"The Humble Household Bowl" imagined.

A learning journey. And why I think every technologist should learn creative skills alongside their coding ones to improve both their communication skills - and their cognitive health.

A thread.

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It's 2021 - and we are all making resolutions. At home, I instituted a 3-2-1 rule. We each had to come up with:

- 3 goals we want to achieve this year (tangible targets)
- 2 behaviors we will work on (recommended by others)
- 1 new thing we will learn (depth in 1 skill)

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My goals and behaviors are for another day - those reflect work, wellness & overcoming fear in many contexts.

The new thing to learn though? That was easy. I wanted it to be non-tech (think "side hustle that brings joy") but also applicable to my daily life in various ways

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On a whim, I signed up for a CalArts online course on "Fundamentals of Graphic Design" After 2 weeks I am 60% through & feeling re-energized in ways I would not have thought possible after the   of 2020

Assignment 1: Image-making
10 ways to visualize a household object

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I chose a simple bowl. Stuck an outline (on an 8x11 sheet) to a window, and thought about 10 ways to "make" that image come to life in a recognizable yet satisfyingly whimsical way.

It's harder than you think.
You need to ask "what is the essence of a bowl?"
And capture it

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To me - a bowl was foremost a container that I used in the kitchen (a lot). That inspired this version (made from poppy seeds and mustard seeds - two core ingredients in north and south indian cooking respectively)

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It was also a collector of odds and ends in our house - we have a bowl on a table for car keys, buttons, stray paper clips - even rolls of crepe. It felt whimsical to use things we would normally discard & repurpose them - yes those are the remnants of punched index cards!

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This was an homage to my dad - who taught me how to spray paint with ink and a toothbrush. It also represented my love for fountain pens - while trying to capture the essence of a bowl as a colander.

Yes, some bowls collect things. Others filter them.
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And sometimes they are just decorative things we keep on tables because they bring us memories from places we visited, where we purchased them. I have a number of African "salad" bowls that are displayed, not used. So I used them to texture this rubbing.

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And then there was this - a gleeful celebration of the fact I had a box full of Posca markers and a 12yo who dared me to get messy. This was a "blob paints on a paper, then press on to remove a stamping" technique that every elementary school kid knows and loves.

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At the end of an hour - I was, dare I say it - HAPPY. And that in a nutshell are the three takeaways from this learning journey.

1. Creativity makes you feel present.
This exercise forced to me "look" at things and see them not as what they are, but as what they could be

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2. Creativity brings you calm.
We are all running full-tilt with work, life, family, and pandemic pressures - making us feel anxious and afraid. Your mind needs a break. Give it one!

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3. Creativity enhances communication.
Every image tells a story. Chances are you learn more about me through my subconscious selection of object, framing and making choices. And storytelling is perhaps the most visceral and authentic way to communicate ANYTHING, even tech!

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So as you start your 2021 - think about being present, embracing calm, and enhancing communications - by picking up a pen or pencil, and doing something creative.

Curious about the course I'm taking? Check out @CalArts on @coursera https://www.coursera.org/calarts 

#KeepOnLearning

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