What’s something you love to do and why?
Surfing, being active in natural environments and getting to know the natural world.
I find a lot of inspiration [for design] from the natural environment. Sometimes even when I missed a wave, I see spray and want to capture that fleeting moment. It is an art piece. Great art comes from dynamic environments.
Whenever I travel, I like to go to an extreme environment: deserts, fjords, etc. Nowadays, surfing is a part of my routine. In addition to the challenge and learning a new technique to navigate the wave each time, I also find the beach a place of rest. The sand is so soft on your feet. It’s such a pure environment and that it reminds me that I don’t have to do something extreme to find joy. I don’t have to prove anything.
Where do you find inspiration?
Jamie Park
Designer,
What’s a meaningful experience you’ve had recently?
My flaw is that I can be judgmental sometimes. Meeting people from all walks of life helped me open up more.
I recently met a girl named Hannah from Minnesota. We went to a restaurant with creative, experimental Hawaiian food. Hannah said she didn’t want to try any kind of seafood. I felt she was close minded, but wait who am I to judge someone when you meet people who aren’t as exposed to things? It’s ignorant and arrogant of me to think that should be the norm, that everyone should be an adventurous eater. Maybe she didn’t grow up with access to all these cuisines. It was humbling in that sense.
I got to know her more and learned how she’s so sweet and so close to her family. She was so excited and had so much joy in the little things like buying lychee tea for her family. I didn’t grow up that way; my family is individualistic. From this experience I learned to meet people not from my lens, but from a place of understanding of what’s important to them, and that everyone has a story to tell.
People inspires. Those who have gone through a lot and who are very optimistic. They do a lot for people and the world; they’re leaders; they see a lot of moving parts but make the best out of the circumstances that they’re in.
I also appreciate my playful and idiosyncratic friends. I met all these super smart people.. blah blah… when I actually got to know them they’re so playful. They’re smart, real, and just care a lot.
What’s a resource you could share? How has it helped you?
I use a tool called Focused Space. Because I work solo [solo designer], it’s almost an assistant that sets goals for the day. It also has community sessions with pomodoro technique to get content out. It really helps me manage stress too.
Where can we most likely to find you in the wild?
Design and architect bookstores in creative cities such as NYC, Mexico City, or Copenhagen.