ISO50

A really interesting post. Have thought along similar lines myself. I would question whether those are the only two options to choose from…

With your work, I would imagine the audio side of things would be consumed/interpreted in personal/individual ways. As the way music is absorbed it’s dependent on so many other factors. when, where, with whom, personal experiences etc.

A little pessimistic maybe, but thought about my work, and the stuff we’re doing (UI design or design overall) and started to think that we create more problems than we solve, and the things we’re doing are not necessary in long term. The guys who traveled whole globe in a solar-powered boat did something important, we just creating some random stuff, mostly unimportant.

(Or in place of ‘we’ I should put ‘I’, cause I thought about what I am doing – webpages, logos, software UIs. And decided to cut it of part by part and find myself a real thing to do, event if it means help in building shelters in Africa.)

strange how at the end of the video, the woman and child look longingly at him, as if he were betraying/neglecting them somehow.
in reality, shouldn’t loved ones support passions, however ‘meaningless’ they seem to them?
as poupette said, “we want art/music that keeps us at peace”. it is impossible to understate the importance of art/music as a means of enabling serenity, encourages self-knowledge, or inspiring action, etc. perhaps a Tycho song has lead someone to realize they are ready to start a family, or to break up with a significant other who disrupts the creative process.
even if we are in a sense dancing monkeys for absurd critics, loved ones should have compassion for artists who can only follow their hearts. and artists should have compassion for themselves. the existential pangs accompanying these questions are the signs of growth into new phases…

such are my thoughts. thanks for provoking them with this post, Scott.

This has definitely been an issue in my own life, but probably less so because I am not a touring artist. I agree it is difficult to possess both, and we tend to want whatever we do not have. If we dedicate our lives to making art, we wish we would have put more energy into our relationships. If we dedicate ourselves to relationships, we wish that we would have devoted more time to our art. If we devote our lives to both and try to balance it out somehow, we might even feel that they both suffer and fall short of what they could have been had we devoted more time and energy to one of them! In the end, I think we just have to follow our hearts and decide what exact mix of relationship and art making we require.

For me, in the last minutes of conscious thought before I die, I don’t see myself looking back on what I “accomplished”. I do see myself thinking about how much I love her.

Amazing. I’ve been struggling with this as of late as well. Having neglected my creative side to focus on a relationship, realizing I was totally unhappy and breaking that bond to focus on art, I’ve seen that my relationships (with my family especially) have been strained. Dating? So far it’s only a distraction. I have yet to find the one who will give me the freedom to pursue my dreams AND be there for me when I come back. But that is a requirement for me, and if I never find it…well then…

This makes me think of Ecclesiastes in the Bible.

“The eye is not satisfied with seeing,

Nor is the ear filled with hearing.

9 That which has been is that which will be,

And that which has been done is that which will be done.

So there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Is there anything of which one might say,

“See this, it is new”?

Already it has existed for ages

Which were before us.” – Ecclesiastes 1

I think it’s good to have a balanced perspective on life and work. One of the top deathbed regrets is not spending time with loved ones. My identity should be “a father” “a son” and “a brother” moreso than a “designer”. I get all wrapped up in who I am as a designer but none of that matters.

I recently moved to find work. I uprooted my family because the well had run dry where i was. I considered changing careers, taking jobs outside design, all because my number one objective was providing for my children and my wife. Like Esteban said, they are greatest joy in my life.

But life is too short to do something that does not give you purpose or fulfillment. Facing this great change in my life, i distilled (or more clearly articulated) my goal to this: i wanted to do something that mattered. Something that is lasting. That impacts people and their lives.

Ultimately, this boils down to doing what you are made to do. I think your transition from Adobe to your current work was not dissimilar. Doing work that contributes to someone else’s mission will leave you empty and full of regret. For me, it has been doing design for non-profits.

I believe we must pursue our dreams. The cool thing about art and design is that it is naturally relational. It most always involves other people (unless you keep it to yourself).

But even if it is not art, whatever our life aspiration, relationships should play a vital role. They should inspire us, push us, challenge us. And those that love us should support and enable us to be what we were made to be.
The person on his deathbed filled with regret is the one that focused selfishly on his own goals and dreams and neglected the relationships that surrounded him.

You are right. You are not just what you do. So much more than a designer, professor, manager, etc. We are relational people and this blog testifies to just how much we give and take from each other.

@Scott: Don’t know what are you planning, but I’m just seeking for someone who will push me one more step and I am leaving to do something important.

Yet, I think it’s nearly impossible without some kind of guidance. And seems there aren’t many people willing to guide nowadays. Like the ‘old guy with a beard and lots of knowledge’ from books or movies. I like to think that it was easier in the past (probably wasn’t).

I come to this from the opposite direction, or maybe a quite similar one. Drained of all passion, without a goal ahead to drive me forward; i find myself not ‘determined to prove something’ suicidal, but drained, tiered wanting to hide this overly handsome masculine body which i feel so detached from in a far corner of the world and have my consciousness fade.

20 years old is about the worst age other than 19 years of age, The chemical melange constantly tossing me in and out of depression. But in all this swirling there is a stillness i have come to trust and find rest in.

Which is a faith in the goodness of creation. A trust in the divine caring of a loving creator. The challenge is to be cast out in the dark; naked and in my case numb, and yet holding this close to my heart knowing i am not alone in my trial. I have risen to higher ledges and had my eyes opened enough to be aware of the fact that the illusion of chaos only endures when one is far from God. Even Christ thought his own divine nature had turned on Him, and left him alone on a condemned rock drifting in blackness.. But divinity has no more left itself than you or i