Design Philosophy// Applying Henry Cloud Initiatives
Design Philosophy in the Terms of Head, Heart and Hands
--> Whoohoo. I got 100% on my History of Design exam. Basically memorizing design philosophy, dates and designers. I learned a lot of random stuff like.... the philosophy behind different types of wallpaper (I will never look at wallpaper the same again). You can either see this as a nit picky thing or the vastness of design philosophy transcending all corners of life from the most minute to the grandest.
In a previous post I quoted the author of the book I purchased recently, 'Fashion: A Philosophy' on how even fashion is seen in theology- their 'sexiness' and the trends of each decade and so forth. And a prime example of this can be seen within design philosophy itself. The Industrial Revolution was taken by a storm in the early 19th century to the 1850's where the World Exhibition took place and called for cheap, mass produced products that everyone could afford. One of the leading designers was Henry Cole who shunned any kind of design that tried to hide function under form or anything that tried to imitate nature. He believed that imitation was the worst offenses of design, rather one should take inspiration from nature and incorporate it into his work to make something new. The Arts and Crafts movement was spurred by the Industrial Revolution of the early 19th century and called for a Socialist viewpoint where art should be used to elevate the status of everyone and to create pleasing objects that would give pleasure to both the craftsmen and the people who buy them. William Morris, the leader of this movement, called for all things to be created by hand. Unfortunately this kind of conflicted with his Socialist viewpoint because some of his famed wallpapers were too labour intensive thus were too costly for the average Joe to purchase. From there we see other smaller movements like Gothic Revival which called to use art at a spiritual tool. Art was to point to God. Thus all furniture and art had a sort of Medieval touch to it and all furniture looked like miniature cathedrals. We then see the Art Nouveau period come in which inspired by the French Symbolish movement in literature where realism was shunned for the sensual. If you think of Moulin Rouge, you've basically captured the ideals of the Art Nouveau period in the 1890's (oh yeah I know my dates!). They focused on graphics and commercial art which depicted idealized women in the idyllic life full of sensuality: flowing stylized hair, ornament over ornament. Later on we see the Modernist movement come in where they shunned all this 'garbage' and called for the return to the basics- the fundamental. They embraced the machine and new materials such as chrome, frosted glass and steel. They despised historicism and believed that in order to create and invent, one must never look to the past. They believed that objects should never hide their function under ornament. Decoration was despised and thought of as unnecessary for the gleaming chrome represented purity and progress. The Modernists of the time believed that moral integrity had to be fused together within the realm of art and design. Thus designs for standard mass housing came along. Le Corbusier, whom I am sure everyone has heard of or at least seen his furniture (because it's all over- people are just not really aware of it) proposed that Paris should basically demolish every ugly historical building in sight and set up standard houses which could be stacked on top of one another to house everyone in.
I can apply all of this to the book I'm reading called 'Head, Heart, Hands' by Dennis Hollinger. Within the Modernist movement, standardization was key where morality was an important issue. Rationality, purity and fundamentalism became the forces that drove designers within the Bauhaus movement to create what they created. However this 'mass housing' idea did not work. Why? Because it focused too much on the mind and suppressed the need for individuality and heart. There's a famous house that was designed by a Modernist who REFUSED to take upon the suggestions of his patron who was a widowed old woman thus when it was finished, she hardly lived in it. This insistence of returning to the fundamental, became cold, distant and impersonal. I believe that in every human, the need/desire for ornament is a necessity to set apart the self from the community. Perhaps not in terms of frills, ruffles and bows, but in terms of setting a style in living space or fashion. There is that desire to add a personal touch to symbolise ownership.
In terms of the heart, the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts periods basically embody that kind of ideology which focuses on the more 'feely'/interrelational aspects of human nature. They shunned the idea of standardization for sensuality, colour and sexuality (the latter only applies in Art Nouveau). However the Arts and Crafts period in ideology is good however in practice, fails to help the very people it intended to help.
