A thesis. ELIZ AB ETH HART MONTGOM E RY A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Communications Design.
P RATT INSTITUTE May 2014
Chairman – Professor Jeff Bellantoni
Advisor – Professor Eric O’Toole
AL L R ELI G I ON S , A RTS A N D S C I E N C E S AR E B RA N CHE S O F T H E SA M E T RE E . ALL THE S E AS P I RAT I O N S A RE D I REC T E D TOWA R D EN N O BL I N G M A N ' S L I F E , LI FTI N G I T F ROM T H E S P H E RE OF MER E P H YS I CA L E X I ST E N C E A N D LEA DI N G T H E I N D I V I D UA L TOWARDS F RE E D OM .
AL BERT EINST IEN 1
Contents
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int roduc t ion c ont e x t h y p ot h e sis m e t h odolog y a udie nc e
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ba c k g round f ra m e work
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orig ins t h e 20t h c e nt ur y c urre nt c onve rsa t ions
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10 que st ions p roc e ss sy nt h e sis
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e va lua t ion ne x t st e p s
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bibliog ra p h y
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Introduc ti on Hypothe si s Me thodolog y Audi e nc e
W ER W I S S E N S C H A F T UN D KU N ST BE S I TZ T, HAT AU C H RE L I GI O N .
[ HE WH O P OS S E S S E S S CI E N C E A N D A RT, A LS O H AS RE L I GI O N .]
GO ET H E 1
Introduction
As noted by contemporary designer Stefen Sagmeister, design as a field has left the realm of style-wars and stylistic radicalism and is now firmly focused on producing social change. "Suddenly, it was hip to be looking at ways of using design to prevent crime, to stop waste, and to benefit all members of society..." Where Sagmeister and many others are concerned with shielding the designer from an onslaught of soul-less projects, my aim is to protect myself and other designers from what at times feels like a soul-less creative process. In recent years, changes in visual communication have been driven by more than technological advances. Designers face social pressures to have a work-life of meaning and purpose. Emotionally charged conversations within the field have discussed and glorified the social impact of design and, more importantly, the ethical role of the designer. Design is increasingly recognized as an agent of behavioral change. It is a tool for disrupting the norm and a harbinger of innovation. These realizations bring with them even more challenge, as well as opportunity, to the field of design. I propose that design, like art, can and should retain a potentially spiritual quality both during the creative process and as it is experienced by viewer. I believe that a creative life should be a sustainable one. By creating space for spiritual fulfillment in my design practice I can better myself, my life, and my work.
One Year of White Space
Context
Much has been written on the importance art plays as a
As noted by Paul Rand, “To design is much more than
transcendent mediator in the human religious experience.
simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit; it is to add
College libraries are filled with books about religious
value and meaning, to illuminate, to simplify, to clarify,
painting, music, and architecture. Yet while these forms
to modify, to dignify, to dramatize, to persuade, and
remain celebrated as vehicles for the sacred – the spiritual
perhaps even to amuse. To design is to turn prose into
opportunities specific to design remain relatively ignored
poetry. Design broadens perception, magnifies experience,
(if not denied).
and enhances vision.”2 Design can and should have a transcendent quality. It should be able to affect both the
Contemporary designer and scholar Daniel Kantor, who
material and immaterial aspects of our lives. As designers
has written perhaps the only text on the subject, poses that
we must question and challenge the discourse that
this assumption hides the true nature of the field. He argues supports our own narrative, reaching for one that that design is a potent form of expression, more than
integrates the whole of a designer’s motivations into the
competent to navigate the intellect and the imagination.
cannon.
For both the inexperienced and vested designer, professional life can be trying. Firmly rooted in the material realm of deadlines, computer crashes, compensation (or lack there of) it is easy to see professional design as a series of limitations. At times during my own practice I have felt that these realities were indeed a serious liability to personal grace, imagination, wonder, hope and faith – and in many ways they undeniably are. However, the life of a professional designer offers no more challenge than any other lifestyle and in many ways provides a somewhat autonomous creative outlet. Clients, technology, and the demands of an ever smaller and yet somehow larger world are present, but they do not justify the demystification an entire creative field.
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W HY H AV E W E BECOM E L I K E G ODS AS T EC H N O LO GI STS
?
A N D L I K E DEVI L S AS MO RA L BE I N GS
L EWIS MUM FO RD 3
IT I S N OT TECH N O LO GY AS S U C H T H AT OB ST RUCTS THE ART I ST ’ S C RE AT I V E P OWE R S , BUT THE CI R CUMSTA N C E T H AT S O C I E T Y FA I L S TO CON T RO L T EC H N O LO GY.
PAU L RAND 2
E. H. Montgomery
Hypothesis
At the onset of this project I felt sure that there was an opportunity for spiritual development in the design process. However, my belief that a faith-seeking design process would lead to a better outcome for the intended audience of a given piece of design work was less strong. To imbue secular work with a sense of the spiritual seemed, and seems, a thing that must be entirely subjective and possibly the result of sheer luck. As I began this year-long journey, combing both the annals of history and my own identity for strings I could tie together into a cohesive narrative, I recognized at once that to move forward I would need, for the sake of brevity and clarity, to understand design as a form of art and religion as a form of spiritual expression.
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Methodology
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Explore the intersection of spiritual development and design practice, as noted in the cannon of art/design history
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Examine my own spiritual path and determine my own spiritual goals
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Explore various practices that will allow me to access, engage, and develop my spirituality.
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Amend my own design process with a focus on integrating my spiritual, creative, and professional objectives
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Synthesize my thoughts, research, and analysis by creating a tool to aid others in tackling this complex and highly personal problem.
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Reflect and assess the importance, relevance and possible impact of my findings.
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Themes
Graphic design (for a secular client & audience) Graphic design (for a religious client & audience) Religious art Spiritual art Sacred art Mindfulness Contemplation Meditation Design Process
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Audience
I have approached this project with the lens of my own specific concerns and opportunities. That being said, the slowly increasing dialog on meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation throughout the design community indicates that these themes may be of interest to many who choose to support themselves financially through creative endeavor.
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N O D O U BT MOST D E S I GN E RS H AV E I N DE E D F E LT L I KE PR OST I T U T E S AT ON E T I M E O R A N OT H E R, S ELL I N G T H E M S E LV E S TO S OMEB O DY T H EY D I S L I K E .
