Medatative Motions

    Design is a process, and the process is the best part. In many circumstances, the more repetitive and time consuming the process, the better it can serve the psyche. Meditative processes like the Zenga practices of Zen Buddhist painting require patience, perseverance, and a focused departure from analytical thought. This meditative state of motion is why I design.
     By laboring over repetitive tasks, one has the opportunity to put so much purpose and positive energy into the end product. It is rare that we are able to feel at ease when performing tasks that do not provide instant gratification. By knowing from the onset that a project will take time and require a small series of motions, repeated thousands of times over provides us with an excuse. A reason to slow down, to concentrate on a few simple tools or materials, to drown oneself in the process and learn to appreciate the significance of the current technological climate we live in. We generally do not have to do many tasks by hand anymore, and without this need, it is easy to treat items as dispensable and unremarkable.
    Think about it. Imagine creating that cotton shirt from scratch! Such a tight weave! Such thin fibers! How does one grow cotton? How in the world does one spin those short seed hairs? How long would it take to weave that fabric by hand? Once I experienced the process of creating and weaving fabric, I can no longer treat a t-shirt as mundane. By cutting out the crucial pieces of the process, we are missing out on some of the most important benefits of the creation process. Appreciation for materials, understanding of processes, opportunities to slow your mind and eschew stress, desire to cherish and value the end product.


    The repetitive motions one goes through when weaving fabric offers something for all of the senses, bringing us to a level of heightened awareness and increased tranquility simultaneously. Watching the yarns rise up and down, feeling the pedals with my toes, hearing the rhythm of the rising and falling shaft, and tasting the satisfaction.