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The Lost Art of Listening
If all the policitcal debates filling our airwaves and social feeds are any indication, listening is a dying art. In the world of design, the first essential step to designing an effective tool is learning about the user. If we don’t intentionally take time to understand the user, ask questions and challenge our assumptions, we’ll…
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The Problem with Dissection
In high school biology we dissected frogs. I can still remember the formaldehyde smell that wafted up as we cracked open the container holding our little victim, and readied our scalpels. For kids (and adults, let’s be honest), dissection opens a whole world of muscles, bones and organs, all held together in this little creature…
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Nothing to Hide
Last night I watched Rob Ford for the first time. I’m not really up with all the Rob Ford buzz, but was finally curious enough to hear the guy speak. I was actually surprised by my own reaction. I felt kinda envious. Yes, envious of Rob Ford. As they paraded Ford around in his bright…
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Four Years
Four years ago I accidentally made a new year’s resolution. I decided to show up at least every week and write something. Over four years I’ve managed to ship 258 posts, 57,299 words and 2 ebooks. This platform has been an opportunity to share things I’m learning, while processing things I’m learning through the very…
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Seeing
“I wonder how many people I’ve looked at all my life and never seen.” -John Steinbeck
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8 Minutes
Doing great work requires focus, and you need to be intentional to create time to focus. In any classic bank robbery film, there’s always a safe to crack. As the leaders of the heist put their team together, they always need to find the ex-locksmith guy who will know how to crack this particular latest-technology…
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Our Deepest Fear
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.…
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The Artist Stands Back…
The artist, when close to the canvas, is asking How questions related to the craft; when he steps back, he raises Why questions concerned with the whole of the work and its purpose. – Frank Chimero, The Shape of Design Maybe that’s what vacation is for.
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Happy New Year
I wouldn’t call it a new year’s resolution (it’s just a “goal” that happens to have been make at the “new year” ;-)), but I’m back on this blog, hoping to share my thoughts here with more frequency in the coming year. I hope that 2010 is one of creativity and wonder for you.
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connect the dots – a mini-saga
utensil in hand, he opens his book. page after page, crayon carefully maneuvering, 8, 9, 10, tongue poking between pursed lips, another array of dots transformed into a surprising picture. but today, heart thumping, his hand will veer off course, a blank page of opportunity embracing each stroke of creativity.