Life: How Far Around The Globe Can You Push Design?

My aunt's tent in Antarctica (not for the whole duration of her stay, I may add!)

Recently, I have been suffering quite severe anxiety attacks, which, for those of you who are unaware of how these can affect people - cause pent up anxiety to overwhelm you at any point, without warning or any provoking, creating a state of confusion in the victim leading to difficulty in concentrating, along with headaches, dizziness, slowed reactions, numb limbs, and, during prolonged states of anxiety can cause insomnia and loss of appetite. It is far from a pleasant experience. You also become your own worst enemy as you start to dread the onset of another episode, which ironically - can cause it. It's just something that you learn to deal with, as it tends to re-surface periodically throughout your life.

When this does happen though, I have found that perspective is very important when it comes to snapping out of it. And I don't mean an isometric perspective, I mean a perspective on life - that you, as an individual are a mere pin prick on the earths surface. Something you may consider mammoth in your life - doesn't even scratch the surface of the world. It's nothing. A mere spec of dust. I don't mean to get philosophical - but it's hard to comprehend until you start to really appreciate that you make up a mere 0.00000005% of the world. Even then, that's only out of humans, there's then other mammals, plant life, marine life, birds, reptiles, insects. Species that have since become extinct, whatever may be out in space, and so forth. I know we, as designers, are supposed to aim to beat the statistics that are against us - be the ones to make the difference, but when I sift through images on the National Geographic it's only then I realise what we do doesn't even come close to impacting on the tranquil places around the world. The tranquil places that most of us will only ever see photographs of. How for example, does cutting edge interior design impact or improve life in the Peruvian Inca communities? How would fantastic thought provoking graphic design influence Sri Lanken farmers? The answer is, 99% of the time it doesn't. Blissfully unaware of these things means communities such as these around the globe have a totally different perspective on the world, and the significance of design is minimal.

That, is what I think of anyway, when I find myself in a state of panic and anxiety.

Humpback Whale Breaching - ©National Geographic 

I got a similar engulfing feeling when I went on a trip off the coast of Cape Cod to see hump back whales. They were so elegant and graceful for their size, you were unbelievably overwhelmed by them. They said usually you would only get a short sighting of perhaps 1-2 in total - however we came across between 9-12 whales, 2 or 3 of which bonded with the boat and breached closely - something the guide had never seen in 20 years. There's something magnificent about when a whale of that magnitude breaches and sinks their tail in the effortless way they do. Like I said - it makes you feel like an ant, a mere insect to the vast world out there. You suddenly want to dis-concern yourself with trivial local issues that are minor in the grand scheme of what is out there to be discovered.

Furthermore, my aunt is currently in Antarctica for a year. Blissfully unaffected by social chaos. No public transport delays. No Royal Mail muck ups. No complaints to be made at customer services. No waste.

Just silence. Endless silence that stretches for what may as well be eternity. Untouched landscape, that's not polluted by engine fumes, nor litter. No signs enforcing society's rules upon you. No smoking ban. No traffic jams. Just absolute, perfect, clean, uncontaminated, blissful, silence. There must be something appealing about it - given that this is her second trip there. Sometimes even the biggest of city slickers like myself, yearn for peace. 

But, as there is no rest for the wicked - it's back to the studios tomorrow.

Ding ding ding, round two!