AL EX CAM ERO N 4
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Bac kground Frame w ork
A RT I STS , I N A WAY A R E RE L I GI O US A N Y WAY. THEY H AV E TO BE , I F BY R EL I GI O N O N E M E A N S B ELI EV I NG T H AT L I F E H AS S OME S I GN I F I CA N C E A N D S OM E M E A N I N G, W HI CH I S W H AT I T H I N K I T H AS . A N A RTI ST CO U L D N OT E X I ST W I THOU T BE L I EV I N G T H AT. H ENRY MO O RE 5
E. H. Montgomery
Ba ckground
Despite the fact that the first books printed in the western world were mostly biblical in nature, the large majority of design history is focused not on the spiritual but the functional nature of the field. While many of the most recognizable designers of the past included thoughts on the importance of religion in their manifestos and essays (William Morris, Eric Gill, El Lissitsky, Kandinsky to name a few), the modern reader will struggle to find a comprehensive or authoritative text on the subject as a whole. Digging deeper, beyond the narrowest of historical cannons (Megg’s History of Design) the apparently irreligious history of design belies an underlying tide of spirituality, mysticism, and in some cases even piety.
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Framework
Religion is a term that alludes to major systems of belief
Today we recognize the continuing inspiration and impact of religious symbols. But is that sufficient to render all art
found in society. These cultural systems defined by
or design containing these symbols as inherently religious?
necessary adherence to unique systems of tradition
Is it sufficient even to maintain the possibility of spiritual
and behavior.
expression within the context of the design profession? To answer those questions the reader will have to consider
Spirituality references a non-specific faith or a belief
successively: to what extent all design is art, to what extent
that does not require tradition or understanding but is
all art is implicitly religious, what makes particular creative
founded on a nebulous and ephemeral belief that there is
practices explicitly spiritual, and how to meaningfully
an unknown something that is set apart from our physical
understand the ways a secular culture affects these modes
experience. Unlike religious practice which often requires
of expression.
physical action and communal interaction, spirituality can be explored abstractly and on the terms of an individual.
To begin to answer these questions, I took stock of my subjective and limited understanding of these fields and
Religious art is often the direct product of religious
concluded that design is participatory and requires the
cannon. In western European paintings from the Middle
consent of the viewer but should also push the viewer out
Ages it is quite common to see religious symbolism and
of his or her comfort zone, opening them to new feelings
iconography employed to activate faith but not deepen
and experiences. Just as the authentic religious or spiritual
it. Religious art is most easily defined as the commercial
experience results in a heightened awareness of what
visuals used by the church to aid and supplement the
truly is and a willingness to let it be, the aesthetic
liturgy. From the western perspective, this art form rose to
experience can lead to new ontological perceptiveness
an unprecedented height in the middle ages when money
and understanding.
and power sprung directly from the church, fueling demand and creating ever higher standards for supply. With the
Notably, the terms ‘religious’ and ‘spiritual’ are frequently
advent of secularism and the subsequent drop in church
used interchangeably – this lack of differentiation muddies
attendance the liturgical arts have most commonly become
the water and creates confusion in an already complex
an afterthought. As noted by Pope Paul VI the church has
conversation. For the sake of clarity and focus in this paper
often prized “art works of poor quality… art and beauty, and
these terms will be loosely (and hardly impartially) defined.
worse still, the worship of God, have been badly served.”6
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Spiritual art is heavily influenced by Aristotelian
understood from the astonished realization we experi-
aesthetics, mysticism, and the relatively new field of
ence in privileged moments and encounters… which
psychology. The essence of spiritual art is described
elicit wonder.”8
succinctly by minimalist painter Wendy Beckett “We are taken into a realm that is potentially open to us - we are made more what we are meant to be.”7 Conceptually the works of these artists are not linked to a particular religious practice but instead to a near Jungian search for the collective unconscious. Spiritual art is not conceived in service to liturgical practice or concrete tradition, instead it draws from a faith in art itself. Spiritual art breathes imagination and wonder into it’s viewers. It is the result of an integration between ontology, functionality and aesthetics. The specific feelings expressed in the work must be both articulated and constituted in the creative process itself. As noted by the 20th century catholic theologian Karl Rahner “true art
Theology cannot exist merely in the abstract but must be explored and experienced concretely. Experiencing authentically spiritual art, whether as a creator or witness can expose the truths of the human experience that point towards holy mystery and draw us closer towards enlightenment.
always embodies a very definite, particular, and historical instance of human transcendence.”8 Spiritual art triumphs in the union of two shallowly disparate but deeply similar practices. Hans Urs von Balthasar, a contemporary of Rahner whose life work has been focused aesthetic theology concluded that the contemplation of God can be likened to the contemplation of art. “The perception of God,” he writes,“- can be best
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Or ig ins: Reli gi ous Roots T h e 20th Centur y Cu r ren t Conversati ons
IT I S THE CONT I N UA L I N T E RAC T I O N W I TH OB J EC TS A N D I M AGE S THAT MA K E S O N E RE L I GI O US I N A PA RT I C U L A R M A N N E R. CO L L E E N MC DANNEL L , M ATERIA L CHRISTIA N IT Y 9
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ORIGIN S:
Religious Roots In the history of writing (worthy of an entirely separate
Scholar and designer Daniel Kantor observed that
inquiry) the most obvious catalyst for production is religion.
“Illuminated texts traditions flourished during a time when
The system of writing conceived and implemented by
God (any god) was the focal point of the civilized mind. In
the Egyptians in the Bronze Age coined Hieroglyphics,
medieval times one’s church, temple, or mosque was likely
quite literally means “writing of the gods.”10 According
the only place that one could encounter any kind of art.”6
to the Egyptians it was the god Toth who created and
As the ideal of secularism took root in western culture it
bestowed the gift of writing upon mankind. Interest in and
created a white space between the artist or designer and
supplication to the divine was without doubt present in
the content and intended message of their work, a space
the earliest of written languages. Similarly, the Chinese
filled with infinite choice.
attribute a divine origin to writing. Unlike the Egyptians the brush script of this eastern power has remained essentially
While many contemporary illuminators and scribes
unchanged and is currently practiced world-wide.
discuss the practice of combining text and illustration as a synthesis of the head, heart, and hand, limited resources
Tracing the origins of design to that of the intentionally
exist to inform the modern reader of the intentions and
written word, words meant to frame and dominate every
internal process practiced by earlier scribes. What can be
aspect of life, illuminated texts are an obvious starting
assumed about the work of earlier artisans and lay-people
place. Illuminated texts in the simplest sense are merely
is that nearly all the writing in medieval world (both East
a narrative communicated through the use of symbolic
and West) had a specifically religious origin and purpose.
material, image, and text. Cross-culturally, from the Karcmarik Book of Hours to the Koro dynasty manuscripts
As the world became (and becomes) ever more secular,
of the Lotus Sutra, the creation of these works is believed
design became less focused on the communicating the
to be an act of prayer and devotion – a form of aesthetic
spiritual and more invested in commercial pursuits. The
and theosophical creation that firmly integrates creative
shift from a persuasive spiritual to a persuasive commercial
process and religious experience. A manuscript tells a
message is one that started by freeing the designer from
story with words and images, an illumination allows
dogma and traditionalism but also created a void where
both the reader and the maker to transcend the literal
there was originally not one.
interpretation of the tale and instead focuses the attention on what is unsaid and invisible.
