It’s no secret that I am a massive fan of number 8 design. The 8 is a visual shorthand that we use to refer to the eight main categories of design that we all use when it comes to our own work. These eight categories are the things that we can do to make our own creativity shine, and because they’re so easy to remember, it gives us instant access to our most creative ideas and work.
For example, we can design spaces that are so well designed that we can only use a small portion of our design budget to decorate the space. We can create a room that has no window or blinds, so that when you walk in it looks like you’re walking into a cave. We can make a room so well designed that it becomes impossible for anyone not familiar with the room to tell that we are in there at all.
In fact, you can be like a true cave dweller and still have the sense that you are in a cave, as long as you keep your mouth closed.
We’re doing a lot of these, and I’m not just talking about “designing” stuff. I’m talking about really making decisions about the way we want to live, feel, and move, all for the sake of creating a home that will be your sanctuary and a place where people can come to feel at home. That’s what we’re talking about here when we talk about designing as a life-affirming and joy-inducing activity.
Yeah, I think we were talking about the same thing. The joy of design is how you make your home feel inviting and welcoming to you and others. This week we talked to the designers at Boho Homes about the challenges of designing a home that is both safe and beautiful. We talked about design as a process, and how the way we think about design and how we think about the way we live shapes and informs that process.
The truth is that many of us live with fear of the unknown. The unknown is often a fear of loss, but it can also be a fear of change. For some of us that fear of change is more of a fear of the unknown. We don’t want to lose what we have, but we do want to be able to design our own lives and find peace of mind.
But I don’t want to lose my design, and for that I need to be able to think and act in ways that make me comfortable with change.
I think this is the most important point in this trailer. The more we’re constantly living our lives in a familiar way, the less we’re able to think in a creative way, and the less we can trust our own creativity. To feel comfortable in our own design, we have to have the courage and self-discipline to change the way we are designed, and that requires a willingness to learn how to do things in new and different ways.
I think that’s a fairly obvious statement, but I’ll repeat it again. Change. Being comfortable with change. I feel like this is the most important point in this trailer. The more we learn about our own style and design, the easier it is to change it.
I don’t know about you, but I feel like this is something we all should do more of. I know I’m not the only one who feels like getting more out of our designs every year. But for us designers, this should be easier than ever.