#cultural design
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i do unironically think the best artists of our generation are posting to get 20 notes and 3 reblogs btw. that fanfic with like 45 kudos is some of the best stuff ever written. those OCs you carry around have some of the richest backstories and worldbuilding someone has ever seen. please do not think that reaching only a few people when you post means your art isn't worth celebrating.
#i often wonder about how many things would be considered classic or high art had they only received the marketing#how many short films that were made for class could have been the most powerful thing you'd ever seen? if you'd seen them?#“you know the greatest films of all time were never made” etc etc#but like. these works of art ARE being made. it's just enjoyed by a smaller audience with equal impact though#i think about this one furry i used to follow on insta who had the coolest worldbuilding ever. it's been years.#thought prompted by that sketch of nimona from ten years ago that was just for a character design#posted to the creator's tumblr and now it's nominated for best animated feature film at the oscars#and by the genuine emotional reaction a fan comic made me feel. how much work had gone into it. how beautiful it was to me.#idk what to tag this but i hope whoever needs to hear it does#writing#writer#fandom#fandom culture#artist
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DMC Visual Diary #14
Design Leadership Lessons
As I embark upon my final couple of weeks as a Design Leadership course student at Georgetown University, it is not missed that I will forever be, both, a design leader and student of the design leadership field. The learning in this course has broadened how I view leadership, specifically through the lens of design. Design solutions show up in any human-centered problem solution you're trying to create and how we, as design leaders, create a lasting impact that extends beyond the immediate need of product/program users.
A few aspects that I know will stay at top of mind will be getting to know who is impacted by the wicked design problems we face daily, the tools available for creating the desired solution and what parameters are in play that we must consider that we can leverage or alleviate to get to our solutions. There are so many different kinds of parameters that should be considered and understanding the parameters that influence what design tools I need will help with quickly designing potential solutions that truly fulfill the needs of those we design for.
I have also learned that I have strengths that I can tap into to create optimal solutions and building a team with varied strengths will create an opportunity for more complete solutions that consider varied perspectives. I currently utilize design thinking as a way to move from the broadest solution considerations to narrowing down the scope of the solution so that it is feasible to design and implement.
The tools acquired in my course build upon the learning from all of my master program courses. I'm so grateful to be in a course with other design leaders who lend perspective from their own strengths and creative identities.
Hoya Saxa!
#human centered design#design storytelling#design leadership#design parameters#responsible design#tangible design tools#cultural design
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Te Ara Whakamārama: 4 Powerful Steps to Transformative Te Ao Māori-Inspired Development
Explore the transformative "Te Ara Whakamārama," a framework with four stages inspired by Māori wisdom. Embrace a journey of innovation from the conceptual void to the luminous world of realization and beyond. Dive into the essence of Te Ao Māori and unlo
Te Ara Whakamārama or The Pathway to Enlightenment
By Conny Huaki and Graeme Smith
The journey of creation, from the first seed of an idea to its full expression, is a sacred and transformative process. “Te Ara Whakamārama,” or “The Pathway to Enlightenment,” is a design and development framework that mirrors the natural progression from dusk till dawn, a symbolic representation of the journey…
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#Conceptual Design#Conny Huaki#Creative Journey#Cultural Design#Cultural Framework#Design Framework#educational innovation#Graeme Smith#holistic development#innovation#Māori Development#Māori Knowledge Systems#Māori Wisdom#New Zealand Indigenous#Realisation Process#te ao Māori#Te Ara Whakamārama
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“That One Hairstyle? RETIRE IT!” Black Hair is an Art (pt.1)
(This is part one of two lessons, with this one focusing on how our hair itself! The next lesson will encompass how to incorporate its existence into your writing. It'd be a massively long post otherwise.)
So! Black hair. Black hair is a CENTRAL, ESSENTIAL part of our culture and identity. Writing and drawing it means understanding the vulnerability and trust that comes with access to it, and yes, it is racist to suggest that ‘it’s just hair’ when our hair serves such an important role in our history and art. I already wrote a mini-lesson and ask on the topic, but being aware of what our hair looks like, and what means to us, will help you to understand why we care that you put in the effort to get it right.
Hair Textures
We are not a genetic monolith! However, for the sake of this series, we are focusing on 3C-4C, because 1) it's most likely to be seen in life and 2) least likely to be seen in popular art! When you are creating your characters, consider the style and care for THESE textures. I will get more into this next lesson.
Let's get into SOME of the hairstyles!
Afros (36 Afro Hairstyles)
“So, what’s the phenomenon behind the Afro? Well, it’s our hair in its most natural form, but that’s only part of the phenomenon. It’s a way to fight the status quo without saying a word.”
