Over the last several months we asked a variety of people to contribute to our second annual poster design competition in an unconventional way. Instead of asking them to create a poster, we asked individuals to respond to the design brief in an interview format. We gave them one question and the freedom to explore the topic in any way they like.
Below is the response from Erin Bender, AIGA Austin president.
Look out for this and other interviews in the What Would You Say book available at our second annual Poster Show on February 25th, 2012.
Question:
The theme of our season 2 poster design competition is This Way Forward: given the last 2 to 5 years “say something” to help prepare the next generation for the future. What would you say?
Erin Bender:
I am going to speak in broad strokes: learn from the past; don’t dwell on it. The past has already happened, but the future is malleable. Remember that your actions in the present can and will shape what occurs in the future. YOU are the future.
Most of all, be passionate about what you believe in, but know that you can’t be passionate about something without taking part in its outcome. This statement was given to me recently and reminded me of something that is very understandable, but also very easy to forget. We often fall into the comfort zone and let others act instead of allowing ourselves to being responsible for the reaction. Nothing gets solved by sitting still. Find a way to creatively express it, whether it is through song, poetry, writing or art. Don’t worry about whether you see yourself as a creative; just get it out. Others may see you as a genius.
The third may be the most important yet: interact with people. Go travel and see the country (and world)! Speak to those one-to-one without having to text or write an email. Do the research and stay informed. And of course, find the way to love deeply, without regrets.