rate, largely for the uncertain prospect of generating regular cash crops on the cleared land (Norman, 2012). Being industrial designers in practice, we are encouraged to take into practice the use of sustainable design tactics. Some of our materials are made from non-renewable resources that took millions of years to generate. This consumer driven material extraction causes uses up a lot of energy too, “harvesting, hauling, sawing and seasoning timber are energy-intensive, even before the start of any manufacturing process” - Makepeace (Norman, 2012). Designing a product comes with a cost, not only for sales and buying of materials but environmentally too. In our modern society we are raising more awareness towards being sustainable and reducing carbon footprints and greenhouse gases. Our Earth is a finite resource and with the growing population of Earth, the extraction of resources also increases and is “closely correlated with the global growth in population” (Bruckner, Burger, Frühmann, Giljum & Hinterberger 2009). From the graph (on the right-hand side of the page) we can see that Oceania is the largest extractor and consumer of resources per capita per day. This will slowly increase as population increases over time. The cost of this consumerism and extraction could cause the depletion of our resources as we look for alternative resources, hopefully from a sustainable source.

Graph provided from Bruckner, M., Burger, E., Fr端hmann, J., Giljum, S. and Hinterberger, F. (2009). Overconsumption?. [ebook] Janetschek, pp.11, 20.

Technology has Exceeded our Humanity - Albert Einstein

Technological advances has created many pathways of the production of goods and services. Throughout history technology has improved the production of goods by the use of mass production. Mass production not only increased the quantity of products but also reduced the amount of costs on the production. With mass production, it became time efficient compared to the tedious process of hand crafting. When fabric printing was first introduced in 1783 by Thomas Bell, it gave the opportunity to which Norman (2012) states “instantly meant that identically designed fabrics could be produced quickly in bulk - and cheaply.” Mass production driven by the technological advancement of manufacturing opened a gateway for corporate businesses. The practice of fabric printing caused practitioners in the wool and silk industries to prevent its rise that would ‘imitate the richest silk brocades, with a great variety of beautiful colours’ (Norman, 2012). Mass production stripped away the value of products that is placed through the hand-making process, even though the standards may be similar to a product that is mass manufactured. The cost of sacrificing hand-making process results into a lower value of the product, thus resulting to cheaper labour and products to help increase sales and profits. Although this sounds beneficial in terms of marketing, the sense of value has decreased in terms of personal attachment to a product and the personality of the product. Like what Albert Einstein said “...technology has exceeded our humanity.” Technology was created to help humanity advance, but in fact technology has surpassed us. We should be taking advantage of using technology to enhance our abilities instead of technology using the best of our abilities.

Our time has value, that’s why when we have a job it is our right to get paid. In some cases it’s not working for someone, like for instance musicians, YouTube video creators, actors and comedians etc. where they make content for the entertainment of others. Time and effort are placed through our work for others, and that’s a value alone itself. On the other hand there are voluntary work where labour is not paid for. Bateman (2013) found that even YouTube video makers “in fact seemed to regard the time that they spent on producing videos as having no monetary value at all.” This meant in other words, they were freely giving their time away to create content that brings to them no cost in return for those who clearly value it. Some people hold different perspectives and do not hold value of their time highly or respectively, or sometimes view it as something leisurely or a luxury time (due to so much spare time, or nothing to do). Bateman (2013) states that the “phenomenon seen here, which is common in so many areas, is that people undervalue the price of their own time.” As for me, I have experienced a few job placements, but I know I am a hard worker and value my input of my abilities to my workplace. This value I hold for myself meant that I wanted to be paid fairly in respect to my workload. My work colleagues who have worked much longer than I have even commented on how fast I work compared to them that they tell me to slow down otherwise it looks like as if I am doing no work at all. I am used to working efficiently so that I can relax after the job is done. One time I was given the job to clean up after work hours, and my workmate said it was “too clean”. I work diligently and effectively and that’s why I value my work ethics and in return be paid fairly. It happens quite often that people are overly willing to undersell the value of their time. Fundamentally we need to accept the fact that time is finite and our time will be limited one day and for the time that we are able we should value. In often times, to truly realise the value of something, people will have to pay for it (Bateman, 2013).

There is no Elevator to success You have to Take the stairs

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.â&#x20AC;? - Bertrand Russell.

