When I look around me, I see everyday, normal things: a room, furniture, a door, gardens, cars, and people. These things may seem normal, ordinary and nothing special, just typical things found throughout our environment. But if given a second look, design is the common denominator found in all of these items. Design is what gives our world shape.

I had given thought to the beginning of time, but I had never thought about the beginning of design. It’s so simple to think about, but at the same time it had never occurred to me. When man started using tools, he began the process of design. From that point on, man continually experimented with materials, shapes, and processes to improve the tools available to him to shape and improve his environment. This was design at its most basic. Design took man into the future and continues to do so today.

As design evolved throughout history, it came to be associated with creations unique in both form and function. Skilled artists, artisans, and craftsmen took great pride in these creations. Once mass production became possible, however, I believe that design was much less valued.  Craftsmen would make the original design and then machines would makes thousands of copies of the original. Even though this allowed many people to have items that were similar to the original work of that craftsman, a certain of degradation of the original object was inevitable. I cannot help but wonder where we as a race would be without mass production. Obviously mass production advanced our society in many ways, but it did have a negative impact on the integrity associated with design that was once respected for its originality.

Along with the ability to mass-produce a physical object, the Internet and access to other technologies that allow virtual reproductions, have allowed us to degrade each other’s designs by copying them outright or reproducing very similar products. These copies and reproductions are obviously meant to mimic the original product while lowering the cost to the consumer. Hopefully in the future, respect for the art of design will be re-established. Design keeps the world moving forward. The desire to constantly improve what someone else has done has kept design in high demand, even if that means using an old design in a new way.

Design is the driving force of change for the world. It keeps us continually evolving by challenging us to come up with new ideas and new questions in the midst of everyday life. Design contains the future of technology, art, and us.

Being creative does not come easy for me. I see others who seem to know exactly what they want to do for an art project or anything that requires creativity, and what they do seems brilliant and unique. Creativity is something so elusive that I feel I am clawing my way past a gray fog clouding my mind to achieve it.

At a young age, I attempted to figure out why I did the things I did or why I thought about things in a certain way. When I was unsuccessful in solving the mysteries of my own behaviors, I turned to others. I became a student of human behaviors. I thought that if I could figure out why others did what they did, then maybe I would understand myself better. This process is still continuing to this day. People continue to fascinate me. How they do things, why they do things, awaken my brain. Looking at art is one way of observing how the artist’s mind works and the general state of the artist’s mind at the time the work of art was created.

I access my creativity by interacting with the people around me. They inspire me to learn about new things and think about new ideas.  I attempt to surround myself with people who are very different from myself to aid in this quest. Helping others with their art and watching their creative process help my own creative process. I think this is what made me decide to be an art teacher. Not only does it allow me to watch other artists work, it also allows me to see inspiration, creativity, and thoughtful minds in action.

When I finally realized that I wanted to be an art teacher, I sensed it was something that was being hinted at my whole life. Listening to Amy Tan talk about the “hints” she received throughout her life made me think about the hints I had received throughout my life. Unfortunately, I was not as receptive to mine as she was to hers, but I eventually figured mine out. In high school I was given many opportunities to work with other students in the lower level art classes and was even able to work at a fine arts summer camp for kids offered by my high school. It was not until a few years after these experiences that I realized what they meant to me.

Creativity sometimes creates more questions in my brain than it does inspiration for creating amazing works of art. I still attempt to be creative in my work and life though, and while I am envious of those who can create with ease, I know what inspires my creativity. And sometimes just knowing what spurs creativity is half the battle.