Design is a Spiritual Art Form

Design is a spiritual art form, if you want it to be.

Written by a partial, prejudiced & ignorant graphic designer

E. H. Montgomery May 2014

A creative life should be a sustainable one.

By creating space for spiritual fulfillment in your design practice you can better yourself, your life, and your work.* This is a guide for designers who want to sell out, buy in, and keep their soul while they are at it. *This doesn’t mean you are going to solve every creative problem by going to a yoga class. Although yoga is not frowned upon.

Not every project (or every day) presents an equal opportunity for spiritual and professional fulfillment. This is more about capitalizing on the opportunities you do encounter be they large or small.

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Why does this exist?

Simply put – why not? Designers are hungry for conceptually and creatively challenging problems but, are we not equally starved for mindfulness and momentary grace? We seem to have every faith that design can save humanity from the perils of pollution, starvation, obesity, etcetera but does that apply to our own creative existence? Increasing scientific rationality and technological advances liberate us from the perils of nature and the dogmatic authority of religion. But for many it seems that the price of this faith in progress has been an alienation from the wonders of the physical world and the beauty of our own existence in the present.

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No doubt most designers have indeed felt like

prostitutes at one time or another, selling themselves to somebody they dislike.

Alex Cameron

Cameron, Alex. Becoming Designers: Education & Influence. Exeter, England: Intellect, 2000. Print.

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Who is this for?

Designers who’ve felt overwhelmed by the pressures of professional expectations and the anxieties of modern life.

Designers who have a sneaking suspicion that there is somehow the opportunity for ‘more’ in their professional lives.

Pious designers looking to move from an academic faith to a more real and daily practice of faith.* *Q: Is this about religion?

A: Not really.

While meditation has roots in almost every organized religion, most practices can be adapted for more general purposes.

Meditation and other contemplative techniques are only religious if you want them to be.

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I think that designers today are going through some sort of identity crisis, we sit in front of our computers with our hand on the mouse, pushing those pixels around the computer screen. And I honestly don’t think that we know who we are anymore.

Kalle Lasn Lasn, Kalle. “The Future of Design.” Typo Berlin. Berlin. YouTube. Web.

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What is this about?

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Selling out, buying in, & keeping your soul while you are at it.

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What is this about?

$elling Out

Transitive verb 1. to dispose of one’s goods by sale; 2. to betray one’s cause or associates, especially for personal gain: the band sold out it’s faithful followers, abandoning its edgy style for a more commercial sound.

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1. Sell Out: Definition of Sell out in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US). Web

Why does selling out matter?

Because sometimes the truth hurts your pride not your bank account. Ever heard the phrase “the client is always right”? If so, there is a 92.4%* chance that at some point you have compromised some part your creative vision or personal aesthetics to appease a client’s demands.

Design is notably more focused on ‘the other’ than the vast majority of art forms. An office is not the same as a studio. A designer does not necessarily have agency over their subject matter or material.

Yet designers are expected to be as creative and possibly more productive than an artist.

Add to this the fact that across the board we are working longer days, taking fewer vacations, and retiring later. On top of all that, we are professionally required to sit at our computers most days. On the off-chance we aren’t working, we are constantly connected to our smart phones and tablets, spending an average of 3+ hours on social media per day. 1 But hey, its not all bad. While ‘sell out’ may be the self-imposed hair-shirt that designers wear, everyone (from a broker to a barista) has compromised for profit at some point in their career. Whether you wanted the money, the title, the trajectory, the experience or __________, selling out doesn’t make you a bad person - it just makes you human.

Like all things selling out is best in moderation.** * This number is not scientifically accurate - however there is a 100% chance that I have sold out at some point. ** So please don’t become some sort of mindless automaton who follows every design trend.

1. “American Time Use Survey Summary.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 20 June 2013.

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What is this about?

Buying In

Transitive verb 1. to want and get the things that money buys and to enjoy having them. While this can include 2.5 kids and the American dream please keep in mind that tattoos, vegan yogurt, casual trips to Thailand and shelter dogs also cost money.1 10

1. I made this one up.

Why is buying in a good thing?

Unless you are an accomplished breathariarn at some point you will need to eat. And that food will cost money.

If a tree falls in a forest and nobody hears it the tree may or may not exist - but if you design things and can’t sell them to your clients you might face a worse fate... irrelevance.