Quality

Quality is often defined as one of the components that contributes to the value for money (Bowen et al., 2007). Quality is executed by many forms of factors, but time determines how long you get to spend time on particular stages of the design process. Patience plays an integral role in this process “because it protects against accepting poor alternative choices” (p. 2) (MacLeod, 2007). Handmade products are often associated as quality. Luxury goods were mostly made by hand because of the degree of skill and precision needed (Norman, 2012). Small details are also linked to quality as often it’s the finer details that paint the bigger picture. As Caroline Benyon mentions, “The glass-painters’ skills...who’s work will make little sense when viewed close up - but comes together from beyond the footlights.” (Norman. 2012). I believe that quality is paying attention to even the smallest of details, as it is of the smallest of details that creates the bigger picture of the piece of work. Benyon puts this beautifully by saying, “a window far from the eye will be painted differently from the one seen close to.” (Norman, 2012). The signature, or the fingerprint of an artist lies within the detail, it creates a unique and personalised design. On the other-hand, things we enjoy doing is considered as quality times because we tend to treasure the moment and ‘time flies’. When we often do activities we are passionate about we tend to lose track of time and get carried away, that’s because we value it. When time is well spent on something you love, it’s a quality time well spent. In most cases, handcrafters choose this type of method into producing goods because they value the quality of the skill. Furthermore, they are usually passionate about the task, that they are willingly creating more time and effort to something they value doing; it’s worth the time invested. When handcrafters put this much quality time into making a single product, we often associate it as of higher quality. Quality can also be associated to the value of a product, the materials used, the amount of labour and the heart & soul of the maker moulded into the product.

Time is Money - Benjamin Franklin

Process

A design process is like an evolution, for example hand crafts is â&#x20AC;&#x153;like a delicate flower, which unfolds at its own pace, to the rhythm of its own internal clock.â&#x20AC;? (Spencer, 2014). The hand craft process takes time, and that time is influenced by the item that is being created. I realised from my experiences from making objects by hand that it takes time for some things where others require less time and effort. It is often the little things take more time and effort. There was this one time when I was making the device stand for my stationery set I mentioned earlier in my background. The brass brackets that holds the iPhone in place took me more than three times to get it right, where as the acrylic sheet took no effort or time at all to make. I believe that every compenent of a design has its own internal clock that influences the time required, the time it takes, to craft the part.

There’s a beauty that comes from hand crafts, we start of as kids learning how to create things from pipe cleaners and paper cut outs. But as we get older, we develop more advanced skills that is later applied to our handcrafts. Today, people are looking at ways to reduce the impacts made on our environment that is caused by our domestic waste. Sustainability is the new approach in the field of design that is now prominently explored. As designers, we are looking for more effective ways of production which overtime will benefit our planet and future generations. McDonough is a leading visionary designer/architect/writer who first proposed the “cradle to cradle” concept for products (Wasinger, 2009). This concept explored into reusing of products to create an endless cycle of new products from existing products. Craft creates a pathway to creativity as it explores ways to create things from what exists and moulding into something new.

Design is often referred to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;process of translating an idea into something useful.â&#x20AC;? (Spilsbury, 2007). Processing often takes time, and generally it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen in an instant. Processing requires to analyse and finding the best fit solution. Design process can be tedious and time-consuming and it requires designers to tak decisive actions to find the right design outcome (Spilsbury, 2007). We can also use the medium of technical drawing where we can take our design to the next step by adding measurements, and this requires time. Technical drawing is a process used by designers to help aid what the outcome should look like before it is created and gives that sense of accuracy. It can be executed on paper or with the aid of computers to show the detail of the design (Spilsbury,2007). At often times there is that sense of tendency where we rush our process, but it is often better to choose to slow down. The realization of taking your time creates a sense of awareness and allows us to have a clear vision of our design process and allows us to relax (Spencer, 2014).

Management

This concept of time plays a ubiquitous role in the design industry, as designers we are ought to manage our time by creating a time-frame as we work towards achieving an outcome before the set deadline. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Timely completionâ&#x20AC;Ś is frequently seen as a major criterion of project success by clients, contractors and consultants alikeâ&#x20AC;? (p.2) (Bowen et al., 2007). When designers undergo stress and pressure from clients, panic is the outcome and thus results into diverting and skipping small, but significant steps in the design process. It is evident when a designer has set a successful time-frame by the execution of the quality of the outcome. Disciplined management is key to completing a project on time, and that this strenuous management effort will contribute on the costs and quality of the project. (Bowen et al., 2007). Managing time and setting priorities by executing the time consuming tasks first and important ones allows for a successful outcome.

