history.

Why does it not matter to me about the history of certain things? I find that in any artistic pursuit it is often times better to discover and explore on your own rather than work based off of the findings of another. To me the first book ever created doesn't matter as much as the next book that I intend to create. By locking yourself into the history of an art you box yourself in with boundaries. Exploration to me is about finding out on your own. It is about researching through creation. Certain instances it is important to research in the more conventional sense of the term. Discovering the history behind things can inspire. However I find that the only time that histories really inspire me is in philosophical terms. I don't really care to know facts, I would much rather find purpose through history. Often times people are too infatuated with impressing others with their knowledge, especially when it comes to design. To me facts about design don't mean anything. Too often designers design for the respect of other designers, not for the purpose of communication. When I create a book I would rather show it to one of my close non designer friends, or a stranger off the street and have them enjoy it and see its purpose in making their life easier. These every day people don't need to know about the history to enjoy my creation, therefor I don't need to know about the history to create it. Don't get me wrong, I actually love history as a subject and study up on various topics. These topics inspire me to create in different mediums in almost an homage to what I have learned. Knowledge is very important in being both a well rounded person as well as a well rounded designer, only the definition of knowledge is different from person to person.