Crossing Boundaries

The past 3 days were eye opening. I went to the East Asia Design School, where selected young engineers & designers from all over Arup East Asia attended workshops and lectures together. It was filled with fun exercises and lectures from very inspiring designers and industry leaders. I have to say that I don't usually believe that these kinds of events mount up to anything afterwards. But this time, it really hit home.

The main theme was about Crossing Boundaries. I won't bore you with the kinds of games and exercises that we did; we mostly worked in groups, had warm up exercises that got you thinking about a certain idea of how one responds to given situations and then went into creative projects addressing ways of creating a new product/idea and then communicative ways of selling the outwardly new ideas.

As a designer, I think that it's my job to think creatively and "outside of the box," so I didn't think that these workshops would have any effect on my thinking. However, what really opened up my eyes was realizing how, even as a designer, I had also limited my ways of thinking and problem solving, during the process of collaborating with my engineer colleagues.

What I learned was that "Crossing the Boundary" means going beyond your OWN boundaries, even if it means going beyond the design. Working with engineers I realize the technical mode of thinking is essential to innovation. Creativity does not come to fruition in "design" per say, until it becomes an innovation. The most irrational combination of fields (be it digital with fashion) EVER could offset an already existing way of working/thinking and thus revolutionize.. ex. iphone, google & facebook. For example, imagine going to a restaurant with no menu, no charge and no service?

On a personal level, I realize that I HAVE been crossing boundaries all my life-- especially now living in HK. Whether it's social, cultural, political, or educational ones, I have been out of my comfort zone over and over again. Geographically I can say that I've lived in 5 different regions, and in 3 different countries. I cross cultural borders all the times, as a matter a fact, I don't really associate only one or the other since I am mixed and speak 3 different languages (working on a fourth one). My epiphany in pursuing design, has been my means of crossing boundaries as architecture borrows from other fields for creative design innovation. As a matter of fact, my thesis and research topics and interest lie in border theory..haha.

But despite all that, this humbling experience tells me that I need to keep my mind open and be even more receptive to the different fields around me i.e. engineering, industry, fashion, IT... Being on edge, or "pushing" the boundary, means even walking beyond what you know to be "advantageous" and dwelling in the unexpected. It's outside of the comfort zone, and it's not necessarily the most pleasant place to be. As a designer, I have limited myself to what I believed to be creativity. The more knowledge you gain, the more set into a process you become and the harder it is to overcome preconceptions. In this modern time and age, one must seek multi-disciplinary approaches in order to move beyond what we already have.

Lastly, I realize that once you STOP pushing to better yourself, only then, could you find that "comfort zone" of belonging somewhere in the world. Arriving at a self contented stage in life only comes perhaps after you are aged and wise. Until then, thrive to fulfill your full potentials by crossing from one boundary to the next.