The art of intention

By: Lisa Slagle

This morning, my golden retriever trotted up to me while I was making coffee/toasting a bagel/wearing one sock/checking email on my phone, and he literally used his nose to flip my iPhone out of my hand. My phone bounced across the kitchen floor, and I looked down at my dog incredulously. I swear he smiled. 

Called out by a dog.

I've been putting a lot of focus into designing and living with intention. 

This means taking the time to do one thing at a time, do it mindfully, and do it right. Make coffee. Make a bagel. Put socks on. Check email. Those are four separate activities, and spreading my attention across all of them at once waters each of them down like a gross Americano.  I should take the time to be present. Make one hell of a cup of coffee. Make a bagel that's not burnt. Put socks on both feet. Read emails with focus and attention and respond thoughtfully from a real keyboard. 

It's the same for my work-- I took a week off to go to a filmmaking workshop in Portland, and when I came back, I realized that I have TWELVE (12) projects right now. That's pretty huge. Instead of feeling overwhelmed and scattered, trying to work on every project at once, I have been sitting down and designing with intention. What is the purpose of this particular project? How can I design the best solution for my client's needs? How can I make it impactful and purposeful as well as beautiful? 

One project at a time.

Taking the time to plan ahead and dive in with a game plan produces much better artwork. I don't feel spread thin, and I'm productive. It's all about having the patience to get it right, find that special place where intuition meets reasoning, and deliver. It's about the follow through.

I try to teach this to my students at FVCC, too. Design with purpose. Don't just slap type onto a poster and call it a day. Have intention. Be mindful. Be present. Enjoy it. Make smart design decisions.

Someone very wise once taught me the concept of intention vs. action. You can make mistakes with stupid actions, but if your intention was in the right place, your actions are always redeemable. I believe that applies to business as well.

I'm realizing how important it is to approach everything with simplicity and clarity---Have dinner with friends without texting other friends in other places. Play fetch with my dog without thinking about work. Turn off that static between my ears and ride my bike as fast as I can while only thinking about riding my bike as fast as I can. Make coffee. Make a bagel. Live with intention.

That, or my dog will break my phone.