Design, Disdain, & Dead Fish
A Personal Design Philosophy
by Elise Matthews
This presentation was given at Senior Symposia 2023 in the South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University (SC) on November 30, 2023.
Presentation Transcription
Well, everyone, thank you for coming. My name is Elise Matthews and it’s my privilege to introduce to you Design, Disdain, & Dead Fish.
You might be thinking why in the world the dead fish? And I promise you, we’ll get there, but perhaps let’s begin with a little bit of background.
So here’s me using her first grown up non-Barbie-themed fishing rod. Life was pretty simple then. Any catch was a good catch and it didn’t matter the size.
And here’s me today with an even cooler fishing rod but here’s the thing, life might be a little bit more complicated, but I still force my mom to take a goofy picture of me with every single fish that I catch because I still get excited no matter the size of the catch. Some things I will never grow out of.
But I’ve got to give some credit to my old man for my amateur but very authentic love for the fish in the sea. And strangely, as simple as fishing is with my family, it’s cultivated memories and new ways of thinking in my life. It has molded me into the critical and passionate designer I am today.
So, how did I get from talking about my dad who is the least creative family member to creating a design philosophy? Well, it’s a little bit messy and my brain looks pretty similar to the 43 web browser tabs I have open on my laptop right now, but let me break it down for you.
Design requires questionable ambition. When my dad and I head out during red snapper season our usual day begins about 3:00 or 4:30 a.m. We run the boat off the ramp while it’s still dark, navigating the channel markers with caution. And there’s always a lot to be unforeseen when heading so far offshore that you can’t even see the coastline.
Yet we make these trips every year and the risk and the toil is always worth the effort for the greater goal: catching some good fish. But why?
Nothing truly great is ever handed to us. This leads me to begin defining my approach. I break it up into three parts. My initial exploration in research is usually led by curiosity. And as I move through these tension points and questions, I begin to doubt — always.
But this takes me to a more thoughtful consideration moving forward. It urges persistence. Determination is always best paired with meticulousness and some hesitation.
Design is meant to sustain life. When I first began fishing, I found it really frustrating the amount of fish we were returning to the ocean. Every catch we made of a new species. My dad was sure to flip open his new little fish identifier booklet and say nonchalantly something along the lines of that one’s endangered, it’s too small, or it’s out of season — which happened a lot.
And eventually, with time, I saw how delicate nature can sway between growth and endangerment. By not being considerate of life beyond myself, I encouraged depletion for future generations.
This implies to my design philosophy as well. My work has implications beyond myself. Therefore, I am called to foster relationships for whom I serve with and for. The greatest things I’ve accomplished in life were never done alone. And they were meant for something outside of myself. It required collaboration and partnership and mentorship. And it’s been everything to me.
Design is within the repulsive moments. During our most recent excursion deep sea fishing together. My dad had me assist him in the planning process of that day’s catch. For a process that’s so undesirable and filthy, I find it fascinating to watch him go to work. The way he analyzes the shape, tension and character of each fish is honestly an art form within itself.
He handles every cut with delicacy and precision, and he intentionally checks his work to confirm that he’s not left anything behind, that would be gross with the catch that you would eat later that day. And then I had to rinse it off for an additional review before prepping and freezing the final cuts of fish. It may be repulsive to the beholder, but it’s part of the process.
There are several occasions in my design work where I have truly despised the job at hand. Yeah, maybe it wasn’t as bad as cutting open a dead fish, but my lack of enthusiasm in correspondence to these specific projects made me feel entitled to greater things.
But nobody’s above hard work. Compassion is a choice beyond the emotional reluctancy that I have towards the task at hand.
And compassion is also a choice that serves other than humility. When I take responsibility beyond my discomfort, I am forced to drop my pride. It is a daily fight I have with my selfishness. But as Jesus walked the Earth, he was not repulsed by the filth of this world or the flesh of his people. But no, instead he meant us in our imperfections and bridged the gap to sainthood.
I pray that my design process would be a testimony of beauty in life beyond my reluctant disdain.
Thank you.
Senior Symposia
Senior Symposia is an annual event for the Department of Art+Design in the South Carolina School of the Arts at Anderson University (SC) where BFA Graphic Design Seniors present personal Design Philosophies, synthesizing and summarizing their experiences and perspectives over the course the program. These presentations act as markers in their developmental journey, bringing to light what they believe to be true about design, what design can do, and what they hope to do through design.
