Our collective state of being currently exists in the in-between; in a place of laying to rest existing systems that are no longer serving us, to creating new ones that will be the foundation of how we will move forward. This concept was the focus of the 2021 Nashville Design Week conversation; to lean into this uncomfortable space of transition and to see it as an opportunity to absorb, observe, and consider the path forward while sitting in this present moment of uncertainty. To embrace the discomfort for all of it’s unknowns and see what it has to teach us. As designers, it is only natural for us to identify a problem and calibrate our focus to produce a concrete solution. This NDW’s challenge was to welcome the unknowingness with sincere optimism as we approach our new beginning with purpose.

Deeply resonating with this concept, Aberdeen pitched an idea to host an event at our studio that would contemplate these ideas through a rudimentary lens. We considered how much time in the last year and a half was spent in reflection; having to face ourselves in moments of quiet and evaluate the things in life that nourished our spirits. As creatives, designers, and makers, many of us began this journey simply because we loved it; being drawn to creating for the sake of creating. There was a natural flow to the infancy of this process because we were simply doing what felt good. As time wears on and we become accustomed to routine, it’s easy to get stuck in loops of apathy. Oftentimes, we don’t even notice when we fall into an unhealthy or uninspired habitual habit as we shift our focus from creating to producing.

The idea of the event was to recruit ten creatives from all different backgrounds; architects, designers, painters, and sculptors to lead each of their collective groups in a forum-style design charette to collaborate on designing a piece of furniture. In an effort to keep this exercise as free as possible, we pushed back against any formal prompt and instead proposed a mystery box to each group. Inside the box held an object to encourage imagination and curiosity which would inform the concept of their final furniture design. While evaluating the object in front of them, we wanted each group to examine the object conceptually; considering the color, texture, shape, and possibly the memories that the object possessed. The objects were meant to trigger a child-like joviality, giving our participants the freedom to approach this exercise with a sense of ease and a spirit of play. Each group then had 45 minutes to collaborate on a furniture design together to represent their ideas visually with no real limitations on how realistic or conceptual the piece had to be. After the designs were complete, each group shared their concept and vision with each other as we collectively rediscovered what it meant to create for the sake of creating.

Oftentimes in life and especially in the creative industry, it can be easy to narrow our focus so much that we begin to take ourselves too seriously and forget that the process of creating is supposed to be fun. We let fear and indifference drive our decisions and dictate the outcome of the work we are producing. Our event and NDW as a whole pushed back against this narrative and challenged creatives to reexamine these existing practices and embrace the journey of discovery with joy.

2021 Nashville Design Week: For the Sake of Creating