Why I am me, A Strategic Designer
Strategic Design needs to be clearer to explain. It rattles my brain, and I constantly find myself surprised at what comes out of my mouth when I get asked the usual question, "sooo, what is strategic design?". To me, Strategic Design is the act of thoughtful problem-solving. It is a way of thinking, a weird, torturous, yet beautiful combination of conflicting things. It is where business meets Design. It is the crossroads of finance and function. It is the careful consideration of the planet and people simultaneously. It is systems thinking and other buzzwords. It is difficult. It is ambiguous. It is often misunderstood. I honestly misunderstand it sometimes. And the real dilemma is that it requires trust, of all things.
As a 25-year-old woman at five foot one and just shy of one hundred pounds, people are consistently surprised by my response when asked my age. The revelation usually comes along with the comment, "you will be grateful to look this young when you're my age." While I know these comments are made with good intentions, I have faced the problem of being overlooked because of my petite frame since I climbed out of a timid girl's body and into my adult one. Becoming a strategic designer has pushed me to trust myself. It has caused me to advocate for ideas I am not 100% sure will succeed, but who knows anyway? It has taught me to be comfortable in the grey area and the constantly changing ecosystem we all live in. It has forced me to shut up and speak up. To trust myself, trust those around me, and trust the process.
Strategic Design can be a tumultuous process. It requires human-centred design interventions for environmental problems. It asks for systems thinking and then a narrow scope. It is beautifully heartbreaking because it is rooted in connection and the lack thereof. It is organised chaos. It is an oxymoron, and I love it. It is me. In my petite frame, being told I am "proportionate." It is me, as "the most Non-American, American" they have ever met. It is me saying, "I am not a financial girly," and then riding the elevator to the 40th floor of an investment company to discuss ESG research. It is all of us trying to plan for a future that doesn't exist yet based on past scenarios. It is the act of trying to control the unknown. It is a torturous yet beautiful combination of conflicting things. It is me; I am a Strategic Designer.