The Power of the Tangible (Atomic Essay Day 24)
I love doing things with my hands - I always have. It was my love for craft growing up that got me to study product design. I am also a big hoarder of things - random postcards, kits from conferences etc. My work too largely revolved around creating experiences, products and toys - very much in the realm of things that could be touch and felt.
Gradually over time FOMO for the digital world kicked in. The realist in my realised that we live in a digital world and I gave up on my obsession for the tangible. Digital seemed impossible to ignore anymore. My work extended beyond the tangible medium, leveraging technology in more ways than one. Last year when the pandemic hit, in my head it reaffirmed my decision. I was convinced that digital is the way forward now.
It just so happened that last week every single day I went out for a couple of hours for some work. I worked out of a colleagues house, made a random lunch plan, spoke to strangers and spend the weekend organising an outdoor event for a group of kids. I was ecstatic.
I could feel a different energy that came from interacting with people. It’s something that I didn’t realise that I was missing till I went back to it. It made me think that maybe digital is not the only way forward. Maybe there is still hope for the tangible and maybe I will find my way back to it.