Time management has served an enormous role in my design process; and in general circumstances. When I was younger, I had a strong background in visual arts. Painting takes time to do, and when you are painting for a deadline you are rushing through your work and skipping important details. I managed my time thoughtfully by doing my work straight when I get home, bringing all the necessary tools. I have never gotten a mark lower than the highest possible mark through my school years, so that motivated me into executing my work within the timeframe. Patience also plays a key aspect in painting as you have to wait for the paint to dry before applying more layers. While the paint dries, I use that time not to be wasted and move onto another subject I can focus on for homework.

There was this one time when I got my first official job at KFC as a Summer casual worker in the kitchen. Little did my colleagues know I am a diligent learner. I quickly picked up the tasks and delivering my duties timely and effectively. At one point we were closing down and I was told to clean up the area. Once I finished cleaning up, my work mate who’s been doing it longer than I have said I was cleaning “too clean”. I was cleaning really quickly, but I was doing it at a high standard. Also, being a fast food chain, I worked very fast, too fast that apparently I finished my work too quickly and I it looked as if I was just standing there doing nothing. What I learnt from doing this practice is that I was able to manage my time effectively and efficiently. Managing my time successfully resulted me into finishing work on time and even finishing beforehand.

the easy way up is to follow the crowd climbing the stairs is Your own effort

face new Challenges

Results

The outcome of this research demonstrated that time affects various areas within the field of design. It is evident in this design exploration that time contributes on the outcome of the ability to gain high levels of dexterity, the expenditures that is taken to account in a project, the affect it has on quality and how that all ties up in time management. Patience plays a key aspect in time, for it is patience that sets quality decisiveness. Quality decisiveness allows less room for poorer choices. In conclusion, cost is an outcome of quality, and quality is an outcome of skill. Dexterity cannot be achieved without the knowledge and skills that takes time to learn. As a design student, we learn many new ways of executing our imagination into something physical. In order to do so, we are in practice which requires time over a period of years. Time spent on a process provides room for improvement, thus resulting into a higher quality outcome. From this outcome, cost increases and this is evident through handmade designs. Things take time, it takes time to learn and develop skills, which in hand affects cost, quality. Time management is key in producing a quality outcome.

Dialogue

The aim was to identify the influence of time and patience in my design practice and it was fulfilled through this research. It is evident that they affect how we manage time in projects and from there, how it contributes to the costs and the quality of the outcome. I found new aspects of patience and learnt how that can be a form of decisiveness and an art form. Also, I realised that time is art, the art of patience, relaxation and awareness and how this is an important aspect to my own personal design principle. The research was relevant to my design ethics and discovered the history of handmade items and how I can relate to it. Furthermore, I found that if I continue to pursue hand-crafting it will mean more time to make the product, but on-theother-hand it will reduce the amount of extraction of our Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s resources and slow down the excess consumption of consumer products.

Inference

In a generation of where we live in a world of wanting things to happen â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;nowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, we tend to lose sight of the true value that is invested only through time and patience. Whether that is in making goods and services or in general, the time we spend in activities, there is value in those things when we invest time into. It is evident that we are living in a world of consumerism, that handmade items hold a much higher value over their competition. Patience is shown through the time in labour and skill that is required into the hand making process in such products and their value conveyed at their cost. Time management plays a decisive role as a designer, setting a clear path of steps that need to be executed to reach the desired outcome at the best standard as possible.

Things take time

Bibliography Bateman, J. (2013). Time is Money. Financial Times. [online] Available at: http://go.galegroup.com. ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/ps/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DA-SORT&inPS=true&prodId=AONE&userGroupName=rmit&tabID=T003&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&contentSegment=&searchType=AdvancedSearchForm&currentPosition=18&contentSet=GALE%7CA331220880&&docId=GALE|A331220880&docType=GALE&role= [Accessed 12 Aug. 2014].

