amywutoo

[setting: supermarket]

Me: “Excuse me, are you on line?”

“No I’m not, but thank you for asking”

[3 minutes later]

"Do you always walk with a sense of urgency?" 

Me: “I'm from New York...”

We now have seemingly god-like access to the ways people use our products. It’s like having an all-seeing eye gazing directly into the hearts and minds of our audience. We tool up our products with analytics and trackers, A/B test up the rectum, and scour the data for any patterns that emerge—always hunting for the skeleton key to increased engagement, conversion, and usability.

One aspect of the history of walking is the history of thinking made concrete—for the motions of the mind cannot be traced, but those of the feet can.

New timesaving technologies make most workers more productive, not more free, in a world that seems to be accelerating around them. Too, the rhetoric of efficiency around these technologies suggests that what cannot be quantified cannot be valued—that that vast array of pleasures which fall into the category of doing nothing in particular, of woolgathering, cloud-gazing, wandering, window-shopping, are nothing but voids to be filled by something more definite, more productive, or faster paced... As a member of the self-employed whose time saved by technology can be lavished on daydreams and meanders, I know these things have their uses, and use them—a truck, a computer, a modem—myself, but I fear their false urgency, their call to speed, their insistence that travel is less important than arrival.

Chef Magnus Nilsson: For any creative person, whatever you produce is going to be sum of everything that you have with you, what you experience and what you have around you. For me, nature is a very clear part of many of my dishes at Fäviken. I might not know how it will end up on the menu, but chances are good that one day it just fits. It sort of seamlessly merges into the concept of a dish. There is no clear train of thought because that is the whole point of creating things like this. What’s important is that it’s a reflection of the place, where the restaurant is run.

Her approach to writing came from her time on Roseanne, where the motto was “make the small big, make the big small.” She explained, “It’s in the small moments that life changes, and the big, giant headlines have got to be there to serve the small ones.”

“The right boyfriend came at the right time. They each brought something out in Rory that she needed at that time.”

—Amy Sherman-Palladino at the Gilmore Girls reunion via Flavorwire

We always think of these big pivotal moments in our lives. Epiphanies that made us change direction completely. But really it’s never that simple. It doesn’t actually happen like that. Our mind tricks us into thinking that in hindsight. I forgot when and where I read it, but the gist was how the human brain remembers things nostalgically and how it tends to buff the rough edges. 

It’s been 2 weeks since I’ve moved out to San Francisco. Many different factors brought me out here—some more apparent then others, but ultimately I’ve always been the type of person that jumps first. I won’t lie, it’s been tough, some nights I want to drop everything and run back home. I notice all the things I try to do to extinguish my many emotions. When I am aware of it I try to break out of it and take a moment for myself.

Everyone hopes they are doing the right thing, but we never really know. Right now I just know that I need to give it a chance—let the soup simmer on the stove (even though I’m hangry). 

I just finished Letters to a Young Artist: Straight-up advice on making a life in the arts and I loved the entire book, end to end, but the letter on Procrastination  (pg. 47-48) was particularly good timing as I squander away time on everything other than working on my thesis, including reading this book... Below is an excerpt, but I practically retyped the entire letter:

We think of procrastinators as lazy and inactive, but procrastination is active. I am in awe of the power of procrastination. I am in awe of it that if I have something I have to do, I try to program myself to do it so quickly that procrastination cannot possibly set in. At one point I was so afraid of not fulfilling my commitment to swim every day that I slept in my bathing suit! The main fuel of procrastination is thought. Sometimes procrastination abounds because you really don't have a clear idea of what you are trying to do, and where it's going. Then the exercise of visualizing what you are trying to do, what you want, what your goal is, can be helpful.

I am going to take two pages out of Josh and Datrianna's books as I reflect about taking on freelance jobs. I am currently finishing up what was suppose to be a small gig and I'm really glad it is almost over (as I write this I just got two emails asking for changes. It is 12:31 am on a Tuesday...). After this repeated experience, I want to take the time to reflect because it seems like I do this to myself time and time again. And all I hear in my head is Missy Elliott's voice asking me "Is it worth it?" 

So I studied graphic design in my undergraduate at the School of Visual Arts back in 2008. And my first job as a graphic design was at an office that organizes art fairs around the world. I taught myself Indesign on the job. Then I became an intern at my SVA professor's NYC design studio that specialized in hospitality, restaurants, branding, and print design. I was an intern through junior and senior year and upon graduating was offered a full-time gig there. It was a dream. I even got to take a month off backpacking around Europe between graduation and the position. They said the job would be there when I came back... From there I went to become the only in-house designer at a yarn company, which ended before I knew where the paper clips were stored. And finally became a book designer at a big publishing house for 3 years before going back to school for my graduate degree. So I would say I have the credentials on paper to call myself a designer, but the impostor syndrome never goes away. 

Since my time here at graduate school, I've taken on freelance jobs doing graphic design to make pocket money. I feel comfortable doing it. I've never tried to gun for interaction design, UX, or UI freelance jobs. One because I didn't want it to suck the energy out of my school work and two because I am just plain scared (big-time impostor syndrome), but that's another blog post...

Jumping right back. Just some rules of thumb when it comes to considering taking on a freelance job. 

When it sounds like the client doesn't trust you, be very wary. 

After many versions, when they ask rhetorical questions along the lines of "This is what you do, right? You are a book designer. That is your expertise, no?" run far, far, away. 

When they email and call you at all hours of the day/night asking for tweaks, from an 8:23 am email to an 10 am call, to voicemails telling you they are landing and want to speak at a particular time in the evening. Never take on another job from that client ever again because it doesn't get better. Not even with time. I've learned this the hard way. And I always think to myself, oh you can handle it. It wasn't so bad. And the extra cash is worth it. It's really NOT worth it. They don't respect your time.

Quirky: (2012) Sumikkogurashi is a new character and touches upon how shy Japanese people can be. It's a little negative and points out that Japanese people like to hide in corners since they are usually extremely shy... Sitting in the corner of a cafe or on the train makes them feel relaxed. So all of our new character friends all have some issue in their personality which makes them like hiding in the corner. 

Tonkatsu / Pork Cutlet: Tonkatsu is an accident. He is 1% meat and 99% ambition. He is greasy and oily... The Tonkatsu character of Sumikkogurashi comes from the crumbs leftover from the tonkatsu meal and only his pink nose is the 1% meat.

Sumikko Gurashi: 'Sumikko' in Japanese means 'corner', and 'Gurashi' (kurashi) means 'living'. They are the living beings of the corners, which loves... corners.

And the little friend that came with my tonkatsu is a shrimp tempura (tail). So these are the leftover pieces—throwaways that most people don't think twice about discarding.

Though this collection of San-X plush toys can be seen as just kawaii, I think what Japanese culture does really well is attach layered meanings into their products (ie: Spirited Away). They make these adorable characters that indirectly speak to their society and culture. They take an issue like being introverted and make it accessible. They are talking about Japanese identity through these precious and cute objects.

I am beginning to think about this idea more after having a really great chat with Christina about my thesis, who introduced me to The Harry Potter Alliance and Beware the Valkyries both organizations which have done great things IRL for their causes, but in a really informal and digestible manner. 

My friend who is a science fiction writer talks about how sci-fi comments on real life issues and about the human condition without actually talking about it. This plan of attack is successful because it's unexpected and goes under the radar. Just as with interviewing/research, you can't directly ask people what's wrong, they will never tell you (they'll just give you the answer they think you want to hear), but by talking around the matter as well as inquiring about different aspects of their life, will you really get at the heart of their worries and needs.