just a thought...

there is nothing wrong with demanding that the things you do be worthwhile. or with telling someone they are wasting your time. i wrote that on my hand during leadershape. i made a comment to my group about not feeling the need to buzz around and create social situations if i know that they won't be productive. that's seriously a downfall. (and i realize completely anti-social.) i'm sure that i miss a lot because of it. afterwards my advisor assured me that there is something admirable about that way of thinking.

i'm really starting to see how important efficiency is to me. it's like i'm constantly calculating in my mind. "what am i going to get out of this?" or "what difference will this make?" i think that that pressure has always been there, (it's actually where the not combing my hair comes from) and just gets particularly heightened when your course load demands that you don't mess around. it's just something i'm thinking about.

going off on a tangent, this is kind of something i'm even asking myself when it comes to graphic design. hanging up posters for student activities (adding random neon colored flyers to the mass of neon colored flyers already around) it's impossible not to wonder "what good does it do?" "what steps need to be taken just to get people to notice, and then to get them to respond?" people are (for the most part) lazy and selfish. they will ask "what's in it for me?" very little design answers that. or prevents a convincing argument. or engages. but so much of what we (graphic designers) do is considered sufficient, successful when we (graphic designers) decide it is finished and when we (graphic designers) decide it looks good. we ignore and leave out the thinking about what happens once it is put out into the universe. then you truly find out if it is doing its job. it's about measuring the impact. (which, of course, aesthetic quality plays a major role in creating.)

this all reminds me of a damn good john bielenberg (the project m guy) quote:

"we're like plumbers who write books for other plumbers about plumbing. it's fine, as long as everyone understands that what gets said only matters to us. nobody else cares in the end if you get written about or don't get written about, it hardly matters when compared to doing important work. at the end of the day, impact is the only thing that counts."

ps. i'm sticking with my social problems class. yesterday (during a common-unity cerimony with cake and sage) the professor said that "everyone needs one odd class." alright, check. i'm sure i'll get something out of it. and in an attempt to appear less selfish, (this post comes across as very selfish) maybe i'll be able to give something, too.