iteration #001

Written By Susannah Alene

CURIOSITY & UNCERTAINTY

Change is often a catalyst for uncertainty, a word we dread - and many industries depend on. Insurance, in all its forms depends on our willingness to invest money to protect against the small possibility of harm and the uncertainty of what lies ahead. While that's wise and good, uncertainty is surely going to come regardless.


I’m entering a new season of uncertainty as I was laid off of work last month (I wrote this on my last day!), which led to revisiting my personal and professional goals, including the creation of this newsletter. Uncertainty often produces action that comfort would never support.

“You can’t create
without doubt.”

In an industry where confidence is seen as a fuel for creativity, having self-doubt (a form of uncertainty) can feel like a handicap. But there is a cost to blind confidence. Ideas become one-dimensional, ego and pride can prevent collaboration and flexibility, and the right questions aren’t asked or considered. Self-doubt can be a huge strength, when seen appropriately.

We can never avoid uncertainty, but we can choose how we respond to it:

  1. We can avoid uncertainty, sometimes at a steep cost

  2. We can obsess on uncertainty, producing paralysis by analysis

    or

  3. We accept the uncertainty of the future, and lean into the fun of not knowing how it all turns out.

Uncertainty (and failure) can cause us to make unwise choices, going against things we deeply believe. But uncertainty can also be the fuel we need in order to move forward. As one of my favorite designers (Neri Oxman) once said, “when we ask ‘what if?’ the source of the word is doubt. You can’t create without doubt.”


Uncertainty pulls us to question the status quo, shakes us out of complacency, it’s the source of innovation and curiosity. Doubt pushes us to think harder, to consider which risks are worth taking, to make changes, and to grow.

As I step into this season of unknowns, I remember that while I can’t avoid uncertainty, I get to choose how I respond to it. It’s tempting to try and fix everything quickly, but hasty answers are rarely as satisfying.

So, it is with curiosity that I enter this new season. There will inevitably be failure, rejection and embarrassment, but I’m excited to see what I learn along the way.

Trend Observations:

In the Milan Fashion Week, there were “two moods at play: austerity and exuberance.” I think this translates to design as a whole. We have a sense of slowly unfurling from pandemic’s constraints, a desire to present our authentic selves to the world. And yet, with both economic and environmental issues at the forefront of our imagination, we have to dream reasonably- or be considered unrelatable and out of touch.

Thanks for reading the first ever Iteration. Special thanks to Jess and Grace for supporting this from day 0. This one’s for you, literally ;)


I started this newsletter as a documented (and curated) resource for those ideas I run across that are just too good not to share.

Image References
- Alexander Calder, 1938
- Era 300 Smart Speaker, 2023
-Pashenko Works Interiors, 2023
-are.na (I couldn’t find the original)
Susannah Alene
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Iteration #002