‘I am what is around me.’ B. Matisse: 1951
The only thing we all have in common is our environment. Most people will not be fully aware of what is fully going on around them. It’s a shame that people don’t spend the time to admire the space around them, our background as designers allows us to see the world in a completely different light than most. This takes an entire life time to learn and understand, but we all strive to create something that is truly beautiful. Just how this is accomplished is different for everyone, most will not learn what it is until they have reached an older age, some may never believe that they have reached it.
Everyday provides something that amazes, something new and exciting, either through the beauty it portrays or because of the attention to detail that has been placed behind it. But what of the things that are left unnoticed? What has become of them? Are they not worthy of our glances? Is it that the best artists and designers are the ones that move away from the stereotypical approach to engulf that which we cannot see?
Even sitting here my eyes pick up on a book about writing an essay. What use is this to me now? Within the front cover, written with patience, is the name ‘Barbara Baker’ a Great Aunt of mine, the book is all well and good, but what is really fascinating is that I had just found myself in a moments lapse of thought. How had this book traveled to become in my hands? How long had it been there? Connections with the past intrigues me, the hidden detail adds an exponential character to this boring, tattered and musty book.
What would the difference be if another relation; of Barbara Baker? Does their history dictate the true emotional value of the book? It is just a book after all, nothing more.
