Sometimes we get so caught up in making things look perfect, symmetrical, and orderly that we forget the most important ingredient of all: the soul. When David Hockney says that art has to move you while design only functions, he is touching on a profound truth about how we experience the world. Design is about utility, about making sure a bus is easy to board or a chair is comfortable to sit in. But art? Art is the spark that catches in your chest. It is the unexpected color in a gray afternoon or the melody that makes you stop walking mid-stride. It is meant to stir something deep within us, even if we can't quite put into words what that feeling is.

In our everyday lives, we are surrounded by so much functional design. We use apps that are easy to navigate, we drive cars that are engineered for safety, and we live in houses built for shelter. These things are wonderful and necessary, but they rarely leave a lasting mark on our hearts. If we only surround ourselves with the purely functional, our lives might become efficient, but they might also become a bit hollow. We need those moments of beauty that serve no purpose other than to make us feel alive, to make us weep, or to make us smile at a stranger.

I remember a time when I was feeling particularly stuck in a rut, much like a little duck lost in a heavy fog. Everything felt very much like 'design'—efficient, predictable, but utterly colorless. I was going through the motions of my daily routine, checking off tasks and staying organized, but I felt no inspiration. Then, I wandered into a small, cluttered local gallery. I saw a painting of a simple, messy wildflower field. It wasn't 'useful' in any way; it didn't help me clean my house or organize my schedule. But the way the sunlight hit those painted petals moved me. It broke through my fog and reminded me that there is magic in the unplanned and the unpolished.

As you move through your day, I want to encourage you to look past the functional. Don't just appreciate the tools that make your life easier; seek out the things that make your spirit dance. Look for the art in the way the light hits a puddle, or the poetry in a sudden burst of laughter. Let yourself be moved by the things that have no practical purpose other than to be beautiful. What is one small, beautiful thing you can seek out today just to stir your soul?