A Snippet From My Academic Life - Product Design Application

Statement of Interest

To me, product design is a creative process by which thoughts become things. It is all at once the imagination and the manifestation of a creative mind. I adopt this broad perspective because it can be applied to achieve my goals through deliberate action. My primary goal is to design and build musical instruments out of recycled/sustainable materials. I am not sure about the specific type of instrument that I will work to create first, and I don’t yet have the required knowledge or tools to begin, but I am confident that I can become a craftsman of instruments that sound and look beautiful.

I think Material + Product Studies is the best path for me at the University of Oregon. As I go about my life interacting with many unique environments, I have gathered great respect for product design. I am an entrepreneur who has invested in Xocai Healthy Chocolate because I believe the products (which are high in antioxidants because they are made using a revolutionary cold-pressing technique) are beyond worthy of my support and distribution. While operating my business I have learned that marketing is difficult when you’re promoting a massive change such as the elimination of junk from our diets. It is similar to the energy crisis in that the push to “go green” is noble, but fossil fuels have a firm grasp on the status quo because affluent companies exercise their power to sway public opinion. I refuse to quit on Xocai because I know the products have the potential to benefit the lives of many people. I have respect for those who can market effectively, but I have even more respect for those who promote exceptional products. I hope to one day bring my own exceptional products to the marketplace, but I must first innovate and design said products.