Years ago, my definition of living a rich, full life was not about making a lot of money, and every day was an adventure and discovery of something new. I’d write or sketch in a journal. Art school – Emily Carr College of Art as it was known then, opened me up to a new way of seeing my world. I’ll always be grateful that I took the art school route before entering academia to study art and architecture history at UBC. I started art school in Graphic Design which I loved, but an insatiable curiosity to seek out the creative process in other art departments had me digress into other media such as lithography, woodblock printing, conceptual art and performance art. I learned the beauty of texture with paper in printmaking, which I use in my work today. After 2.5 years of exploration, it was time to move on. 

University was a different learning experience. Learning to write papers became a good skill that works well in my work as a content writer for the websites I design. However, the best thing I learned with my BA was learning how little I knew. This instilled in me a desire to learn more and research which I still use  in my work today. Between these two houses of learning, I’ve learned to use my curiosity as GPS to learn more. A couple of years after university graduation, I took a three year graphic design program in Ontario to fulfill a need for a marketable skill. The culmination of this education provided the rich textured knowledge base to feed the design process.

The word “synthesis” comes to mind to describe why I love the current work I do as a designer:

Synthesis (from the ancient Greek σύνθεσις, σύν “with” and θέσις “placing”) refers to a combination of two or more entities that together form something new.

There’s a process of coming up with riveting solutions to a design issue. It starts with a need – for a logo, a website, a rebrand, etc… then quickly unravels into an unknown place led by the designer’s creative process once all the needs and parameters are understood.

On innovation:
Steven Johnson’s TED Talks delves into the history of innovation. It’s my current read and I can’t put the book down. His TED talk link below will let you decide if it’s a rabbit hole  you want to spend some time in:

Where Good Ideas Come From: A History of Innovation

Stay open to the possible. Then stay open and enjoy what comes up.

Laurie Kingdon