Does anyone know how to take responsibility for their own actions anymore?
I am honestly amazed at how our society has turned itself into a blame game. Students are no longer allowed to play dodgeball, crack the whip, or even hug one another because the schools fear lawsuits if the children get hurt. When does it become the parents job to teach the children how to play safe or fair.
Does this mean that since I chose to jump to the 4th monkey bar in the 4th grade and break my arm that my parents should have sued the school for having monkey bars. The last time I checked, "life happens" and for every choice we make, there will always be a chance that something could turn out badly.
I am so tired of people trying to find every reason to blame others in order to get financial gain. It makes me sick. I think that it has certainly gone to the extreme and there needs to be some accountability on the part of individuals. Stop complaining, blaming and start looking within yourself to solve problems.
Lately I have been thinking about Iraq. Isn't it funny how war is often about religion and the freedom to practice your religion. It is a very sad truth that most disagreements are due to religious differences. People often fight others for their own cause but rarely sit down and try to think about what the other group might be thinking or feeling. It is sad that many people are brought up to believe that war is acceptable because the bible says so. I guess that because there are a lot of bad people in the world, that it seems this is sometimes the only way to acheive peace. Is it time to evolve again? How do we fight hatred, unnecessary killings, and the sort. There are always going to be unahappy people in the world. whether poor, alone, deprived, ruled etc. We, as humans are selfish beings. How can be become more unselfish? War only continues to cause more hatred and those who do not understand how to be selfless, do not understand how to forgive and understand what the other side of the story.
I am noticing that with all the technology, it seems that one day everyone will be able to design. Michael Beirut said "In the future, everyone will be a designer," and if design is another form of rhetoric or communication then there is a high probability that this will come true. This does not mean, however, that everyone will posess the ability to think creatively. Being creative takes a special type of person who is confident in trying new ideas that might not have any purpose at first. Creativity comes from a desire to develop new concepts and ideas and transform then into something beautiful and intriguing.
So I gave in and bought the iPhone. It does everything it says it is going to do and I have to say that I am very impressed. I am contributing to our consumer-oriented society. I guess it is good for the economy though. It is all about how you look at it. As long as we try to be environmentally responsible.
I wonder what it would be like to live in a war-torn country. I can't even fathom what it feels like to be in the middle of fear every day. Sometimes it overwelms me so much and I know that one day I will come up with a plan that will help someone, somewhere to turn their life around. Perhaps my iPhone can spread some iLove around the world somehow. For now I will continue to marinate in the tragic world we call human existence. I struggle to understand how we can solve the big problems effecting our world.
In order to end on a positive note, I will just reinforce that iLove the iPhone like iLove my husband. It is my new best friend. The next marketing scheme will surely have to be "You had me at hello."
Signing off.
It seems that most of the world has become blind to design. While people are more savvy and aware of design these days, the increasing amount of design in culture has made way for a new culture of design. Face it, people like new stuff and consumption.
I recently watched a special about the people who were effected by the tsunami. They don't even have a word for "want". They only have words for take or give. America is drowning in a sea of consumption. With the belief in the American Dream comes the need to sell things that are not important. Why would anyone need half of the items at the dollar store? Is it necessary to commodify every holiday, birthday etc? I am as much to blame for this consumer mindset. I would really like to have an iPhone. Do I need an iPhone? Not really, I am just so entranced by it that I must have one to show how cool I am as a designer. Anyway, I am not sure how to combat our society of consumer craze yet but when I think of a solution I will let you know.
Aimee
Design is a very flexible thing. There are certainly many ways to do the same thing but what I find is that if the product sucks, people will figure it out and if the information sucks, people won't ever know there is a good product thus the two are very important. What I also recognize is that sometimes I won't buy a product just because I have had too much time to think about it and sometimes I do buy when the price is so darn cheap you can't say no even though I don't need it or like it that much. The variables are endless and can even be based on how I am feeling on any given particular day. One of my instructors once said that "we don't know what we want until someone shows it to us." This concept really stood out to me. If you are trying to design something innovative, it is usually something that breaks away from what we already know. Doing this sets innovation apart from creativity. This is difficult today being that there are many many more practicing designers and plenty of visual media to consume. Design has certainly become a commodity itself to designers. They are always trying to come up with the next big thing and companies who want authenticity and can pay the price are buying in.
Hi, My name is Aimee and I am a recent graduate from the University of Idaho. I specialize in Graphic Design with a strong emphasis in Project Management, Process Management, Innovation, and Strategy. I love failing a lot so that I can succeed. It is just like riding a bike, you may not be able to master it the first time that you get on and often you need a little help along the way but eventually you get there. Learning leads to inspiration which acts as a foundation for innovation and creativity. In order to dream big we must learn how to master the little things like riding a bike. Some learn more quickly and at different speeds while others may pick it up more quickly. This blog is my investigation of my design process over time. I want to inspire others to believe in the power of process and that an idea is just an idea unless you can materialize it.
To learn more about me visit my Professional Profile at:
http://www.aigadesignjobs.org/aimgrah
