A Design Experience in the Heart of Vienna

Source: alice.RICHES.snow sketchbook

A little while ago I was able to thrust myself - after a decently long plane ride - into the heart of Vienna, Austria.  Since then, I have found that I inspect design differently.  I usually attribute this to the immensity of lovely in Vienna, but it probably had more to do with the naked exposure I had while I was there - it sounds the same in theory, but not in perspective.  Mainly the act of looking at the streets, storefronts, exhibitions and designers alone with my own thoughts (and sketchbook) to interpret as I saw fit. I was disconnected electronically and forced to head out the front door on foot...it was hot as the hinges of you-know-where but I loved every minute of it. Mind you, I wasn't completely alone, I went with a jmu-umbau professor and equally adventurous inde+ minions. However, I wasn't there with a significant other, parental influences or (before I left) my close circle of friends.  It was a new experience on a new continent. 

Source: walking-chair.com

Since coming home and rejoining the electronic world at full swing I managed to keep tabs on some of the designers we visited with while in Vienna. One in particular stuck out, Walking Chair (brace yourself and get thru the intro) "from the heart of vienna we make things and song." That's it, they make things. They create, without fear. The things we saw in their office and the conversations we had with the two creators, Fidel & Karl, were so infecting we all walked out in awe of their vision. The matter-of-fact, yea, this is how we do things attitude was inspiring. 
Basically, with this post, I am looking to remember the things that inspired me to create in my sketchbook. In Vienna, I learned how to sketch without conflict. For me, it came at the end of the trip, when I took a walk to Stephansplatz ready to sketch. Before then, I was concerned about what the final product would look like, I was so critical of my own work, in my own sketchbook that I didn't go forward into art with abandon. As a reminder, I keep one of the pins we got while visiting on my strap of my camera. Create. Inspire. Do.

Source: alice.RICHES.snow sketchbook