-Ebony Magazine, The History of the Afro
When nonBlack society hears ‘afro’, they think completely picked out, Black power imagery, political statement. And it was, and is! But in actuality, afros are just the natural hair growing out of a Black person's head. The same way your hair grows out of your head. Our texture. Even my hair is not allowed to be ‘hair’, it has to ‘assign’ my Blackness; my distance from whiteness. Imagine, the hair growing out of your head being automatically associated with how you should be perceived. Just by existing, it is making a statement in a Eurocentric society.
Braids (31 Braid Styles)
There are SO MANY TYPES of braids and ways to wear them. If you can imagine a design, I bet there's a Black braider that can do it!
CORNROWS ARE NOT AUTOMATICALLY BRAIDS! Internalize this! They may be used in the same style, but they are NOT INTERCHANGEABLE TERMS!
Braids are considered a protective style; that is, a hairstyle designed to let our hair 'rest' and grow without having to manipulate it. If you have a Black character that's constantly on the go and/or doesn't have time to focus on their hair, and you want an accurate, more true-to-life experience for them, braids can be a crucial part of character design.
Locs
(Yes, while that link has plenty of examples, it was also self-indulgent. Locs are gorgeous, Black men with locs are gorgeous!)
"Locs vs Dreads": As someone in the loc community, there’s been a push to refer to the style as ‘locs’, rather than ‘dreadlocks’. Some people with the style will not care, but others take it very seriously, so it’s something to keep in mind. There’s a societal stigma behind having locs, that they’re ‘dirty’ or ‘unkempt’ or ‘lazy’ and that is NOT true. Locs are beautiful, and they take far more effort than people seem to want to believe lmao.
Locs, though there is currently a positive revival, are still highly discriminated against. Kids have been expelled from school and even have had their hair forcibly cut off to be allowed to participate in sports. Many places won't hire you if they think your hair is 'unprofessional' or 'dirty', especially if you're a Black woman. To consider yet another example of the hair that grows out of my head 'dirty' is extremely racist.
LOCS ARE NOT BRAIDS!!!!
Locs are also a protective style, albeit a much more permanent one, and one that comes with a long history and culture behind it. Many Black people consider the biblical story of Samson to be a man with locs, and that our locs hold power within them. That not just anyone should be allowed to touch your locs. So, if you're interested in mythology and powers, that might be an intriguing way to go, that would be possible if you had a Black character with locs!
In Professional Media
The lack of awareness and concern about our hair isn't just a fan or amateur creator experience. It is ubiquitous in the professional media world. Black actors, actresses, and models have discussed having to do their own hair when working, because no one would properly care for it on set if it wasn't familiarly white. It’s admittedly grown better- however! After decades of not having options other than ‘stereotypical afro’, ‘box cut’, and ‘white people hair’, it is LONG PAST TIME to stop settling for the bare minimum in Black character design. We can tell when "one of us" (with some sense, at least) wasn't in the room to make decisions in popular media.
If you were curious about the lesson title, here's a current example of what I'm talking about in video games. Tell me if you see a pattern:
This style? The Killmonger? We seent it!!!! It has become the “hairstyle to show I understand the exaggerated swagger of a young Black teen” option, the "I know the Black people!" go-to, and frankly, we are all tired of it. Okay it was cute on Ekko. The Black Delegation DEMANDS the professional video game industry pick something else! We have SO MANY DIFFERENT HAIRSTYLES!
I'll give you an example on the other end (not trying at all; refer to Lesson 1) from one of my favorite games, Hades:
This is my blorbo. My favoritest guy. I’ll fight for Patroclus being Black til the day I die. While I begrudgingly settled in my excitement, I can tell you no one Black with any voting power was in the room at Supergiant when they approved this design. Why? His texture! Locs were such an easy option if they wanted long hair! Locs existed BEFORE Ancient Greece! The man did not have a flat iron while fighting in a war! A good Black designer would have considered that!
To give him a more accurate design, some artists (myself included) lean into giving him locs (one of my favorites is @karshmallow 's Pat; a phenomenal example in caring about your Black characters). It’s something Black fans find themselves doing- redesigning Black characters. That's not something we should have to do at all, especially in media we pay for!
But if you REALLY want your Black character to have straight hair, that leads into the last style of this lesson:
Straight Hair
We do have straight hair. But it’s not straight because it grew out that way! It will still look and be thicker! It might be a wig or a sew-in (human or synthetic), it might be flat-ironed (while relaxed? While natural?) It takes effort to get and maintain straight hair.
'I think it looks better good this way!'
