From the Series
‘Design as problem solving’; that’s the type of creativity that speaks to Ayse Birsel. The industrial designer, business owner, teacher and author has long taken this approach when it comes to her work, some of which has been for clients as big as Herman Miller, GE and Toyota. In an interview following her Design Indaba Conference 2017 talk, Birsel spoke to us about the importance of making time for creativity and using the process of design to develop a fulfilling life.
“For a long time now, I’ve thought that my life is my biggest project,” she says. “A design project full of constraints and challenges and trying to meet people’s needs.” Through working to determine how her trusted design process could be applied to her own life, Birsel ended up writing and publishing Design the Life You Love – a playful guide and workbook for creating a better life.
One of the most important things in this regard, she says, is making time to be creative. As the co-founder of Birsel + Seck (which she established with her husband, product designer Bibi Seck), Birsel often struggles to find the time to exercise this muscle amidst the plethora of projects, meetings and networking events. Still, it’s her number one priority because of its proven stimulation of the imagination and intuition.
During her time at DI 2017, Birsel spoke to the audience about how they too can use her techniques to design the life they love. She also hosted a workshop where she took the attendees through the process in greater detail. You can watch Birsel’s full speaker talk here.
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Watch the Talk with Ayse Birsel
