Romance in the Age of Connection

I recently became single. I broke up with my boyfriend approximately 3 months ago. It’s taken me time to dissect a few things, and I wanted to journal about my thoughts on what happened.

He was a wonderful guy, and our time together taught me a great deal about expectations, my worth, and how I want to live the rest of my life. We ended on fairly good terms, and I was ready to be by myself. I won’t go into details for both of our privacies, but what I want to comment on how technology seems to be infiltrating the most intimate parts and relationships of our lives.

@daniellechanette

Social media, texting, and instant connection to every part of the world has inundated us with information. We feel as if we could really be everywhere at once. Yet it turns out, we’re never actually where we physically are. In my experiment with slowly axing off social media accounts, I’ve found that I actually a) haven’t died and b) live a perfectly content and connected life.

In this day and age, we joke about “If you didn’t Instagram/Snapchat/Tweet/Facebook post it, did it actually happen??!” And the truth is, yes. Things happen to and around us 24/7. If I don’t post a bagel picture during breakfast, that breakfast continues to happen, tastes just as it did before the picture, and will not be any more ~special~ since the few likes or views. In fact, it might even be a little colder and less appetizing since it took me a few shots (and several minutes) to get the perfect one.

Now, my gripe with technology isn’t necessarily about the technology itself. It ends up being the usage by people that really grinds my gears. Back to my most recent boyfriend (and the one before that too). They would sit across from me at a restaurant and be completely absorbed in their phone. It was as if I were eating alone, or sharing a meal with a brick wall. To me, technology has taken over our worth. If I’m not liking this, will my friend still talk to me? If I’m not posting, will people know how much I travel? If I’m not doing _______, will ______ happen? And I’m here to tell you…everything will be fine. In fact, I find myself having more meaningful and connected interactions now than ever before. I go out of my way to call someone to see how they’re doing; friends invite me to hang out in person instead of texting all night; I enjoy meals and events (little or big) without wishing I was somewhere else.

You don’t need to take pictures of everything. You don’t have to proclaim your love on Facebook every single day. You don’t need followers, likes, reactions, etc. to make your life meaningful. Relationships, romantic or not, should not be encapsulated in technology. They should be shared through conversation, hugs, kisses, and time well spent together. I am not trying to preach, but rather tell you…that pressure — I couldn’t quite figure out where it was coming from exactly, but it is definitely there — is all a facade. I hope other people out there realize there is much more to being someone’s significant other than a relationship status. I’m trying to find that eventually. And I hope you do too.

Looking Ahead Into the Future

One of my good friends is a big film obsessor. We actually took a film class together last year, and I learned a lot from him. His favorite genre by far, is sci-fi. And that being one of my least favorite genres, I’ve looked to him for several recommendations recently. Whenever I don’t like something, I force myself to be very analytical as to why. I’ve found that one of the main reasons why sci-fi isn’t a go-to genre for me, is because they tend to be pretty cynical in their interpretations of the future.

@blackmirror

I would consider myself a fairly optimistic individual. Countless personality tests and close friends/family members have confirmed this over and over again. I wouldn’t say I’m someone who can’t handle the truth, or ideas that are crude and gloomy. So I found it odd that sci-fi movies/TV series disappointed me in their depressing manners. Being aware of this, watching recommendations from my friend became more enjoyable. I recently watched Looper, by Rian Johnson, and absolutely loved it. I won’t ruin it for anyone, so don’t worry about spoilers here — but man, did it have a lot of great theme exploration.

As of late, science fiction seems to be capturing much more of an audience than before. Technology is progressing at a steady rate, and I think the fascination of what the world could look like in the near future, is intriguing (and scaring) most people. Take the series on Netflix, Black Mirror, that has been a cult favorite since it aired a couple of years ago. Developing insane — yet eerily capable — scenarios is the main focus. As a designer, we often look to crazy concept art like these episodes to inspire us for production day designs.

