Throwaways

The moment I started working on my website, I was aware that it would likely take more than a single attempt to create something I’ll be happy with. Here’s to the first failed attempt, which brought my creative mind back to life.

For almost a whole decade now, I have been primarily designing utilitarian UIs. Everything a person would see after they logged into a given system, with the main purpose of getting some job done.

My brain became more analytical and efficient. I became good at not only solving problems, but also getting to the root of it. Problem definitions, desired outcomes, increased predictability in the service of efficiency. I have developed a remarkable set of skills required to design digital tools with specific purpose.

Creative pathways in my brain, which before flowed with ideas and energy, went all dry and abandoned. What I’m trying to do right now is to bring these centers back to life. It’s a process in which one or more bad ideas need to come out first, before a good one can take shape. It’s about finding boundaries and the center of mass—the sweet spot—of a good design, whichever way you like to define it.

So here’s to the first throwaway! I look forward to seeing what I'll learn from the next one.