The Sunday Paper: Simplicity


As I have gone over before, at this point in my life I am looking for ease and simplicity rather than complexity. I feel like the simple things resonate, and that is what I value as a designer. Minimalism and simplicity. Some of the best designs in my view are simple, and artistry is in essence simplicity. I hear people talk about this too. I recall one of my favorite Rugby League players growing up, Brad Fittler. He moved out of a big house on the beach and into an apartment in the city where he could be at training within 10 minutes. He was going for simplicity off the field, and that yielded success on it. I even recall another one of my idols growing up, Michael Johnson, the 200m/400m sprinter that did the double in 1996 in Atlanta. In the lead up to the Olympics, he moved into an apartment to simplify his life. The headache of mowing the lawns and keeping up the property that he was living in were no longer a problem he had to deal with. You see this too with the Japanese, very thoughtful spaces that are small yet simple. Even the great Rick Owens is very reductive by nature only having a very simple wardrobe and a simple space that allowed him to just focus on the task at hand.

The Sunday Paper: Simplicity

So there is something to be said of this simplicity. In some ways, I am in that state of mind myself having moved myself into an apartment with my family, and honestly I am just loving the simplicity of it and the convenience. Of course we are sold that the home is the American dream and that is what we should all be striving for. I get that and I am not saying that at some point that is what I may yearn for, but for me less is more and simple is my approach to things. A measured and considered approach to life and a more enjoyable way of life too. To take this conversation over to design, the stellar examples for me are Apple and Tesla. I view Tesla as the Apple of electric cars, and I love the reductivist nature of their cabin. It can take a minute to get used to, but there is beauty in that for me. Quality over quantity and a very thought out approach to life, one that is equal parts beauty and aesthetic as it is practical. Free of chaos and noise and the ability to create from a blank canvas.
Daniel Patrick

The Sunday Paper: Simplicity