Iteration #004
ACTION LEADS TO MOTIVATION
Saying something, anything, is better than waiting for the perfect words. It’s honestly worth doing it imperfectly just to follow through on the promises we make with ourselves.
Even the tiniest things, like getting in the habit of going through a specific routine in the morning, can make a huge difference in our relationships with ourselves.
Self-trust is hard-earned and easily broken. As a personal rule, I always follow through with what I promise myself (and redirect as needed). It’s important to keep it simple at first, to make the promise something very small.
“Imperfect action is better than no action”
- sa.liine
The confidence that comes from consistently following through on our own word is untouchable. Action itself creates the motivation to stay consistent.
I say this as someone who’s currently relearning this during a new season, it’s hard to show up imperfectly. The only way to get better is to keep showing up. So please, keep showing up.
This Month in Design:
Upcoming Free Events and Talks:
Free Rhino/Grasshopper Webinar (August 13)
Use AI to create effective user personas (August 9)
Free Resources:
What’s with the resurgence of clear electronics? (Summer 2023 Trends)
Poliigon has a lot more free models, textures and HDRIs (Andrew Price)
Interesting Reads:
Aesthetic Intelligence by Pauline Brown
A great book on the intersection of business and humanity, and a great argument for the lasting value design adds to products.A new model for capturing hair with photogammetry (Neural Haircut)
Other Recs:
Always love Simone’s work (Simone Giertz, Lamp Design)
I just liked this video, poetry as healing (Ciara Chantelle)
A summary of my past 7 months on are.na (Threads)
Trend Observations:
Life Imitates Art
I haven’t watched the show White Lotus, but after walking by a store in Little Italy here in Cleveland that was selling the iconic Testa di Moro from the second season, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. YouTube keeps recommending videos about it and I keep watching them. I even found a tweet (xeet?) that definitely proves they’ll be shooting the next season near me.
Okay but in all seriousness, “thanks to the mega-popularity of the second season of White Lotus, Italian influences are creeping into American culture more than ever.”
There’s even a name for it: “White Lotus Effect” which has touched everything from travel to fashion and packaging trends.
This, combined with the massive marketing budget of Barbie, shows the influence of current media on the products we’ll be seeing in this season. With the ongoing writer’s and actor’s strikes (as a result of streaming and use of AI in process), it’ll be interesting to see how the media we consume shifts - and as a result, the trends in popular products.
It’s been a while since I could put a newsletter together, the time has just flown by so quickly!
I started this newsletter as a curated resource for those ideas I run across that are just too good not to share.
Image References- The Fourth Iteration, my stovetop- The sky in my old backyard- Organizing my toolbox - X screenshot-Coffee counter