Actualizing Intention

thesis | writing | book & layout | publication | photography

Blue, grey and perfectly cushioned for optimal speed and performance,

Always cleaned to perfection on the day of a big race.

Wheels regularly oiled, and tightened in its preparation.

A witness to every bruised knee,

But stable and proudly standing tall for every winning medal.

Laces always double knotted, with the overlapping straps tightly fastened.

Rolling with freedom, a sense of self and joy unlike any other

Smoothing over a passion (read, obsession) of a competitive sport,

A valued teammate in a rink of support;

Always speeding over tar, concrete and dusty pathways,

Yet, fastened tightly to the world.

A pair of roller skates;

About two sizes too big,

With socks and cotton always stuffed in their tippy toes

To fashion a perfect fit,

With a hope to eventually grow into them.

When the weight of the world took precedence,

In a system that didn’t celebrate passions, hobbies and extra-curricula

The brakes were applied

So, the wheels eventually stopped rolling.

The skates saw less magic,

And spent more time collecting dust.

Slowly fading, eventually forgotten

The skates and all that they tied together

My roller skates.

I have been thinking a lot about them lately.

Today, over 10 years later, I sit here missing them,

The attachment to a sport that further connected me to a whole life by fueling a little girl’s passions, and finding her a community that encouraged her,

They joined in on her excitement when her otherwise busy mother showed up to support her early morning, every Sunday,

And heard every conversation with her dad on those 45-minute car drives to class every single day,

Taking in every smell from their snack stops on the way home

They were the center of my life,

But those ties have since come undone.

And now? They sit in a bag, in the back of a closet.

Straps undone and laces untied.

Oil in the side pocket,

With the keys sitting next to it,

Rusty from years of neglect,

Socks and cotton pouring out the top, from the last time they were taken off.

I probably would finally fit into them today,

But I am yet to find the courage to reignite that spark.

The story of my skates represents a life full of meaning, one that is now forgotten in an effort to fulfill other requirements. As the years have gone on, the paths of my life have twisted and turned, passions have changed and developed. In this current phase of my life, as practitioner and student of visual communication, I cannot help but ask: What are the roller blades of my design process?

During my time as a graduate student at SCAD, I questioned our design processes, often wondering what layers we could add to the processes that already exist, to reach people (our audience) through raw human connectedness. My work seeks these alternate approaches to visual storytelling and design, embracing both function and emotion to create meaningful work.

You can view the complete publication here.