New Years Resolutions

I’m going to look more attentively at the fringes and identify seeds of ideas and projects that may benefit more from my resources to grow, I want to think of a way to volunteer my resources to human beings that will allow them to volunteer their resources, providing this way the time and space for them to be agents of transformation via their volunteering. Not sure how, but now that I am aware, change has started.

And when that thought hits you, you end up thinking how you would face a diagnosis like this, how would you say goodbye, how elegantly would you recognize others, how eloquently you would be able to share it, and would it matter. For so many that die from cancer and have no writing skills like Simon, not even a life in the limelight, a valuable life at the service of others, their deaths are as relevant and meaningful, and Simon writes in their name also. Pause to breath. Celebrate life. Live.

The more commoditized products are, the more important services becomes, the more crucial it becomes to understand what makes customers tick, what creates great memories, what makes them talk and write about it.

I was reflecting on the different founders that showed up, with start-ups in different industries, all more or less in the same early level of maturity, from different parts of the world, all so different and yet, all so alike. To be honest, after having been a founder myself, after so many pitches, so many stories of success and failure, I still can’t really say what makes a successful start-up.

But this constant focus on inquiry is tiring and limits other faculties. In my case, my question ability many times decreases with my ability to listen, my brain is wired in such a way that as soon as I am listening to something I am posing questions in my brain, and the fact that is dedicating energy in doing so, distracts me from really listening attentively. But unless I find a mechanism to capture my question, I listen carefully and forget all the questions I had.

And while you do need to understand the entire organization, how it operates, how it makes money, why do people decide the way they do, if there is any sort of empathy, it needs to be aimed at those that are many times treated like a number, those that need to use these products and services to get their jobs done, those that silently comply or abandon companies without complaining, or complain and risk being booted because they are seen as trouble makers. And you know what, when this is well done, it is good design, and it is good business.

I saw a movie called The Taste of Things, I was driven to it because I love movies and other things about cooking, and because I tend to assume any movie with Juliette Binoche is worth seeing. It is about cooking, but also about many other things that made me reflect.

Sounds familiar when you think of what is happening now in design with generative AI? Rock n’ roll didn’t die, musicians had to adapt, and it changed, and though some might like to look back and miss that rock n’ roll, we still have pretty good music and musicians, that know how to use technology to their benefit, using their artistic talent do give us great rock n’ roll.

Let’s talk about collaboration, specifically among designers. Yes, we could have a debate on collaboration itself, is it important and necessary, is the data out there is right about the positive vs. negative impact on creativity. But I won’t get into that because, from experience, I believe in the power and impact of well planned and executed collaboration between designers, period. My question is really about how naturally collaborative are designers.

For me, every time I read something from James that makes me uncomfortable, I remember and remind myself that this is what I liked about him from start. I may not agree with what he thinks and says, but boy does he continue to blow my mind. Thank you, James.