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(top) Ahmad Al-Nayrizi, A Manuscript of Prayers, dated 1700 AD paper, black ink, gold ground, pigments, 20.5 x 13 cm, Sotheby's Collection (bottom) Book of Hours, dated 1670 AD, France paper, black ink, gold ground, pigments, 13.6 x 16 cm, Sotheby's Collection
Illumination (noun)
1 . ligh ting or ligh t; 2. clarification, 3 . s p i r i t u a l o r inte lle ctual e nligh te nme nt
One Year of White Space
The 20th Centur y
As the world became ever more secular, design became
Succinctly defined by the Met’s Department of European
less focused on the communicating the spiritual and more
Paintings, “Symbolist painters believed that art should
invested in commercial pursuits. Poised on the precipice
reflect an emotion or idea rather than represent the
of industrialism, modernism, and psychoanalysis, early
natural world in the objective, quasi-scientific manner
modern designers were acutely aware of the gap between
embodied by Realism and Impressionism.”11 A key tenant
body and soul.
of this style was the belief in the artist as visionary, able to engage the collective imagination cumulating in an ability
Two hundred years after the golden age of illumination the
to communicate and express an otherwise invisible truth.
church, at one point the most powerful social and political
As naturalism was an intensely focused exploration of the
entity, is no longer revered or feared but questioned,
physical world, symbolism was a rigorous examination of
challenged, and dismissed. The rationalism that upheld
the mind and inner self using mythical and dream imagery.
the principles of the undeniably popular realist movement dismissed the mystical and the imaginative.
At the turn of the twentieth century the concepts of the symbolist movement began to diversify to the point of
While the symbolist movement is largely ascribed to
dissolution. However, the aesthetic approach spread and
the realms of art and writing it has had a profound,
was applied to a wide range of design disciplines including
if underestimated, impact on the trajectory of design.
the Arts and Crafts Movement, Art Nouveau, DeStil,
Spearheaded by the poet and essayist Jean Moréas at
the Bauhaus.
the end of the 19th century, his manifesto Le Symbolisme published in 1886 was a direct response to the realist
Largely helmed by William Morris, the Arts & Crafts
or naturalist movement. In this radical tome Moréas
movement was a reactionary set of creative ideals and
contested and bemoaned the results of materialism, “In this aesthetic principles that lay in stark contrast to the art, scenes from nature, human activities, and all other real
burgeoning materialism of the newly industrial landscape.
world phenomena will not be described for their own sake;
Opposing modernity and industry, this movement
here, they are perceptible surfaces created to represent
celebrated the art of craft. While ornament is of great
their esoteric affinities with the primordial Ideals."
importance to the
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THE A RT I ST I S A BRI D GE FR OM W H AT I S O B S E RVA BL E A N D FA MI L I A R TOWA RD WH AT I S UN FATHOMA BL E A N D C E N S O RE D.
GUSTAV MO REAU 8
Ar n o l d B รถ c kl in , A is l e o f th e De ad ; ve rsion t h re e , 1882, oil on wood, Alt e Na t iona lg a le rie , Be rlin.
One Year of White Space
work from this epoch, it was not considered to be mere decoration and was always secondary to the function of the object. Morris’ collegiate activity is an early demonstration in his interest in both the spiritual and the artistic, entering Oxford he intended to take holy orders before switching to Architecture and then finally Painting. His personal tastes ebbed towards the decorative styles found in medieval art. Morris’ works are characterized by hand-craftsmanship, simplicity of design, and mythic and medieval iconography – and are symptomatic of a time when religion was not necessarily disappearing but was being transformed and exercised in increasingly personalized ways. As noted in a 1900 New York Times article “His whole life would seem tacitly expressed proof of [his] essential faith in religion”.12 Directly linking Morris’s ideals and the Symbolist antiindustrial axioms is this withering critique from his 1908 essay News from Nowhere; “Civilization tends to reduce man to a machine without a will. … The scientific ideal of the future of man would appear to be an intellectual paunch, nourished by circumstances over which he has no control, and without the faculty of communicating the results of his intelligence to his brother paunches… I demand a free and unfettered animal life for man.”13 Morris splits from the symbolist movement in these ways… materials, naturalism, physical realities. As a designer he was interested in function at the real level, “'I began printing books', he wrote, 'with the hope of producing some which would have a definite claim to beauty, while at the same time they should be easy to read and should not dazzle the eye, or trouble the intellect of the reader by eccentricity of form in the letters.’”14 For Morris, the aesthetic, the spiritual, and the functional informed each other to create a more effective finished project.
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THE FOL LOWI N G PAGE S P ROV I D E V I S UA L EXA M P L E S O F WO RK PR ODUCE D BY 2 0 TH C E N T U RY DE S I G N ER S WH O L I K E MO RRI S , US ED THE I R P RO F E S S I O N TO S I MULTAN EO US LY E N GAGE THE S P I R I TUA L , T H E A E ST H E T I C A N D TH E F U N C T I O N A L .
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WILLIAM MORRIS “YO U MAY B E SURE THAT A N Y D ECORATION IS FUTIL E , A N D H A S FA L L E N IN TO AT L E A ST T H E F I RST STAGE OF DEGRA DATION , W H EN I T D OE S N OT RE MIN D YOU O F SOM E T HIN G B EYON D ITSE L F.” 1 5
Wil l iam Mo r r is , Tu l ip a n d Willow (dra wing f or bloc k p rint e d f a bric ), 1873 26
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Wi l lia m Mo r r is , An g e l o f th e Re s u r re c t ion; Ca r t oon f or St a ine d Gla ss, 1862, TATE c olle c t ion 27
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KOLOMON MOSER
Ko l o m o n Mo s e r d e s ig n f o r t e x t ile , 1899 ink , g a uc h e , wove p a p e r, 44 x 33 c m
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Ko l o m o n Mo s e r win d ow d e sig n f or t h e St ie nh of f c h urc h , Aust ria , 1903 -1907
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ERIC GILL “ T H E F RE E MA N DOE S WHAT HE L IK E S I N H I S WO R K I N G TIME A N D IN HIS SPA RE TIME W H AT I S REQUIRE D OF HIM. T H E S LAV E D O ES WHAT HE IS OB L IGE D TO DO I N H I S WO R K I N G TIME A N D WHAT HE L IK E S TO DO O N LY W H EN HE IS N OT AT WORK” 1 6
(opposite page) Eric Gill, Part of a Drawing for Gill Sans,1932, Pencil and Wash on Paper. (above) Eric Gill, Excerpt from The Four Gospels, 1894, Engraving.
