Glen
Words are fierce creatures, aren't they?
I will give this some more thought, but for now - yes you can teach an old dog some new tricks, although, as you say, the best time to introduce the "talent" for design is in primary school and earlier (give me the child before age 7). Children are more open to the possibilities of art and design than adults, and when it comes to mature students the resistance can be staggering.
What exactly is "talent"? To me at the moment (which is what I try to instill in my students) this description means to get them to unlock their own potential - any potential - for this illusive/elusive thing called design. Design as talent is design as remembering - we can only know the future of design if we can remember a past of design, and that includes an own past of experiences to do with (whatever counts as) design. This would mean that some design students, undergraduate or postgraduate who came to design late will find it very difficult to "reason" using a kind of design language, giving that they have not really picked up a "feel" for design (I know this sounds obscure, but in cooking - how do you know what a pinch of salt is? How much is that exactly?) You develop a "feel" for quantities and effects - in short, for the "connections" that are made by different combinations of flavours, textures - so it is with design, exactly so, for design is a conversation between the cook, the ingredients and the foreseen end-user. You don't want to be looking in the recipe book all the time. That is talent. And I realize I cannot describe it directly, just as it becomes impossible to describe design directly and succinctly.
Regards
Johann
Johann van der Merwe
Faculty of Art and Design, Port Elizabeth Technikon
P/Bag X6011 Port Elizabeth 6000
Phone +27 41 504 3682 Fax +27 41 504 3529
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