The Hands, Mind, and Heart 

Encountering the Quote

One night when I was scrolling Instagram reels, I came across a short video displaying a quote attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi:

The quote appeared briefly yet it lingered. It resonated with my enquiry and touched on a distinction I had been experiencing but could not name.

The Search for a Design Philosophy: Between Making and Meaning

Before encountering this quote, my education was rooted in the sciences during Junior College. Within that system, success was defined by efficiency and accuracy. I was conditioned to memorise and reproduce knowledge under high pressure. In many ways, I was rewarded for being both a labourer and a craftsman, someone who could execute procedures and refine answers quickly and precisely. However, I seldom questioned the meaning behind what I was doing. Truth was presented as fixed and something to arrive at rather than interrogate.

My background did shape my initial approach to design. I gravitated towards solving problems swiftly and correctly, focusing on outcomes that could be logically justified. Yet, as I engaged deeper with my creative practice, whether through photography or object design, I began to experience some discomfort. Some works felt technically resolved but conceptually empty. Others carried emotional weight but lacked clarity in execution.

This tension led me to a core enquiry: What does it mean to make something meaningful?

Analysis: Labourer, Craftsman, Artist

At first glance, the quote seems to suggest a hierarchy. However, it functions more as a framework of modes, rather than categories of people.

As the labourer, I begin with instinctive action and repetition. I produce — taking photographs, sketching, building prototypes — grounding myself in discipline where output takes precedence over reflection.

As the craftsman, I apply cognition and refinement. I draw on technical knowledge and design principles, considering materiality and usability. I evaluate and improve, guided by ideas from design theory and principles of clarity and functionality emphasised by Dieter Rams.

As the artist, I push beyond both. I question, feel, and seek meaning. Asking: Why does this matter? I embrace ambiguity and interpretation, aligning with the sensibilities of fine art.

These modes are not separate stages but coexist. The quote is not about progression, but integration.

Application to My Practice

Applying this framework revealed patterns in my work. In exploring “Chope culture” in Singapore, I began as a labourer generating ideas rapidly and sketching out different shapes and forms of possible prototypes.

As I refined my design, I became the craftsman, considering usability, ergonomics, and symbolism. The focus shifted to making the object functional and coherent.

However, only when I questioned the deeper meaning of “Chope culture”, its reflection of behaviour and shared spaces, did my work evolve. It became a commentary, not just design. I felt like that marked the presence of me as the artist.

Similarly, in another project where I photographed Beauty World Plaza, I moved from capturing images to questioning nostalgia and preservation: What does it mean to document something disappearing? This shift added conceptual depth.

Evaluation: Strengths and Limitations

The strength of this framework lies in its clarity. It values effort, skill, and emotion equally, encouraging a holistic approach. It also provides a language to evaluate my process.

However, it risks implying hierarchy, where the artist is superior. In reality, each mode is essential. Without labour, nothing exists; without craft, nothing is refined.

It also overlooks collaboration. In contemporary practice, roles are often distributed across teams, challenging the idea of a single practitioner embodying all three.

Thus, the quote is not absolute, but a flexible lens.

Communication: Articulating My Position

For my audience reading this, educators and peers, this essay articulates a developing personal philosophy grounded in my practice and reflection.

My intention is to work within the tension between design and art, creating work that is both functional and meaningful. This reflects broader shifts in contemporary practice, where designers engage with cultural and social contexts.

My poem at the start serves as both a creative and theoretical expression. By framing the labourer, craftsman, and artist as voices within one body, I emphasise their interdependence.

Conclusion: Towards Integration

Overall, I did not find a fixed philosophy in Assisi’s quote. I found a way to better articulate my practice as a designer.

The challenge now is not to choose between labour, craft, and art, but to integrate them. To recognise when to produce, refine, and question.

The hand produces. The mind refines. The heart gives purpose.

It is within their intersection that work begins to matter.