"Build it and they shall come." Or should I say "she?" Christine Gambito that is. Christine Gambito is perhaps better known as HappySlip. She is an Internet personality, actress, and comedian. She has one of the most subscribed to channels on Youtube. She was in my DES 1 class last Wednesday!
After a class effort (mostly on Professor Housefield’s part) to get HappySlip to speak with us we were rewarded with her presence. Ms. Gambito showed up as a request of many emails, however she had no idea how she was connected to a design class. This is because she has never thought of herself as a designer. In fact, very few people have probably ever linked the idea of HappySlip with the concept of design. Whether you consider the Internet sensation that is HappySlip a form of design or not, Gambito has lots of advice for us designers.
A very wise man once said “If you want to be a great designer, you have to be unfashionable” (Professor Housefield). Gambito reiterated this concept in her own words. She grew up as the family comedian, always making funny imitations of her parents and relatives. However, she had no idea if she would be funny to anyone outside her family. An even bigger concern was if she would offend the Philippine community with her humor. “I had the idea but I had never seen anything quite like it before, “ Gambito said in reference to her plan to make and post skits of her comedy on Youtube. She had nothing to reference and no idea what the reaction would be but still chose to create and produce. The feedback she got was great! This gave her the confidence to continue to create what “lights her up,” despite what the current trend is. Gambito encourages everyone to constantly produce and put themselves out there, and reminds us to get back up and try again if we happen to get knocked down. With her last parting words, and after we sang "Happy Birthday" to her mom, Gambito reminds us that “[we] are our own promoters.” There couldn’t be more truth in that statement. Gambito's use of social media (Youtube) to produce her work puts a lot of pressure on her. If she doesn't make herself heard, no one will listen. Likewise, as designers we have to have enough faith in ourselves to put our own ideas out there for the world to see, and enough confidence to back ourselves up. After all, if we don’t support our self, why would anybody else?
Gambito is a perfect example of someone who made her dream a reality, and listening to her speak was a great experience. Hopefully now she too considers herself a designer—after all, she has created something amazing that thousands can enjoy.
