Been thinking about the concept of “letting go” recently. However, I haven’t thought of it in the sense of “losing something” or moving forward, but applying less pressure. When it comes to work, loosen up a little bit for breathing room. When it comes to dating, don’t look to too hard or try to hang on. Because when we hold on two tight, we can break things and never recover from it.
Dear Steve:
I never got the honor or pleasure of meeting you in person, but I feel compelled to write this to share with you and others in the community about how much you meant (and continue to mean) to me.
I was at Uptown Espresso near downtown Seattle, where I was working on some User Interface designs on my 15″ MacBook Pro. It was a normal day of sitting with my computer, thinking, creating and designing. My friend Melissa IMs me and asks if I was okay. I said “Yeah, why?”
I had no idea what she was talking about.
Mel asked me if I heard about you, and I said no. She told me that King 5 News and Komo were reporting that you died. I responded to her “Steve Jobs has died about five times on Twitter.” I didn’t want to believe her, but was very afraid that what she was telling me was true. I was praying and hoping that she was pulling my leg.
She wasn’t.
I couldn’t help myself but started crying at the coffee shop. People were wondering what was wrong with me. I was not heartbroken by the loss of the man who is CEO of Apple, or the guy who unveils products, but a teacher and mentor I never met.
There were two instances where I remember feeling this type of sadness for the passing of two people I have never met, when Pope John Paul II and Michael Jackson passed. This one was the worst.
For me, Apple is about the community before it is the product. Your ability to capture and recognize beauty and innovation in the simplest things were inspiring to me. The emphases you had on typography for computers, inspired by a calligraphy class you took at Reed College—that was (and is) the type of inspiration I wanted to have.
You were (and are) one of the reasons I became passionate about design—ever since I was a kid, but especially in the most recent years. I began to discover design as functionality, which grew my passion for User Experience Design and User Interface Design. I didn’t want to make things just pretty, but simple, functional and practical. Besides Marie, you are one of my greatest mentors. It was not necessarily his products that inspire me, but how you innovated and the process of creating those products…what considerations were made to create it.
I thought about how I could honor you; if I should make a design tribute, a video, or something like that. It became clear to me that there is only one way to honor you.
To keep living.
My promise to you is that I continue to live my life how I have been—full of inspiration, wonder and most importantly, curiosity. It is my obligation as a designer and creator to do this. I need to remember how much hard work it takes to be innovative, imaginative and creative.
For me, I still need to mourn. After that, it’s back to the wireframes, drawings and designs.
Thank you for everything you have taught me, Steve. I will honor your legacy the only way I know how…to live my life as inspiring as possible.
Oh. One more thing…
After I heard about your passing, I saw someone trip over a power adapter of a PC and almost knocked the entire computer down. I can’t help but think you might have chuckled.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”
[Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]
My twitter friend Tac Anderson, whom I’ve never met, but soon will once I go to London to visit him, wrote a great post about his change story. As he felt compelled to record a video and share this very personal story, I was compelled to write my thoughts about his post. This video really touched my heart because I have a lot of friends going through a hard time similar to what Tac speaks of. I feel he and I seem to relate a lot on our emphasis on change (sometimes drastic) and what you need to do to re-invent your career.
Some of points I would like to touch on that Tac mentioned:
Sometimes you have to let things break all the way and build something new.
This one really touched me because I’ve been there before. I was in a job (not career) in an industry that I did not really want to pursue. My realization was I had to find a breaking point and completely separate from that industry and move into the User Experience Design industry.
Find that one thing you need to be where you want to be.
Probably the one thing that people forget about most. Tac mentioned that if you had everything you needed to do what you want to do, you would be doing this. So true. I don’t want to take this lightly either, but if you are looking for change, there is something you have to do about that change. The reality is, which is unfortunate, is that a lot of people are in this situation. There are a lot of qualified people trying to find work, and that makes things tough. You need to find something that will separate yourself from everyone. Maybe it’s a skill, or a professional connection, or a mentor.
I can’t stress enough how much getting a mentor can benefit.
The pressure put on men
This. This right here. This isn’t to say things are easier for women or that there is no pressure, but Tac hit it on the spot. This is something not often talked about. I come from a pretty traditional family where it is seen that the man is the provider. There are no pills tougher to swallow than this for men; to not be able to provide and support his family, or himself for that matter. This touches on the first point of somethings you have to meet the breaking point or hit rock bottom. That almost happened to me.
