Medium Difficulty

Brenda Laurel’s explorations of her career path, value choices, and “culture work” reached out to me in an uncomfortably pervasive way. Never have I read a book that seemed so personal, yet so professional. In fact, I have never thought about professionalism in such a personal way.

The reason why this book touched me so profoundly (and I am still wrapping my head around this) is due in major part to Laurel’s readiness to assume the social responsibility of her profession (something I think the field of design could benefit more from), and her stark defense of her values as they were incorporated in her work.

While embracing failure on a professional level, Laurel never concedes victory on a social level. Her experiences with Purple Moon show that, while failing her specific business context, positive social values are not necessarily a counterweight to capitalist endeavors.

A passage on page ten struck me as particularly jarring. Laurel struggles to end her identity as an artist and political activist. I certainly understand the transition for the purposes of soothing weary investors. However, I think that in the end, Laurel did little to shed the identity. She may have called it another thing, but to find another path around what is already considered safe in order to meet similar ends (in this case, profit) is at the heart of political activism, and art as well. Artists struggle to find new means of expressing a new nuance of a familiar emotion. Activists struggle to find a new means of conducting society to attain the familiar goal of successful and effective government.

Perhaps I am just too starry-eyed and immature to give up that aspect of my identity. Or perhaps people like Laurel have laid the framework so that individuals like myself may not have to surrender it at all.