1. Rules for Life & Art ~Sister Corita Kent I’ve come across pieces of this manifesto before, but never in it’s entirety until Maria Popova’s write up on Brain Pickings. Sister Corita Kent was a nun, art teacher, artist, and printmaker. She taught at Immaculate Heart College in the 60’s, later leaving the order behind to devote herself to her art.  She devised this set of rules for a class project and it was subsequently adopted as the official rules of the art department. Among these mantra-esque words of wisdom are some personal favorites: “Rule 7-the only rule is work” and “Rule 4-consider everything an experiment”.  This is advice worth remembering, reminding, and returning to. Perhaps even worthy of printing and posting? 

    Rules for Life & Art

    ~Sister Corita Kent

    I’ve come across pieces of this manifesto before, but never in it’s entirety until Maria Popova’s write up on Brain Pickings. Sister Corita Kent was a nun, art teacher, artist, and printmaker. She taught at Immaculate Heart College in the 60’s, later leaving the order behind to devote herself to her art. 

    She devised this set of rules for a class project and it was subsequently adopted as the official rules of the art department. Among these mantra-esque words of wisdom are some personal favorites: “Rule 7-the only rule is work” and “Rule 4-consider everything an experiment”. 

    This is advice worth remembering, reminding, and returning to. Perhaps even worthy of printing and posting? 
  2. A Show with Ze Frank ~Ze Frank This is the epitome of digital culture compressing generational gaps. Ze Frank was before my time — topping off several TED talks with a legendary show that rand from ‘06-‘07. Welcome and appropriate for a time and space that “can use a dose of humanity and art and culture.” Shakespeare’s work was filled with puns, innuendo, political satire, and even potty jokes. Out of its context, it has become canonical works of art. Ze Frank might an internet Shakespeare, making art out of memes. Maybe when we’ve forgotten about lol cats, GIFs, youTube, 140 characters, and ow-my-ballsian jackassery he invokes in his work, we will only remember the poetry.

    A Show with Ze Frank

    ~Ze Frank

    This is the epitome of digital culture compressing generational gaps. Ze Frank was before my time — topping off several TED talks with a legendary show that rand from ‘06-‘07. Welcome and appropriate for a time and space that “can use a dose of humanity and art and culture.”

    Shakespeare’s work was filled with puns, innuendo, political satire, and even potty jokes. Out of its context, it has become canonical works of art. Ze Frank might an internet Shakespeare, making art out of memes. Maybe when we’ve forgotten about lol cats, GIFs, youTube, 140 characters, and ow-my-ballsian jackassery he invokes in his work, we will only remember the poetry.
  3. The Shape of Design ~Frank Chimero I’ve caught bits of Frank’s point of view in talks and scattered blog posts and have been anticipating this book since I barely missed the Kickstarter contribution deadline. Frank is filling a gap that Lewis Hyde and Edward de Bono have left for our generation of creative minds. Just preordered the book — almost irrationally bought two copies. Click thru to order your own. 

    The Shape of Design

    ~Frank Chimero

    I’ve caught bits of Frank’s point of view in talks and scattered blog posts and have been anticipating this book since I barely missed the Kickstarter contribution deadline. Frank is filling a gap that Lewis Hyde and Edward de Bono have left for our generation of creative minds. Just preordered the book — almost irrationally bought two copies. Click thru to order your own. 
  4. Explore Blog ~Coursekit x Maria Popova. Coursekit teamed up with Maria Popova of Brainpickings to curate an incredible collection of quotes, videos, articles, and links for the insatiable intellect. The site is beautifully designed and engineered (give those color-coded bars a roll-over to check out a nice categorizing/tagging system). 

    Explore Blog

    ~Coursekit x Maria Popova.

    Coursekit teamed up with Maria Popova of Brainpickings to curate an incredible collection of quotes, videos, articles, and links for the insatiable intellect. The site is beautifully designed and engineered (give those color-coded bars a roll-over to check out a nice categorizing/tagging system). 
  5. “Prestige is a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. It causes you to work not on what you like, but what you’d like to like.” ~Paul Graham Another common sentiment that has guided many of my career decisions goes something like this: The fear of waking up one day twenty years down the road having not pursued work that I genuinely cared about was greater than the fear of taking on significant financial and reputational risk to do something I thought was important and valuable to the world. I recently found myself confronted with one of these risks. I still have full faith that the risk will pay off in ways that far surpass the comfort of prestige and plenty.

    “Prestige is a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. It causes you to work not on what you like, but what you’d like to like.”

    ~Paul Graham

    Another common sentiment that has guided many of my career decisions goes something like this: The fear of waking up one day twenty years down the road having not pursued work that I genuinely cared about was greater than the fear of taking on significant financial and reputational risk to do something I thought was important and valuable to the world.