When I was at the job I didn’t see a future in, I quit in the midst of the collapse of the economy in 2008. I had a few months of rent saved up, but time was running out, and my plan was collapsing. I was getting no calls or interviews for design jobs that I was seeking. I was getting to the point that I thought I would have to find a job just to pay the bills, one that might be seen as humbling or (for lack of better words) “embarrassing” considering where I was before.
I knew I had about one month before I ran out of money, so I spent every day (literally) at Zoka coffee and started learning more HTML/CSS, UX Design and whatever I needed to find a job. Six weeks later, I got a job at ExactTarget. Yes, your math is correct. I ran out of money and had to put some charges on my credit card. However, I knew I had to go all the way with it.
Check out Tac’s full article here. Read the full story here. If you want to read my story, it’s here.
P.S. Never leave David + Tac in a room with Excel.
I don’t know what it is, but something about New York City seems to bring out the best in me. It is very cliche to say, but this city is so inspiring. You can either ride the wave of energy or get buried by it. I’m choosing to ride that wave and seizing the opportunity. Today we made our first contract offers to three people at Xhatch, a huge step for Adam and I. As I sat at East River State Park I looked at the Williamsburg Bridge, just thinking about what we have done.
Nothing.
We haven’t done anything. All we have done is set the pieces to do something. Life is about momentum and taking advantage of that. We can take all that energy (positive and negative) and utilize it or get overwhelmed by it.
We have decided to utilize it. We could worry about our budget and if we should take a bank loan or get an investor, but instead we’re going to capitalize and look at it in the most positive way possible.
It’s a very good time to be in New York City and be in the midst of energy and people. My goal here is to spend as much time as I can from designers and get inspired, visit art museums and of course, the Apple Store.
My goal is simple: to utilize as much physical, emotional and spiritual energy on what I love and not let negativity (brought upon myself or others) interfere.
Let’s ride that wave of energy.
As I was on the Apple Store website (no surprise here), I saw the promo about the back-to-school sale. Upon reflecting, I realized that this would have been my last year of grad school at California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Let’s take a look back at the decision to decline admission:
I vividly remember getting the call from the admissions office that I have been accepted for the Master of Fines Arts (MFA) program at CCA—a very prestigious school in the heart of San Francisco. I was at my job and got the call, then called my brother Daniel to tell him about it. There was one problem: it wasn’t a full ride and I would have to either take a loan or try to bootstrap $20,000 dollars. Grad school was something I had been pursuing for three years and CCA was on my top five for schools I wanted to attend. It would be heart-breaking for me to decline something I had been working to attain.
I had to make a decision of whether to go or decline admission.
Choice 1: Go to grad school
At the time, I wanted to become an art professor which required a MFA. If I were to go to grad school, it was a very clear path. That is, if I could find a job in 2011. Again, at the time, I had no idea what the economy would be like in 2011.
Would I have to teach somewhere I didn’t want to be like South Dakota? No offense, SD. Even with such a clear path, there were unknown variables. Where I would live was a huge factor for me.
Choice 2: Defer grad school, stay at my current job
My other choice was to defer grad school for a year and keep my admission. However, that didn’t change my financial situation and I would still have to try to come up with the $20,000. I know myself better and knew I would NOT save up that much money to go to school. Instead, I’d probably spend it on traveling or computers.
To be honest, I did not like that job because it was a job, not work (that’s a different post). If I was not going to go to grad school, I wanted an opportunity that I could develop into a career. Choice number two was not an option.
Choice 3: Find something else
The other option was to just find a new career path. It was scary because at the time all I wanted to do is paint and draw. I had many heart-to-heart conversations with my brother as he commuted from Oakland to Sacramento daily about what I should do. In the end, I decided to quit my job and figure out a new career path. If I wasn’t going to do art, I wanted to do something artistic and creative.
I sometimes wonder what my life would be like if I moved to the Bay Area. Would I meet some girl at school and be married now? Would I find some booming startup to work for? Would I be $20,000 in debt now and working some job just to pay off the student loans?
One thing is for certain: I would still be a student and my career wouldn’t have started yet.
Many reflections. No regrets.
