Lisa Carnevale | DesignxRI co-founder, executive director
A friend recently reminded me about the difference between “hearing” and “listening.” It’s an important distinction and something I believe is critical to advancing an idea, an organization, a community and even an industry sector. While most of us have the physical ability to hear, are we really listening? Are we listening to what people are saying, and perhaps more importantly, to what they are not?
Throughout my career, I’ve worked in some form or fashion to coalesce a community, activate participation, hone a message, and help nudge a particular direction or action. What I’ve found is when you create an environment for people to talk and to listen, you uncover the true potential – the secret sauce, if you will – of what you’re looking to tackle. You also reveal the right direction to move toward.
I think of DesignxRI as working on the framework of opportunity for the design sector. The secret sauce is the design community itself – our job is to continue strengthening the environment in which all the amazing talent and energy can activate and grow. If we are listening well, we’ll know when to evolve this framework to keep meeting the momentum of the sector. We’ll also know which way to head to tap the ever-growing opportunities that surround us.
The design community in Rhode Island is a force of innovation, ingenuity and world-class brilliance. It fuels the work of DesignxRI. And it’s been really fun to listen.