Blockers To Experimentation

Experimentation is a vital part of the creative design process, particularly for the designer-maker. It is something I enjoy doing and would like to do more of. So why is it that I seem to explore, rationalise and evaluate my designs early on, without even getting as far as experimenting with materials?

In her book “Hella Jongerius”, which portrays an interview that might have taken place, Schouwenberg says that,

“There is an incredible amount of intelligence involved in the making process itself. Trying to invent something by purely rational means rarely generates anything original. But working in my studio and pushing the envelope often yields surprises. So I let my materials and my intuition lead the way, and I put off looking for explanations to a later stage.” (Schouwenberg 2003: 60)

The image below shows a number of blockers I have identified to experimentation. Having identified these, I need to now look at ways of either removing or countering these, so that I can bring more experimentation into my work.

Citation reference: SCHOUWENBERG, Louise. 2003. Hella Jongerius. London: Phaidon Press Ltd.