As I grow older, I begin to realize that as you move through life, it’s better to ignore the majority of people and keep a close group of friends to pay attention to. It is up to the person to determine “who” and “how many”, but for me, it decreases by day. I have learned the majority of people who give you advice do not look at it from your perspective, but tell you what they would do if they were you. Here are a few situations that I’ve encountered in my life where ignoring people’s advice has helped:
Don’t get an art degree. You won’t be able to find a job.
When I enrolled in college, I knew I wanted to study painting and drawing. “So what are you going to do, sell art on the street or try to get in a gallery?”, people would ask. The honest truth was I wasn’t sure—just knew that I wanted to paint and draw. While earning my bachelor of fine arts, I learned about visual culture, art history, drawing, problem solving and conceptualization. As I grew my career into UX design after college, I realized I was wireframing (literally) in my sculpture class to learn about structural integrity and sketching ideas.
Don’t quit your job during the recession
In 2007-2008 I had the most miserable job ever. My boss was so passive/aggressive and always questioned my work, or if I was even doing it. Working for a non-profit at the time , it was difficult to get buy off on utilizing this thing called “Social Media.” This was in the midst of the economic crisis. What did I do? I walked out and quit my job. I didn’t get laid off. I didn’t get fired. I forwent my unemployment and resigned. From there I reworked my skills and got hired by ExactTarget.
Going freelance is too risky
After a good year and a half at ExactTarget, it was time for me to move on. My dream was the travel the world and freelance. It is 2011, and the economy still relatively sucks. Though a lot of my close friends encouraged me to make the jump, most people thought I was stupid for giving up a great job for “the unknown.” My mindset was simple: low risk, low reward. I had to think of the worst case scenario but also the best case.
These are three quick examples of how my life might be different if I listened to everyone. I definitely suggest reading Hugh McLeod’s book “Ignore Everyone” to reflect on this.
Always trust your gut feeling. It’s always right.
I’ve been working with my good friend Kelly at coffee shops a lot lately, and a lot of our conversation that comes up is about work. People must think we’re insane or just workaholics. Kelly recently write a blog post called Why I Do What I Do (and love it) and it really got me thinking about why I design. For me, it’s simple.
I want to be a warrior in my practice and serve with honor, devotion, strength and loyalty.
I am very inspired by Bushido. It originates from the samurai moral code and stresses frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and honor unto death. This is seriously how we should treat our jobs. I doubt we ever hear a samurai complain about not getting paid enough. I doubt we ever hear a Navy SEAL say they are over-worked. These brave warriors devote their lives to be the best of the best and carry out their service with honor and integrity. I want to do the same with my job.
For me, this isn’t about being elite in the sense of society, but by craft. We should all strive to be the best we are at what we do. If you are a Quality Assurance Specialist, you should conduct your job with crisp focus and attention to detail. If you are a receptionist, it is your job to carry out your duties as best as you’re able to. For me as a designer, it is my moral obligation to create the best solution: something created in the most efficient way all the while having a cathedral-like finish in detail. SEAL Team Six is a great recent example of where elite training can take you, all the while seeking absolutely no personal attention for it.
The role of a designer allows you to test your fears: feedback from clients and solutioning. My calling as a designer forces me to be able to talk to anyone with the up most respect while being fearless—the knowledge that I have been trained for this.
This last week I probably worked about 90 to 100 hours. My friends thought I was crazy. I however, saw it as an opportunity—a great way to test the spirit and see how much I can actually handle. I really didn’t stress about it. There would be too much shame if I did not deliver what I said I would. I can sacrifice my mind, body and spirit a bit if it makes me stronger. I can assure you the next time I work that much I will have a much stronger tolerance to it.
So that pretty much sums up why I try to work so hard. It is not because we have to, but we should. We often see a little bit of adversity as something being negative when in reality it is a great opportunity to do something noble—to serve ourselves and those around us.
Maybe it’s time we stop complaining about how much we get paid, what projects we’re doing…and unleash the warrior within.
I design to serve the world.
In the age of technology and the rise of the geek, men and women often are trying to shack up with people in the industry. What is your sexual experience going to be like with each of these people? Here’s a little cheat sheet:
User Experience Designer (UXD)
The UXD is going to care a lot about your story, audience and do what it takes to give you an efficient design. They are user-centered by nature, so it’s all about you. Before the UXD does work, he or she might ask you to have a discover session to get a sense of what you desire, features you want and get a sense of your estimated timeline.