I just finished the different parts on 'Head' people from the reasons why we all must delve into theology, critical thinking and the fundamental beliefs that we all normally gloss over to the negative aspects such as the 'theological snob' or self deception (a false sense of security fed by too much head and little else). He lays out all the points clearly yet 'fails' (okay maybe he addresses it later on) to recognize that people are not ALL mind and nothing else. I believe that people usually lean towards one more than the other but I don't think there are many extremists who are that imbalanced which makes it increasingly difficult to see the faults and shortcomings of either the self or others.
I, myself, am more of a heart person because 1) I'm female 2) I'm an art/design kid. I see this a lot in my blog, considering I overly use the word phrase 'I feel' over 'I think' or 'I believe'. However I do think that I am a Head person. Before you laugh, let me say that though I am not the Head person that Hollinger defines or anyone else for that matter, a person of the Head should not be narrowly labeled as ONLY those people who think in terms of the typical, I am generally an analytical person at.. heart. Haha. This blog is a critical look at my self in relation to the world that I live in. Most of my art has meaning (unless they're the doodles you have seen thus far which lean more on expressive) and I find it difficult to design anything or take upon any project without thinking EVERYTHING over. When told to design a collection of twelve pieces, we had to use a piece of music to find inspiration. I chose 'Evenstar' from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack (no lyrics because I didn't want to make instant connections) and did this whole 'feely' thing (I despise the word 'emo' because it sounds so condescending and mocks anything heartfelt or emotionally expressive) where I just closed my eyes and listened to the melody. Then I started writing free associations and came up with words like spiritual, ephemeral, ethereal, angelic, tranquility, serene, memory. Using those words, I decided to look into Chinese pagodas, temples and Buddhism for inspiration. So now I'm creating a collection of twelve looks which ideally will reflect the Buddhist beliefs of truth, symmetry, uniformity and 'centrism'. Haha. How I'm going to do that, I'm not sure.
I just meandered. Anyway for a teacher to just tell me to 'just do it' really does not help me. My style of finding meaning behind work is to really think about it before starting anything. Writing really helps at these times. I'm a critical thinker when it comes to self reflection and the issues that surround me or come into mind. I do, however lack in the theological department because I have little interest in things like pre destination etc. There was a certain period of time where I truly had an appetite for this stuff and bought books on 'Jesus Among Other Gods' or science and the Bible or 'Case for Christ'. That was back in grade 9-10 when we all enter high school and find a need to question the things that we were spoon fed. The primary reason why I am not interested in it is because I'm discouraged. I am discouraged because I don't remember anything I read. Honestly. If I had to get into any discussion/debate concerning on the topics mentioned earlier (if science proves the existence of the bible or proves that Creationism is mere fluff), I would be constantly flipping through pages of the book to find out what the author wrote.
In saying this, it makes it hard to see if someone is all Head but little Heart and Hands. Now I can say that I see others who lean more towards the Heart over hands or the Head over the Heart yet obviously they would argue back by showing the little facets of Heart that they do have. Like me I am more Heart but can argue I am also Head though I know I do lack in the latter.
In the end, all I am trying to say is that it is difficult to point out the shortcomings when no one is to that extreme of just being one though I am sure most of us lean towards one above the others. I guess that's something we all have to work on.
The portion where I think I lack the most is in the Hands actually.
Applying Henry Cloud Initiatives
--> After reading Henry Cloud's take on dating, I decided to use his theology/advice and apply it to my life. However I did not see it as a way to get more dates and solely focus on my non existent dating life but to kind of push my entire social life up all together. Seriously, at the beginning of this year I could list all my friends on one hand plus they are people who I was forced to get along with which are basically my roommates- my friends- my only friends. Three friends. THAT'S HOW SAD MY SITUATION IS. I had no church friends here in New York which is the reason I got so emotional returning here after the summer. It's like going from three groups of school friends, a handful of church friends and family to nothing. Though my relationships in Toronto were not stellar, at least I had something. At least some people at church knew my name.
