Designing our lives with purpose and aesthetic

It seems that individuals today care immensely about how their lives look to others. With the boom of visual social media, people are sharing their lives through their own filtered lens. However, when “designing” our lives, where do we as individuals stop and take that filter off?

When considering the phrase “form follows function”, I am drawn to the opinion that form and function need to harmonize with one another to create the best outcome. This debate reigns similar to that of the whole “which came first: the chicken or the egg?” debacle. There is really no right answer here.

When considering the idea of form follows function, I immediately thought about the film Black Swan (2010). The main character in the film descends into madness while trying to embody both the white swan and the black swan. Soon discovering that she must be both in order to reach perfection.

The white swan in the ballet is innocent and perfect in every technical aspect but lacks emotional depth with her dancing. In contrast, the black swan may not be as technique driven but is rather intoxicating with her execution and intensity.

The white swan represents the function, the technique driven side. While the black swan represents the form; the visual and emotional intensity the ballet captures its audience with. When looking at this particular example it needs to be understood that both core qualities need to be present to create a humanized piece of art.

If there is no passion in the piece, is it really worth experiencing?

It seems that the goal of anything at the end of the day is to draw individuals in. In order to do so, one must let form and function support one another and intertwine to create the final result. They are one nucleus flowing together.