KSA on New Ideas:

Each Monday at KSA we are inspired by a quote to kick start the work week. We are encouraged to share our thoughts with the office and I was particularly inspired by a quote from a few weeks back, “A ship is safe in harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.” by William Shedd. 

My initial reaction was what is the point of remaining “safe in harbor”? Do we ever accomplish anything by never going anywhere? I don’t mean this in the literal sense of taking sail, but getting out there and seeking new information. As designers we are asked by our clients to be their resource for new ideas. Find the solutions that they could not find.  If we continually seek the same resources or options, we are one day going to realize that we have repeatedly conjured the same conclusions. To best serve our clients we have to explore what else is out there. 

 

It is amazing how a quote from an American Theologian who lived in the 1800’s can still inspire us today. We view the world in a global sense as no other generation has before. The world’s news and information is at our fingertips. With a click of a mouse we can find an answer to almost any question. But sometimes that is overwhelming. We know there are other solutions to our client’s needs, but how do we even begin to find them?

Part of finding the right solution is the journey that gets you there. The path to the solution is just as important as the solution itself.  If we don’t go out there and explore, we haven’t truly exhausted our efforts to find the best solution.  Not just the obvious solution, sitting on a shelf in a book, but the one you have to really look for. The one that you have to set sail on a mission to find!

To remain in the “harbor” will only lead us back to the same solutions time and time again. Maybe we need to get out there and explore; we need to set sail to our ideas.

Erin C. Riggan, CID, ASID, LEED AP