Talent--it's breathes all around us. People can be so extraordinary. Watching the latest episode of SYTYCD last night I was yet again gobsmacked by art—the gifts of our bodies and brains. Not just dance, either, but in as many media as one can imagine. Each day I read the stories written by people I know, or from people I don’t know and must “judge,” and marvel at the creative impulse, the genius that must be ubiquitous—so much abounds. Feeling uninspired? Drab? Walk Off the Earth’s clever little cover song, performed with such acumen and wit, surely makes you feel a smidge better about the human stain? We are sublime.

Still, we focus and aggrandize production and consumption in our lives; our admiration doled out most often to those that accumulate money and power and things of “status” that ultimately mean nothing. We call him "Mr. Trump," for nothing more than his self-proclaimed status.The venture to become top dog is privileged, protected and exalted, and our singular impulse to art is diminished, mocked, and too often wholly unsupported.

Recently I took a spring sojourn to Palm Springs with my husband, my brother and his wife. It was an extraordinary week of uncharacteristically cool weather, snow-capped mountains surrounding the valley, delicious food and events from their annual modernism week. Touring houses such as Frank Sinatra’s Twin Palms—as well as less successful interpretations of the style such as the pseudo “Regency-style” houses we saw within a planned community--had me considering the sometimes fine line between appealing or failed design.

Aesthetics is surely subjective, and we all have our style biases. Still, art and design experts have suggested “golden ratio” guidelines that can help our products--whether they are represented by a brochure, a website, a business card or our office space--appear more professional, pleasing, and successful.