Issue 26: Dance the Night Away
On wins, setbacks, and dancing in the dark.
Inside: Moodboard | Question box: “How much process do you show when presenting a design?” | Soundtrack | My favorite things | What I’m up to
💃 Like nobody’s watching
This upcoming weekend is the New England Regional Oireachtas — or Irish dancing championships. Oireachtas is my favorite weekend of the year, since it’s the one competition nearly every dancer participates in. It’s a wonderful time to catch up with people you rarely see, grow closer with the people you do, put months worth of hard work on stage, and measure your progress. Unfortunately, this year, I’m out with a back injury and won’t be able to dance. It’s a pretty significant bummer after having to miss nationals as well, but I’m excited to cosplay as a teacher with my crispest jumpsuit, highest heels, strongest pep talk, and a gin & tonic at the end of the day.
Since creativity defines so many areas of my life, people often assume dance is another creative outlet for me — and it is, but not the way you’d think. Our steps are very tightly choreographed, so there’s not a lot of room for improv in Irish dance, unless you’ve done something very wrong. The truth is, it’s almost the bummers – like bad results or getting injured – that prepare me the most for the creative process. While the creativity is about pushing your limits and opening your mind, the most important thing you can bring to it is willingness to fail. So often we hold ourselves back from good ideas because we’re not willing to risk moving through bad ones. And often the quality that helps us come up with our best ideas is not an especially innovative mind so much as a willingness to make mistakes and learn from them. Nothing on earth trains you for that like competition or performance. Especially for those of us who aren’t especially naturally gifted, there’s a real vulnerability in offering your best work up week after week, knowing you will often be disappointed. But learning what doesn’t work is an indispensable step to learning what does. Nothing undermines the creative process quite like perfectionism. When we don’t allow ourselves to do risk our worst, we close off any possibility of doing our best.
That’s why this week we’re looking at design through dance. We’re getting inspired by the incredible diversity of a global art form. We’re taking 5 minutes out of our day to pump up the jam. And we’re carrying around the literal weight of our own expectations. Read on for all this and more!
The New England Regional Oireachtas is taking place at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford from Friday to Sunday and is free and open to the public. If you live in the area, I highly recommend stopping by to check it out. The world of Irish dance is absolutely bananas (and very sparkly) and a rare oppotunity to see it so accessibly on display!
🩰 Moodboard of the week
One of my favorite things about design is that 10 people given the exact same brief will interpret it in wildly different ways. Few things embody this so much as dance traditions worldwide. All forms of dance are recognizably the same art form, yet incomparable in where they take it. There’s so much more where these images came from, so click here or below to check out the full moodboard, with image links, on Pinterest.
🔍 Question of the week
“How much do clients care about seeing your ‘process’ when presenting a design?”
- Faye
Knowing how much process to share with clients when presenting a design is always a funny balance to strike. I personally love talking about the design process (as you all well know), but I’m also aware that when you really get down to it, the day-to-day is not always that interesting. There’s a lot of tedious work and frustration involved that can serve to clutter up the final result more than illuminate it. Getting from Point A to your final destination can be a wild ride, and so often the midpoints make no sense, even if the end result is perfect.
That said, I find that most of my clients do want at least some insight into the process. Not only can it be really fun to know how something came together, but it can contextualize the choices we make. As designers, we are hired for our expertise not only in aesthetics but in perception. Explaining the thought process behind each concept, how each visual decision represents the ideas behind it, and how each option is likely to be perceived by viewers helps clients see how a given concept will support their goals, and choose between various options.
At the end of the day, illuminating process for clients is all about curation. I don’t think anybody wants to know how many hours I spent brainstorming, what unhinged thoughts went in my mind-map, or what #ProcrastinationStation movie trailer inspired their logo. But they do want to know the pieces that are relevant to the project. They want to know the visual and theoretical connotations of the colors, fonts, or shapes used. They want to know what I was thinking so they can see if it aligns with what they’re thinking. And if there are a few options for how a given idea can be executed, it can be really helpful to share them all — even if I have a personal favorite — so we can work together to find the most effective direction.
On the flip side, you don’t want to confuse your presentation with too much information. Sometimes the process that leads up to a concept is really compelling, but the result itself is not. No amount of explanation will make that design good. A design has to work without context, since most viewers will not have it. There’s a subtle but important difference between explaining the symbolism and thought process that comprise a design, and telling a client what they should see in it, but would not without your help. Keep process talk to things that speak to the end goal, or anything you think will help bring the design to life, but don’t over-explain, lest you undermine work that would stand fine on its own. A good design will always make a more compelling case for itself than any of us could make on its behalf.
Submit your burning design questions by sending me a message below or leaving a comment on this post. Questions can relate to design itself, entrepreneurship, workflow, or anything you think I may be able to answer. There are no limits.
Want to learn more about working together? Visit theauracreative.com or contact me using the button above!
🎧 Soundtrack of the week
This week’s soundtrack is a very literal invitation to join us on the dance floor. I defy you to stay still for more than five minutes while listening to this one. Call it a distraction or a much-needed mental health break — I’ll let you decide. Preview the playlist here, and click here or below to listen and save on Spotify.
🍕 My Favorite Things
Cloud & Victory has long been one of my favorite brands, dance-related or otherwise. Designed and operated by Singapore-based adult ballet dancer and gymnast Li Min (立敏), C&V’s gorgeous, ethically-made, size-inclusive dancewear is worn worldwide by prima ballerinas and amateurs alike, and features gorgeous graphic prints, gradients, and stylization that would make any graphic designer swoon.
My favorite part of the C&V range has always been their accessory line, including dance bags and graphic tees. Min, who is an absolute gem of a human being if her Instagram is any indication, gets very real about the physical and mental struggle of being a dancer, especially starting as an adult beginner. Every dancer, regardless of form or circumstance, has felt the emotional challenges the art brings, and it’s so refreshing to see that truth brought out into the open with self-aware humor and style.
All images sourced from https://www.cloudandvictory.com/. Unfortunately a LOT of their stuff is sold out right now – no surprise – so check back periodically for restocks, especially in the new year!
🌱 Touching Grass
📖 What I’m reading: Over the weekend, I started Infinity Alchemist – an absolute romp of a YA fantasy book. It’s fast-paced, engaging, super queer, and a really fun take on magic systems. After reading (and low-key detesting) a super heady, deeply pretentious novella at the end of last week, this was a welcome change of pace, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
🎧 What I’m listening to: Even though I can’t dance right now, I’m jazzed as heck to spend the weekend at Oireachtas. One particular highlight is always the top-notch musicians who come in to play live for every competition. I can’t wait to jam out to the tunes from my seat, if not from the stage.
📺 What I’m watching: My mom been sending me a lot of dancing chicken videos recently, and I have to admit, they’re pretty addictive.
🍓 What I’m eating: I went to a wedding last night that gave out homemade jam as party favors! As the weather here (finally) gets cold, it was a very welcome flash of summer on this morning’s PBJ.
Want to learn more about working together? Visit theauracreative.com or contact me using the button below!