In high school I dabbled in lots of mediums: photography, video production, web design, graphic design, fine art and other things. I remember being frustrated that as a freshman at college I was suppose to pick one of these disciplines to focus on for the next four years.

Then I found the industrial design program. I saw all kinds of creations tumbling out of department: photographs, videos, 3d models, and more. I instantly knew that it was the major for me.

As I got deeper into the curriculum I found out that not only did industrial designers create in every medium, we also borrowed methodologies from an ever wider range of professions.

A primary focus of my education was using contextual research, personal interviews, and other techniques developed by anthropologists to observe and understand how people used products and the personal relationship that people form with the things they use and experience.

One of the foundational classes that I’ll be taking this quarter is Interaction Design Research and Synthesis (taught by the fabulous Lauren Serota) which builds on a lot of this stuff. I’m very excited about spending time sharpening my skills and looking at all of this stuff anew. This definitely one of the skills I haven’t been using near as much as I could.

First class is tonight, I’ll let you know how it goes!

Last night was the first day of school and it was great. It’s inspiring to be back in the classroom again with a group of people passionate about changing the world through design.

Also, I raised $387 for Austin Center for Design by agreeing to do any dare my friends and family came up with.

The people have spoken, and I was tasked with writing and performing a fight song for AC4D during the first day of class.

Check it out!

Next Monday I begin classes at Austin Center for Design. Part of the application process was to write a Statement of Purpose. Mine is below.

When people ask why I am applying for this program, my response tends to fall into one of three buckets: I want to create things without worrying about making money from them, I want to become a better designer, and I have a concern for humanitarian problems in my blood.

First, I crave the experimental atmosphere of education. There is a tendency in business to find what works and then to drive it into the ground. Deadlines and budgets require efficiency and consistency. There are rare openings to explore winding, disparate paths when financial obligations are looming overhead.

Lately I have been working within a narrow sector of internet startups in Philadelphia and New York. This has provided a comfortable wage and the opportunity to become immersed in the idiosyncrasies of a single medium. However, sharpening this craft has required the neglect of other pursuits. Contrast this streamlined undertaking with an academic environment where new ideas are germinated and divergent approaches encouraged. When the singular focus on profits is removed or delayed, a freedom to discover lateral solutions develops. I would be thrilled at the chance of pursuing design in a non-commercial setting with other skilled designers.

Secondly and more practically, there are skills I’m interested in developing. I have worked for a range of non-profits, businesses, and startups with professionals from a variety disciplines. These experiences have given me a clearer picture of my role as a designer and the organizational need of my skills. However, there are techniques I want to improve to fully exploit this role. Specifically, I’m interested in learning methods to facilitate a design process with non-designers. I’m also attracted to working on non-digital problems. Attending this school would provide an environment for improving my ability in these areas and give me more confidence in evangelizing the design process.

Lastly, I have a need to make things that matter. I grew up in a spiritual home where emphasis was placed exclusively on people and material artifacts were disregarded as temporary. Although my personal beliefs have evolved and I have been educated as an industrial designer, I continue to remain drawn to helping people in need rather than creating beautiful objects.

Thank you for your consideration and for this unique opportunity to collaborate on not-for-profit projects and grow as a designer while attempting to improve the lives of vulnerable people in our society.