As a consumer, I’m nervous about what all of these movies and series showcase in their film. But as a person, I’ve come to realize I have to take it with a grain of salt. Without getting into a whole discussion on ethics and morality, I have great trust in the good nature of people, and look forward to what’s to come…near and/or far.

Block Out the Haters

@IRLglasses

As a young person in the design world, technology is always at our fingertips. We are required to take advantage of computers, 3D printers, various machines, countless Adobe programs, and the list goes on. I’m always hunched over my laptop — scrolling, typing, clicking, posting. More than just the physical side effects (I still have yet to figure out if the blue-light blocking glasses are actually working or if it’s a placebo effect) my mind is overwhelmed almost 24/7 when I’m not sleeping.

I have been trying to limit my screen time, both on my phone and computers when I can. Obviously work doesn’t count, but Facebook doesn’t need an hour of my time before I try to go to bed. After deleting my Instagram almost 6 months ago, I’ve gained so much time in my day. And a lot of mental sanity has been reinstated. You don’t realize how much energy social media and technology can suck out of you on a daily basis. More often that not, we try to keep our phones away from us while we do homework, shut down access to sites while we work. Essentially we’re forcing blinders onto ourselves. And for good reason.

The Kickstart company, IRL Glasses, has found a new innovative way to help us block everything out. Their technology embedded in the lens of their glasses, renders screens (phones, laptops, televisions, LED advertisements, etc) completely black. If you’re out and about, put these babies on and man you could rock your productivity like no tomorrow. Or read a book in peace now that the TV doesn’t flicker in your peripheral vision. The uses for the average person who doesn’t want to be overwhelmed with our now inescapable techy world, are endless. Enjoy the world and block out the haters people. Can’t wait until these things are available for purchase and I can experience the apocalyptic-esqe feeling of being untouchable in a world where everyone and everything is trying to get my attention.

@IRLglasses

Corktown, Detroit

all photos taken are my own 1/22/2019

I was recently chosen to participate in a studio class with Ford Motor Company. The brief for our course was to document, discuss, facilitate, and develop the relationship between the Corktown neighborhood and Ford over the next 3-4 year span as the automotive mogul renovates and redesigns the Michigan Central Train Station. It has been a daunting task, being assigned the responsibility of preserving the history of such an iconic piece of Michigan history. Our class is only 2 weeks into the program, and quite honestly, we’ve just been throwing ourselves at the learning aspect of it all.

Today, the students were given a tour of the ground level of the building. I’ve seen photos before. I’ve had the urge to sneak into the station while it was in it’s abandoned stages. There is this certain energy around the whole thing. But until you are actually standing in there, your whole perspective is blown out of the water. I only captured a few photos today, because 1) I was freezing my butt off and 2) I was overwhelmed.

I can’t exactly share my wealth of knowledge (because I don’t have it yet) about the Corktown train station. I’m staying optimistic about Ford’s intentions and plans for the community. I believe everyone is optimistic about this prospect. I am not a native Detroiter (I’ve been in the city for about 4 years now so I have some first-person perspective) so I cannot claim that I’m an expert. What I will claim, is that I am more than excited — and nervous — to talk to the people who have been here for their whole lives; the transition this area will see in the next few years will be unbelievable. I will do my best to update you on our progress as a class. As for now, enjoy the few photos. And tune back for more!

Experience. Design.

I recently lived in Portland, Oregon for six months. Being there for such a short (but also somewhat long) time, I was able to immerse myself in the culture there. I haven’t had the chance to watch Portlandia since I’ve been home, but I hear it’s scarily accurate. Now, I can’t say I was a true Portlander, but I would consider myself slightly more advanced than a tourist in that city/state now. My last weekend in Portland, I Googled all the “Top Ten Things to Do” “Best Bucketlist Activities” etc to see if I had missed anything extremely important.

