La Fleur Qu’on Appelle Souci



  1. Introduction
  2. Part One:  On Capitalism and Schizophrenia
  3. Part Two: On Random Image Generators
  4. Part Three: On Perpetual Stew
  5. Part Four: On Human-Centered Design
  6. Part Five: On the “College of Design High School”
  7. Part Six: On Aimlessness
  8. Part Seven: On Finding Inspiration



















→ Introduction: Ruminations on a time when I thought I would never design again





The title of this project comes from a French poet, Jaques Prévert, in his poem Inventaire. Even though the original subject of the poem is French colonialism in Africa, at the time of reading it (and the time in which this project concerns), it reminded me of a creation that I may be the only human being to have made.

I love chewing pens. It’s an anxious habit of mine and has been for years. I’ve become an expert in the stages a pen goes through as it decomposes from saliva and pressure during the hours spent designing, chewing, and designing more. First, the top starts to crack off, then you can pop off the clicker completely, then the plastic barrel begins to split, and weirdly enough, it forms a flower as the tendrils of plastic curl up.

(Note: this concerns Pilot G2 Pens, the best pens objectively)

These plastic flowers are the perfect embodiment of anxiety and dread, made into a physical by-product. This project is about just that: the by-products of anxiety, depression, design, and the job search that I have experienced and that you very well may get to know.

First, I must be blunt. The reason I am doing this is because I dropped out of GD401, Kermit Bailey’s professional practice course. To an outsider, this decision seems close to nonsensical; the course is made up of lectures from alumni of GXD at NCSU, has almost zero homework, and is a great excuse to work on your portfolio and gain professional connections. But throughout consuming La Fleur Qu’on Appelle Souci, you’ll understand why all of those things were exactly what I was avoiding. I must extend my gratitude to Kermit and Audrey Barnes for letting me do this independent study; without it, I wouldn’t be graduating on time. His course is extremely helpful, and I recommend it highly.


The creation I was referring to earlier...