Well, since my last post a lot has happened, and almost nothing has happened at the same time. I feel like that is typical of my life. Pretty much, it has been slowly putting together a mini-vellum piece, the 1:2 scale, which will definitely be my vellum object, continuing my research (mostly focusing on the information I have been seeking for my infographics), and putting a few visuals together. This has been a long process. Especially frustrating is that I feel like there are very few results to show, because inforgraphics are such condensed versions of information. They take a lot to put together, but when done right, appear to take 5 minutes to make. A catch-22.
My other incredibly frustrating experience was receiving an article from the Jonathan from The New Yorker, which was a retrospective on the last 10 years- since September 11th, and what has changed and what has largely stayed the same. It was incredibly depressing, and pointed out that most of our institutions and systems in the US are broken in one way or another. Jonathan pointed out that his job is to knock me around and try to help me see holes and weaknesses in my project and to get a better perspective on what I am doing, and this article would give me a chance to contemplate what I, as a designer can do, and what is out of my hands. It came across if he were telling me that the problems surrounding helping veterans are so massive that nothing I can do would be of any good. I will admit, it was really intimidating, and I spent a lot of time stewing over it. Worse still, Reich has been so busy that we haven't had a chance to discuss it. Last night, feeling at a standstill, I had more wine than I would normally have had with dinner, in an attempt to get unstuck. This is what I managed to get out of my system onto my notebook:
There are things I can't control. This I can accept. There are issues bigger than me, or my project, or really anyone. While they are my context, they are not my concern. My concern is not solving these issues, but understanding them and moving forward. My job is PEOPLE. They, like me, live in this world of bigger issues. They face them and are affected by them. So if I am about people, my work is about helping them in the ways they are affected. Not the ideal. The tangible. Not the disease. The minute symptom. To bring the problem to a scale that is malleable, but can still impact someone in a bog way. I am a designer. Not a magician. Buildings only do so much. They cannot solve political stalemates. But they can be the stage for playing out lives. They may not heal, but they can make room for and promote health. They cannot mend broken bonds, but they can shape out a quiet space for them to regrow. I do not want to save the world. I don't think I can. Instead, I want to see if I can create a space that will help a few, as humble as it might be, and give credence to the fact that in the face of insurmountable obstacles, we can still, step by step, move forward.
I guess it could be considered a cop-out, but I think its about being able to understand what is and isn't within your control, and then doing the best with whatever is in your power to change. I'm coming to terms with this being my answer, whenever I do get to talk to Jonathan.
Other than this, I have finally gotten two other inforgraphics in semi-completion stages:
As a final note for the night (I really have to go work!) We will be going to San Francisco Sunday and Monday to look at furniture stores. Fun!
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