Beginnings…at first clear then out of focus

I first read The Four Agreements simply as a human being trying to improve my existence. I was a bit adrift, soul searching and very open to defining my spiritual path. This practical guide to personal freedom was brought to my attention by a good friend Hawk Metheny, my program coordinator at the Appalachian Mountain Club.

This excerpt from the book reminded me of something I had discovered during childhood, “He looked at the stars again, and he realized that it’s not the stars that create light, but rather light that creates the stars. “Everything is made of light…and the space in-between isn’t empty.” And he knew that everything that exists is one living being, and that light is the messenger of life, because it is alive and contains all information.”

The premise of the book is that humans have been domesticated and that each of us was born into an entire belief system. We have been taught what is “good” and “bad”, “beautiful” and “ugly.” Similarly we are taught the coded matrix of language, one of the most definitive agreements, as children. Before we knew it we had developed faith in this entire web of behaviors, codes and judgments. You most likely fought back with this system of domestication with the two letter word, “No!” Sound familiar?

Well the fact is that we have all been domesticated and I am not saying this is a bad thing but rather that awareness of the truth is something that gives me great energy and purpose, much like “seeing” the stars from the earlier excerpt.

Finding my path one agreement at a time

Everything and every situation exists for for a reason. I believe that statement but I also believe there is a responsibility that comes with that awareness to put our free-thinking mind to use with that knowledge. That’s where the “Four Agreements” helped me out. I had some agreements ingrained in me as part of my domestication I wanted to crack open, analyze and understand so I could be free to move about life with awareness.

After I sorted through some personal agreements that were holding me back I could see my heart clearly and remember a childhood vision again to be a great communicator. It’s not like it happened overnight but slowly I began to change and move back towards honing my visual communication skills. I wanted to use these to get everyone to see what I saw so clearly, that beautiful energy and connection to light, to everything. As a child I saw so many things going on in the adult world that were going wrong. Despite the human agreement upon codes of language and communication we were not hearing, listening or thinking clearly with each other, the planet or the universe. Greed for attention, money and power were hurting human animals, wild animals and the Earth.

In short the four agreements lead me back to my vision and now I am seeing that they are also here to help me navigate through my profession so I don’t lose sight of the complex interactions and relationships that exist in the design business.

The four agreements of design

1. Be impeccable with your word. As a designer there are so many relationships you need to keep track of. We are actually manipulating the ingredients used to domesticate our audiences and even sometimes in control of domestication. WOW! It’s a delicate balance that I feel has to begin with where you work if you are not self-employed. Thankfully Methodologie has the leadership and the belief systems that nurture not simply the visual design but the philosophy and strategy behind the design. Simply put carelessness is not in our vocabulary!

When a designer speaks about their vision and decision making to clients, art directors, project managers and even themselves, they have to be mindful of their words. If I am sloppy with my words it doesn’t matter what I think, my audience will never understand and judgment will lead to decisions that could result in a good idea tossed into the round file.

Furthermore, the copy-writing that lives and breaths a design needs to be very thoughtful. We are playing with a matrix of code that if not carefully used will confuse and misdirect the audience of the design.

2. Don’t take anything personally. This business is full of passionate creative people who have to meet the business challenges and objectives. There is a lot of scrutiny and criticism and if you let it get under your skin the work can bring your spirit down. Conveying positive energy and being open to ideas, feedback and new perspectives makes me a more capable designer.

Hey, I am not saying I am inhuman. I feel the pain but it’s a matter of how long you let it control you and drain the energy from your heart and mind. Keep on keepn’ on!

3. Don’t make assumptions. I love this one. As a problem solver I am disciplined to think ahead and anticipate but I need to be watchful of my own mind and not assume I know to much until I ask lots of questions. The meat of this agreement is that one needs to be careful how much they assume and accept the responsibilities of what assumptions are made.

An example of this is assuming you know the audience or user-base of a website and jumping directly into the design process making decisions based all on assumption.

4. Always do your best. Even after you manage to follow these agreements of listening, communicating and questioning one can still come up short. However, if you give it your best the entire time then at least there is peace in knowing that you nearly missed success not due to lack of effort or awareness. Regret can be a very draining state of being. Knowing you gave it your best can be pivotal in that awesome moment when you get back on your feet again and decide to persevere.

Closing thought…

Be passionate and curious, deliberate and spontaneous, smart and childlike, thoughtful and open-minded; do this all with an awareness about yourself and those around you. Let this be a contagious dance!