Without knowing it, The MAP'D Project followed a similar structure of the Japanese concept of Ikigai. Ikigai is a way of referring to something that gives a person a sense of purpose and a reason for living. With paying respect to the original Japanese representation of Ikigai, the way I interpret it is taking 4 components: What You Love, What You're Good At, What The World Needs, and What You Can Be Paid For. By taking these four elements and interlocking them together, you'll find your Ikigai, or in other words, your purpose.
What I Love - Art
The MAP'D Project first started out as my way of coping with my feelings the best way I can when words were hard to find, which was through creating things and starting passion projects. For example, if I was feeling angry at injustices around people of color in America, I used my art to express the overflowing emotions that I was feeling at that moment. Or if I'm just feeling a sense of pride about being a person of color, I would share my culture through my art in hopes to find community with it. This is what started the "A" in MAP'D. The Art.
What I'm Good At - Design
At a young age, I've always been a creative problem solver. I'd like to thank my immigrant parents and my older siblings for this. Coming to America at just five years old, I've watched my family build a fruitful life from only the things they brought in their luggage, which was not a lot. They had to get creative in how to get by and I'll touch more on that in future posts, but for now I'll make the point that by witnessing their journey, I stayed in touch with my creative self and became a Designer. That brings us to the "D" in MAP'D, which is for Design. In the early stages of The MAP'D Project, "D" was where I offered my graphic design services for small brands when I was a full-time freelancer. Although I still do offer design services on special occasions, I changed it just design to offer more of the knowledge behind design thinking and to share my experiences in applying it to every day life.
What the World Needs - Peace
P is for Peace. Peace was my way of connecting with people and other brands by collaborating with them on passion projects. This is where I want to continue to build a community and a safe space for sharing stories about our personal journeys through life.
What I Can Be Paid For - Multimedia
Let's be real, if I'm going to dedicate my life's purpose through my passion projects, I need to be able to survive in this economical climate. But even before all that, what's Art and Design if you can't share it with the world? I wanted to make sure my creations were available for people who resonate with them not just through Art Prints and Canvases, but with an array of different products that people can take with them on their own personal journeys!
So there you have it, The MAP'D Project was made to rediscover myself over and over again and then taking the different versions of myself and aligning it places where I can fit in this world. The MAP'D Project's purpose is to live the fuck out of life and sharing it with the world.