Turns out, I had done just about everything I could (and more) than the average blog list online suggested. So I started to go through those activities again to reminisce — exploring the West coastline, eating donuts of all sizes, kayaking the major rivers, hiking Mount Hood, drinking beer at countless breweries, visiting Astoria, the Rose Gardens in Washington Park, Powell’s book store, Bagdad movie theater, etc — and see if I needed to revisit anything. Amongst my favorites, the Lan Su Chinese Gardens had to be in my top couple of choices. I’m a total museum junkie (science, art, history, aviation, anything really) and I find in this day and age, museums stand out in my mind when I can vividly remember their experience design. UX/UI/XD has become a popular terminology these days in the industrial design world — it is the practice of designing products, processes, services, events, journeys, and environments with a focus placed on the quality of the user experience and culturally relevant solutions (thanks Wikipedia).

What I’ve seen the UX/UI/XD field lacking in, is their advancement in museum design. More often than not, people are very visual learners. When presented with dense, and generally boring, material in museums, people tend to skip over the text portions and focus entirely on the visual aids. Yes, I am one of those weirdos who loves to read everything as I go through. I’ve found it takes me more than one time to really enjoy a museum. The Detroit Institute of Arts has been my most visited at about +20 visits (and I still tend to get lost). So when I see a museum do something spectacularly well in the UX/UI/XD area, I can’t help but geek over everything. Now, in Lan Su’s case, the design is extremely simple. However, it was amazingly accurate and easy to navigate. It created a unique perspective as you walk through the gardens. I’ve spread pictures throughout so you can see what I’m talking about. I mean, you won’t be able to really experience it unless you’re physically present (see what I did there). But if you are ever in Portland, I highly recommend you take time out of your day to visit this gem. And anytime you’re in a museum soon, pay attention to the experience and design of the place as a whole. It will dramatically change your mindset.

“Put your phone down…

…Your texts will be there later. The person in front of you won’t.”

Unknown
@unsplash

I would classify myself as a millennial, and though we get a bad rap, I think my generation is the last one to have grown up without an abundance of technology. As a child, my sisters and I played outside every chance we could get. I didn’t have a phone until the end of 8th grade, and a Facebook until college. I just recently deleted my Instagram after a few years of use (that’s a topic for another day). Now, I witness young kids as little as 3rd grade, have brand new iPhones. And my goodness are they wizzes on those things. The amount of technology they have been subject to since the day they were born, is uncanny. The world has never seen anything like this.

It’s an overdone topic — shaming young kids for living through their devices. Quite honestly, if any of us were in that situation, it would be difficult to know any better. I can remember my sisters and I playing games on the computer, and we’d have to wait at least 20 minutes for an internet page just to load. I had an iPod shuffle, which didn’t have a screen; and you had no idea what song was going to play next. Dial-up has upgraded to the newly prospective 5G. Music devices have upgraded to phones (that are now more powerful than most computers). And I can barely keep up with the new tech that comes out it seems every other day.

What has bugged me for the longest time however, is the lack of conversation people seem to have these days. The art of having a discussion/chat/convo in person — and not over text — seems to have been lost. Especially when I try to talk to someone just a few years younger than me, it feels as if I’m having a conversation with a brick wall. Older generations haven’t lost this social skill because they didn’t grow up texting 24/7. And I’ve tried to limit my screen time (particularly at a restaurant), because talking to people is something I enjoy immensely. I’ll see couples out to dinner, both of them on their phones, not saying a word to each other. It frustrates me; so I tend to gravitate towards activities with friends where phone use is limited. Examples include: bowling, trivia nights, going to the movies, board games, get outside for a walk, etc. Be creative! Put your phone down and experience life and the people around you.

I am being slightly hypocritical right now, since I’m typing this up across from a friend at a coffee shop. But now, I’m signing off and enjoying our time together! Go, have a great day!