In this article, Bateman reviews how we should value our time. Bateman has done an investigation on YouTube video creators on how their content has value because they spent their time into crafting content for viewers who value it in return. Moreover, Bateman discovered that YouTube video creators did not really value their time fairly. ‘In fact many seemed to regard the time that they spent on producing videos as having no monetary value at all’1. Overall, the author provides useful information on how time is valued and comes with a cost. Therefore, the article will help me develop my research on how time creates value into such activities. Bruckner, M., Burger, E., Frühmann, J., Giljum, S. and Hinterberger, F. (2009). Overconsumption?. [ebook] Janetschek, pp.3, 11, 20, 23. Available at: http://www.foe.co.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/overconsumption.pdf [Accessed 12 Aug. 2014].

In this report the authors explores the overconsumption of the global economy. The authors have done a thorough investigation of the global situation of our consumption of resources. In particular, they looked into the history of human consumption, extraction of resources, trades of resources, the consumption of resources, resource efficiency, scenarios for future resource use and the approach of sustainable resource use. The theories are supported by well-known researchers in the field, such as Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI), Austria and GLOBAL 2000 (Friends of the Earth Austria) – IN COOPERATION WITH: Institute for Economic Structures Research (GWS),

Bateman, J. (2013). Time is Money. Financial Times. [online]

Germany. This report is useful for my research topic, I will use the results of overconsumption and how that changes over time. Keegan, T. (2011, July-August). Hand made design. Engineering Designer, 37(4), 4. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA277621111&v=2.1&u=rmit&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=9d6d68ac7ffde6c369cc7491d4fee446

This article examines how handmade designs are of high value of artisans and how that is lost through desk work. Keegan asserts his main points of physical versus digital, where he conveys that ‘gloves [are] substituted with computer screens.’2 In particular, Keegan continues to affirm that ‘academic and written assessments… exclude students whose talents lie in their hands, rather than written word.’3 There is a lack of supporting evidence, however his opinion is in relevance to my assignment as higher value is placed into products that are handmade by artisans who take the time to do it. MacLeod, W., & Pingle, M. (2007). Patience Versus Decisiveness in Decision-Making (pp. 1-2). Retrieved from http://wolfweb.unr.edu/homepage/pingle/Research/Patience-Decisiveness%20 Paper.pdf

In this research report, Macleod and Pingle reviews how rationality affects our decisiveness. The main ideas expressed through his research findings are how decisiveness is influenced by impatience and how it holds virtue because it conserves decisions resources, whereas indecisiveness is influenced by patience which also has virtue because it protects against accepting poor alternative as a choice. The author provides strong research evidence with supporting data collected from experiments which really relates to my character where ‘those more patient sacrifice more decision resources to make higher quality choice,’4 as a person, it takes me a while to make a decision because I want to make certain what I’ve chosen is the thing I really want/need. Michell, K., Bowen, P., Cattell, K., Edwards, P., & Pearl, R. (2007). Stakeholder Perceptions of Contractor Time, Cost and Quality Management on Building Projects. Retrieved from http://www. irbnet.de/daten/iconda/CIB4763.pdf

In this article, the authors explored primary concerns of the clients of the construction industry. The conference focuses on the primary concerns of ‘projects [that] are completed within the budget, on time, and at the required

Keegan, T. (2011, July-August). Hand made design. Engineering Designer, 37(4), 4. MacLeod, W., & Pingle, M. (2007). Patience Versus Decisiveness in Decision-Making (pp. 1-2).

2, 3 4

level of quality.’5 Moreover, they address how behavioural aspects of management faces problems in the construction industry i.e. ‘human factor’ involved. Finally, the proceedings conclude that the practice of time, cost and quality management are comprehensive and effective. Therefore, while the proceedings is useful for an analysis on construction management, the limitations of this report is still of relevance towards my assignment of how time, cost and quality are dependent to one another. Norman, J. (2012). Handmade in Britain. London: V & A Pub.

