I Won’t Give Up!

I want to make beautiful, useful things. I believe in the importance, and have a desire, to learn from nature and history. I want to remain faithful to daily practice.

I have a desire to create things of value and believe in and stand behind their value. To be happy in my work, have simplicity to life. Have respect for the earth and for my fellow man. I believe in boundaries and want to back up that belief by standing by and respecting those boundaries.

I desire time to do a job properly. To be paid fairly. To love what I am being paid to do. Live honestly and simply. Have personal time respected. Work hard but smart and see positive things happen as a result of that work. Focus on intelligent and imaginative work, work which has a purpose in the world. Imaginative work which has my mark of individuality. The greatest pleasure I could derive would be to learn a skill from start to finish and become a master of that skill.

I learned what I desire is to be authentic, to embrace vulnerability, to see and be seen. I want to work in a collaborative, not competitive environment. Make a living, but not be focused on economics. Do work that I either morally believe in or do not morally object to. To behave professionally, work to the best of my ability. Meet deadlines and budgets. Work in an environment that respects equality.

I want to stay in touch with and honor my inner child. Live by the golden rule: treat others as I wish to be treated. Remember that I am a “citizen of the world” and try to do good in the world. Find a balance between self-fulfillment and self-sacrifice. Foster relationships with kindred design spirits, whether living or dead.

I realize many of these are lofty goals, but instead of choosing cynicism, I choose idealism. I KNOW I don’t want to give up. I WON’T give up.