There are little things in life that make me very happy. One of which is taking my dog (a 14 year old cross breed called Amos) for his quarterly check up and the vet saying he is in mighty fine health for a dog his age. The second is a walk at dusk along my local bit of beach during a spring tide to celebrate Amos's good health.
For the past few days and nights my computer has been a flurry of Illustrated Notebooks for Tom Turner. In these I've been exploring the principles and influences behind garden design in history, whether societies have taken inspiration from travel, science, religion belief or art.
This got me thinking on my wander. I should explain, Brighton is a pebbly beach and the only time that Brightonians get to feel sand under their feet is during new or full moons when the tides are more extreme. It completely changes a sunset as you get the reflection of the horizon in the water and the sand and then you get the very gentle turning of the tide and the gradual loss of the exposed sand. It's quite magical to behold if you can be still and grounded enough to focus on it.
This got me to thinking about living in the moment. My dog entering the winter of his life means I appreciate my time with him. He may go on for many years to come but it's unlikely. I therefore try to enjoy our time, walking him without the constant distraction of a mobile phone and taking the best care of him that I can.
Then it got me thinking about my designs and how bold I will be in trying to get people to earth in whilst in my designed spaces. I know from hitting my 30's that the more time I can spend living in the present moment the happier I tend to be, but I am a sucker for punishing myself (maybe I'm not alone there). When I view my brief's for my designs I'm busy trying to think about the users and how my design will please them. I'm also quite ego driven in that I want to create something unique that will get me lots of attention and praise. When I look at designs by very Zen designers who force you to slow down I always think it's very brave. But is it brave or necessity, in a society where we have less time than ever do we need more peace in our public spaces. How brave am I prepared to be?
Grüezi! Do we need more peace in our public places? I like the fact that you are asking an important question in order to create a space that is in harmony with nature. Since people do go to a public place in order to reconnect with one self, with a friend or with the environment, it is important that they slow down, so that they may feel the present moment. I do believe that you are on your way to creating beautiful designs, which satisfy your creative instinct and the needs of the people coming to the public space. Personal satisfaction and recognition will follow! Tschüss!
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