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THEO van DOE SBERG
“A RT S HOU L D N OT D E A L W I T H THE 'US EF U L ' O R T H E ' N I C E ' , BU T W I T H T H E ' S P I RI T UA L ' A N D T H E ' S U BL I M E ' . THE P U RE ST A RT FO RM S DO N OT CAUS E THE DECO RAT I V E C H A N GE OF S OME D E TA I L F ROM L I F E , BU T T H E I N N E R META MO RP H OS I S O F L I F E , THE REVA LUAT I O N OF A L L VA LU E S .” 17
( o p p o st i e p a ge, l e f t) T h e o van Do e s b u r g , C o mp osit ion XII (Wom a n in St udio), 1918, Oil on Ca nva s, 51 x 3 9.5cm. (op p o si t e p a ge, ri ght) T h e o va n Do e s b u r g , Arc h e r (de sig n f or p ost e r), 1919, Pe nc il a nd g a uc h e on wove p a p e r, 12 .5 x 8.3 i n.
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EL LISSITSKY “EVE RY FORM IS THE F ROZ EN I N STA N TA N EOUS P ICTURE OF A P ROCE SS. T H U S A WORK IS A STOP P IN G-P L ACE O N T H E ROA D OF B ECOMIN G A N D N OT THE FIX E D GOA L” 1 8
El Lis s its ky, Vic t or y O ve r t h e Sun, Lit h og ra p h , 1913.
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El Lis s its ky, C ove r Pa g e f or Ch a d Ga dy a , 1922 L e t t e rp re ss, 20.9 x 25.3c m .
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PAUL NASH
Pau l Na s h ( Il l u s tra t ion) Ge ne sis, 1924 Woodc ut , 190 x 242m m .
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(top) Pau l Na s h , Oppy Wood. 1917. Eve ning , 1918 oil on c a nva s. (bottom) Pa u l Na s h , Sh e l l Oil Post e r, 1935 Lit h og ra p h in c olors, 76 x 114c m . 37
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BEN SHAHN
Be n Sh a h n , Exc e r p t f rom t h e Alp h a be t of Cre a t ion,1972.
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Be n Sh ah n , Il l u s trat ion f or t h e Gre a t Ide a s of We st e r n Ma n se rie s by C o n ta in e r C o r po ratio n of Am e ric a , ba se d on a quot e f rom Joh n Morle y. 39
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CU RREN T CON VE RSATIONS
Design is Mindfulness While it was difficult to find a reputable contemporary designer with an openly religious practice, many seem to be open to spiritual practices encouraging mindfulness (e.g. Meditation). Across the globe, academic programs are springing up that deal with this concept in one way or another, and creative firms like IDEO have contemplative practices built into their core values. Many seem to have found a similar truth through different paths. In this new understanding of design the aesthetic, the functional and the spiritual work together to create greater attention to detail and generate empathy. On the following pages you'll find a collection of thoughts and images from some of these designers.
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“I THI N K T H AT M I N D F U L N E S S I S AT THE H E A RT O F D E S I GN , A N D TH AT ’ S W H Y I T H I N K I T I S P OS S I B L E TO D E S I GN A L I F E .” T IM BROWN 19
Tim Brown , Il l u s tra t ion f rom t h e t e x t Ch a ng e by De sig n, 2009.
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St efen Sag m e is te r, T h e Happy Sh ow, Ph ila de lp ia Ar t Muse um , 2012, p h ot o by Susa n S c h ne ide r.
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THER E W E RE T I M E S D U RI N G MEDI TAT I O N WH E N I F E LT I T R EA L LY WO RKI N G A N D THI N K I N G: " W H Y I S N OT EV ERYB O DY D O I N G T H I S A L L THE TI ME? " , A N D T H E N T H E RE W ER E TIM E S W H E N I F E LT I T DI FFI C U LT A N D BO RI N G.
ST EFEN SAGM EIST ER 20
I SAW TRA N S FO RM AT I O N S . I SAW A G RO U P O F YO U N G G RA P H I C D E S I GN E RS CON TEM P L AT E T I M E A N D S PACE AN D BECOM E MO RE CON TEN T A N D MO RE E N GAGE D. I SAW THE M A P P LY GRA P H I C DE S I G N TH I N K I N G TO FO C US THEI R AT T E N T I O N I N GE N T L E S PACI OUS N E S S A N D N OT F I L L EV ERY MOM E N T WI T H A N A BUN DA N C E O F T H O U GH T. I WATCHE D AS T H E I R S E N S E P ER CEPT I O N S H E I GH T E N E D. DAVID GREY 21
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Dav id Gre y, po s te r d e s ig n f o r WAS TE / NOT : a n e x h ibit ion of re c yc le d m a t e ria ls, 2010.
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Mic h aĂŤ l Har b o u n , St ills f rom t h e Living K it c h e n vide o, 2010.
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THE DE S I G N ER I S GE N E RAT I N G A M I N DS E T W HI CH I S T H E N S H A RE D THR OU GH T H E P RO D U C T. I T I S V ERY E ASY TO LOS E S I G HT OF W H AT M AT T E RS I N THE DE S I GN P RO C E S S , W HAT MAT TE RS I N T H E P RO D U C T A N D END E X P E RI E N C E . IT CA N B E HA RD TO S E E T H E FO RE ST BU T EASY TO S E E A S I N GL E T RE E , I N THI S WAY CO N T E M P L AT I O N , M EDI TATI ON , A ND S I M P L E T H O U GH T CA N LE A D TO G R EAT E R C L A RI T Y O F I N T E N T. MICH Aﾃ記 H ARBO U N 22
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10 Que sti ons Proc ess Synthesi s
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THE J OUR N EY I U N D E RTO O K TO DEV ELOP A S P I RI T UA L D E S I GN PRACTI C E WAS N OT L I N E A R. THE FOLLOW I N G PAGE S S UM U P THE EVO LU T I O N O F H OW I UN DER STO O D T H E P RO BL E M I WAS H O P I N G TO S O LV E .
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10 Questions
Q A
Why is the graphic design for my church so terrible?
The (almost) disturbing campiness / dullness of the graphic design I witness in my church is in direct
opposition to the beauty of the architectural space itself. As noted by scholar Daniel Kantor, “Arguments are sometimes made against the strategic use of design within religion on the premise that religion must not be concerned with the superficial material world. To remain rooted in ones relationship with God, the argument asserts, one must not dwell on how things appear at the surface. Rather it is the inner depth of ones relationship with the divine that matters. Similar contentions suggest that the excessive sacraments, ephemera, and illuminated manuscripts of the medieval church constituted an abuse of power and resources that should have been directed in more meaningful ways.”6
As a member of the Episcopal Church I am usually spared excessive clip-art in favor of a traditional and crampedto-the-point-of-confusion style. The Episcopal Church is near enough to the Catholic Church to have missed the iconoclast leanings of later protestant sects. While I do appreciate the fact that the aesthetics of traditional design lend themselves conceptually to an organization founded on tradition, reason, and scripture – I think that the Episcopal church should appeal to the contemporary viewer – updating their design output to reflect the welcoming and inclusive nature of the faith.
