Natural Habitat

<The trapped beaver's dilemma>

Today, as I was cycling to work, I noticed some trees that had been badly damaged by a beaver - see picture on the left. Normally, this wouldn't be so surprising, but this particular beaver had chosen a spot near Lucerne, which is currently undergoing intense urban development. I can imagine the reaction of city architects frustrated by the beaver's "destruction" of a neatly planted row of trees. But I can also imagine the beaver's frustration at seeing its natural habitat surrounded by concrete walls.

Arriving at work at HSLU, I spotted markings left by a different kind of "beaver" - see image on the right. Probably an art or design species, confined within concrete walls. As a creative person, I can relate to the trapped beaver's dilemma. Being creative often means challenging existing patterns (channelling the inner beaver...) but also stepping out of the comfort zone and creating some friction (cutting down some metaphorical trees...). 

Designers and other creative professionals share a unique "natural habitat" that overlaps with that of other professions. Instead of "habitat", I prefer the term "lifeworld" from theoretical biology. In this view, all species are objective beings best understood within their lifeworlds. And sometimes these worlds overlap. This raises an important question for us:

"How much of our lifeworld do we share, even as members of the same species?"