it seems like i fell into this trap of not doing anything, until it seemed perfect. but: it’s been too long, and i’m now impatient.
reading quote on writing:
“Writing is nature’s way of letting you know how sloppy your thinking is.”
made me open up this note, and call it a brainwrite. cody calls it a brainretch.
i like the idea of writing to resolve your thinking (although talking does that too, but you cannot see what you said (and, therefore, refine thought)). so, here goes:
the thesis is inspired by things that i have observed over the last 9 years.
- in making programs — design, recurse-center or itp, we make one-offs. things that do not have a life beyond one (or a few) exhibitions and / or a project-presentation.
- the objective of the things we make is to look pretty on portfolios, thereby getting you into better places. so, the things do not have any permanent value — they’re demoted to mere steps you climb onto to reach the next big thing.
- the environments that i am in are largely techno-utopian, but i find myself in a less desirable world. connections are harder to make; there is always the option of another option, yet somehow no option at all; people walk by projects because their attention span is so small. things rarely stay; they are overwritten by newer things.
i was trained into the philosophy of ‘changing the world’ through design: meaning that, because you have the education, power & training to make things for people, you can build a better world.
i worked in behavior design for two years. i then worked on limited-scope product design things too. i didn’t see anyone’s life improve. i’m not sure i believe in that fantasy anymore.
the thesis — i think — is an year-long experiment asking what this education can do for me (or rather what i can do with this education).