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Q A
Is there a place for spirituality or piety in the secular world of contemporary design?
Seems like it. Organizations like Ideo and Sagemeister Walsh along with a handful of others are integrating
meditative practices into their core values and company work style. As pointed out by David Grey, the chair of the
Santa Fe University Design department;
“G RA P HIC DE SIGN B ECOME S MUCH MORE T H A N J U ST A N A P P L ICATION O F V I S UA L COMMUN ICATION . I T B ECOME S A WAY OF SE E IN G. I T B ECOM E S A WAY OF A P P RECIATIN G. I T B ECOME S A WAY OF B E IN G. B ECAUSE OF THIS, W E CA N USE THE P RACTICE O F GRA P HIC DE SIGN A S A M E THOD TO DEV E LOP P U RE R P E RCE PTION . I T CA N HE L P WA K E US UP.” 21
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Q A
Does effective graphic design have a place in the church?
Theologian and social scientist Colleen McDaniel’s text, “Material Christianity” makes the bold claim that
“[w]e can no longer accept that the 'appearance' of religion is inconsequential to the 'experience' of religion... It is through the visible world that the invisible world becomes known and felt.”9 Systematically ignoring the impact and importance of design in a day an age when "everything needs to be worth Instagramming." sets the stage and sends the message that the Episcopal church is more stuck in the dogmatic and inflexible past than it actually is. Like theologian Belden Lane, I agree that “the impulse to discover the holy in the corporeal experience of ones physical environment is a universal phenomenon, rooted in the human manner of being-in-world.”23 – as designers we have the opportunity to bring the divine and the sublime into our own lives and to those of others. So yes, design has a place in the church. However, whether or not the church has the budget or is willing to risk offending the older patrons on the chance of attracting new ones is not an issue I can reasonably address.
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One Year of White Space
Q A
Why do I have a faith practice that is merely academic?
I am too busy (aka I am not great at prioritizing my faith practice). While my religious practice is something
I always benefit from it often falls by the wayside in comparison to more superficial daily tasks.
Q A
Can I blur the lines between my spiritual interests and my secular professional life?
Yes but its on me. At this point in time the common discourse of the design community is tilted in
another (more utilitarian) direction. I can take steps to adapt the part of my design career I have control over – my design process.
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Q A
Why is spirituality important to me?
First and foremost I am a person with strong and unshakable religious beliefs. I agree with French
philosopher Ernest Renen that, “Religion is not a popular error; it is a great instinctive truth, sensed by the people, expressed by the people.”24 I feel strongly connected to this so-called ‘faith instinct’ and despite the occasional bout of agnosticism remain happily resigned to a life of faith. Coming from the perspective as an artist, I am acutely aware of the switch from communicating esoteric ideals to material realities that occurs within the design profession. While Edward Tufte is not wrong when he states that “Good design is a lot like clear thinking made visual.”25 – I believe that there are something that a person simply cannot think clearly about. Spirituality necessitates ample room for ambiguity and space for tones of grey.
Q A
Is there a difference between religion and spirituality?
Yes. Religion implies and demands practice, ritual, tradition, and dogma – spirituality does not.
For some this difference matters. For me it does not. I believe that both aim at the same target – an understanding of the invisible and intuitive.
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One Year of White Space
Q A
What is the difference between artists and designers?
The differentiation between artist and designer is relatively new and relatively irrelevant for the purposes
of this paper. It is notable only so far as it a distinction generally made with in the creative world. While defining what an “artist” is becomes a rather hefty task given the lengthy history of human expression, Graphic design is a somewhat easier endeavor. American Designer William Addison Dwiggens coined the term in 192226, today universally acknowledged as the title for the occupation of an artist engaged in communication or advertising design. Digging deeper into the words “graphic” itself – one will find that it stems from the Greek word of Graphikos, which means: able to draw or paint. It is equivalent to the word Gráphein which implies; to draw or to write. Text and image, despite the content all graphic design is born from these two modes of communication. Efficient design, or the dreadedly arbitrary term “good design” are surely the product of text, image, and something more. The something more is the element of the sublime, that raises the viewers level of perception and allows them to glimpse a greater, less cliché message. The something more is what enables designers to shrug off the concept that design is simply art’s less sacred, less creative, sell out brother. The practice of creation regardless of the mode enables the creator a path, however small to ontological and transcendental experience.
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Q A
Does this difference matter?
After asking my teachers, my mentors, my peers, and myself this question – I was left with the knowledge
that this difference is as important as an individual would like to be. While the subjective and arbitrary nature of this finding is frustrating – the experience of asking, listening and contemplating had the payoff of giving me a deeper understanding of both. Extensive reflection on the matter led me to establish that for the sake of my own design practice I need to let go of this question. At the end of the day it does not matter. What does matter is the gratitude and appreciation I feel at the chance to think creatively and take delight in my work. As Ayn Rand quipped;
“ W H E T H ER I T ’S A SYMP HON Y OR A COA L MIN E , A L L WO RK IS A N ACT OF CRE ATIN G A N D COM ES FROM THE SA ME SOURCE : F ROM A N IN V IOL ATE CA PACITY TO S EE T H ROUGH ON E ’S OWN EYE S — W H I C H M EA N S: THE CA PACITY TO P E RF O RM A RATION A L IDE N TIFICATION — W H I C H M E A N S: THE CA PACITY TO SE E , TO CO NN ECT A N D TO MA K E W H AT H A D N OT B E E N SE E N , CO N N EC T E D A N D MA DE B E FORE ." 27
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Process
The following is excerpted from my Process Book.
I was pretty sure that my design processwas missing something. So I went looking for it. This is the result of that journey.
How did I get here? I sold out at age 15. I had to wear a bright orange t-shirt. Bright orange is not my color. It isn’t even in my top 5 colors. But in the summer, there I was, spending a few days a week sitting in an adirondack chair getting paid to be a beach attendant in a bright orange t-shirt. I liked what I could buy when I had a job, but it really wasn’t just about the money*. Making small sacrifices like wearing the worst t-shirt in the world allowed me to buy the feeling of adult-ness. Selling out a little bit of my personal aesthetic allowed me to buy a life that was not entirely dependent on others. It gave me the freedom to make choices I otherwise would not have been able to make. Like most people I am a pretty big fan of freedom. At 22 I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine art and did not over-think the repercussions of dropping a daily art practice and pursuing a career in graphic design. Like most 22 year olds I didn’t over think many things aside from my social life.
