Am I pretty?

Originally published on September 6th, 2010

When you design for emerging technologies you’re able to live life in fast-forward. Designs which take months to create are replaced with new technologies and ideas in a matter of days. Designing within the realm of impermanence has given me an insight to life that would normally take a lifetime to learn.

I’ve built my career, somewhat unconsciously, focused on ‘virtual inspiration’. I create structures that exist beyond an electronic window into a world that isn’t physical. I have been inspired by other creators in this realm. I have experienced its power to captivate and change the paradigm of thought and reason, of art and design. Unfortunately, I have also experienced the impermanence of technology, for technology, by its very nature, can not exist without change.

History teaches us that everything has a beginning and an end —in human terms, ‘a lifetime’. As individuals our experiences, as well as our contributions are limited. As a collective we live forever through ideas.

Recently, I walked by a shop which sold trophies and commemorative plaques. I visualized the seams in the hollowed plastic, the areas where the foil painting had either failed to cover or had chipped off. I saw hundreds of golden angels standing on silver-plated columns with marbled pedestals. They had no nameplates.

How many of these idols have we built our careers on attaining? The question is simple. Do you define yourself by creations built on impermanence, or are you engaged in the creation of ideas that ultimately contribute to the collective of humanity?

Praise and appreciation are important to creators. They remind you of your worth, and that you are making a difference in the lives of others. They help to keep you moving forward. However, just remember that at the end of the long journey, your ideas —these things that aren’t awkwardly glued to a flock of gold-plated angels, will ultimately shape the future.