As part of a drafting course I am taking, the Professor asked us to answer the following question:
What do you think will prove to be the more important in your drafting: precision or creativity? Why?
At first, I didn’t really know how to answer the question and reading other people’s answers on the discussion board was very overwhelming. They all shared very powerful design perspectives while answering.
I struggled with my answer at first so I walked away to take some time to think about the question particular to me and my practice, and my passion for Design Psychology. After I was able to apply the question to my way of living, designing and practicing, I came up with a response that I believe not only answered the basis of the question, but also shone light on the nature vs. nurture dynamic that exists everywhere, no matter what field of work or play we are in.
One of the other students commented that removing creativity or the actual person from the design process and replacing them with a machine, would have a significant impact on the design of the space, and I could not agree with her more. Without the human element as part of the design process (both client and designer), the spaces we build and design would have no life behind them. I believe our spaces are living, breathing entities that mold and morph as we do, so removing the human behind the space could definitely be detrimental to the design process.
I decided in the end that I think I place a bit more weight on precision when it comes to drafting specifically. I view this very essential design skill as a language in which we use to communicate design. Somehow, through all the creative ideas and visions that each client/designer/builder/etc. brings, we have to find a way to relate and understand what the other is envisioning (which can be harder than it sounds sometimes!). As designers, we can’t see into each other’s ‘design mind’, so we can only do our best to interpret through our own perspective and experience what the client, other designers, builders, etc. are envisioning and striving for. Drafting can be this beautiful language that we in this field can all learn and use as the foundation for truly understanding what each other are trying to achieve. And because we are human and so much interpretation is left to assumption, precision and accuracy become key when speaking this language to ensure we can all comprehend.
I love the balance between creativity and precision as a whole, not just within the design realm. Precision (in this case drafting or life coaching/counselling) allows us to speak the same language and start from the same place, while our individual creativity (us as a person), is what will make us each unique in the field and connect us with the clients that we can best serve.
The same concept can be applied to life coaching and counselling. We are trained to be able to communicate using the languages of thoughts and emotions. We do our best to try to relate on a very connected level to the experiences and emotions of our clients. Although we have not walked in our client shoes, we can use universal feelings and emotions to relate to our clients and ‘communicate’ with them in the language they understand. This is called empathy and once we know how to speak this ‘language’, we can really show up for our clients in the most helpful way possible.
I found this basic question from drafting class very relatable to the rest of my life, and my coaching practice. Life will always be this dance of balance between me (on the inside) and the world (on the outside) and one cannot exist without the other. Both equally important and both fueling the existence of one another. Where else in our lives do we see this ebb & flow at play? Where in our homes do we feel this?
Nature vs. nurture, creativity vs. precision, what a diverse discussion. And who knew I would gain such insight into my process of creating balance in my life through a drafting question. Just one more reason why I could not love this beautiful blend of psychology and design, any more than I do.
Live well,
Cher
