GRATITUDE 50 + 5 YEARS
CHILDHOOD
I was born in a small town on the coast of the Northern Aegean. My childhood and early youth; I spent 6 months of each year swimming in a cold sea, shaping mud in our garden and discovering cooking in the kitchen. Oh how can I forget; assisting my father in the evenings when he printed black and white photographs... My childhood, which started with radio culture, continued with black and white television in the later period, but I still loved getting lost in my father's library; for the new doors that opened.
And my attempts to draw things around me with pen and paper.
I also loved when my grandfather would take my brother and I on long nature walks, telling us about trees and seasonal plants, and I never wanted to go back home.
Learning to use my hands to produce my thoughts with endless excitement… I would work tirelessly for days to give the cakes I made from clay in our garden the shape I wanted. And the kitchen; my mother would never say no to my experiments in the kitchen. I remember that she didn’t really care that the kitchen was messy and dirty. I would freely prepare and bake the dough I wanted. Years later, I realized how lucky I was.
FAMILY + CULTURE + LUCK…
We begin to exist in this world without having the chance to choose the geography and family we live in.
From my childhood years, I loved the coastal town where I was born. I loved growing up with my family. I was always allowed to work in my areas of interest and to expand my experiences. I was left free. I was not allowed to They did not exert pressure or direction.
My admiration for the Aegean sea culture in which I was born and raised and what my family patiently passed on to me like knitting lace, increases every day.
If I am doing the design profession I chose, with a humanist perspective, strong empathy, respect for nature, and valuing all living things, it is first and foremost thanks to my mother and father.
As I continue to pursue all these stories, I see that I am practicing the design profession more meticulously.
And having children. I believe that the greatest responsibility in life is to mediate the bringing of a living being into this world. I became a mother at the age of 29. A curious, excited and always full of surprises, a lively and beautiful teacher entered my life.
Experiencing life with my daughter, Kapris, is my greatest fortune.
HYPERACTIVE + OBSESSIVE + CURIOUS + FEARLESS …
55 years: I have been opening my eyes to this world every morning for 20 thousand 89 days. The day always starts early and I always wake up energetic.
It doesn't seem very realistic when you think about it. Am I aware of so many years and numbers?
I have been responsible for the design of my life for 55 years, have I done it well?
Have I satisfied myself? I can easily multiply the questions.
When I look at my life and product designs, I see constant movement and change.
In 55 years; I have moved house 25 times. Excluding my childhood years, I have redesigned my house 21 times. I have also moved my design company, which I founded 21 years ago in Istanbul, 7 times. When asked what I gained from being on the move; the first answer that comes to my mind is my ability to organize the job of moving in a strong and orderly manner.
I know I'm hyperactive. I don't get tired. I sleep little. Since I know I'll sleep a lot when I die, I prefer to sleep little in this world.
I have an obsessive nature. I am obsessed with a subject I want to learn, things I want to do, and authors I read with curiosity.
I find it very important to be curious. Thanks to curiosity, it becomes easier to bring the ideas in your mind to life without fear.
My explorations with my own inner boundaries are endless. New doors are constantly opened as a person understands and discovers himself. I am learning to develop the ability to embrace changes without pain.
As I work and study within the design discipline, I understand better that all of these features make it easier for me to do my job smoothly and find the right solutions to the problems I am experiencing through design.
DESIGN has become my method of solving problems with curiosity, obsession and fearlessness. I attribute my tirelessness to my passion for life, my loved ones and my desire to learn.
55 years, 20,089 days.
I raise my glass to the future with hope.
Ozlem Tuna