I thought a lot today about how design applies to our everyday lives. In a sense, we design our lives beginning even before we are born - our parents might save up money for us for college, they buy us clothes and toys, and decide where our birth will take place. And it doesn't stop there. Parents choose the schools we attend, which in turn shapes who we become in the future. Each choice we make is part of the story of our life.
It is exciting to think that our future is in our hands, because we get to create the memories we carry with us for the rest of our lives and make decisions that impact the way we view our environment. What people tend to overlook is that even if they aren't an "artistic" person, they still have an understanding of design. It might be as simple as mapping out a career plan or a chores chart for roommates. Or when someone arranges the furniture in his or her living room, they are subconsciously making "design" choices.
Too often, people limit themselves to specific hobbies and talents. Every day, I hear people say, "Oh, I can't sing," or, "I've never been able to draw more than stick figures." But why not? I believe all humans are born capable of the same things, and it's just a matter of which strengths our social, environmental, and cultural surroundings condition us to focus on. In any situation, different perspectives make a conversation more interesting. If people were more aware of the way design plays a role in their lives, their various life stories would lead to a collaboration of ideas that even a well-known professional designer couldn't come up with alone.