The Podcast Revival

@sciencemag

Just before this past Christmas, I took a 5 day, 35 hour, 2300 mile roadtrip across the States. Now traveling alone is wonderful; you only have to worry about one person, and you get to stop to pee whenever you want (the biggest bonus quite honestly). So when I was planning this trip, I had to think of the essentials: snacks, water, my routes, places to stop, sightseeing options, gas stations, etc. I also made a few several-hour-long playlists on Spotify. That got me about two days in. I couldn’t play YouTube videos because A) distracted driving and B) my cell service bill would be astronomical. So I had to find a new way to pass the time.

Introduce my new obsession with podcasts. I downloaded about half a dozen of them, all varying in topics (politics, art, psychology, physics, and more). Now, don’t attack me. I don’t live under a rock, so yes I’ve heard of podcasts and audio books before. I’ve been a fairly avid listener of talk show style streaming for years now. But what I’ve never done, is drive and listen for hours on end. I felt as if I was in this strange limbo world; traveling the world of ideas as I was flying down the road. It got me interested in finding out more. Does the average person know the glory of podcasts?? And it turns out yes! Audio downloads (minus the normal music genre) have skyrocketed in popularity since their birth over 10 years.

For a long time, it was weird to me. Getting used to the idea of someone talking aloud (who isn’t really there in person) while you do random things, is an odd feeling. You really do feel as if you’re somewhere else. Or those people are there with you. And man, are people interesting as all hell. I especially enjoy podcasts from people such as Sam Harris and Neil Degrasse Tyson. Their knowledge is completely mind blowing. And makes laundry so much more interesting.

It turns out, the average person spends up to 4 hours commuting, doing tasks/chores, working out, etc. And that time has become an opportunity. For the first time in a long time, audio streaming has become a way for people to learn and receive, all while doing mundane things. The gaps in our lives are now able to be filled with worthwhile content. And I think it’s such a revelation. I subscribe to multiple podcast networks now, but my favorite is hands down the Joe Rogan Experience (JRE). The length varies greatly (the 4 hour ones were my roadtrip material) and it’s great to sift through the topics and people. I highly recommend anyone to try out a podcast or audio book if you haven’t already. Your world will truly open up.

Unpredictable Weather

If you have lived in Michigan for more than a year or two, you know how unpredictable our weather is. There’s memes online that feature a snowy morning and then a balmy afternoon, captioned: “Michigan today.” And after a while, you live day to day. Checking the forecast online or on your phone is useless. My roommates and I have an apartment downtown Detroit, and since we moved in two years ago, we have nailed down a technique for weather forecasting. It’s called the “walk out onto the balcony and tell me what it feels like right now” technique. Usually gets you through a couple of hours before something else happens.

@SEmichigansnowfall

And as someone who is constantly frustrated with how meteorologists always seem to get it wrong (middle schoolers and high schoolers were promised way too many snowdays they never got) I was hesitant when my dad freaked out this morning and told me they promised 11 inches of snow were falling downtown tomorrow morning. We haven’t had much snow this winter (cue the global warming sirens) so I’m actually fairly excited to receive some crisp, white fluff to cover up this gross, wet, brown nonsense.

However, if I am told there will be more than 10 inches of snowfall, there needs to be more than 10 inches of snow on the ground. Weather forecasters seem to have the easiest job in the world — even when they are enormously wrong, they get paid. Must be nice, huh?

I recently came across a guy on Facebook — his page is called SE Michigan Snowfall — and have heard from multiple sources he is way more accurate than what we see on TV. He has over 120k followers, so I doubt he’s off his rocker. He claims there will only be about 6 inches of snow in my area. Which is actually really interesting. With the age of the internet, talented people are able to reach hundreds, thousands, and sometimes millions of people that they can share their message with. More than ever, consumers are able to gain access to people and ideas that are thousands of miles away. How incredible is that?! Our world seems to be getter smaller (but also more vast and impressive) every single day. Cheers to tomorrow’s (hopeful) snow! And another day of writing!