Buying in is accepting selling out. It is to willingly give up the stigma of feeling somehow less-artistic, less fulfilled, less _____________ than other creatives.

Selling out and buying in can have some pretty sweet upsides. Want to retire at 50? Want to donate time and money to the cause of your choosing? Want to learn how to surf in Bali?* Whatever you want to do with your life, it might be time for you to celebrate the opportunities you can gain when on those times you sell out. *If you want to do all of these things please email me at ehmontgomery@gmail.com - we have a lot in common and should probably be friends.

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What is this about?

Soul

Noun 1. a person’s moral or emotional nature or sense of identity: in the depths of her soul, she knew he would betray her.1

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1. Soul: Definition of Soul in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US). Web

Why does the soul matter?

Hopefully you are semi-aware that you have one of these. For me, the soul is the little voice in my head that asks big questions like:

Er, excuse me, who am I? Hello?

Why am I here?

What’s my purpose in life?

What do I mean by who am I?1 Let’s keep it real - I’m not the Dalai Lama and I can’t tell you why the soul matters. While I can’t explain it, I’m pretty confident I have one. I think that the soul is a catalyst for creativity and that sometimes the confines of professional design seem to suffocate it.

If you’ve had this experience keep reading...

1. Adams, Douglas. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

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Ok, so now what?

While all designers have their own ideas on what defines selling out or buying in, it is a pretty safe bet that most believe creativity is one of the major aspects of a design process.

There are a lot of definitions for creativity out there. But most seem to revolve around two distinct but not mutually exclusive characteristics: the ability to empathize and the drive to take risks.

Most designers seem to agree that the result of these traits is seen in innovative, transformative, original, artistic, and imaginative design solutions.

Recently the design community has slowly and shyly reached towards meditation as a practice that activates the soul and stimulates creativity; bettering both the designer and their work.

In the meantime, the scientific community has focused on finding quantitative proof that meditation (from simple breathing techniques to advanced guided practices) helps you live longer and better.

From boosting your immunity to literally changing your DNA and a bunch of other cool things (like increasing grey matter in your brain) the doctors are in.

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1. “Meditation: An Introduction.� National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine. U.S. Department of Health and Public Services.

emotional regulation capacity for introspection ability to multitask memory pain depression anxiety Still not convinced?

There’s more good news...

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With the perspective of ‘people-centered-design’ gaining traction it’s good to know that...

Meditation is proven to strengthen your social connection and emotional intelligence.

It also makes you more compassionate and less lonely.1

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1. “Meditation: An Introduction.” National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine. U.S. Department of Health and Public Services.

Meditation increases neuroplasticity which will help you come up with solutions that are more awesome.

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Long story short: If you can develop a meditative practice that complements your design process it will create a spiritually renewing space of creativity, energy and clarity.

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Take a few deep breaths)

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Mindfulness is Meditation is Design is Mindfulness is Meditation 22

Most people assume that meditation is all about stopping thoughts, getting rid of emotions, somehow controlling the mind.

Actually it’s much different than that, It’s more about stepping back, seeing the thought clearly, witnessing it coming and going, without judgment, but with a relaxed, focused mind.

Andy Puddicombe Puddicombe, Andy. “All It Takes Is 10 Mindful Minutes.” TedSalon. London. TED. Web.

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I think that mindfulness is at the heart of design, and that’s why I think it is possible to design a life.

Tim Brown, Ideo 24

Brown, Tim. “Class of 2010: Start Designing Your Life.” UC Berkeley Commencement. CA, Berkely. Lecture.

Meditate

Verb 1. think deeply or focus one’s mind for a period of time, in silence or with the aid of chanting, for religious or spiritual purposes or as a method of relaxation.

2. (meditate on/upon) think deeply or carefully about (something): he went off to meditate on the new idea.

3. [ with obj. ] plan mentally; consider: they had suffered severely, and they began to meditate retreat.1 1. Meditate: Definition of Meditate in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US). Web

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The term ‘meditation’ refers to a broad variety of complex emotional conceptual, & attentional regulatory practices that encourage relaxation and a sense 1 of well-being.

1. Perry, E. K. New Horizons in the Neuroscience of Consciousness. Amsterdam: John Benjamins Pub., 2010. Print.

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Most types of meditation have four elements in common: 1 2 3 4

Quiet Please. Meditation is usually practiced in a quiet place with as few distractions as possible.

Get Comfortable. A specific, comfortable posture improves meditation, from lying down, to walking.

