Field Trip is a homebase for the research and references that inform the work and life of designer Lauren Scarlett.
[RESEARCH ©FT]
1. To Connect
Before I started writing I didn’t really have a design community aside from some followers on instagram where I got likes and comments but wasn’t genuinely connecting with people. My reluctancy to be too online was apart of that. My captions were always very short, I never explained anything, never showed my face, my life or my process. While being evasive might create some allure, nothing about it leads to people actually wanting to connect with you.
I read something recently that talked about Frank Ocean being overly-cryptic and how it was once cool, but is getting boring now. For such a big artist to be losing people due to abstraction, it’s interesting to think about what that means for designers. I don’t know if just making good work is enough anymore. In such saturated industries and with social media as busy as it is, people seem to be more than ever in search of substance, openness and real connection. Of course you don’t owe anyone anything but if you want people to show up for you and support you in the long-run, you have to be a giver to some extent. People want to know you, and it’s a wonderful thing to let yourself be known. Writing is a great way to offer this.
2. To Communicate
I’m very introverted and used to hate how quiet I was, it was always something people loved to comment on. When I was a teenager, mental health wasn’t a topic being discussed the way it is now, so I masked crippling social anxiety and secret panic attacks with an aloof, uncaring persona. Hiding behind sunglasses and copious amounts of alcohol to get through every social event; I would rather people see me as arrogant then know I was scared of having conversations with them. But the more I leaned into that persona, the more I actually became uncaring and less and less myself. I’ve always really cared. A LOT. About everything and everyone. I just hadn’t found my way to communicate yet.
When I found design, I started to understand what I was meant to do. When I found writing I started to understand who I was. Before this newsletter, I would journal to document and process things, and figure out what was going on in my brain. There was always a huge weight off after I finished writing and an internal shift came with it. Since I started really committing to writing field trip this year, I’ve noticed more of an external shift happening. I’m much less guarded around people than I used to be and much more open to situations I would’ve once avoided. I don’t think verbal communication will ever be where I thrive but knowing I can articulate my thoughts through visuals and writing gives me a lot of comfort and a newfound confidence in my ability to express my ideas.
3. To Welcome Vulnerability
Vulnerability is cool. There’s strength in opening yourself up to judgement. It takes guts to put stuff out into the world. You might be opening yourself up to ridicule if you encounter an asshole, but it’s worth it. You can write about whatever you want, you don’t have to share your deepest thoughts and feelings; a weird niche interest or a random shared experience will bring your people to you.
There’s also vulnerability in letting yourself be bad at things but trying it anyway. For a long time I put off writing because I didn’t know if I would be good at it or if I had anything of value to share. It often feels as though everything’s been said before and it probably has. But no one else is you, no one has lived your life to the same exact detail; so while there may be few original thoughts to be had, there are a wealth of thoughts that need to be shared. Your story matters and telling it and allowing yourself to be uplifted and supported by people only makes your work and life better.
4. To Build Community
Someone’s gotta do it. I’m a big believer in making the stuff you wish existed. If no one else is building a world you want to be apart of, create it yourself. The right people will find you and thank you for it.
I was just telling a friend how at ease I’ve become with myself lately. How I can sit with people now and feel completely okay with who I am. A lot of that’s down to the support I get here. This newsletter has opened me up to an incredible community of designers, writers and artists that have made me feel seen, heard and understood the way my teenage self really needed. Having people believe in what you’re doing, means everything. I can’t encourage you enough to expand your world and let people be apart of it.
Thank you for reading.
This week’s post is in collaboration with Jesse who writes Glue’s Letter. He’s going to be sharing more reasons why you should write, on Sunday!!
needed this, thank you!
Bravo! You always hit every single spot