I started attending Small groups (I had to kick myself to go) and initiating small get togethers with church acquaintances here. In terms of school friends, I found a few people that I instantly clicked with and am trying to initiate weekend chill sessions and finding time to hang out with my working cousin and bf (though I'm scared I'm just annoying them). I'm finding that I naturally get along better with people older than me- two to five years. They are generally more mature and less self absorbed.
I just got invited to a party. :D However the downfalls of befriending people who are older than me is that I can't go to the bars/lounges/clubs in NY. -_- Dinner and dancing at some really pretty boutique hotel. Bah I wish they'd lower the drinking age because it's preventing me from socializing. Honestly, if I can be my own legal guardian and make a levelheaded decision who I think should be President, the rights should naturally follow. When I do turn 21, I am for sure checking out the bars/lounges/clubs here in Manhattan.... why? Because they are so darn pretty. :D
I can't really do anything about strengthening/fostering relationships in Toronto since I'm not present but in hopes of doing what I can, I added people to my MSN list who I hope to get to know at some point in time be it now or in the summer. At times I find it harder to make friends in a place that I already have been at for so long because people have preconceived notions of who you are. There are also a lot of people who I have never been formally introduced and I'm embarrassed to say, but there are a lot of people whose names I'm not really sure of because I've only seen them around. Yet I have been there long enough that people assume I know their name and it seems a little silly to suddenly ask what their name is. I think it's easier for me now at Remnant church to just go up to anybody since I'm relatively new, and be able to introduce myself and strike up conversation than if I were home.
Three glorious months at home. Okay this took two hours to write. Enough.
--> Whoohoo. I got 100% on my History of Design exam. Basically memorizing design philosophy, dates and designers. I learned a lot of random stuff like.... the philosophy behind different types of wallpaper (I will never look at wallpaper the same again). You can either see this as a nit picky thing or the vastness of design philosophy transcending all corners of life from the most minute to the grandest.
In a previous post I quoted the author of the book I purchased recently, 'Fashion: A Philosophy' on how even fashion is seen in theology- their 'sexiness' and the trends of each decade and so forth. And a prime example of this can be seen within design philosophy itself. The Industrial Revolution was taken by a storm in the early 19th century to the 1850's where the World Exhibition took place and called for cheap, mass produced products that everyone could afford. One of the leading designers was Henry Cole who shunned any kind of design that tried to hide function under form or anything that tried to imitate nature. He believed that imitation was the worst offenses of design, rather one should take inspiration from nature and incorporate it into his work to make something new. The Arts and Crafts movement was spurred by the Industrial Revolution of the early 19th century and called for a Socialist viewpoint where art should be used to elevate the status of everyone and to create pleasing objects that would give pleasure to both the craftsmen and the people who buy them. William Morris, the leader of this movement, called for all things to be created by hand. Unfortunately this kind of conflicted with his Socialist viewpoint because some of his famed wallpapers were too labour intensive thus were too costly for the average Joe to purchase. From there we see other smaller movements like Gothic Revival which called to use art at a spiritual tool. Art was to point to God. Thus all furniture and art had a sort of Medieval touch to it and all furniture looked like miniature cathedrals. We then see the Art Nouveau period come in which inspired by the French Symbolish movement in literature where realism was shunned for the sensual. If you think of Moulin Rouge, you've basically captured the ideals of the Art Nouveau period in the 1890's (oh yeah I know my dates!). They focused on graphics and commercial art which depicted idealized women in the idyllic life full of sensuality: flowing stylized hair, ornament over ornament. Later on we see the Modernist movement come in where they shunned all this 'garbage' and called for the return to the basics- the fundamental. They embraced the machine and new materials such as chrome, frosted glass and steel. They despised historicism and believed that in order to create and invent, one must never look to the past. They believed that objects should never hide their function under ornament. Decoration was despised and thought of as unnecessary for the gleaming chrome represented purity and progress. The Modernists of the time believed that moral integrity had to be fused together within the realm of art and design. Thus designs for standard mass housing came along. Le Corbusier, whom I am sure everyone has heard of or at least seen his furniture (because it's all over- people are just not really aware of it) proposed that Paris should basically demolish every ugly historical building in sight and set up standard houses which could be stacked on top of one another to house everyone in.