If you catch yourself thinking this, this is a racist statement. Whether you’re aware of it our not, there is a bias towards Eurocentric/white features in our society, and that includes in our media. When you think “I only drew [this Eurocentric hair texture and style] because I think it looks good on them!” I want you to PAUSE and think about the WHY. WHY do you think that this Black person’s natural features are unattractive in comparison to the white hair texture you gave them? And how hurt might a Black peer of yours would feel hearing that you find their natural features not worth drawing because they’re “not attractive”. It requires approaching your own internal biases, recognizing them, and then working to unlearn them. And that means practice! Using references to draw our hair and styles, and growing used to using OUR features on US!
Doing it in Art
Me personally, I think if you think drawing thinner hair textures is easy, thicker hair textures should be a BREEZE. I was curious, so I challenged myself and-
(it took me about thirteen minutes total to do ol boy's hair and it's still not right. I'm sick fr y'all don't even know 🤢)
@ackee has a really good art lesson on the how-tos of drawing Black hairstyles. I highly recommend checking it out, as well as following and supporting a fellow Black artist (who is far better than I!)
Hair Brushes
Finally, an option you can use for painting is downloading Black hair brushes! Vegalia has an amazing array of brushes with different types of curls, locs, and braids at her Etsy store! You can also follow her on social media to see how she applies them, and support yet another amazing Black creative!
I know this was a long one, but you made it! Just keep going. Remember, it's the thought that counts, but the action that delivers!
#creatingblackcharacters#black art#black characters#character design#black hair#black history#black culture
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#art#culture#travel#photography#design#movies#food#home lifestyle#books and libraries#books libraries#architecture#musicians#health fitness#gaming#beauty#television#student#fashion#nature#celebrities
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A new master’s house: The architect decolonising Nigerian design | Conflict | Al Jazeera
#architecture#nigeria#demas nwoko#traditional materials#art#cultural design#cultural influences#africa
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Maxfield Parrish The Lantern Bearers. 1908. Oil on canvas: 101 × 81 cm (40 × 32 in).
#1900s#painting#maxfield parrish#vintage#night#lights#sunset#nature#fantasy#retro#beauty#surreal#moon#magic#cosplay#garden#lifestyle#art history#design#culture#🌛
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Curious Ming Dynasty Hairpins in the shape of two shrimps. Found on a gilt silver hair cover excavated in a tomb in Shanghai. Exhibited at the Shanghai Museum of Art.
#ming dynasty#ming#chinese art#ancient china#chinese culture#hairpins#shrimps#shrimps art#antique jewelry#headdress#chinese jewelry#jewelry#jewelry design
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Museo Delle Culture by David Chipperfield (1999) Located: Milan, Italy
#Museo Delle Culture#David Chipperfield#architecture#design#interiors#interior design#white#windows#milan#italy#1999
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#4th of july#america#usa#transit#roads#car culture#political#multipost#urban planning#car dependency#not just bikes#moodboard#usa moodboard#american dream#urbanism#urban design#bike lanes
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DMC Visual Diary #13 "Live life with purpose baked in"
I love design solutions that serve multiple purposes with a positive impact on people who have given their time, talents, and love for humanity. Today, we are hearing more and more about the challenges US military members are having after leaving military life and transitioning to civilian life.
As design leaders, one of the first questions one might ask is "Who are we designing for?" or "Who is our audience?" Knowing who we are creating a solution for and what problem we're trying to solve will help keep the people we're serving at the center of our design process. What is needed vs. what is desired will help design leaders see what is or isn't feasible as we craft our solution. For US military veterans, finding viable work after being enlisted for a time and being away from such an ordered environment, transition is challenging and finding support for mental health as well as employment opportunities and a sense of community can be challenging.
Georgetown University was tuned into these issues as they partnered with Dog Tag Inc. to help train veterans in entrepreneurship skills and how to run a business. There is a sense of community, purpose, and personal & professional growth. From the instructional design of the Dog Tag courses at Georgetown to the design of the logos, and the beautiful bakery brick & mortar shop, a lot of planning went into creating this solution for veterans and the impact has been amazing. Creating a business opportunity for a community going through the same challenges of reacclimating to civilian life is truly a human-centered design solution.
Some of the parameters for this project were things like resources to help build the program and recruit vets to participate, time of course, time frame to launch the business, financial resources, and a myriad of other parameters that helped to shape this project. As the business evolves, new design parameters will come into play. I'm looking forward to watching this business grow and supporting them along the way.
#design storytelling#design leadership#cultural design#human centered design#responsible design#design stake in the ground
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How to Un-Fuck Your Brain?..
#art#culture#travel#photography#design#movies#food#home lifestyle#student#fashion#nature#celebrities#spilled thoughts#i love you#quotes#photographers on tumblr#aesthetic#creativity
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Welcome!
I'm going to update this list as I post more. So make sure to check periodically!
Anon Office Hours: W-F 12:30-6:30 give or take
FAQs!
Lesson 1: "White Man Painted Black"?
