Darrell Bishop Quote

“I think skills are currently really underappreciated in design.  Skills are too often thought of as a way of implementing design, whereas I have found the learning of skills to be one of the most important ways of actually changing my way of thinking about things.”Darrell Bishop

I find this statement really interesting as it is an issue that I have had some experience of.  I think skills are undervalued especially as in today’s society where a lot of items are mass produced and considerably cheaper than handmade items.  Anyone is able to design something, even if it is a simple drawing on a napkin, it is still a design.  The skill comes in when you are able to turn that design into a 3d piece. Learning a skill can change an item completely, a piece of twisted wire can make a ring, but if you learn the skill of making rings from scratch then the possibilities suddenly become endless for the designs that you can make a reality.  It is also true that until you’ve learnt a skill and realised how things work then the design cannot be at its full potential.  Once you understand the mechanics of a skill you are able to build on the design and make it into something much more spectacular than what is on the paper.  Through this process you are also able to push the boundaries of the design to truly create one of a kind pieces.  I think the mass produced market severly hinders the handmade market.  I think there is very little skill in the making of an item that is mass produced.