I can apply all of this to the book I'm reading called 'Head, Heart, Hands' by Dennis Hollinger. Within the Modernist movement, standardization was key where morality was an important issue. Rationality, purity and fundamentalism became the forces that drove designers within the Bauhaus movement to create what they created. However this 'mass housing' idea did not work. Why? Because it focused too much on the mind and suppressed the need for individuality and heart. There's a famous house that was designed by a Modernist who REFUSED to take upon the suggestions of his patron who was a widowed old woman thus when it was finished, she hardly lived in it. This insistence of returning to the fundamental, became cold, distant and impersonal. I believe that in every human, the need/desire for ornament is a necessity to set apart the self from the community. Perhaps not in terms of frills, ruffles and bows, but in terms of setting a style in living space or fashion. There is that desire to add a personal touch to symbolise ownership.
In terms of the heart, the Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts periods basically embody that kind of ideology which focuses on the more 'feely'/interrelational aspects of human nature. They shunned the idea of standardization for sensuality, colour and sexuality (the latter only applies in Art Nouveau). However the Arts and Crafts period in ideology is good however in practice, fails to help the very people it intended to help.
I just finished the different parts on 'Head' people from the reasons why we all must delve into theology, critical thinking and the fundamental beliefs that we all normally gloss over to the negative aspects such as the 'theological snob' or self deception (a false sense of security fed by too much head and little else). He lays out all the points clearly yet 'fails' (okay maybe he addresses it later on) to recognize that people are not ALL mind and nothing else. I believe that people usually lean towards one more than the other but I don't think there are many extremists who are that imbalanced which makes it increasingly difficult to see the faults and shortcomings of either the self or others.
I, myself, am more of a heart person because 1) I'm female 2) I'm an art/design kid. I see this a lot in my blog, considering I overly use the word phrase 'I feel' over 'I think' or 'I believe'. However I do think that I am a Head person. Before you laugh, let me say that though I am not the Head person that Hollinger defines or anyone else for that matter, a person of the Head should not be narrowly labeled as ONLY those people who think in terms of the typical, I am generally an analytical person at.. heart. Haha. This blog is a critical look at my self in relation to the world that I live in. Most of my art has meaning (unless they're the doodles you have seen thus far which lean more on expressive) and I find it difficult to design anything or take upon any project without thinking EVERYTHING over. When told to design a collection of twelve pieces, we had to use a piece of music to find inspiration. I chose 'Evenstar' from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack (no lyrics because I didn't want to make instant connections) and did this whole 'feely' thing (I despise the word 'emo' because it sounds so condescending and mocks anything heartfelt or emotionally expressive) where I just closed my eyes and listened to the melody. Then I started writing free associations and came up with words like spiritual, ephemeral, ethereal, angelic, tranquility, serene, memory. Using those words, I decided to look into Chinese pagodas, temples and Buddhism for inspiration. So now I'm creating a collection of twelve looks which ideally will reflect the Buddhist beliefs of truth, symmetry, uniformity and 'centrism'. Haha. How I'm going to do that, I'm not sure.
I just meandered. Anyway for a teacher to just tell me to 'just do it' really does not help me. My style of finding meaning behind work is to really think about it before starting anything. Writing really helps at these times. I'm a critical thinker when it comes to self reflection and the issues that surround me or come into mind. I do, however lack in the theological department because I have little interest in things like pre destination etc. There was a certain period of time where I truly had an appetite for this stuff and bought books on 'Jesus Among Other Gods' or science and the Bible or 'Case for Christ'. That was back in grade 9-10 when we all enter high school and find a need to question the things that we were spoon fed. The primary reason why I am not interested in it is because I'm discouraged. I am discouraged because I don't remember anything I read. Honestly. If I had to get into any discussion/debate concerning on the topics mentioned earlier (if science proves the existence of the bible or proves that Creationism is mere fluff), I would be constantly flipping through pages of the book to find out what the author wrote.