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At this point it really was about the money. With any luck, I would end up leading a beautiful and sustainable life that could support my more creative interests. Four years and one masters degree later I don’t regret it. I like 'design thinking' (full disclosure: I’m still not 100% sure what that means). I love that I get to make work that is meant to inspire action and transform experiences. I’m glad that I get paid to be thoughtful, strategic, and creative. That being said... Despite the fact the computer is a creative instrument, I find sitting in front of it day-after-day to be pretty tiresome/possibly demoralizing/generally not cool. I know from experience that there will be days when a client will choose a solution that I wouldn’t, or ask for an impossibly huge project to be turned around in 24 hours. The client may always be right, but that doesn’t mean they have great taste, or understand how to communicate effectively, Being a graphic designer, like being a person in general, means that there are a lot of things that are out of my control. It isn’t all terrible. Frankly, it’s not even that bad but given the chance to spend some time solving a problem, I figured I would spend my time solving one I hope to face everyday. With all this in mind I felt that I needed to find a way to re-position the act of ‘professional design’. And I knew that an inspirational poster or mood-boosting app was not going to solve the problem. I was searching for a scalable practice that I could integrate into my design process that would leave me feeling spiritually revitalized by my profession, not drained and disconnected.
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The journey I took to find this practice went something like this: I recognized the problem. Well really I thought of a problem that was the result of a bigger problem. So I started asking questions. I started thinking. Then I spent about 3 months researching. It wasn’t very interesting. I was pretty sure I was missing something. So I started to think more abstractly. I asked more critical questions, and then I realized that the little problem I had been addressing was merely a symptom of a larger problem that was much more interesting. Then I re-framed my research and my focus, and that’s when I realized that this project was not about a design problem in the traditional sense. It was about opening up conversations on little discussed, often ignored aspects of design through the creation and application of a process. This new problem was…big. Very big. And it was hard to think about. So I took a lot of naps, read a lot of books, tried a bunch of different meditation practices and buried myself in other work. Regardless of time lost, one day I started doing. Then after six months of experimenting I felt ready and I began to synthesize what I had learned into a somewhat linear and repeatable process. This was also hard. And scary. And sometimes frustrating. I learned that at times it was hard to be meditative about being meditative. I took a few more naps. I meditated more. I kept asking questions. I took notes. I thought hard. I started making. Sometimes meditation did not help. I kept thinking and stopped napping. Gradually and then suddenly it began to take effect. In this space I integrated my design process into the whole of my life and I integrated the whole of my life into my design process. I became less judgmental of my own work and less affected by the environment around me. I became more present in whatever moment I was in and more fulfilled by the task at hand. I took my headphones off and listened to the world around me. And my work seemed to jump out of whatever rut it was in. And taking risks and getting away with them felt right. So I did. And that’s why I wrote this book. I still don’t like sitting and working on a computer for 8+ hours. Email still bothers me on principle. But like I said on page two, I am a bit of a sell out. And that’s ok.
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How my research evolved in 32 questions: 1.
Why is the graphic design for my church so terrible?
2.
Does effective graphic design have a place in the Episcopal church?
3.
Is this exploration relevant to the design community at large?
4. Why is design driven by information and not intuition? 5.
Why does the cannon of design ignore/downplay spiritual motivations and effect?
6.
Is there a place for spirituality or piety in the secular world of contemporary design?
7.
Why do I have a faith practice that is merely academic?
8.
Can I blur the lines between my spiritual interests and my secular professional life?
9.
Why is spirituality important to me?
10. What are my spiritual goals? 11. Why do I feel that art is more cathartic than design? 12. Why isn’t design commonly considered a spiritual art form? 13. Can I re-frame design as a sacred art form? 14. What is the difference between artists and designers? 15. What is the difference between art and design? 16. Does this difference matter? 17. Is there a difference between religion and spirituality? 18. What are the major barriers to leading a spiritually fulfilling professional life? 19. Can I address these barriers through a change in behavior? 20. What is mindfulness? 21. What is meditation? 22. Is there a difference between contemplation, meditation and mindfulness? 23. Can mindfulness improve design? 24. What meditation practices should I try? 25. Can I integrate meditation practices into my design process? 26. Can I do interpretive dance in an office? 27. Can I use my religious inclinations to guide my meditation practice? 28. How can I tell if this whole meditation thing is working? 29. Is meditation helping my design practice and changing the work I am creating? 30. Am I done yet? 31. How do I systematize my learnings into a process that can be repeated and shared? 32. What do I do now?
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The process I established for filling this void went something like: 1.
Recognized the need for spiritual engagement in my design process
2. Treated this need as a design problem, sought out a solution backed by strategy, systems and process. 3.
Started small
4.
Started tracking my mood.
5. Was uncomfortably introspective and generated a deep understanding of what I was trying to fix. 6.
Searched for relevant meditation practices.
7.
Adapted the ones that were ok. Ditched the ones that sucked.
8. Kept tracking my mood. 9.
Kept trying things.
10. Generated a unique and scalable practice that complemented my design process. 11. Got comfortable with the idea that not every project or every day presents an equal opportunity for spiritual growth and development. 12. Realized that aside from adaptation and determination there was no concrete or constant solution for integrating the spiritual and the secular. 13. Repeat.
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Things I tried along the way:
HE ADSPACE
AS H TA N GA YO GA
What it is:
What it is:
Guided meditation app
Yoga practice
Why I tried it:
Why I tried it:
Since I’m usually just using my smart-phone to catch up
I’ve found it effective in the past and wanted to see if I
on celebrity gossip I figured that
could observe its effects
a meditation app might be a nice change of pace.
from a design perspective.
How it went:
How it went:
The first few times I liked it. After getting through what
I’ve had a sporadic and surface level interest in yoga
felt like a lot of introductory videos I did my first guided
for the past ten years. I took classes at an elite gym
meditation. Afterwards I felt relaxed and upbeat but
in NYC and the competitive nature of the atmosphere
when my phone started buzzing
was a distraction.
with meditation reminders I felt less relaxed.
I struggled to be in the moment for the duration of class. Since I had to plan ahead to get there it felt
Without the reminders I kept forgetting to do the
more like a job than an exciting possibility.
meditations - I guess an i-phone is not where Verdict:
I instinctively go to unplug.
+ physical activity Verdict:
+ with people
+ good design throughout
- with people
+ great content
- not office appropriate
+ British accent
- somewhat structured
- digital experience Take away:
- too structured
Not a great option for this particular problem but nice Take away:
for overall well-being.
Moving forward I would keep the ideas but ditch the regimen.
