New School

The new school, is a rather adaptive way of working things out. Not necessarily modern, blue sky or out of the box; it simply means the agility in doing things. It requires no high IQ and no, not a lot of money. Sometimes it's just a matter of doing what makes sense. 

What makes sense, in the present days, is sometimes shifted. It doesn't follow the old rules anymore, it might have become irrelevant to how it was done previously. What is needed, really is the bravery, sensibility and agility. 

Bravery,

sensibility,

and agility.

Let me repeat that once more.

Mood

Dualism

© Andrew Meredith

I have always wanted to be an architect. I think I read more architect books than product design's. I know more architecture firms than I know product design studios. I hang out at architecture events - and never at product design's.

Not that I belittle product design, but multidisciplinary is always in my blood. I can play a thousand music instruments at a basic level, I can work on photoshop with my fingers, I can do a bit of woodwork, I can bake cakes, forgive me, but I think I am a jack of all trades.

This somehow, made me think on a detail level, something that a product designer would do. That's also probably why I adore architects much with their birds eye view.

Thinking about it, I then realized that I never actually think about how product design or what I do can make impact to other people. I always said that I want to be an architect because I want to make bigger impact. Perhaps in my mind, I was saying bigger product.

Product design has become a specific area that I've chosen. The only thing I could remember was I thought that I can make products, which will be useful for people's life. However, in reality, this idea is challenged by the many temptation around me. Sometimes it's not about how useful the design is, it's becoming how much margin can we produce. That statement is at the extreme end. What needs to be remembered is that we have to remind ourselves on a daily basis, of what we are, what we want to achieve from the start, because our work can only be impactful in the end if we have a correct process. It's not something you can embed by the end of your work.

It has always crossed my mind that I want to jump into another discipline, feeling that I'm a bit stuck in the impact making scheme, which in reality seems harder than when I think about it. But truth is, it's hard everywhere else too. So I decided that I'll go forward with this path and rethink about how I can work on the subject that I've chosen.

Same guy.

I think I'm better off when I'm weird.

Rumah Jatibening by Danny Wicaksono

Rumah Jatibening by Danny Wicaksono possesses this humility, care in process and consideration towards its owner. The 300 sqm land fits a family of three, accommodating the child's play as well as providing airy and well-lit interior. Built by everyday 'tukang' under supervision of the architect.

As Danny explained the details of this house, a sense of rationality and carefulness were felt throughout every corners of the house. This made me rethink my design process. 

2mm tali air detail.

One of the details that I enjoyed the most out of the house is how barely plain the finishings are. The feeling conveyed was a sense of closure to nature, to the outdoor, without trying to pretentiously block the inside from the outside.

Tiles were laid out in the centre of the rooms, leaving the weird sides and corners. Therefore an exact amount of needed tiles could be counted and no waste was produced.

The ceilings were carefully constructed on site with detailed drawings of the architect in creating the lay out. Timber grains were subtly visible, following the panels which were used as the mould. I couldn't stop looking at the ceiling, reimagining how it was carefully laid out, making everything seems to be making sense. The neatness of this ceiling requires no further finishing, leaving the homework to the process of making it for there is small room for error.

Each section of the ceiling was carefully laid out in details to make sure the men followed exactly what the architect wanted. 

Slit of light. 

Are we designing in context?

Should design be defined by archetypes?

Is our work relevant?

Should we make impact?

Should we just follow our heart?

Why I am Glad that I was Mentored

Over and over perhaps I have said about it. But as true as it was, I truly felt the benefit of being mentored.

I'd like to think that I've been drilled by some of the greatest mentors through my journey. This disciplined me, earned my lesson, quicken my experience gain and fasten my belt. It made me realize early enough that the world is not like how I perceived it before. Very eye opening indeed. I once told one of my mentors that he basically killed my dreams and I actually lost a sense of purpose during his period of mentorship.

It is always nice to catch up with people from the past. Knowing that we all have gone in our own separate ways and therefore meeting them seems like a humbling moment. Reminds me of how foolish I was - and how I haven't improved that much anyway.

My mentors - are willing to recommend me with a few things, telling me if I'm in the wrong direction and never always on my side - but I know that I can always come back to them for my anxieties and confusion.

Very important that in a younger age you already have someone you can direct your questions too and learn from their mistakes. Never get tired to ask, don't be too snobbish. Get a mentor and get yourself drilled.

After not meeting Sanurians for a while, I came to conclusion that each one of us is a bit crazy somewhere inside.

We wake up,

make up,

dress up,

work hard,

go home,

work more,

sleep,

repeat.

What are we?

Romanticise everything that you do.

Phases

A lot of times when designing a product or a space I wonder, what designing is all about? Do we care that much about changing the world, is it about our personal fame or is it simply for the bread and butter? These questions haunt me, because just like everyone else, often I have doubts in what I do.

A friend of mine said that I'm in that 'phase'. A phase when a designer (or practically anyone) had a rethink of what they do, whether they're on the right way, serving the right purpose or perhaps in need of an extreme manuver. I like to think that I'm on the right path, not knowing where it will end. Anyway, as days went by, we all should move on and make progress although we might face failure and dismissal.

Sometimes I like to talk to friends who are older, a bit wiser and perhaps already more certain about what they want to do, and that sometimes help especially when they are in the same profession. From these conversations, I realize even more that I want to take a different route than everyone else is, or simply realizing that everyone is different, therefore I have to face the uncertainties of the desired path - and that's fine with me.

Somehow along the way, I made peace with myself. Not saying that I'll stop having doubts, but the realization that we all are truly different, formed a temporary belief that you and I are doing just fine. Perhaps in the next 10 minutes I'll ask the same series of questions, but hey we all have learned to recover.

It is a bit of a hard task when you are a designer and you are a business mind. I have long realize that in order to be a designer, I would have to possess a certain amount of naiveness, a dose of self-trust and a lot of emotion. On the other side, the business mind tells you to simply be logical. Being in between, of course made you have an in between creation and an in between business.

The more I think about it, the more I realized that I often have unbalanced days, when I forgot my family, friends and self discipline. Then I thought, what is it that you really want?

Yup

A Reminder

It's the third day of the year.
 
The rain was pouring lightly outside the window, addressing a hint of coldness outside that we couldn't feel from inside the room.
              
Inside, he suddenly felt an urge of coldness rushing in his body. A coldness inside that we couldn't feel.   
He cried mom's name asking for a blanket. We warmed him a hot pack for his legs. Tears came down from his eyes and he shivered for a while. My heart was broken.
                                                            
I couldn't feel what he felt inside him, his coldness, his fear, his thoughts. I just stood there on the bed side. He hold onto his rosary. 

He told us that he saw his mom watching him closely.