Just do what feels best in the moment.

Stop Multitasking. Focusing one’s attention is usually a part of meditation. For example, the meditator may focus on a mantra (a specially chosen word or set of words), an object, or the sensations of the breath. As a designer you can use meditation to hone in on a particular project or design challenge.

No Negative Nancies. Having an open attitude during meditation means letting distractions come and go naturally without judging them. When the attention goes to distracting or wandering thoughts, they are not suppressed; instead, the meditator gently brings attention back to the focus.

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The practice with a thousand faces...

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and almost as many apps.

1. Calm.com 2. Buddhify 2 3. Headspace 4. Omvana 5. Simply Being 6. Breathe Sync 7. MindBody Connect 8. The Mindfulness App 9. SimplyBeing 10. MindfulnessMeditation 11. BreathtoRelax 12. Budhhist Meditation Trainer 13. Take a Break 14. Methodology 15. Smiling Mind 16. Pranayama 17. Spiritual Healing 18. Silva Relax 19. Take a break 20. Pocket Retreat (the list goes on) 29

Before we go any further I should mention that this is not a textbook on meditation.

If you want one of those, check Amazon, they have a lot.

This is about integrating meditative practices into your design process.

Like your design process itself, the best way to learn is to do.

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You could do something like: Recognize the need for spiritual engagement in your design process Think small.

Treat this need as a design problem, seek out a solution backed by strategy, systems, and process.

Repeat.

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Start tracking your mood.

Realize that aside from adaptation and determination there is no concrete or constant solution for integrating the spiritual and the secular.

Search for relevant meditation practices.

Be uncomfortably introspective and generate a deep understanding of what you are trying to fix.

Try some practices out.

Adapt the ones that are ok.

Ditch the ones that suck.

Keep tracking your mood.

Keep trying things.

Get comfortable with the idea that not every project or every day present an equal opportunity for spiritual growth and development.

Generate a unique and scalable practice that complements your design process.

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You can also keep reading and see how I found mine.

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Design is a spiritual art form, if I want it to be.

The explorations and experiments of a partial, prejudiced & ignorant graphic designer

How did I get here?

I sold out at age 15.

I had to wear a bright orange t-shirt. Bright orange is not my color. It isn’t even in my top 5 colors. But in the summer, there I was, spending a few days a week sitting in an adirondack chair getting paid to be a beach attendant in a bright orange t-shirt.

I liked what I could buy when I had a job, but it really wasn’t just about the money*. Making small sacrifices like wearing the worst t-shirt in the world allowed me to buy the feeling of adult-ness. Selling out a little bit of my personal aesthetic allowed me to buy a life that was not entirely dependent on others. It gave me the freedom to make choices I otherwise would not have been able to make. Like most people I am a pretty big fan of freedom.

At 22 I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine art and did not overthink the repercussions of dropping a daily art practice and pursuing a career in graphic design. Like most 22 year olds I didn’t over think many things aside from my social life.

At this point it really was about the money.** With any luck, I would end up leading a beautiful and sustainable life that could support my more creative interests.

Four years and one masters degree later I don’t regret it. I like 'design thinking' (full disclosure: I’m still not 100% sure what that means).

I love that I get to make work that is meant to inspire action and transform experiences. I’m glad that I get paid to be thoughtful, strategic, and creative.

That being said...

*Money did sweeten the deal. **It was also about the title, the stability, the likelihood of access to healthcare, and the water cooler talk.

Despite the fact the computer is a creative instrument, I find sitting in front of it dayafter-day to be pretty tiresome/possibly demoralizing/generally not cool.

I know from experience that there will be days when a client will choose a solution that I wouldn’t, or ask for an impossibly huge project to be turned around in 24 hours. The client may always be right, but that doesn’t mean they have great taste, or understand how to communicate effectively, Being a graphic designer, like being a person in general, means that there are a lot of things that are out of my control.

It isn’t all terrible. Frankly, it’s not even that bad but given the chance to spend some time solving a problem, I figured I would spend my time solving one I hope to face everyday.

With all this in mind I felt that I needed to find a way to re-position the act of ‘professional design’.

And I knew that an inspirational poster or mood-boosting app was not going to solve the problem.

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I was searching for a scalable practice that I could integrate into my design process that would leave me feeling spiritually revitalized by my profession, not drained and disconnected.

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The journey I took to find this practice went something like this: I recognized the problem. Well really I thought of a problem that was the result of a bigger problem. So I started asking questions.