Norman examines the fascination of handmade objects and how it remains relevant today. Support for these claims are documented through interviews and research of the history in the traditional hand crafting and how it evolved over time with the use of technology. Moreover, Norman breaks this into sections based on specific craft discipline and how materials affected the form and function of a handcrafted item. The main limitation of the findings is that it is solely based on the history of handmade objects made in Britain. Therefore, while the findings are limited to Britain it still provides me the research about how handcrafting takes time and skill and over time handcrafting benefited from the progression of technology. Rosenthal, E. (1986, May 8). THE ART OF BONSAI: TIME AND PATIENCE. New York Times. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA176381468&v=2.1&u=rmit&it=r& p=AONE&sw=w&asid=c7dbdad0ee7c9dc3b8747092ecc3fe04

In this article, Rosenthal explores the art of bonsai and how the process of growing one requires time and patience. The author explains the timely process into growing a bonsai plant and also demonstrates the care of handling the planting and growing process which patience goes hand in hand with the art of bonsai. Moreover, it conveys that it requires high level of skill, knowledge and technique as he further explains using heated wires to increase the flexibility of branches where they use to mould and form by bending, but not breaking. The main limitation of the article is how hey does not convey the key points required in the art of bonsai and touches more on the general process. One the other hand, this article is relevant to my thesis as I explore how great skills take time to master and to apply it by hand applies value into something on high quality.

Michell, K., Bowen, P., Cattell, K., Edwards, P., & Pearl, R. (2007). Stakeholder Perceptions of Contractor Time, Cost and Quality Management on Building Projects.

Saxon, W. (1998). Yuji Yoshimura, 76, a Master Of the Ancient Art of Bonsai. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/04/nyregion/yuji-yoshimura-76-a-master-of-theancient-art-of-bonsai.html

This archived article in the New York Times, Saxon reports on the life of a master of the ancient art of bonsai and touches on the history of the art. Saxon does an investigation of Mr. Yoshimuraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence in the bonsai culture and how he was among the best-known bonsai artists in the US. The author provides a brief history on the milestones on Mr. Yoshimura and provides quotes by the master himself. Thus, allows me to explore my research into how the art of bonsai can be applied to my design exploration of how producing art through hands and the time and care it takes to produce something of great value and beauty. Spencer, E. (2014). Some Things Take Time: Slow Down and Stop Pushing. [Blog] Tiny Buddha. Available at: http://tinybuddha.com/blog/some-things-take-time-slow-down-and-stop-pushing/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2014].

In this blog post, Spencer talks about slowing down and realise things take time. She briefly touches on areas where things take time, for example in relationships, business and in her case spiritual awakening. Spencer talks about her spiritual journey in a type of manifesto. This blog allows me to explore many areas of taking your time can affect awareness and relaxation and is relevant to my research as I discover how taking time impacts my design practice. I am able use this post to help me create my manifesto as I can relate to her topic. Spilsbury, R. (2007). Design and technical art. 1st ed. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library.

Spilsubry demonstrates the areas of design and technical drawing in this book. The author looks at different stages of the design process of a product, from the first stages to the outcome. He examines how form, function and ergonomics affects each different kind of objects and their design. Spilsbury conveys how design processes and technical art takes time to do and how that aids us as designers in every project and career in the design industry. This book allows me to explore for my manifesto as it demonstrates the time it takes to execute technical drawings and design processes and how both require patience to do.

Wasinger, S. (2009). Eco-craft. 1st ed. New York: Lark Books.

This book explores the various way we can recycle, re-craft and restyle with the common domestic household waste. Wasinger demonstrates multiple crafts using items from the household that are considered as to of no use and for disposal. She describes how she is tired of ‘eco-guilt’6 and how she became a ‘re-psycho’7 by reducing her waste by recycling them into crafts. Wasinger provides how craft takes time to work with hands and how it revives worthless objects into something of value. This relates to my research where time is value invested into handcrafts. The State Hermitage Museum, (2014). Ceremonial court dress. [image] Available at: http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/2008/hm3_6_4_7.html [Accessed 9 Aug. 2014]. Toepfer, C. (2014). National Arboretum. [image] Available at: http://www.christophertoepfer.com/ [Accessed 9 Aug. 2014]. Tumblr, (n.d.). Bonsai exhibit highlights. [image] Available at: http://architrk. tumblr.com/ [Accessed 9 Aug. 2014]. Tumblr, (n.d.). Vines on a white brick wall. [image] Available at: http://iartu. blogspot.com.au/ [Accessed 11 Aug. 2014].

6, 7

Wasinger, S. (2009). Eco-craft. 1st ed. New York: Lark Books.