In saying this, it makes it hard to see if someone is all Head but little Heart and Hands. Now I can say that I see others who lean more towards the Heart over hands or the Head over the Heart yet obviously they would argue back by showing the little facets of Heart that they do have. Like me I am more Heart but can argue I am also Head though I know I do lack in the latter.
In the end, all I am trying to say is that it is difficult to point out the shortcomings when no one is to that extreme of just being one though I am sure most of us lean towards one above the others. I guess that's something we all have to work on.
The portion where I think I lack the most is in the Hands actually.
Applying Henry Cloud Initiatives
--> After reading Henry Cloud's take on dating, I decided to use his theology/advice and apply it to my life. However I did not see it as a way to get more dates and solely focus on my non existent dating life but to kind of push my entire social life up all together. Seriously, at the beginning of this year I could list all my friends on one hand plus they are people who I was forced to get along with which are basically my roommates- my friends- my only friends. Three friends. THAT'S HOW SAD MY SITUATION IS. I had no church friends here in New York which is the reason I got so emotional returning here after the summer. It's like going from three groups of school friends, a handful of church friends and family to nothing. Though my relationships in Toronto were not stellar, at least I had something. At least some people at church knew my name.
I started attending Small groups (I had to kick myself to go) and initiating small get togethers with church acquaintances here. In terms of school friends, I found a few people that I instantly clicked with and am trying to initiate weekend chill sessions and finding time to hang out with my working cousin and bf (though I'm scared I'm just annoying them). I'm finding that I naturally get along better with people older than me- two to five years. They are generally more mature and less self absorbed.
I just got invited to a party. :D However the downfalls of befriending people who are older than me is that I can't go to the bars/lounges/clubs in NY. -_- Dinner and dancing at some really pretty boutique hotel. Bah I wish they'd lower the drinking age because it's preventing me from socializing. Honestly, if I can be my own legal guardian and make a levelheaded decision who I think should be President, the rights should naturally follow. When I do turn 21, I am for sure checking out the bars/lounges/clubs here in Manhattan.... why? Because they are so darn pretty. :D
I can't really do anything about strengthening/fostering relationships in Toronto since I'm not present but in hopes of doing what I can, I added people to my MSN list who I hope to get to know at some point in time be it now or in the summer. At times I find it harder to make friends in a place that I already have been at for so long because people have preconceived notions of who you are. There are also a lot of people who I have never been formally introduced and I'm embarrassed to say, but there are a lot of people whose names I'm not really sure of because I've only seen them around. Yet I have been there long enough that people assume I know their name and it seems a little silly to suddenly ask what their name is. I think it's easier for me now at Remnant church to just go up to anybody since I'm relatively new, and be able to introduce myself and strike up conversation than if I were home.
Three glorious months at home. Okay this took two hours to write. Enough.
1 Comments:
Hello! My name is Jeff. I found your site on Technorati and really liked it so far, I was wondering if you would be interested in featuring one of my many websites in one of your posts. I am trying to build a name for my sites but it seems very difficult to do without paying for advertisement space. That is why I am trying to get people with nice and popular websites to maybe write a little article about my sites. My sites include http://jeffreymunro.com which is my main blog, http://wallpapers.jeffreymunro.com which is my wallpaper website, http://jeffreymunro.com/girls/ which is my celebrity wallpaper site and finally http://wtcphotos.googlepages.com/index.html is my World Trade Center Photo website. Hopefully you will consider writing something about one of my sites. Thank you very much and please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions (you can find my email on my blog) :)
Jeff
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