Five Minute Friday: See

I was one of the best artists in my high school, but when I entered the graphic design program at OU, I felt like I knew nothing.  In the first few months, we did nothing but draw lines.  Straight lines, curved lines, line studies of rhythm and texture and tension.  We drew them and painted them and painstakingly cut them out and pasted them down.  Lines and lines, over and over until our professor, Karen, was satisfied.  Which she rarely was. 

I remember asking her once to demonstrate exactly what she wanted me to do.  "You're from Missouri!" She proclaimed.  "You're ALL from Missouri!"

I am Sooner born and bread, thankyouverymuch!

I soon discovered that Missouri is the "Show me State" and Karen knew that the best way for us to learn was to keep us far away from Missouri.  She could have shown us exactly what to draw-- but she was not teaching us to draw.  She was teaching us to see.  Before we could be trusted with a computer program, we needed to recognize and understand what made design effective: line, texture, rhythm, tension. 

She didn't just want us to learn to use designer's tools-- but to develop designer's eyes.

She was teaching us how to see.

This is a part of the Five Minute Friday link-up on Lisa-Jo Baker's blog !