Summary: “I don’t know if it will actually be good, but it sounds good!”
QA Specialist
A QA Specialist is not going to often work you outside of production. He or she will make sure that all cases pass before giving the green light.
Dinner (Pass)
Movie (3 bugs found)
Foreplay (Fail)
Sex (Pass)
Summary: “You missed something”
Technical Support
A technical support specialist will open a ticket for your sexual experience. You need to tell him or her what the issue is, what your setup is like and the priority of it. If the technical support specialist can not deliver on the success, he or she can escalate it to someone else.
Summary: How can I help you?
iPhone Designer
It’s all about tapping, dragging, flicking, swiping, double tapping, pinching open, pinching close, touching and holding and shaking.
Summary: “iLike”
Front-End Developer
Very knowledgable in positioning, style and form. He or she will also make sure your sexual experience renders in Internet Explorer.
Summary: “Layout and style, baby”
Back-End Developer
A back-end developer is really educated, talented and skilled. He or she will probably ask for you to provide a feature set of all the things you want done to you, how much time you think it might involve and prioritize it before any action takes place.
Summary: “Depends on what you want.”
Penetration Tester
A penetration tester is someone who is going to be bly familiar with how things work…and knows how to exploit them. He or she will know all of your vulnerabilities and their job is to make sure it does not get exploited. It’s a tough job to test penetration. After the session you’ll receive a severe audit of your performance and infrastructure. The penetration tester will also recommend best practices and tools to use to make sure you are not penetrated by unwanted sources.
Summary: “Get pregnant? Not on my watch!”
Project Manager
A project manager is responsible for the overall success of your experience. He or she will sync up to find out what your needs are and the certain deliverables you require. Often the project manager requires other talent to accomplish the project, but it gets done.
Summary: “Room for a few more?”
You guys hear me talk about my mom a lot, but maybe not my dad. This can be misleading because I’m close with my father as well. I cannot begin to explain what he has been through in his life, but has always (and continues to be there for me). He is the man who taught me about faith, hope and love…to follow one’s dream and not to give up. He doesn’t talk about it, but just does it. Some things he’s done and has been though.
Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers, but for me, mine in particular.
“I don’t get it. So it’s like a Facebook status update in less than 140 characters?”
That was what I said to my friend Adam, when he showed me this website called Twitter. I signed up for Twitter April 9, 2008 and had three followers: My brother, Adam and Adam’s friend Jason (who is also my friend now).
That was then. This is now.
I seem to wake up to tweets from brands (or retweets for brands) and articles about social media. To me, this is like someone calling you on the phone and telling you the amazing power of the telephone.
I use social media. It’s not my career, though.
Today I sat and reflected about the old Twitter I used to remember, when a lot more people used it and there was a sense of transparency. Here are a few memories of the old days:
A Tweet Up?
It’s funny now, but back in the day, the concept of a tweetup was insane. The idea was proposed by (what I call) the iOS 1.14 crew (which I’ll explain a bit more later)—a few of us who had jailbroken iPhones and used an app called Twinkle to search for each other.
The tweetup used to be a few people having some beers together—finally getting to meet each other in real life and talk about life. The new tweetup is full of sharpie pens and nametags with Twitter handles. It’s all about networking.
The 1.14 crew
Oh man, the iOS 1.14 crew. These were a group of friends in Seattle who had jailbroken iPhones and used the Twinkle iPhone application. At the time, Twinkle was douchebag-free. The idea of using a Twitter application on the iPhone was unheard of at the time, and I was following people I didn’t know! I remember thinking that it was amazing how a group of people could band together, get a glimpse of one another’s lives. We really cared for each other, providing support when things weren’t’ going well for one and being really happy when good things happened.
This sort of thing happens on Twitter, still, but again, there’s noise around it.
The conversation now
The conversation turned into trending and branding. I can’t pinpoint the time, but for some reason I want to say around the time Shaq started using Twitter. It wasn’t his doing at all, but this is when brands started utilizing Twitter and saw its marketing potential.
Here’s what changed:
That’s what a lot of it is now…marketing.
Instead of insightful thoughts and contemplations, it’s a lot of contests, updates on current products, etc. Again, I don’t mind it, it’s just different. Perhaps this is a sign of me getting older, when I wish things were how they used to be versus adapting to now.
I love Twitter, but I want to join the conversation…
