Introduction

“To understand something is not to be able to define it or describe it” — Kenya Hara ¹

When I read the above quote, I had a moment with myself that spiralled into a sense of validation. Sometimes, things just make sense and that is where they need to be left. In a funny way, I see Graphic Design as an acitivity where you just move things around until they make sense. It invites a sense of play that demands child-like wonder that feels like a series of discoveries. Without a sense of discovery, Graphic Design turns into a psuedo-cult that feels elitist. However, in the age of social media—everything feels like a cult. As a designer in an agency and a budding freelance photographer—I am constantly battling with the idea of growth, visibility, return on investment, and other venture capital terms. To combat that weight, I wanted to create this space—a collection of excerpts about my thoughts on various topics.
I believe in the idea of selfless service which originates from my time spent in a Gurudwara’s kitchen as a kid. While I regret how I viewed seva as a child, I’ve come to understand how important it is for understanding oneself. Seva shouldn’t come at the cost of yourself, it is meant to be a sustainable practice that you devote yourself to. Discomfort to the point of dismay defeats the purpose of it. Your heart should be in it—something that I only understood recently.
I’ve always written things down but somewhere along the line—I started consuming more than I created. The ultimate goal of this archive is to fix that relationship between consumption and creation.

Kenya Hara, Designing Design, 2015