“I put gloves on before I put gloves on, so I don’t get my gloves dirty.”

― Jarod Kintz, a.k.a Leah Pirani in a nutshell.

 

OCD tendencies? Yeah, I certainly have them. The need for structure, order and perfection ruled my entire life until I entered design school and learned to let go a bit (for the most part). Before, my perceptions around design led me to believe that its only purpose was to be functional and aesthetic. I quickly learned as an Industrial Design major that this is obviously not the case, especially when you are creating prototypes and developing multiple iterations of something and are not quite sure yet that you know what it is… You have to learn how to “trust the process” - a.k.a. ambiguity at its finest.

“Can you just stop?” are still words you will hear at 12am when I spontaneously decide to vacuum the entire house simply because my brain tells me I HAVE to. This is still a thing for me. I can confirm that this whole letting-go-of-order thing isn’t easy, but I still make a good effort to try. I know I will always need structure to make sense of the world, to make sense of my strategies and to solve design problems. What does that structure look like? I’m still figuring that out.

 

My experience at Railyard Lab has already made me learn more than 2 years of school would provide (not to mention we are only one week in!). The fact is they don’t teach you “real life” in school. Sure, crafting a proposal, coming up with a budget, and dealing with presentations are all valid practices within school that us biz/design kids are comfortable with. But in a real life setting, with real life clients, having to consider the future of one’s businessFO REAL is way different. There are many variables to consider. You never get those pro-tips you wished you had to maybe prevent yourself from face-planting, to psychoanalyze your client on a conference call when you can’t see their face, or more importantly, how to close a deal.  

 

Scary, but exciting, and so far rewarding. Dossier’s members have spoiled Railyard between a getaway to Quadra Island (we worked too…I think…) and providing us with the tools and resources for us to succeed. They’ve spent time psychoanalyzing us, and matching us with appropriate mentors to help us grow.

 

What’s unique about Dossier, and why I am fortunate to be working with them, is that they strongly believe in applying the coupled strategy of business + design within their practice. You can read many articles online as to why this is forward thinking, but my brain is dazzled by this mainly because together they can unveil new possibilities and create a path to innovation. Or as Dossier likes to say:  "create the unseen.“

 

I am excited for the upcoming projects and our collaborative involvement within the process. Us five interns are a "collective of individuals that share a common vision. We are passionate, open-minded, and honest. We are up for a challenge. We are Railyard.”

-Leah Pirani