For many years I was convinced, and shared with my students, my belief that by the time they entered university, whether from a small town or a metropolitan city, they had all the experiences they needed to be a good, if not a great designer. Flannery O’Connor did me one better. He “said that enough has happened to each of us by the time we’re eight years old for us to write about it forever” (Kooser, 2005, 74). The caveat is that, no matter the student, he or she has to be willing to ask deeply self-reflective questions of their personal experiences and be willing to dive equally deeply into those experiences, by way of their subconscious, to find the answers. Many students believe intuition (read, I don’t have to study) is the key to good design and see it as a reason (excuse) to not put time into serious research on a topic, people, or activity. Not so. Feeding your intuition is work. The more you know, the more there is from which your intuition can draw connections. Your ability to be intuitive improves with perseverance in your studies and practice in its applications. As with many writers, Kooser (2005), Lamott (1994), and Rae (1996) each talk about how fun and exciting writing is but only through perseverance. But think of it, so is design. You can persevere through the angst and anxieties and assumptions of design as it is often taught, or you can preserve through the excitement of using what you already know and finding your new thoughts are right on the money. This is the basis for building on your existing knowledge, building on your cursory understanding of reading, writing, and storytelling. This approach comes with a vocabulary with which you are already familiar and the fact you have already solved numerous design problems: built a bookcase? Planned a meal or vacation? Planted a garden or rearranged your workspace? Went through your closet to prepare for a first date? All of these experiences call on your everyday vocabulary and see things in more practical and unambiguous terms, colored by much fewer assumptions. So, why isn’t that with which you are already familiar your welcome to the gateway, to the strategies and principles you’ve chosen to embark upon in learning to be a designer?
Kooser, Ted. 2005. The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska.
Lamott, A. 1994. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Anchor.
Rae, C. M. 1996. Movies of the Mind: How to Build a Short Story. Santa Fe, NM: Sherman Asher.