Surface Treatment

This isn't a discussion about Formica^® or the latest in kitchen countertops, but what lies beneath appearances. Sean Kernan's column in the Jan/Feb 2006 issue of CA made me think of my own journey in the Design business and outside of it. Like many others, I didn't take the direct route.
I enjoy learning and getting involved with new things, not just for the sake of it, but actually learning what's going on inside of it and haveings ome knowledge of it. This also helps other aspects of my work keeping things fresh.

Early on, I was fortunate enough to have some patient individuals and mentors help me to see and learn and uncover the layers of designing and possibly myself. With learning comes experience (and the opposite is true). With Design, I finally found something I really enjoyed, that motivates me and helps pay the bills. As my experience and expertise grew, the more freedom I had to focus on developing the ideas behind the design and create something that was accessible, usable and worthy of the craft.

Recently, there has been some discussion on a few sites I frequent on whether one's passions can successfully be turned into one's career (and still eat). For some, the "magic" may be lost once the "work" starts. This hasn't happened yet, although there's been some challenging times and opportunities to grow.

The key is getting past the surface and digging just a little deeper to see what else it holds, to be more than a bystander. There may be nothing there and you'll move on, but you may discover more than what you were looking for and decide to stay for a while. I've only begun to dig and will continue to search and learn. As Socrates said, "And in knowing that you know nothing, that makes you the smartest of all".