Freeconomy Blog
Tue
07 Apr
Putting whatever skills you have to creative, positive use..
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A few weeks ago I wrote a blog encouraging members of Freeconomy from around the world to contribute to writing the community blog. The response was great and I look forward to publishing the thoughts and experiences of members as I get them. This weeks blog comes from a member in Ireland, who has introduced himself below. Please feel free to leave a comment through the link at the bottom of the main text; he has made a big effort to share his thoughts and experiences with you all and it would be great to not only thank him for doing so and give him feedback, but to also to debate the points involved. I'll now hand you over to Brian...
Before I begin, please allow me to introduce myself. As a guest in this blog-space I feel it necessary--my name is Brian Dixon. Imaging the audience demographic to be broad I'll present myself as I am--a twenty-six year old who studied visual communications at college, graduated, worked professionally, traveled, volunteered, worked again and then returned to the country in which I was born; Ireland, from where I now write.
I discovered this site several months ago, in January, at a point that seemed, both personally and internationally pivotal. It will be obvious to anyone reading this that we continue to live in period of unprecedented change. These days the media's sole focus seems centred the constant flood of financial revelation and so there is little point in repeating what is already widely known. What I would like to mention however, is the greater need for an awareness of how this very immediate crisis has presented each and everyone of us with an opportunity to realign our lives. Now more than ever possibility is within our reach. Discovering the Freeconomy has provided me platform to return to for inspiration. With every blog and every testimonial we are introduced to more and more individuals, organizations and ideas that are so admirable in their approaches and so wonderfully diverse in their solutions. It seems to me as though trying--attempting even--is the key here.
What I believe we should focus on at this point is the connectivity of our situation, and indeed, of all situations. Removing things from one another, disconnecting them, is what brought us to this point in the first place. Culture cannot be separated from nature because once this happens you have two independent spheres where the consequences of how we live in one zone are not believed to incur on the other. Somehow we seem to imagine that the package that drops into the bin vanishes there and then, never to impact upon the natural world we claim to value so highly.
For better or worse, we are all collectively involved in one single fate, so it is therefore absolutely essential that we be informed and educated as well as conscious and responsible. Several weeks ago Mark listed the most important skills that we will need in years to come. Sadly, but understandably, visual communication is not among them. Graphic design--my chosen profession--is not exactly the most practical of jobs. It is a specialization that requires a vibrant and healthy economic structure to thrive. Thrive within the model it has constructed for itself, that is. Producing corporate brochures and rearranging text in a monthly newsletter is not going to save the world or even take a step in that direction. All this achieves, in fact, is the reinforcement of the current economic environment. Considered from another perspective the contribution of the designer could potentially be of huge significance. All that is required is a change of attitude on behalf of the practitioner. Instead of genuflecting to corporations, individuals with a specific skill-base should, as much as possible, be working towards the improvement of the everyday--even if this means not being paid. Such a statement will undoubtedly sound utopian and unoriginal. What I propose has already been proposed but what differentiates my argument from that which precedes it is that I am making it now.
One of the most enjoyable projects I ever worked on involved the production of an identity for an organic farm I was volunteering on in New Zealand. The property was called Te Miko--after the sprout of a native palm. It was a simple solution: I included an illustration of a sprout beside lettering sourced from a hand-painted sign at the entrance. The design wasn't a superimposing of my style onto something foreign but a gathering together of what was already representative of the place--a humble vernacular stew. What I enjoyed most was the engagement with the owners that my volunteering allowed. I was not only producing something for them but also working within context, being part of the day to day running of the farm.
What I want to avoid, or rather what I want to denounce, is the idea that design or artist endeavor in general should be seen as exclusive. Two of the most famous and, in my view, underrated artist-designer-socialists of the 19th century John Ruskin (who was an art-critic) and William Morris (who was a designer) held the view that everyone was an artist. As part of the Arts and Crafts Movement, they railed against mass-production and its resultant disassociation of the object from its creator. Ruskin, a follower of the Romantic Movement, believed that everyone should sketch whether or not they demonstrated a particular talent for it. It was his view that the activity of sketching, the constant attention to detail that it demands, connected person with the natural world allowing them to see and therefore better appreciate the complexity of their surroundings. For his part, Morris, who was influenced by Ruskin, believed in affordable, hand-made art. In his eyes the carpenter was the equal of the painter. Decoration and embellishment were natural by-products of the craft as opposed to meaningless additions.
Of course, the twentieth century pushed society in the opposite direction of the one suggested by these two men. Art has been seen more and more as an exclusive realm, closed and unwelcoming to outsiders. Things are changing, however. Many people will be aware of the recent explosion in the popularity of craft. It appears as though there is a rediscovery among my generation of the joys of making and doing. This is a development we should not only applaud, but promote. Hopefully it may also be one that the current economic conditions will help foster. Above all at the present time, we need to encourage imagination and creativity rather than silence them. My advice to any reader would be not intimidated by the creative process but engage in it absolutely. Any fear you may have is a symptom of the prevailing view of art as opposed to a reflection of your ability. Instead of buying a birthday card, we should make one. Instead of buying a cake, we should bake one. Try writing poetry. Learn an instrument. There's never been a better opportunity.
In a very famous book, which I imagine many readers will be aware of, 'The Medium is the Massage' Marshall McLuhan noted that 'societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media which men communicate than by the content of the communication.' In other words, it is how we exchange thoughts and interact that influences the course of events more than what is actually said. It needs to be acknowledged that in the last one hundred and fifty years a very important and somewhat under-rated shift has occurred in our society, one that helped establish the modern world: the development and expansion of mass-literacy. It is now taken for granted that the majority of the population of the 'first world' can read as well as write. For us, everything is in place, we need only make use of it. The internet for example, one of the most democratic human inventions of all time, has not yet reached its full potential. Anyone can connect with anyone else. We have now truly arrived in McLuhan's 'Global Village.' In this giant theatre our education and our passions can be improved and further pursued. You're already here. Use it and grow. It's the only hope we have.
THE FREECONOMY BLOG this week was kindly contributed by guest writer Brian Dixon, a Freeconomy member in Arklow, Rep. Of Ireland. If you want to respond, debate or ask questions, please just comment below; you will have to sign in first.
Comment on this Post:
gemmy comments ...
I really enjoyed that Brian, thank you for that.
I am also wondering how to put my skills to the best use given the challenges we face, so it struck a chord with me.
I hope you write again sometime.
Shirley Elwell comments ...
Dear Brian,
Having just recently discovered the Freeconomy site and posted my 'testimonial', I was very glad to read your finely written piece; as my literary skills are not the best I'll keep it brief. I have, over the years, developed my skills in the traditional crafts of spinning & weaving as a result of reading Ruskin and studying Morris' work in my youth. Today I live a semi-self-sufficient lifestyle in Mid Wales and can offer simple retreats to anyone in need of a quiet place to refresh.There are more details on my site at www.slenderthread.co.uk. Wishing you well for the future.
Frederick Dsouza comments ...
hi Brian,
Thank you very much for writing . I enjoyed it. I will also put whatever skills i have, to right use.
freddydesouza (usa origin india)
