Orderly
Chic is the
brainchild
of industrial designer Kay
Magnie McLellan, who says “In 2001, I was given a boost into
a
new career
by the universe.” Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA),
Kay
was no
longer able to put the long hours in at the computer required for her
job in
interface design. After a “period of mourning” as
Kay calls
it, she
decided to leverage her new condition to design products that eased the
stress
and pain of everyday life -- ills that are magnified when living with a
chronic
pain condition – to promote well being.
Orderly Chic
is Kay’s line of organizational products. What
does organization have to do with well being? In Kay’s own
words…
Life lesson
#1 from chronic illness is that living by your
own priorities is the key to a good life. Before RA, I
couldn’t
say no to
any invitation, whether was for volunteers, a shower for someone I
hardly knew,
or a seminar on the next have-to-know technology. My To Do list was
based on
everyone else’s suggestions. I somehow thought I’d
get to
my dreams
after I’d finished everything else. RA imposed harsh limits
on my
activities and forced me to see that I needed to decide what was most
important
and do that first. So although my organizational products look simple,
my goal
is lofty: I hope you use my products to keep your own priorities
visible and
make your own dreams come true.
Life
lesson #2 from chronic
illness is to
take every
opportunity to remove stress. Our modern world is full of beeping
reminders and
flashing lights -- Really Mr. Microwave, if I want to leave my tea
sitting
there to get tepid again, it is such a big deal that you have to keep
beeping
at me? -- not to mention products in bright colors and harsh edges all
clamoring for attention. My wish for any product I design is that it
would quietly
wait to
serve its owner, when noticed, I hope it is helpful or nearly invisible
because
by cutting out little stressors, I’m proud to contribute to
your
well-being.
|
|
