As a society, we tend to throw band-aids on issues that need stitches or casts. Currently, design philosophy looks at the problems we have as a society and applies a narrow solution, such as a product; however, I think we have to not only look at the problem itself but the whole system in which an issue lives.  Everything is interconnected, so trying to solve one problem with a magical product or solution may create more issues somewhere else down the line. Design can be about looking at the status quo, breaking it apart, and challenging it - what if things weren't the way they are? When an issue arises, design can help us look around where the problem lies – is the issue due to the system itself and it should be completely rethought or will a product indeed really will solve the problem?

​

           While studying traditional industrial design, I realized that we don't need more stuff. We have plenty of that already. Additionally, so many of the products currently being designed focus on the upper class, the people with money, with power, who have excess already. Why aren't we using these ideas to assist everyday people with everyday needs? 

 

           Where this other concept of design intersects with the food system is my sphere of interest. I gravitate to food as it is a necessity, something that fuels all of us. Food is essential to human life, is tangible but also fleeting. It connects us with cultures, it has variety and abundance, so there is always something new to learn and explore. The central issue that drives me is a passion to address food waste (both in food and packaging waste). Food waste is both an environmental and social issue as the US is wasting 30-40% of food being produced, while we also have millions of people going hungry. With those two opposing ideas being true, a system redesign would inherently have to solve both issues.

 

           This means I don't work with a single area of design or art. Food is expansive, so solutions and ideas can be present in a multitude of disciplines that overlap, just like the system itself. I get my inspiration from something that currently exists that isn’t a part of a healthy ecological system or is harming/excluding people somehow. From there, my creations come from exploring what it could look like if we reevaluate the norm, purposefully designing the knowledge and systems involved with food to become more climate-focused and community positive.  

 

           At the core, I am driven by my heart and my passion for caring about the planet and its people. We are all part of a system, one that I know can be improved if we care for everything involved.