Design Vision

I aim to bridge future technologies and future societies, finding new opportunities for design. The projects that I work on influence my vision on myself and the field in which I work and, the other way around, the work itself is influenced by who I am and my perspective. It is a continuous loop of action and reflection which I developed at the department, but which I hope to continue over the years as a professional. This page discusses the way I currently look at these fields under 'Field of Work', and how I think my personality as a designer might fit this under 'Identity'.

perspectives

Field of Work

Thinking of and -in the process of doing so- creating a future society that is different from the current one is the drive behind my work. Other cultures and societies that exist today are my main source of motivation, inspiration and passion. In looking at future societies I am currently interested in the way the global society gets increasingly connected and the tension with locality that brings. Cultural differences inspire me and I believe a more human drive will shift the focus of my work away from the predominantly western context on which much of the current developments are focused.

With technologies quickly getting more abundant yet based on a balanced base of consumption, I think technologies can and should facilitate societal transformation. Smart and self-adapting systems hopefully balance out away the always biased focus of the designer. In designing with these wild technologies I think it is increasingly important to design platforms and their system dynamics rather than tailored solutions.

I see the context of my work as an extremely interdisciplinary and intercultural one. It will be key to communicate with people from a range of different backgrounds. Building up a network or a way to find experts in various fields of work becomes very important. I must be able to find ways to convince other parties to join, make the opportunities of cooperation interesting for them as well. Although much enthusiasm and passion for the projects can help me here, I still feel quite insecure and a little awkward in approaching strangers at times. A clear approach, conviction of mutual benefit but most of all practice must make me more comfortable in my initial contacts.

I am not yet sure whether I would like to work for myself, in a company, academics or otherwise. I value freedom in both my future work and way of living. Whatever the specific context, I'm sure that my work will be based on my own vision or ideas, and that in the process of exploring them through creation, many people with their own expertise and views will be involved. As a designer it is a key competence to communicate my ideas, stories or projects in such a way that these other people are driven to cooperate, as external experts, funders or other partners.

Identity

I am dedicated and put all my energy in whatever I do, be it games, sports or work etc. Sometimes I might try a little too hard, but I think with my enthusiasm I can motivate myself as well as others to continue. I am explorative as well, I like new experiences and enjoy to anticipate in them to full extent, in a playful (maybe even childlike) way. This approach might be a little naive at times, but I believe I have the right persistence to make it work.

I am not a person that specializes in specific crafts, rather someone who connects different skills. In order to deliver the best work I'll have to cooperate with people that do master the specific crafts. In the context of my education I have developed many different skills and perspectives through trying out these myself, in the future I believe this will increasingly be in collaboration with others.

To people I don't know however, I can also come across as very formal. In some situations this results in a good professional attitude but it can also be perceived as a little awkward. I will have to work on feeling more secure of my own work in the presence of people I don't know yet. I believe it is good to have doubts and questions about myself but it will be key to overcome these in the way I present myself to others.

Combining work with new places seems to give me a pleasant sense of being alive and learning. Being in another country makes myself more open. Without the lifelong experience of living in a country, knowing its inhabitants, my thoughts and actions seem less biased by prejudices, more focused towards societies as a whole. Not understanding the full depth of societies, I can focus on more general structures at their core and on similarities between people rather than their differences.