Daily Meditation

@hercampus

For the past few years, I have immersed myself in studying philosophy through elective classes at college. I continuously read and learn about various topics, and I recently came across an article that talked about stoicism — a school of philosophy that focuses on the control of emotions, and the need for knowledge in all walks of life. The word stoic has adopted a negative connotation since its origin with Athens in the early 3rd century BC, but has lived on in many forms and walks of life.

As a college student, the challenges of a different class schedule, lack of nutrition, on and off stress, and endless critique, are just common occurrences for me every day. So coming across a teaching that — when mastered, can give you a calm temperament and mental fortitude even in the most trying of times — I was ready to dive in. Searching through several Amazon pages, I was recommended The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman. Currently situated in the Top Ten Most Sold list on Amazon, the reviews were stellar and full of praise. I decided to give it a go.

I have tried daily journals in the past, but one of my main faults is a very distinct lack of self-discipline (funny isn’t it? now that I am challenging myself to post every day for a few months). I find I work best under pressure, so procrastination is my best friend. Now, fast forward to me getting the book right after Christmas, and then again to starting the first page on January 1st. Now fast forward again to today. I want to share my topic of thought for the 17th:

Most teenagers choose to fool around rather than exert themselves. Halfhearted, lazy effort gives them a ready-made excuse: “It doesn’t matter. I wasn’t even trying.” As we get older, failure is not so inconsequential anymore. Whats at stake is not some arbitrary grade or intramural sports trophy, but the quality of your life and your ability to deal with the world around you. Don’t let that intimidate you, though…just begin the work. The rest follows.

The Daily Stoic, pg. 25

Now, as someone who has a profession in the art field, my work is something that defines me. I wouldn’t say my work is extremely personal, or touching, but if I do a bad job, it hurts my name. We have to sign every single piece of paper we draw on at school. Your name is everything. And in recent years, I’ve become extremely overwhelmed about this fact. If my name is everything, and I try hard and do a terrible job, then what am I benefitting from? Learning is hard enough. And today’s topic has become something I strive for. I need to just start. If I start something, more often than not, I can finish it. But when I jump straight to thinking about how much work I have to get done, my mind goes numb.

Learning about and practicing stoicism has brought simple, yet profound, thought processes into my life. Meditating on each day, reading the same page morning and night, has gotten me into the habit of being more mindful. Starting something — like this blog — shouldn’t be my arch nemesis. It should be a jumping off point. I’m not going to worry about the next day or thing, because I am right here, right now.

Detroit’s lack luster NAIAS 2019

Having visited the North American International Auto Show in Detroit every year since I was about 5 years old, I can say first-hand that this year was a disappoint. The past few years have been interesting in their own ways, but with the lack of the three major German automakers (Audi, BMW, and Mercedes) and an unbelievable amount of dead space throughout the event this week, the air was heavy and excitement low.

A few quick thoughts are bulleted here. I will be writing more in depth for a trend report soon.

— In an age of newfound mobility and EV efforts, the amount of SUV and truck proposals were shocking; Kia and Ford were especially keen on their new large vehicles

— Unique colors (especially on exterior paint) ranged from antiqued gold to muted teal, hot orange, and pale lavender blue. Was impressed by the variation across most brands

— A trend I’m looking forward to keeping up on is the sensor dedication you see in the front and rear of vehicles particularly. Clever initiatives by brands like Hyundai saw sensors that were more aesthetically integrated than before

— Exhibit design has exploded in the past few years, and along with it the cost for a company to showcase vehicles at events like these. There have been rumors of hosting next year’s new time-slotted June show outside in the heart of the city. I am curious about how brands will demonstrate ideas in a new space, especially with the vast expanse of the streets at their fingertips

— Aggressive textures (featured prominently on off-road specific vehicles) were a major swing forward for CMF across many brands. From pick-up beds, to side steps, and more, it’s exciting to see the attention to detail and commitment

As another year has unfolded, though disappointing overall, Detroit has continued to be a main stage for innovation and automotive technology. I look forward to the new 2020 show in June of next year.