Monday, January 18, 2010

Questions leading to answers

When there is pressure to fit within an acceptable boundary, I have trouble making decisions on my own. This is why finding a "personal style" was and continues to be challenging for me. It is difficult to assert what I like or I do not.

I am struggling to express myself– which is weird, because I am an artist. We are supposed to excel at creative expression! I am realizing the confidence it takes to acknowledge your individuality and embrace who you are, and in turn I am recognizing the lack of confidence that I have.

I find myself caught between being me, the bohemian-chic, Italian-inspired artist and the pressure I feel to maintain the image of responsibility and all that is practical. Why do I feel this?

Why am I living in secret– why do I feel the need to masque my identity, and conform to that which I believe is expected of me?

I need to accept that I will always differ from the societal definition of beauty. Everyone always will, if they are being true to who they are. What can we do to encourage this?

Six questions of how:
1. How can we over come this voice communicated to us by our society? Can we communicate a different message? Can we use design and speak visually?

2. How can we communicate the message that it is okay to be unique?

3. How can we encourage people to accept difference– differences of themselves and amongst others, while inspiring a sense of unity to develop within our society?

4. How can we get people to listen? Who do we target with this message?

5. How can we incorporate the fashion world and encourage them to speak up about the value that they give to original works of art in haute couture?

6. How can we generate understanding of that which defines beauty?

We are part of the whole, but uniquely our own...

2 comments:

  1. It's OK to break with the conventional wisdom, after all, the conventional wisdom is safe, boring, and not necessarily wise. It's possible to be creative, unconventional, even quirky, and responsible at the same time. To do so requires a willingness to take informed risks, to ask 'why' and 'why not.' That is the crucible from which every successful startup company is launched. That's why I admire 37signals as a company. I plan to read their blog and both of their books.

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  2. I'm an engineer at heart. To me, beauty is about elegance; true elegance is about simplicity; simplicity is about what's real and what works. That's why I like Arts and Crafts-style architecture (lots of wood and natural stone), Shaker-style furniture (simple, clean, functional lines), German cars (built for the Autobahn and built to last).

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