Adventure, a key ingredient to good design
My trip to chicago was like one incredibly long, realistic dream. Everything was perfect. The warm, bright sun kissing my skin. The hustle and bustle of a beautifully crafted city. The vibe of a significantly large amount of beautiful people. The warmth of meeting new, interesting friends. The feeling of incredible satisfaction having an adventure provides. Having a natural urge to just smile almost every minute of the day and absorb everything around me, aware of all my senses.
I had to get away for the weekend. Not to just any old place, somewhere inspiring. Somewhere to rejuvenate me. I packed up my things and went by myself to a personally unknown place. No plans, no worries, no work, just simple exploration.
It was the marking of a new step in my life. A new and improved state of mind. I am cured of a lot of confusion and uncertainty. I truly know what I want and what I am doing. I am not saying that I know everything there is to know. What i’m saying is that I am now more confident in my decisions and I know in my heart that I am heading on the tracks to personal success and fullfillment. These thoughts came to me for a couple main reasons. I had a lot of time to think in a new place. This brings a lot of unique thoughts and feelings. I also met with one of my greatest inspirations in person for the first time, Colin Wright. An amazing experience for me to say the least. Having a one on one conversation with someone who directly influences your life is very powerful.
I have never felt a level of determination that I now have. I am free to do whatever I want.
How is this related to design you may ask?
Well, it relates directly to design. In a discipline that constantly requires a high amount of creativity, your life must be personally satisfactory. You cannot be a good designer without being happy. You cannot be a good designer without loving what you are doing. And you most certainly cannot be a good designer if you aren’t having adventures.
One of my main driving thoughts that has been floating around in my noggin has been, “if it feels uncomfortable or scary, you should do it.” So far, so good.