THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
This was my first project as an Industrial Design student. I had to take 200 professional photographs from the perspective of a creative industrial designer. I had to unlearn my instinctive, family-centered approach to photography and instead study form, material, and spatial relationships in everyday environments. I obviously took more than 200 images, and even the ones that didn’t make the final selection remain meaningful to me—reminding me of the moment I stepped outside the comfort of my home to pursue a new way of seeing.
Learning
to
See
Again
...
I left the house around 7 pm to take advantage of the golden hour for pictures. The sun was bright but not hot, and the air was a little windy. My backyard opens into the golf course. I love to walk that track, but today many people were playing on it. I didn't want to disturb their game or risk a golf ball -so I chose the sidewalk along the main road. I passed my favorite weeping willow on my neighbor's property, and the two wooden chairs with red cushions that no one ever uses, but that always frame my walk from the backyard. For the first time, 1 noticed a blue lock on one of the utility meters. For a minute, the sun hid behind a house, but when I turned, it returned-golden light falling on a yellow sign, revealing patterns on the sign and the lichen on the tree. Then, I saw a pink gutter with a pink flower beside it, and a pink car in the same line of sight. Three shades of pink together-what is nature telling me? I reached the park in about ten minutes and saw many wild teasels and a cable lying half-hidden, half-exposed. A bright red dead oak leaf stood out to me. One of the delights was a group of Indian ladies practicing their dance for an upcoming festival. On a tree trunk, a small green figurine rested, probably forgotten, like a secret marker. I noticed a building I always see and wonder about, and then I took its picture for no reason. Soon after, my eye caught beauty again-a red lock shining on the chains of a barrier gate. That was a lot of noticing for one day. This kind of attention feels close to design inquiry. To design well, I must be present not only in thought but also with my senses. What I see, hear, and feel becomes a way of asking questions about spaces, objects, and experiences.
