Be inspired by your passions.

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”

– Oprah Winfrey

A life inspiring quote from Oprah Winfrey seems like the beginning of a super cheesy “be who you are and follow your heart” speech but not this time. To me passion is an integral part of design and the design process. If you design without passion or a purpose can you really get the most out of your design ability? This is something that I have struggled with in my previous designs, how can I get passion in my design? Though I have many passions in life I could never relate them to furniture design (this is my area of study). My final year design was no different to begin with, I tired numerous different design ideas but I just could not settle with them. I then seen how my passion for music could compliment my design. I designed different music stands, music stools, music tables etc. but I still wasn’t happy. Reflecting on past projects I was never content with them and always knew I could do better, this became my second passion element that drove my design. I wanted to create a piece of “fine furniture” that was influenced by instrument making, rather than a piece that was musically functional. This was when the penny dropped for me and I genuinely felt that I was starting a design journey. My first prototype design was a side table that had a round top, had legs complimented by the shape of a guitar neck which were attached to the top in a way like a guitar neck to body joint. Other elements on the top consisted of other guitar influenced features (inlay and bindings). As it all came together it became a bit too much, second time around I kept a very similar look, the top was a solid piece with no bindings or details only a slight lip around the outside, the final prototype will refine these features further with slight detail alterations. I restricted the musical influence to the legs and in a way that you almost wouldn’t see the similarity unless it was pointed out. This was something I wanted to achieve. I wanted the table to be a fine piece of furniture but my design was to be influenced by music and I feel I stayed true to that even if it’s not obvious to everyone else. Not seeing the relationship between the music and the design may seem pointless but to me that is the furthest from the truth. It was my passion for music that allowed me to come up with the original design that I then refined and I don’t feel I would have been able to design this the way I did without my background in music and guitar making.

The passion that drives your design can be anything, it’s all about having genuine passion and staying true to it and to yourself, even when others don’t see or understand it.