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FIVE R HY THMS
BREATHING MEDITATION
What it is:
What it is:
Meditative dance practice
Loosely-guided Buddhist practice
Why I tried it: The idea of a two hour free-form dance class was so
Why I tried it:
terrifying
Since I am pretty ok at breathing I thought I might have a
I thought it might just scare
natural talent for
me into being a more
this one.
enlightened person. How it went: How it went:
After finding a few instructional videos on youtube I
Best thing ever. These ‘classes’ are legit - they are also
decided to give this one a shot.
super weird. You should be prepared to buy I guided myself through this one and felt it was energizing
the ticket and take the ride.
and renewing. It did not stimulate problem solving or If being barefoot and spirit dancing in a room full of
brainstorming but was good for cooling down and
strangers who are also spirit dancing isn’t your thing
getting back to center.
- you won’t enjoy this one. Verdict: The intuitive and entropic nature of the dance left me
+ self-guided
feeling spiritually revitalized long after the practice was
- self guided
over.
- gets my mind and spirit = moving but not my body
Verdict: + actually a workout
Take away:
+ community building
I went on to build this small scale practice into my larger
+ leave-your-tight-pants-and-
practice.
+ judgment-at-the-door attitude + inexplicably freeing - not cool for office use Take away: Become ok with being cliché; dance more, care less. While I won’t be whipping this out at work; I will be working to make the mindset this class creates a permanent one.
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LEC TIO DI V I N A
DRAWING MEDITATION
What it is:
What it is:
Self-guided Episcopalian
Self-guided drawing practice based on Frederick Franck’s
reading practice
text; The Zen of Seeing
Why I tried it:
Why I tried it:
I originally set out on this journey from a specifically
If Lectio Divina was a chance to return to my spiritual home,
Christian mindset. Having a liberal and inclusive faith
drawing meditation was an opportunity to return to my
practice led me to actively
creative home.
seek out solutions from other religious institutions but it How it went:
felt right to return to my spiritual home-base.
Honing my drawing skills will never get old. This practice How it went:
requires more thoughtful observation and more intentional
Lectio Divina is a repetitive and systematic reading
movement
process; seeking new information in each pass through
than my usual style, allowing me to feel I am developing
the text.
both my artistic and design abilities.
When applied to biblical text
Verdict:
it helped be touch base with my religious belief -
+ physical activity
when applied to specific design problems it helped
+ analog approach to making
me generate more ideas than a word tree or mood
+ requires thought, +
board ever has.
observation, slowness + and intention
Verdict:
- is so enjoyable it is distracting
+ encourages analytical thought
- might not be great to do in all - work environments
+ inspire free-thinking + office appropriate
Take away:
- not with people
I would later incorporate elements of this practice both in
- somewhat structured
and outside my professional design process.
Take away: This practice became the backbone of my meditative practice. It can be adapted for a professional environment at the performance, engagement, and attentional levels.
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What I learned: Developing a meditative practice that complements my design process creates a spiritually renewing space of creativity, energy and clarity. The space that meditation creates is one where: I’ve learned to notice and accept up and down patterns of my mood, to welcome emotions rather than try to bury them, to discover social and sensory sensitivities and then adapt my design process and environment to minimize their impact on my well-being. So now I believe that both effective communication and sustainable creativity are found at the intersection of the aesthetic, the functional, the spiritual, and the psychological. That with intent and practice I can transform my design process into an immersive metaphysical and creative experience that incorporates my spirituality. That design is a spritual art form, if I want it to be.
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SA MP L E P ROJ ECT Church Leaflet User centered approach with a focus on legibility and clarity of information, while updating the style of typesetting to better reflect the current environment.
One Year of White Space
Synthesis
The following is excerpted from my Process Book. A creative life should be a sustainable one. By creating space for spiritual fulfillment in your design practice you can better yourself, your life, and your work.* This is a guide for designers who want to sell out, buy in, and keep their soul while they are at it. *This doesn’t mean you are going to solve every creative problem by going to a yoga class. Although yoga is not frowned upon. Not every project (or every day) presents an equal opportunity for spiritual and professional fulfillment. This is more about capitalizing on the opportunities you do encounter be they large or small.. What is this about? Simply put – why not? Designers are hungry for conceptually and creatively challenging problems but, are we not equally starved for mindfulness and momentary grace? We seem to have every faith that design can save humanity from the perils of pollution, starvation, obesity, etcetera but does that apply to our own creative existence? Increasing scientific rationality and technological advances liberate us from the perils of nature and the dogmatic authority of religion. But for many it seems that the price of this faith in progress has been an alienation from the wonders of the physical world and the beauty of our own existence in the present.
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Who is this for? Designers who’ve felt overwhelmed by the pressures of professional expectations and the anxieties of modern life. Designers who have a sneaking suspicion that there is somehow the opportunity for ‘more’ in their professional lives. Pious designers looking to move from an academic faith to a more real and daily practice of faith.* *Q: Is this about religion? A: Not really. While meditation has roots in almost every organized religion, most practices can be adapted for more general purposes. Meditation and other contemplative techniques are only religious if you want them to be. What is this about? Selling out, buying in, & keeping your soul while you are at it. What selling out matter? Because sometimes the truth hurts your pride not your bank account. Ever heard the phrase “the client is always right”? If so, there is a 92.4%* chance that at some point you have compromised some part your creative vision or personal aesthetics to appease a client’s demands. Design is notably more focused on ‘the other’ than the vast majority of art forms. An office is not the same as a studio. A designer does not necessarily have agency over their subject matter or material. Yet designers are expected to be as creative and possibly more productive than an artist. Add to this the fact that across the board we are working longer days, taking fewer vacations, and retiring later. On top of all that, we are professionally required to sit at our computers most days. On the off-chance we aren’t working, we are constantly connected to our smart phones and tablets, spending an average of 3+ hours on social media per day. But hey, its not all bad. While ‘sell out’ may be the self-imposed hair-shirt that designers wear, everyone (from a broker to a barista) has compromised for profit at some point in their career. Whether you wanted the money, the title, the trajectory, the experience or __________, selling out doesn’t make you a bad person - it just makes you human. Like all things selling out is best in moderation.
