ken,
as i said, i am a passionate designer, so, i do not deny the experience of
flow states
but in the practice of design, there are many occasions where one has to
think things through, make experiments, correct false starts, work something
out, argue with stakeholders, which are not flow states.
so, design is not entirely one or the other.
personally, i would not be a designer if i experienced only problems to be
solved, obstacles to overcome, and drudgery.
in design, passion or flow states come, i think, only at fortunate moments
that nevertheless make the whole process worthwhile.
klaus
-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related
research in Design [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ken
Friedman
Sent: Friday, February 27, 2009 5:33 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Passion
Hi, Klaus, Hi, Chris,
If I may shed what I hope is a nuance in this aspect of a fascinating
thread, I can't see why a cognitive activity such as designing should not
permit flow states.
Mathematicians and physicists experience flow states. See, for example,
Jacques Hadamard's Psychology of Invention in the Mathematical Field,
accounts of Andrew Wiles's work on Fermat's Last Theorem, or accounts of
Albert Einstein's work or Richard Feynman's. If these most cognitive of
fields demonstrate flow states and passionate engagement in thinking,
problem selection, and problem solving, why should it not be so for us?
I have experienced flow states solving problems -- both design problems and
research problems. In that sense, I'd argue that appropriate passion does
play a role in the work of designing -- again with an emphasis on those
qualities and behaviors that are appropriate to serving human beings.
Solving problems is intrinsically motivating for many people. Fun is one
word for intrinsic motivation, and flow states and fun are often linked.
Ken Friedman, PhD, DSc (hc), FDRS
Professor
Dean
Swinburne Design
Swinburne University of Technology
Melbourne, Australia
--
Klaus Krippendorff wrote:
i agree that design can be a passion. but it is too cognitive to become lost
in its process as one could in downhill skiing, video game playing, or
flying a glider, all of which involve the whole body and when mastered is
almost entirely intrinsically motivating -- flow
Chris Rust wrote:
Of course. But my interest is not in flow so much as commitment.
I'm not really happy with the idea that designing or design could be a
passion, I'm more interested in seeing if and how passion is an aspect of
designing.
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