As I walked the aisles of the M&O it hit me, just as it has many times before: if you believe, as I do, in entrepreneurship at the service of society, then the simple truth is we have moved as a society in an often destructive and opulent direction. We are all connected by patterns of consumption and excess, and by ALL, I actually mean the people for whom we design and court as customers. This design world is particularly crazy. It is primarily focused on aesthetic problems outside of the context of societal and practical endeavors in design.
Who am I to say this? To cast a stone? I am another human, aware and thinking, and also a participant of these patterns. I REALIZE what my impact is and look for ways to reduce it every day. But this is not the reason for writing this. My motive is that I am looking for an answer to the questions that burn in my mind:
“How can I be a part of something good?”
“How can I in my own way change things for the better?”
I thought about this in the context of a luxurious show rich in textures, colors and experiences that few get to enjoy and contemplated two approaches: I could abandon my endeavor as a designer of sustainable furnishings and dedicate my life and design ideas to improving society from the "bottom up", or I could continue down this path of social entrepreneurship and strive to change society from the "top down". The road is not simple, but my way is design, and design is about ethical and humane pragmatism.
There are countless "bottom up" models and many people that have made these models work well. In addition, other ways could mean having to fight fire with fire (which, oddly, works for fire fighters!) and in my mind the social and environmental problems of our times can not be simply solved within the framework that created them.
On the other hand, there are also many examples of "top down" models of social and environmental transformation that have been successful. They are often very powerful models due to their pragmatism. They reach out to us in familiar ways. They ask questions AND provide options in the same sentence. This practical nature, which should be built into my
profession, is what appealed to me years ago when I started MIO and still appeals to me today. However, I am aware that being practical does not equal being "good" and know that "practical" has led us down the road of some corrupt and bogus environmental and social practices. In short one could argue that while "practical" damaged our society and our environment, it also accounts for much of our progress and is our hope for the future. I believe that when "practical" is channeled properly [creatively?] it can produce the most humane, elegant, efficient, and cost effective solutions. It can ultimately transform our appetite for more into an appetite for less, for “smarter”. It can be a tool to change our language and our values rather than just an appeal to our better nature. This approach encompasses both our vain nature and our desire to lead richer, better lives.
I arrived at my answer. Not THE answer but one that is more than just talk. In a scale appropriate to my business and design, I have experienced it and wake up every day thinking about what is next. I get ambitious ideas and know that we can actually change the world for better. I think that Ray Anderson said it best: "We'll be doing well by doing good."
Who am I to say this? To cast a stone? I am another human, aware and thinking, and also a participant of these patterns. I REALIZE what my impact is and look for ways to reduce it every day. But this is not the reason for writing this. My motive is that I am looking for an answer to the questions that burn in my mind:
“How can I be a part of something good?”
“How can I in my own way change things for the better?”
I thought about this in the context of a luxurious show rich in textures, colors and experiences that few get to enjoy and contemplated two approaches: I could abandon my endeavor as a designer of sustainable furnishings and dedicate my life and design ideas to improving society from the "bottom up", or I could continue down this path of social entrepreneurship and strive to change society from the "top down". The road is not simple, but my way is design, and design is about ethical and humane pragmatism.
There are countless "bottom up" models and many people that have made these models work well. In addition, other ways could mean having to fight fire with fire (which, oddly, works for fire fighters!) and in my mind the social and environmental problems of our times can not be simply solved within the framework that created them.
On the other hand, there are also many examples of "top down" models of social and environmental transformation that have been successful. They are often very powerful models due to their pragmatism. They reach out to us in familiar ways. They ask questions AND provide options in the same sentence. This practical nature, which should be built into my
profession, is what appealed to me years ago when I started MIO and still appeals to me today. However, I am aware that being practical does not equal being "good" and know that "practical" has led us down the road of some corrupt and bogus environmental and social practices. In short one could argue that while "practical" damaged our society and our environment, it also accounts for much of our progress and is our hope for the future. I believe that when "practical" is channeled properly [creatively?] it can produce the most humane, elegant, efficient, and cost effective solutions. It can ultimately transform our appetite for more into an appetite for less, for “smarter”. It can be a tool to change our language and our values rather than just an appeal to our better nature. This approach encompasses both our vain nature and our desire to lead richer, better lives.
I arrived at my answer. Not THE answer but one that is more than just talk. In a scale appropriate to my business and design, I have experienced it and wake up every day thinking about what is next. I get ambitious ideas and know that we can actually change the world for better. I think that Ray Anderson said it best: "We'll be doing well by doing good."
Happy holidays from MIO!