Lesson 1.5: "Hair for Thought"- how visualizing affects your writing
Lesson 2: “That One Hairstyle? RETIRE IT!” Black Hair is an Art (pt.1)
Lesson 2.1: Addendum to Hair pt 1
Lesson 2: "It Takes HOW LONG?" Black Hair is an Art (pt.2)
Application! Ice's Lazy Loc Wash Routine
Lesson 3: "Defying the Default"- Skin Tones and the Presence of Black Characters
Application! What are Black fans looking for in Commissions?
Lesson 4: "Do Black People Blush?" Bringing brown complexions to life
Lesson 5: "The Same Place As the Music" Lighting & Color
Lesson 6: "Let's Have A Talk, First" Stereotypes pt 1
#creatingblackcharacters#black art#black characters#character design#black artists#black writers#black culture
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Cuando los vientos cambian de dirección, las tormentas se convierten en suave brisa capaces de refrescar y a la misma vez, acrecentar la flama del alma…
Priscila Alcívar
#literature#writers#tumblarians#movies#travel#museums#architecture#culture#education#design#history#health fitness#books libraries#home lifestyle#books and libraries#sociology#photography#student#quoteoftheday#art
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#black panther#black community#original photographers#black people#graphic design#black art#black history#black culture#artwork#black power#black family#black woman#black women#black hair#black positivity#black love#black tumblr
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i love palestinian and arab culture so much.
my grandma wearing thobes around the house and making us tamriyeh. my cousins wedding when we all wore thobes and keffiyehs and took photos downtown and we danced with someone playing the guitar on the street and this lady stopping us to tell us we all looked so beautiful. walking the graduation stage in a thobe. the girl who liked to guess arab peoples ethnicities telling me "you're wearing tatreez... do you want me to write 'palestinian' on your forehead?" the keffiyeh my brother keeps on the drivers seat of his car.
my dad sending me off to my last semester of college with 2 pomegranates and a jar of palestinian olive oil. my cousins wife coming up with new ways to make zaatar and cheese pastries. me and my grandma sitting on the floor and making waraq 3neb- my job was to separate the leaves so she could roll them easier. my mom sending me and my brother to school with eid cookies for my teachers and tasking us with delivering some to the neighbors. my aunt glaring at me and piling more food on my plate and then asking if i was still hungry (i wasnt). my mom always telling me to invite my friends and cousins over for dinner and asking me what they like to eat. my family getting my dad knafeh instead of cake for his birthday. the man who told me i made the "best fetteh in the western hemisphere".
the man in the shawarma shop who gave me my fries for free and baklava i didnt order because we spoke about being palestinian while he took my order. the person on tumblr who i bonded with because we are from the same palestinian city. the girl i met on campus who exclaimed "youre palestinian? me too!" because i was wearing my keffiyeh. the girl in my class that showed me the artwork about palestine her dad made and donated for fundraising. the couple in the grocery store who noticed my palestinian shirt and talked with me for 20 minutes and ended up being a family friend. the silly palestinian kids i tutored sighing in disappointment when i told them i was born in america because they were hoping that id have been born "somewhere cooler". my friends family who bought me dinner despite me being there by chance and having met me for the first time the day before.
the boys starting uncoordinated dabke lines in my high school's hallways. the songs about the longing and love for our land. the festivals and parties and gatherings where everything smells like shisha and oud. memories of waiting in the car for an hour as my parents talked at the doorway of their friends homes. my cousins and i showing up at each others homes with cake or fruit or games as if it was the first time we ever visited even though we always say "you dont have to".
kids stubbornly helping to clean and make tea after a meal while being told to go sit down because they are guests. the necklaces in the shape of our home countries. people hugging and laughing and acting as if theyve known each other for years because they come from the same city or know people with the same last name. the day i finally got to bully my friends into letting me pay the bill because i had a job and they were still students. my moms friend who calls us every time she's at the grocery store to see if we need something
palestinian people are so resilient and hardworking and charitable. they love their culture and their community and are so quick to share and welcome anyone in. everyday i am so thankful and proud to be part of such a warm and lovely culture
#my love letter to palestine and its culture#free palestine#for those who dont know:#thobe: traditional embroidered dress. theres a lot of meaning behind the designs and different styles are indicative of the region#tatreez: the embroidery style#waraq 3neb: stuffed grapeleaves#dabke: traditional dance. look up videos theyre quite fun#shisha: the stuff smoked in hookah#oud: popular perfume/cologne scent#tamriyeh: fried dough dessert#keffiyeh: traditional scarf#zaatar: spice mix of mostly thyme#fetteh: dish made with bread yogurt chickpeas and nuts#knafeh: dessert made of cheese and shredded filo dough#there is so much more i can add. i really could go on forever#mine#plomegrantalk
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