I have a wonderful new design job in the San Francisco area set in a 1920s Spanish Mediterranean house. I was describing the style of my work process to the client -- "I don't decide on a fixed design with plans and drawings right from the start. I work in a much more organic way. Feeling out the design and letting it grow slowly as I go along. I also make every effort to buy locally from the independent shops, the family shops." I realized at that moment that what I was describing was Slow Design. You may be familiar with the Slow Food movement that originated in Italy in the late 80s. It was a response to a fast food culture and all of the consequences of that lifestyle -- not eating local produce, not eating at home with family, and in general not slowing down and considering the process and the sources of the ingredients. The whole spirit of that movement -- eating locally grown, lingering over a meal, recovering "slowness" -- suits me down to the ground. I always knew I belonged in Italy!
In thinking about an image to go with this post I decided to step outside my house and see if there was anything that spoke to me of "slow" and funny enough this is what I found, smack in my front yard:
Parfait!
So, in the spirit of the new year, while we're embarking on new endeavors, let's all, from time to time, "prepare to stop".
