The Inner Studio - Riverside Architectural Press

PART SIX | THE PROLIFERATION OF DESIGN
person to effect healing. This means that the conscious and unconscious
aspects of the world need to be brought into the light of
design. This is not a naive idea–it is a practical idea based on
observing our current world. It is about the necessity for the heart
and mind to wrestle with the uncontrollable energy of creation. We
need to be willing to wrestle with all the energies that make our
built world. This, of course, takes time to learn, time to practice,
and time to implement. This is not a revolution that can happen in
the space of an advertisement. We need to be willing to undertake
long-term and difficult assignments. Our new understanding
involves not isolating or celebrating the unconscious, but taking
responsibility for it, and wrestling it down to a more consciously
transformed earth.
Breaking Through
Creativity is a type of learning where the teacher and pupil are located in
the same individual.
–ARTHUR KOESTLER
At the heart of design has always been the desire to make the
world better. I became convinced of this through two very different
experiences. First, the unshakable altruism, energy, and joy always
present in the work of students when they are given the opportunity
to express themselves through the act of design. Students have
powerful instincts about what is missing from the world. They
need a seat at the table when important decisions are being
debated. Second, the seemingly infinite variety of spaces, artifacts,
and places that cultures generate when they express themselves
through design. The places of worship in Assisi are different from
those in Kyoto, as are the teacups, houses, and streetscapes, yet
there is a palpable sense of fit between place and the needs of
people. This is based on a timeless sense that design is capable
of fulfilling a deep and intimate call that is persistent in humanity.
For centuries designers have been trying to make the built world
a place where we belong, thrive, and live more happily. Living
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