My aesthetic exists somewhere between creative lighting, a western / cowboy aesthetic, and a futuristic “dashboard” UI aesthetic. This is quite a random assortment of aesthetics, but when put together I think that it can make more sense. One of the primary reasons that I appreciate a western / cowboy aesthetic is likely due to my upbringing. I grew up in Washington state, which certainly is quite removed from the traditionally southwestern US “wild west”. However, I think my parents influenced my interest in the west. My mom would let me watch rodeo competitions on ESPN as a toddler. My dad, a lifelong fan of westerns like “Tombstone”, also probably influenced this aesthetic on me. As a kid, whenever we would go to Disneyland as a family, my favorite area was Frontier land. All things considered, I now have a strong interest and desire to surround myself with this western aesthetic. Here are some examples of this aesthetic that I think aligns most closely with what I like:


Another one of my aesthetics of choice is oddly shaped / exposed warm lighting aesthetic. I’ll refer to this more simply as “creative lighting”. I am not really sure where this comes from, but I know that I absolutely love creative lighting constructions, especially ones with warm light. One of my favorite examples of this is the exposed edison bulb lamp from IKEA, which I own!

Another example of this that I saw in person at a first Friday in the art district in Denver. Unfortunately, I cannot find the artist that made this! But, I remember that they soaked wood and then put it in a large frame jig with string to bend it into shape.

And last, I think that an aesthetic I really appreciate is a retro futuristic monochrome. I know that this is sourced exactly from my long playtime of one of my favorite games, Elite Dangerous. This game features a kind of mechanically rustic but equally high tech futuristic aesthetic. I have long appreciated this design and have wanted to emulate it in all of my UI / UX projects since.

My goal for my final project is to combine all of these aesthetics into one creative light fixture for my apartment. I think that I could use a combination of woodworking, 3D modeling / printing, and lighting design to create a compelling artifact that could be a centerpiece of my family room. Alternatively, I could make several lower fidelity lamps that could be synchronized and span across my apartment.
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Hi Andrew,
This is a super interesting mash-up of aesthetics, and I’m very excited and curious to see what you come up with. I would love to see some example/ideation sketches of what you’re planning for the light fixture. Good luck!!
Hey Ayesha,
Thank you! I’m glad you appreciate the mash up… I don’t really know how well they’re going to fit together but we’ll find out. Check out my most recent post, I did some sketches of what this could look like!
Hi Andrew, I find it super interesting that you have such a wide array of aesthetics that define you(or part of you). I think its also super cool that you find creative lighting super interesting and is something I have not thought much about. I also love the cowboy aesthetic and I should probably check out that game! I cant wait to see how you combine these aesthetics and I think a creative lighting lamp or lamps would be awesome! Best of luck!
Hey Max,
Thanks! This is re-affirming to hear as I definitely feel a bit all over the place with these aesthetics. I’d highly recommend giving Elite Dangerous a try at some point, the space cadet atmosphere is unmatched. I’m thinking… space cowboy!