Design 21: Social Design Network

I'm just another creative idealist with my own path to work on and a sense that service to something larger than myself is fundamental to happiness, and a necessary expression of gratitude for life.

I didn't learn this in college - I had the same heart, the same disinterest in designing for consumption, but I didn't yet see the potential for meaningful work that my training provided or how to get going on it...I spent a long time feeling very confused about my goals for the creativity I couldn't abandon but couldn't feel fulfilled by either.

That was fairly stressful so I also spent a lot of time dealing with that - learning how to eliminate stress for good so that I could one day be really useful. And at this point, I've mostly just blogged about the kinds of social projects I would like to be doing.

I recently worked on a group yarnbombing project that spanned nearly eight months in preparation. I used a knitting machine to cover seven enormous cement planters that line a municipal parking lot in my neighborhood. The response from the community was so positive and rewarding. These simple things mean a lot to people and really help them feel happy about where they live. I'll reuse the knitting in a gallery space as part of a larger exhibit of my visual art. The gallery is a cooperative of seven artists who are committed to enriching their community through art. As part of my show there, I'll give a talk about what has been my best experience so far as a designer -- that is, winning the fabric design competition I discovered on this site and getting an inside look at how two creative companies are doing so much social good. I'm very excited to share the story of this profound project with more people in my community.

This experience inspired me to go back to school to learn more about fabric and textile design/production and develop my own ideas for a social business in the fabric and fashion industry. I will become more specialized in digital technology and more knowledgeable about global business so that I can find my own way to contribute to an evolving and blossoming world creative community.