KAVANA: What Is The Aim of Your Design?

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There is a word in ancient Jewish religious tradition that I have delved into in the past because the concept fascinates me. The word is kavana.

“Prayer requires kavana, which implies not only concentration but meaning and intention in expressing ourselves before God. The word kavana basically means “to aim.” There must be intent in whatever we say, an aiming toward closeness to God.” ~ My Jewish Learning, Fixed Prayer & Sponaneity

Now before you run away thinking this post is going to be of a religious nature, let me assure you that it’s not. What I want to explore is the concept of “aiming” design. The depth of intention behind the design we produce. My hope is that by discussing this I might (and you might) rediscover the creative soul within that compels us to produce the artistic expression.

I am a web and graphic designer by trade and by choice, because I love to create and the thought of getting paid to do what I love aligns with my idealist approach to life. However, as with any occupation, I often find myself bogged down with other elements of the business that are not nearly as enjoyable. On occasion I have even caught myself cranking out a design or a website to satisfy a deadline or a monetary need, rather than to express myself artistically. To me, the idea that art and creativity become secondary to production or quantity of output is just plain wrong. So I am always looking for the balance to maintain the correct intent, the kavana, in the design or artistic expression that I produce.

Is web or graphic design an art? I believe they can be – if I intend them to be. Just as prayer can be only worthless words uttered if there are no aim or meaning behind them, so can a website or desktop wallpaper or Twitter background or print brochure be only a production of work to satisfy a client.

But if I approach any design project with the intent to create something that expresses my soul, my artistic pride, my unique being – does it not become a piece of art?

“True art is characterized by an irresistible urge in the creative artist.” ~ Albert Einstein

I am also a musician, classically trained on the piano from age seven, along with a stint in my late teens through early 20s as a lead singer and keyboard player in a relatively successful nightclub band. I wrote and produced music as an artistic expression of my soul. The emotion and power that can be expressed in music is like no other for me. But a quick examination of the countless songs and performers that litter the popular music landscape reveals how easy it is to simply produce pieces of work that bear no true artistic kavana other than to increase sales. Sure, there are other exceptionally gifted musical artists who sneer at the thought of trying to produce hits instead of truly baring their souls and gifts simultaneously in song. But it is obvious that the majority of our modern musical society has bought into the lies of popularity and peer approval and financial gain as the primary goals.

As a musician, I find that I am drawn not so much to skillful singing or catchy songwriting as much as a voice or a sound or a lyric that reveals the depths of the soul of the artist. As a designer I find that I am am captivated not so much by a clean, functional, successful piece of work as I am to a piece that displays the passion and the pride and the power and the intimate revelations of the designer.

I need to be reminded and remember always why I design. Why I write. Why I sing. Why I create. I need to examine my intentions, my aims, my kavana in every artistic endeavor – whether personal or professional. Is it pure? Is it from my soul? Is it truly what I passionately believe?

I think without answering yes to those questions I become just another cog in society’s machine. And in the end I fail to give my clients, my family, my friends the very best of me and my work.

Shouldn’t all of life be wrapped up in the sincerest intention of giving the true core of ourselves to each other? Can you imagine living in that world?

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Comments ( 6 )

Deep thoughts. Looks like i don’t think that much, your post inspiring me to do something good. gr8 post!

[Reply]
bkmacdaddy Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 1:37 pm
Go for it, my friend! Not trying to throw you off by being “deep”…just like to try to get us all to look at things from different angles. And bust us out of our comfort zones.

[Reply]

gautam hans added these pithy words on Jul 23 09 at 11:02 am

Well done my friend! Excellent word Kavana! Keep crankin out the amazing work.

[Reply]
bkmacdaddy Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Thanks for the visit & comment, Michael. Glad you liked it!

[Reply]

Michael Winn added these pithy words on Jul 23 09 at 12:44 pm

Interesting, your application of “kavana” to design work. In Jewish tradition one often talks of whether a mitzvah is OK if one does not have the proper “kavana.” I guess you are relating this to sometimes your intent might be to satisfy the client’s need, and sometimes it satisfies your own need for creativity? If one applies this as one would in a traditional sense, one could say it would be optimal to have the “kavana” to satisfy the client, yourself, and perhaps in some way help society, too.

[Reply]
bkmacdaddy Reply:
July 26th, 2009 at 9:28 am
I like what you’re saying. Obviously, I have only touched the surface of the true meaning and depth of “kavana”, plus I am not an authority on the subject by a longshot. But I do love the concept of applying it to design (or other aspects of life) even more as you explain it. Very holistic, it seems. Thanks for the insight!

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