    I recently found myself confronted with one of these risks. I still have full faith that the risk will pay off in ways that far surpass the comfort of prestige and plenty.
  6. “Wireframes are dead. Sketches are dead. Persona study is dead. Meetings are dead… Photoshop is dead. Spec work is dead. Waterfall model is dead. Relational database is dead. A/B testing is dead. Five day work week is dead…” I find myself worried that I am not keeping up with best practices and methods. I’ve been in job interviews where I get very specific questions about seemingly arbitrary processes and methods. Do you understand user flows, info architecture, A/B testing, QA, agile, etc. etc. etc.? Just do the work. Do what works for you. I used to be laughed at for designing for web in Illustrator; now it is becoming more standard and soon it will be something else. Tools change, processes evolve, goals are a moving target. Don’t be good at tools. Be good at getting good thoughtful work done.  

    “Wireframes are dead. Sketches are dead. Persona study is dead. Meetings are dead…

    Photoshop is dead. Spec work is dead. Waterfall model is dead. Relational database is dead. A/B testing is dead. Five day work week is dead…”

    I find myself worried that I am not keeping up with best practices and methods. I’ve been in job interviews where I get very specific questions about seemingly arbitrary processes and methods. Do you understand user flows, info architecture, A/B testing, QA, agile, etc. etc. etc.? Just do the work. Do what works for you. I used to be laughed at for designing for web in Illustrator; now it is becoming more standard and soon it will be something else. Tools change, processes evolve, goals are a moving target. Don’t be good at tools. Be good at getting good thoughtful work done.  
  7. My Job Pt.1 — I have no idea what I’m doing ~Ben Pieratt The General consensus is that we all with Ben would write more, but so far he has been generously transparent with his career development and there is tons to learn here — lessons I keep coming back to.   “I have zero experience or expertise in building a company. I’ve never worked at a web or product startup, I’ve never worked in a healthy team environment. The design studio I co-owned was flawed to its core, and the companies I’ve worked at have had mediocre management. So I’m learning on the fly…”

    My Job Pt.1 — I have no idea what I’m doing

    ~Ben Pieratt

    The General consensus is that we all with Ben would write more, but so far he has been generously transparent with his career development and there is tons to learn here — lessons I keep coming back to.  

    “I have zero experience or expertise in building a company. I’ve never worked at a web or product startup, I’ve never worked in a healthy team environment. The design studio I co-owned was flawed to its core, and the companies I’ve worked at have had mediocre management. So I’m learning on the fly…”
  8. Breaking and /Mentoring ~David Cole Dave has made a personal mission out of offering his experience and expertise up to anyone interested in taking advantage. I’ve supped from this fount of self-made-man knowledge. To spread himself beyond the bounds of physics that would otherwise limit him to a small set of lunch meeting and occasional speaking sessions, he has started a mentoring blog where he publicly posts advice in response to questions from private mentoring relationships. It’s already becoming and invaluable resource.

    Breaking and /Mentoring

    ~David Cole

    Dave has made a personal mission out of offering his experience and expertise up to anyone interested in taking advantage. I’ve supped from this fount of self-made-man knowledge. To spread himself beyond the bounds of physics that would otherwise limit him to a small set of lunch meeting and occasional speaking sessions, he has started a mentoring blog where he publicly posts advice in response to questions from private mentoring relationships. It’s already becoming and invaluable resource.
  9. Offscreen Magazine A new, collectible magazine about the human side of interfaces. Just picked up issue no. 1 and already a dedicated fan. This is in the same family as The Manual — thoughtful writing from some of the best designers and builders out there, given editorial latitude to talk and teach about the web, design-related or otherwise.

    Offscreen Magazine

    A new, collectible magazine about the human side of interfaces.

    Just picked up issue no. 1 and already a dedicated fan. This is in the same family as The Manual — thoughtful writing from some of the best designers and builders out there, given editorial latitude to talk and teach about the web, design-related or otherwise.
  10. The Great Discontent A journal of interviews focusing on creativity, risk, and what connects us as artists.  This is an invaluable collection of profiles of inspired and inspiring designers, artists, illustrators, entrepreneurs, and musicians. The site is thoughtfully put together put together and each profile is deep. Keep coming back — never disappoints. 

    The Great Discontent

    A journal of interviews focusing on creativity, risk, and what connects us as artists. 

    This is an invaluable collection of profiles of inspired and inspiring designers, artists, illustrators, entrepreneurs, and musicians. The site is thoughtfully put together put together and each profile is deep. Keep coming back — never disappoints. 

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