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Why is buying in a good thing? Unless you are an accomplished breathariarn at some point you will need to eat. And that food will cost money. If a tree falls in a forest and nobody hears it - the tree may or may not exist - but if you design things and can’t sell them to your clients you might face a worse fate... irrelevance. Buying in is accepting selling out. It is to willingly give up the stigma of feeling somehow less-artistic, less fulfilled, less _____________ than other creatives. Selling out and buying in can have some pretty sweet upsides. Want to retire at 50? Want to donate time and money to the cause of your choosing? Want to learn how to surf in Bali? Whatever you want to do with your life, it might be time for you to celebrate the opportunities you can gain when on those times you sell out. Why does the soul matter? Hopefully you are semi-aware that you have one of these. For me, the soul is the little voice in my head that asks big questions like: "Er, excuse me, who am I? Hello? Why am I here? What’s my purpose in life? What do I mean by who am I ?" Let’s keep it real - I’m not the Dalai Lama and I can’t tell you why the soul matters. While I can’t explain it, I’m pretty confident I have one. I think that the soul is a catalyst for creativity and that sometimes the confines of professional design seem to suffocate it. Ok so now what? While all designers have their own ideas on what defines selling out or buying in, it is a pretty safe bet that most believe creativity is one of the major aspects of a design process. There are a lot of definitions for creativity out there. But most seem to revolve around two distinct but not mutually exclusive characteristics: the ability to empathize and the drive to take risks. Most designers seem to agree that the result of these traits is seen in innovative, transformative, original, artistic, and imaginative design solutions.
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Recently the design community has slowly and shyly reached towards meditation as a practice that activates the soul and stimulates creativity; bettering both the designer and their work. In the meantime, the scientific community has focused on finding quantitative proof that meditation (from simple breathing techniques to advanced guided practices) helps you live longer and better. From boosting your immunity to literally changing your DNA and a bunch of other cool things (like increasing grey matter in your brain) the doctors are in. With the perspective of ‘people-centered-design’ gaining traction it’s good to know that... Meditation is proven to strengthen your social connection and emotional intelligence. It also makes you more compassionate and less lonely. Meditation increases neuroplasticity which will help you come up with solutions that are more awesome.28 Long story short:
I F YOU CA N D EV E LO P A MEDI TATI V E P RAC T I C E THAT COMP L E M E N TS YOUR DE S I G N P RO C E S S I T W I L L CR E AT E A S P I R I TUA LLY RE N EWI N G S PAC E OF CR EATI V I T Y, EN ER GY A ND C L A RI T Y.
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One Year of White Space
Most types of meditation have four elements in common 1.
Quiet Please. Meditation is usually practiced in a quiet place with as few distractions as possible.
2.
Get Comfortable. A specific, comfortable posture improves meditation, from lying down, to walking. Just do what feels best in the moment.
3.
Stop Multitasking. Focusing one’s attention is usually a part of meditation. For example, the meditator may focus on a mantra (a specially chosen word or set of words), an object, or the sensations of the breath. As a designer you can use meditation to hone in on a particular project or design challenge.
4.
No Negative Nancies. Having an open attitude during meditation means letting distractions come and go naturally without judging them. When the attention goes to distracting or wandering thoughts, they are not suppressed; instead, the meditator gently brings attention back to the focus. Before we go any further I should mention that this is not a textbook on meditation. If you want one of those, check Amazon, they have a lot. This is about integrating meditative practices into your design process. Like your design process itself, the best way to learn is to do. To find a meditation practice that works for you and is additive to your design process...
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You could do something like: 1.
Recognize the need for spiritual engagement in your design process
2. Treat this need as a design problem, seek out a solution backed by strategy, systems, and process. 3. Think small 4.
Start tracking your mood.
5.
Be uncomfortably introspective and generate a deep understanding of what you are trying to fix.
6.
Search for relevant meditation practices.
7.
Try some practices out.
8. Adapt the ones that are ok. Ditch the ones that suck. 9.
Keep tracking your mood.
10. Keep trying things. 11. Generate a unique and scalable practice that complements your design process. 12. Get comfortable with the idea that not every project or every day present an equal opportunity for spiritual growth and development. 13. Realize that aside from adaptation and determination there is no concrete or constant solution for integrating the spiritual and the secular. 14. Repeat
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5
Evaluati on Ne x t Steps
One Year of White Space
Evaluation
This study has led me to conclude that those with the richest of professional lives are those who embrace and take delight in the grey areas that lie between the aesthetic, the functional and the spiritual. I have learned that a spiritual design process should transform both the designer and the end product. It is a system for transforming the maker and creating a space where they can look for what is underlying not what is overt and overlaid. While I am hardly unbiased, I feel that it is clear to myself and those I have worked with that the addition of spiritual practices to my design process has opened my perspective and approach to design. In my time completing this project I have taken more risks, had a more open attitude, moved slower but with greater intent, remained relatively calm and collected, and remained in constant contact with my inner-self. From the onset I knew that any sort of conclusion I would of this exploration would be entirely subjective. Understanding my own irrepressible (and totally human) desire to deny failure it is impossible for me to throw off my assumption of general success. That being said the unexpected behavior changes I have witnessed lead me to believe this may have actually been a uniquely beneficial endeavor on many levels. From changing the way I work to the design choices I make, I think these adjustments have had a wholly positive effect. In some ways the scientific data backing mediation practices backs a spiritual approach to the design process. Amending my process to actively engage my spiritual inclinations ensures that I will elevate my ability to be mindful and contemplative. If these behaviors have the unintended consequence of encouraging empathy and risk-taking then for all intents and purposes it seems likely they will also improve not only the designers psyche but also the final
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TO ON E WH O H AS FA I T H , N O EX PL A N AT I O N I S N EC E S SA RY. TO ON E W I T H O U T FA I T H , N O EX PL A N AT I O N I S P OS S I BL E .
ST. T H OM AS AQ U INAS 29
One Year of White Space
products themselves. I still balk at an outlandish last minute requests and I still struggle to check my email, but I believe I have set the groundwork for a more rewarding long-term professional practice. Since the stressors of modern life(technology) and the design profession (clients) affect the majority of designers could likely benefit from undertaking a similar exploration.
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Next Steps
The purpose of this project was to explore a theme, define a process and generate new conversations. While the design community is currently rather silent on the topic of religion I feel that this project sets the groundwork for new dialog. While I can’t imagine a book left in a thesis library will stir the masses – using my experience as a talking point and continuing to grow my meditative practice I hope to continue to engage these topics. Towards the end of this project I systematized tools that would allow me to generate quantitative data on my mood. By continuing to better understand the principles of self-study and self-assessment I can get a deeper understanding of what is additive to my design process and what is not.
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Bi bli ography
One Year of White Space
Sources
1.
Boutroux, Emile. Science & Religion in Contemporary Philosophy. Port Washington, NY: Kennikat, 1970. Print.
2.
Rand, Paul. From Lascaux to Brooklyn. New Haven: Yale UP, 1996. Print.
3.
Munari, Bruno. Design as Art. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin, 1971. Print.
4.
Cameron, Alex"“Ethical Design”: The End of Graphic Design? (2000)." Alex Cameron. N.p., 2010. Web.
5.
Moore, Henry. Primative Art. N.p.: n.p., 1968. Print.
6.
Kantor, Daniel. Graphic Design and Religion: A Call for Renewal. Chicago, IL: GIA Publications, 2007. Print.
7.
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Elizabeth Hart Montgomery Pratt Institute May 2014