Why I Believe Design Begins with Paying Attention

For a long time, I thought creativity came from making something tangible.

Be it Sketching, Designing, Experimenting, Building.

But over the years, I’ve realized that almost everything I’ve created began much earlier in my head by observing and paying attention.

It begins when I notice the colours of vegetables stacked at a local market. The way faded walls tell stories through layers of paint. The rhythm of woven baskets, old buildings, handwritten shop signs or the subtle confidence of someone wearing clothes that truly feel like them.

These moments don’t arrive labelled as inspiration. Most people walk past them but I feel like a strong compulsion to stop and notice. It’s like there’s no way I can stop my urge to ignore the connection or the emotional pull I witness which intensifies as I walk past them.

Observation for me has been less of a creative exercise and more of a way of moving through the world. As an empath and hyper vigilant individual, observation is my instinct and It has taught me that patterns exist everywhere around us, not only in textiles, but in human behaviour, cultures, businesses and relationships.

The more I observe, the more I realise that design is rarely about inventing something entirely new. More often, it’s about recognizing connections that were already there.

Whether I’m developing a collection, helping a founder shape a new brand or exploring traditional crafts, I always return to the same place again and again until I find one piece of information that helps me connect the dots of all the patterns.

Before creating, I learn to see as an observer to just feel.

Perhaps that’s why I believe good design doesn’t begin with aesthetics.

It begins with paying attention to the little details we tend to ignore.