Living with a designer, who is passionate about his work, can be a very rewarding experience. It takes some time to get into the dynamics of a brain that usually works differently from the ordinary, but when you can tune and integrate a little of that way of thinking and feeling, it's a whole new world that opens up. I will try to refer to some of the lessons learned, but I am sure that many others will be left out.
About creativity
The first and perhaps most important lesson of all was about the very concept of #creativity. Ignorantly assumed, I used to associate creativity with artistic work and since plastic arts were not in my list of talents, I have surrendered to my lack of creative activity, until one designer showed me the different areas in which one can be creative and that creativity is mainly about creating good solutions and also that we are all able to solve what we have in our hands, through our gifts. Since then, I have a lot of fun seeing my creative talent at a professional level, but also in cooking, writing, as a mother and in whatever else I am able to solve, on a daily basis.
Solution? What about the problem?
The truth is that I've always been oriented to the solution, be it personality trait or "birth defect", my focus was always to solve and run fast and furious from the problem. Now, I have learned from the designer at home, that without knowing the problem and above all, the real need we want to satisfy, probably the solution won't be the most adequate. And it's true that at the root lies the strength and the answer. It is revolutionary to be able to accept the problem as part of the solution, it may seem obvious, but looking at my path and around me maybe not so much...
At least 40 solutions!
And continuing with the theme I thought I had mastered, I have also humbly surrendered myself to a new perspective, since I realised that on the one hand, there is generally not just one solution and on the other hand there are many possibilities for getting there and they are all worthy, since sometimes great ideas are born out of the most bizarre. For someone who lived in a hurry and with an eye on the target, stopping to list, group, test and go back to the beginning as many times as needed, is challenging, but with great results!
Kiss
Something that I think I shall never forget is the meaning of a kiss... It is not that experience the habit of insulting each other here at home, but this one is one of the good ones and I kept it for future memory: "Do you know what kiss means? Keep it simple, stupid!" I have always been a woman from humanities and humanities: long texts, a lot of analysis, clarity of speech, often achieved through exhaustion. Reports, legal documents, notifications, manuals, they are part of my story and needed to be understood by the recipient. Less is more was a useful learning for an efficient management of resources since words are one of them, as well as time. Being able to express clarity with little is now a motivation and the recipient appreciates it.
Observation, always!
And speaking of the recipient, a good designer feels the client and creates the image/product to and from the client, respects and advises, from the starting point of his/her technical and creative skills. The designer doesn't impose, but composes, because a good composition is another of the designers's talents to observe and retain. Composition is not an assembly of elements, it is much more than the mere sum of the parts and this requires a lot of training and observation. I continue to attend the course and enjoy it.
Design is systemic
As a complement to what I believe and defend about systemic vision, I enjoyed perceiving it in a more practical and visual context, and even seeing it prototyped before me. Less is more, but everything is part and nothing can be left out. Design is systemic and it is good since this is a language we manage to understand each other well and I was able to complement what already made so much sense to me.
Empathy
And this brings me to another idea very present in the mind of the design thinkers, which I liked to see and deepen, a very peculiar type of #empathy, which I am not even able to classify, but which involves "unveiling" who is on the other side of the product or service and together with that recipient, many times unknown, co-create something with meaning for both, and which goes beyond the focus on the client, as it still involves the client's client, the context, the society... Gee, it is not easy to explain what is integrated at a less rational and logical level of perception.
Images and/or words?
And talking about the right side of the brain, I have also noticed the power of images, illustrated stories, or illustrations which are stories. I will not say now that an image is worth more than a thousand words, I will always be a lover of the written word , but we are visual beings and learning gains a lot if we combine them; and for those, like me, unable to produce a graphic image of great quality, there are two options: create images/stories with words or hire a designer! I was encouraged by the designer to create images by using words.
Learning to stop...
It also occurs to me how I have learned to overcome certain (creative) blockages! Pressure blocks creativity and imagination, but was always proud of myself to be able to deliver under such circumstances. Even though, I've noticed that getting out of that dynamic for a while, doing something completely different, changing tasks, taking a deep breath, changing place or simply playing, or whatever it takes to forget the issue blocked, may be the most effective key for the solution to emerge and flow. Creative agencies often have recreational areas which promote this process. The designer i live with, doesn't suffer from frequent blockages, but if they occur it's on the beach that he overcomes them, privileges of living by the sea!
From flow to happiness
When we have the opportunity to stop and to withdraw from the problem, it seems that everything appears as if by divine providence and we become mere channels of ideas, insights and flow. But this is another course to attend and no deadline to complete.
The truth is that flow brings happiness.
Being selective
My designer also taught me how to make selective choices, choose the good and lasting and what brings pleasure, rather than the bargain, the unaesthetic or of no use, and also to choose what provides an experience and not simply satisfy an immediate need. By writing these lines on his Mac, I understand well what he means.
The complementarity of design
It is true that these learnings were not possible only through design, in parallel many other methodologies influenced me, and I realised there are a few touching points even, like coaching, systemic vision and facilitation, but it is extraordinary to perceive that there is so much in design, beyond the obvious and apparent, that it is an integral method and allows amazing results.
From flow to happiness
When we have the opportunity to stop and to withdraw from the problem, it seems that everything appears as if by divine providence and we become mere channels of ideas, insights and flow. But this is another course to attend and no deadline to complete.
The truth is that flow brings happiness.
Being selective
My designer also taught me how to make selective choices, choose the good and lasting and what brings pleasure, rather than the bargain, the unaesthetic or of no use, and also to choose what provides an experience and not simply satisfy an immediate need. By writing these lines on his Mac, I understand well what he means.
The complementarity of design
It is true that these learnings were not possible only through design, in parallel many other methodologies influenced me, and I realised there are a few touching points even, like coaching, systemic vision and facilitation, but it is extraordinary to perceive that there is so much in design, beyond the obvious and apparent, that it is an integral method and allows amazing results.
Design thinking is for everyone
Being a designer is not for everyone, but #designthinking can (and should) be grasped and used by anyone, since it brings together tools and attitudes that can be useful to everyone and be integrated into any context. Usually it also provides a lot of fun!
I have spoken about the designer and his talents, but I haven't introduced him yet, but I bet with so much to teach everyone is excited to meet Acácio Viegas!
Vânia Magalhães