There have been many, many times in my career when I wished I didn’t have to deal with people. Seriously, my work life, my romantic life and even my social life would all have proceeded so much more smoothly solo, or so some part of me believed.
Of course, it wasn’t meant to be but the fantasy lingers. The demanding client, the dissatisfied homeowner, the disappointed spouse all bring layers of complication and stress to what ought otherwise to be a tranquil journey. If only they’d see things from my perspective…or, if only I could persuade them that my point of view outweighed theirs. If only.
In fact, I saw a quote today that captures my dilemma more eloquently than my kvetching:
So, in the first place, if I accept that I’m such an ‘artist’, then evidently this is not an uncommon struggle. Secondly, there might not be a ‘solution’; rather, this may be what goes with the territory of creating. What becomes clearer to me as I go along, is that there’s no ‘escape’ from this tension, either through achieving perfect communication or by chasing the ‘freedom’ of complete seclusion.
Successful design, however it’s measured, is a journey or process that reaches fruition first through acknowledging and then managing the conflict.
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