I started thinking. Then I spent about 3 months researching.

It wasn’t very interesting.

I was pretty sure I was missing something.

So I started to think more abstractly. I asked more critical questions, and then I realized that the little problem I had been addressing was merely a symptom of a larger problem that was much more interesting. Then I re-framed my research and my focus, and that’s when I realized that this project was not about a design problem in the traditional sense. It was about opening up conversations on little discussed, often ignored aspects of design through the creation and application of a process. This new problem was…big. Very big. And it was hard to think about. So I took a lot of naps, read a lot of books, tried a bunch of different meditation practices and buried myself in other work.

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Regardless of time lost, one day I started doing. Then after six months of experimenting I felt ready and I began to synthesize what I had learned into a somewhat linear and repeatable process. This was also hard. And scary. And sometimes frustrating. I learned that at times it was hard to be meditative about being meditative.

I took a few more naps. I meditated more. I kept asking questions. I took notes. I thought hard.

I started making. Sometimes meditation did not help.

I kept thinking and stopped napping. Gradually and then suddenly it began to take effect. In this space I integrated my design process into the whole of my life and I integrated the whole of my life into my design process. I became less judgmental of my own work and less affected by the environment around me. I became more present in whatever moment I was in and more fulfilled by the task at hand.

I took my headphones off and listened to the world around me. And my work seemed to jump out of whatever rut it was in. And taking risks and getting away with them felt right. So I did. And that’s why I wrote this book. I still don’t like sitting and working on a computer for 8+ hours.

Email still bothers me on principle. But like I said on page two, I am a bit of a sell out. And that’s ok.

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How my research evolved in

32 questions:

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May 2013

May 2014

1. Why is the graphic design for my church so terrible?

2. Does effective graphic design have a place in the Episcopal church?

3. Is this exploration relevant to the design community at large?

4. Why is design driven by information and not intuition?

5. Why does the cannon of design ignore/downplay spiritual motivations and effect?

6. Is there a place for spirituality or piety in the secular world of contemporary design?

7. Why do I have a faith practice that is merely academic?

8. Can I blur the lines between my spiritual interests and my secular professional life?

9. Why is spirituality important to me?

10. What are my spiritual goals?

11. Why do I feel that art is more cathartic than design?

12. Why isn’t design commonly considered a spiritual art form?

13. Can I re-frame design as a sacred art form?

14. What is the difference between artists and designers?

15. What is the difference between art and design?

16. Does this difference matter?

17. Is there a difference between religion and spirituality?

18. What are the major barriers to leading a spiritually fulfilling professional life?

19. Can I address these barriers through a change in behavior?

20. What is mindfulness?

21. What is meditation?

22. Is there a difference between contemplation, meditation and mindfulness?

23. Can mindfulness improve design?

24. What meditation practices should I try?

25. Can I integrate meditation practices into my design process?

26. Can I do interpretive dance in an office?

27. Can I use my religious inclinations to guide my meditation practice?

28. How can I tell if this whole meditation thing is working?

29. Is meditation helping my design practice and changing the work I am creating?

30. Am I done yet?

31. How do I systematize my learnings into a process that can be repeated and shared?

32. What do I do now?

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I did something like: Recognized the need for spiritual engagement in my design process Started Small.

Treated this need as a design problem, sought out a solution backed by strategy, systems and process.

Repeat.

Started tracking my mood.

Realized that aside from adaptation and determination there was no concrete or constant solution for integrating the spiritual and the secular.

Searched for relevant meditation practices.

Was uncomfortably introspective and generated a deep understanding of what I was trying to fix.

Tried some practices out.

Adapted the ones that were ok.

Ditched the ones that sucked.

Kept tracking my mood.

Kept trying things.

Got comfortable with the idea that not every project or every day presents an equal opportunity for spiritual growth and development.

Generated a unique and scalable practice that complemented my design process.

Things I tried along the way: Headspace Yoga

Ashtanga Yoga

Five RhythmsYoga

What it is: Guided meditation app

What it is: Yoga practice

What it is: Meditative dance practice

Why I tried it: Since I’m usually just using my smart-phone to catch up on celebrity gossip I figured that a meditation app might be a nice change of pace.

Why I tried it: I’ve found it effective in the past and wanted to see if I could observe its effects from a design perspective.

Why I tried it: The idea of a two hour free-form dance class was so terrifying I thought it might just scare me into being a more enlightened person.

