Designing with purpose

THE STORY

My goal was to simplify: to cut away the habits I had grown from 30 years of United-States-city-living. From accepting the status quo to sacrificing sleep or daily kindnesses, I hoped to replace these habits with ones I could grow by living more purposefully. To do that, I knew I had to do the uncomfortable thing and break away from the path of least resistance. That path had acted like a current that propelled me to do more of the same - work the same job, live in the same city, read the same headlines.

But I was afraid that if I didn’t stand up and challenge that current, I might miss a better way.

So I put the contents of my apartment in storage and packed my backpack. I began taking Spanish lessons over Skype and made sure there was room for my textbook and notebook alongside my guidebook and passport. And then, I left.

I remember landing at the airport in Quintana Roo and my nerves adding thickness to the air I breathed. I knew I had successfully changed my environment. Now, it was time to adapt.

I struggled. I ran into wall after wall while testing my assumptions. I felt the pain of poorly-designed routines and thought processes. I learned about the magic of cross-country bus rides and the toll those long hours take on a body. I brought on food poisoning from hastily-acquired street tacos and arrived to the cold mountains of Guatemala without a sweater to my name.

But with only one person to blame for any failure, I was forced to iterate until I finally saw a spark of light at the end of the tunnel: a taste of contentment, in spite of all my mistakes. I made new friends, spoke a new language, and learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

To me, this is what it means to be a designer: cutting away the distractions and focusing on what is important; feeling the pain of testing your assumptions; admitting you might be wrong, and relentlessly learning from the world around you.

This is my dedication - and it’s one I love to share. If you think good design can make the world just a little simpler, drop me a line.