RS
LET
M O T R H F E S ET R CRE O T C A TIV E DIRE
My family members are terrible bookkeepers. Only the oldest of our photos are scattered among unkempt photo albums and manilla envelopes: my parents’ wedding, Vietnam, baby pictures (of course), and other familial relics. In 2007, my mom began to upload all her photos to Facebook and would reminisce about past days. I found this beautiful. Not the photos themselves—they were horrendously blurry and awkward—but thRe act of archiving and the indulgence in it. I believe that everyone has an affinity for the archival. What I mean is that if you look at your camera roll, however chaotic it may be, patterns emerge. Patterns that reveal the way you view and capture the world, the things you find beautiful, funny, disgusting, and strange. Taking and loving what you experience and just simply keeping it close in our pockets—that is the awesomeness of iCloud. The beauty in the archival shows us that our lives are artful, no matter what our creative interest may be. In our heads we create rules and stick to them. Each of us has unique rules that show us how we traverse and visualize our lives. The habits that create our archives preserve these rules and unabashedly display them either for us or others to see. When I look back at my own archive, I get immersed in my world that I’ve curated. Everyone I love and everything I admire shows through. The compactness of it gives me energy and clarifies my vision. It’s strange how I see through my chaos. Designing for the Observer has shown me that heart is at the core of all my design, and my heart can be seen in my archive. I hope this inspires you to look back at your own archive, wherever it may be. In your camera roll, photo album, or any other collection you’ve built. Because they are all trace patterns of you! You’re the best, Bao
4 TUFTS OBSERVER MAY 2, 2022
