Ikigai is a Japanese concept related to finding a purpose in life which makes you happy. It is composed of two words: iki, which means life and gai, which describes value or worth.
Figure 1: The Ikigai diagram (Winn, 2014, p.9)
This idea is mainly related to the life’s values of doing and working. As you can see from the above diagram (Winn, 2014) it is linked to our passion, profession, vocation, and mission. “Be led by your curiosity and keep busy by doing things that fill you with meaning and happiness.” (García and Miralles, 2017, p. 183)
Where previously practices were linked but separated, they now overlap, merge, and evolve into new hybrid practices. The practice of Graphic Designer or Illustrator is gradually moving beyond the individual disciplines of graphic design and illustration.
Considering this, I am planning to be something in between these two disciplines, one more related to my past practice and one to my experimental path.
Moreover, I am aware of the challenges the fields of illustration, design and art need to respond to, such as the diversification, fragmentation and globalisation of audience, the growth in competition and the impact of a rapid technological change. “You have to accept that the world is imperfect, but that it is still full of opportunities for growth and achievement.” (García and Miralles, 2017, p. 51)
Therefore, I am trying to be more experimental and entrepreneurial, by exploring new disciplines, technologies, and methodologies. During the making of the last project I went completely out of my comfort zone, by applying what I learned from the teamwork experience, using 3D and animation tools.
In conclusion, what I found very significant during this experience is teamwork, experimentation, being a headless chicken, and discovering new hidden skills, all of them very useful for my future practice. Another useful tool I discovered so far is the reflection model, which I would like to develop further in the future. “There is only one thing for it then, to learn. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear, or distrust, and never dream of regretting.” (White, 1958, p.97)
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