“For me, a very complex world has to be simplified, has to be stripped down, and design, for me, was a way out of confusion. Because great design simplifies a very complicated world.”
—Platon Antoniou
Creative design is a means of organizing chaos into something new and useful. It begins by making an observation about the world that perhaps has never been made before and then bringing that observation to life, giving it form and function. It is a new idea birthed into existence for others to see, feel, hear, or taste.
Everything around us is a product of design, but what separates impactful, meaningful, and life-changing design from that which is banal and forgettable is the intention behind it and whether or not that intention is transmitted cleanly to others. Is it moving or is it merely functional? Both are necessary, but they need not be mutually exclusive. In fact, to create something that is both moving and functional simultaneously is to create a work of art.
We thrive on beauty. Design is the will to create beauty where once there was none or to enhance beauty that was preexisting. If we are going to create something useful, we might as well also make it beautiful in the process.
Holistic Budo: As it is in budo, so too it is in life. As it is in life, so too it is in budo.
-Robert Van Valkenburgh is co-founder of Taikyoku Mind & Body, Severna Park’s Holistic Chamber of Commerce, and Kogen Dojo where he teaches Taikyoku Budo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
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