How it went: The first few times I liked it.

After getting through what felt like a lot of introductory videos I did my first guided meditation. Afterwards I felt relaxed and upbeat but when my phone started buzzing with meditation reminders I felt less relaxed.

Without the reminders I kept forgetting to do the meditations - I guess an i-phone is not where I instinctively go to unplug.

Verdict: + good design throughout + great content + British accent - digital experience - too structured Take away: Moving forward I would keep the ideas but ditch the regimen.

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How it went: I’ve had a sporadic and surface level interest in yoga for the past ten years. I took classes at an elite gym in NYC and the competitive nature of the atmosphere was a distraction.

I struggled to be in the moment for the duration of class. Since I had to plan ahead to get there it felt more like a job than an exciting possibility.

Verdict: + physical activity + with people - with people - not office appropriate - somewhat structured Take away: Not a great option for this particular problem but nice for overall well-being.

How it went: Best thing ever. These ‘classes’ are legit - they are also super weird.

You should be prepared to buy the ticket and take the ride.

If being barefoot and spirit dancing in a room full of strangers who are also spirit dancing isn’t your thing - you won’t enjoy this one.

The intuitive and entropic nature of the dance left me feeling spiritually revitalized long after the practice was over.

Verdict: + actually a workout + community building + leave-your-tight-pants-andjudgment-at-the-door attitude + inexplicably freeing - not cool for office use Take away: Become ok with being cliché; dance more, care less. While I won’t be whipping this out at work; I will be working to make the mindset this class creates a permanent one.

Breathing Meditation

Lectio Divina

Drawing Meditation

What it is: Loosely-guided Buddhist practice

What it is: Self-guided Episcopalian reading practice

Why I tried it: Since I am pretty ok at breathing I thought I might have a natural talent for this one.

Why I tried it: I originally set out on this journey from a specifically Christian mindset. Having a liberal and inclusive faith practice led me to actively seek out solutions from other religious institutions but it felt right to return to my spiritual home-base.

What it is: Self-guided drawing practice based on Frederick Franck’s text; The Zen of Seeing

How it went: After finding a few instructional videos on youtube I decided to give this one a shot.

I guided myself through this one and felt it was energizing and renewing. It did not stimulate problem solving or brainstorming but was good for cooling down and getting back to center.

Verdict: + self-guided - self guided - gets my mind and spirit moving but not my body Take away: I went on to build this small scale practice into my larger practice.

How it went: Lectio Divina is a repetitive and systematic reading process; seeking new information in each pass through the text.

When applied to biblical text it helped be touch base with my religious belief - when applied to specific design problems it helped me generate more ideas than a word tree or mood board ever has.

Verdict: + encourages analytical thought + inspire free-thinking + office appropriate - not with people - somewhat structured Take away: This practice became the backbone of my meditative practice. It can be adapted for a professional environment at the performance, engagement, and attentional levels.

Why I tried it: If Lectio Divina was a chance to return to my spiritual home, drawing meditation was an opportunity to return to my creative home.

How it went: Honing my drawing skills will never get old. This practice requires more thoughtful observation and more intentional movement than my usual style, allowing me to feel I am developing both my artistic and design abilities.

Verdict: + physical activity + analog approach to making + requires thought, observation, slowness and intention - is so enjoyable it is distracting - might not be great to do in all work environments Take away: I would later incorporate elements of this practice both in and outside my professional design process.

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What I learned: Developing a meditative practice that complements my design process creates a spiritually renewing space of creativity, energy and clarity.

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The space that meditation creates is one where:

I’ve learned to notice and acce of my mood, to welcome emoti bury them, to discover social a and then adapt my design proc to minimize their impact on m

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ept up and down patterns ions rather than try to and sensory sensitivities cess and environment my well-being.

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So now I believe... ...that both effective communication and sustainable creativity are found at the intersection of the aesthetic, the functional, and the spiritual. ...that with intent and practice I can transform my design process into an immersive metaphysical and creative experience. ...that design is a spiritual art form, if I want it to be.

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Don’t just take my word for it.

The designer is generating a mindset which is then shared through the product.

It is very easy to lose sight of what matters in the design process, what matters in the product and end experience.

It can be hard to see the forest but easy to see a single tree, in this way contemplation, meditation, and simple thought can lead to greater clarity of intent.

MichaĂŤl Harboun, Ideo