making as design process - an appreciation post

1. a chance for all ideas to come alive

most sketches don't make it past the paper phase. most daydreams don't become realities. but making gives every idea we have in our heads a chance to exist. in a way, its a form of prototyping, except prototyping is sometimes outsourced and we don't get to see the process through. often, things don't happen or behave the way we expect them to. when we see the process through, it's easier to narrow down what might have caused the mistake or failure, reflect, before iterating again.

2. free-play and monologues

its similar to improvisation. as we make, the outcomes influence our thoughts and new ideas are generated on the spot. well yes, improvisation is scary, especially at the start. it's unknown, you can't anticipate what happens next. but then again, there's absolute freedom when its just you and the material. remember when we were younger, everything we picked up was a toy and everything was fascinating. we spent hours fiddling with one thing. making/explorations/experimentations is that, but with better mental monologues to process what we are doing.

3. relearning our everyday objects

most design projects demand resourcefulness from the designers. this demand for resourcefulness, along with "free-play", not only "forces" us to rethink/relook/reunderstand the material we work with, but also everyday objects, processes and tools. and often, that's how pleasant surprises are discovered.

4. it's (designing) a craft

that being said, it does not mean everything ends up handicraft-like. the craft refers to niche and expertise. being well acquainted with the making and material, there's a thorough awareness of what works, what doesn't, and how to go about doing so in the most efficient manner. it's not anti-technology, there are projects that deals with tech, and these projecst then demand familiarity with the material/tools/method/technique/machines involved.

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while most of these are gathered from my experience with material exploration projects, it's not limited to maker-designers/designer-makers. after all, the idea of "material" is fluid - narratives, concepts, research, data, softwares...etc are forms of "material" too.

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*behind the monologues: i monologue a lot, most of it gibberish. in an attempt to work on my communication and reflection skills, i'm documenting some of them here.