4: How distraction made me not just see, but Feel!

The Design TTAStelier With Chrys Teo

TRANSCRIPT FOR EP4
Welcome to design@ttastelier
Hi Im Chrys and in this episode, I want to talk about Distraction. Yes you heard it right, Distraction…now how and what has that gotta to do with Design?

Yes I do Designing for a living. My whole world is about design, this continuous search and appreciation of all things beautiful around us keeps me going, some call it passion, I find it’s really because I like what I do because im continuously doing it, consciously or subconsciously.
So how and what has Distraction gotta to do with design? Well, I have a confession to make – im easily distracted. In fact, i get distracted all the time I think…whenever Im in my thoughts or even when Im drawing or driving or while looking at things, I easily get distracted. I see different perspective of things all the time, I do my best. I still get distracted on and off. And I believe it is not a bad thing. Now im not saying don’t get focussed and go get distracted, but im just trying to explain that whenever I get naturally distracted in my course of work, I get into many areas of thoughts, I began to see things differently in many angles and scenarios, I began to even feel what the user ultimately wants to see or achieve in the design of the spaces.
Now, this is exactly the next concept I m trying to drive at here – is to Feel. How do we we feel design? Or how do we create designed spaces with a Feel? I know the last I talked about learning to See and now im asking you to feel. I don’t think im asking too much, because this is the next step, and a very necessary stage, and let me explain so that you will soon understand why this is so important. It is as if im talking about Light and Colors which I will wan to also cover later on…but as simple we know, no light equals no colours, because to see the colours or anything you will need light, not in darkness. The 2 complements to become a full circle, you will never be complete without the other half. Same with to See and to Feel. I would like to think that we humans, very often we do not use the natural ability of what we have all at the same time, so unknowingly we neglected our sensitivity to see and to feel at the same time, or rather to selectively choose to do so only at certain situations or certain places. I tend to believe its actually all in the mind… No no im not going to ask you to see with your Mind next, that will go on and lead onto some other very powerful things later on, we should never under-estimate our mind but for now I would just want to ask you to go along the more relaxing path instead. Just relax and be yourself, just do things naturally and use your natural ability to see more clearly, then try to feel what and how it has affected you. It’s really not that difficult actually…. Howabout this, just imagine you walking into a nice café that caught your attention across the road, you walked over and the moment you open the door you can smell that nice coffee aroma and at the bar the Barista has just done a heart-shape art on your café Latte. You should get a nice feeling now. Guess what - You are already seeing. Well done.

Seeing is believeing, in many aspects of it. But to see is not enough, you have to feel it. This brings me to what I learn about a Bruce Lee saying – Knowing is not enough, you must Apply. I would like to echo this similarity in designing – that Seeing is not enough, you must Feel. Because it is only through feel that you will learn how to appreciate the smoothness the mother-of-pearl on the tabletop after seeing its reflection of colourful spectrum of lights bouncing off the textured painted wall…it is also through FEEL that you can experience the mood and feelings of the spaces you are entering and moving around within… and it is definitely through FEEL that we can learn to put ourselves in the others shoes, to experience what it feels like on the other side of the scenario. So you see, to be able to create that feel, it is so important. It further accentuates the depth of the design that’s created, it gives more meaning to the design of these spaces created for humans, as we are beings with a rich capacity to feel. I mentioned in one of my last episodes that it is important to be able to exude that mood and feeling so that the user can resonate with the spaces created. This is exactly what I wish to reiterate and this is really what will differentiate one design from another, be it for your living spaces at home, your new office working space, your new retail shop, your other new ideas for the various spaces in all disciplines. Distinctively created.

I hope by sharing my thoughts will inspire you to be more aware of yourself and how sensitive you are when you react with your environments, be it the interesting built environments crafted by many, or the beautiful creations of the Nature everywhere around us. So go ahead and get distracted, don’t just look at that as a bad thing, see it as indirectly discovering more good things and even feeling it. Enjoy the process.

Connect with me at chrysteo.com, c h r y s t e o dot com
I look forward to seeing you in my next episode where I will be sharing with you more on my thoughts, about all things design around us that matters, seeing beyond.