“The dark does not destroy the light; it defines it.
It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows.” Brené Brown
It’s our fear of the dark that casts our joy into the shadows.” Brené Brown
While looking through the lens of psychological anthropology and design, I have collected moments of “rejection” from many people in the form of everyday objects that signify this moment for them. We live in a society that does not discuss these moments of rejection as it unlocks shame, fear, anxiety and a great deal of vulnerability, all of which are seen as weakness. As a designer, I have realized that I have the power to make light of these dark human conditions by reframing them in a more approachable way. Designing for a better future by staying focused on who we are designing for, the human heart and its conditions that filter in to and define our environment. James Baldwin said, “not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced”. With this concept in mind, I am looking to bring rejection into the light, by challenging our ability to recall personal memory in the same way we recall history in textbooks, we can create a hope around what rejection might look like in the future.
*All entries were kept anonymous to protect the privacy of participants
