Week 7 - 2023
Design Down to the Aglets. Using AI When You Can Already Paint, Your Life Story in Ten Sentences
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There are always three sections: Story, Art, and Design.
STORY
Design down to the aglets. I first met Jason Mayden at Stanford, where we occasionally team-taught guest lectures together in the design school (d.school) and the business school (GSB). He told stories of his days at Nike designing for Jordan and the later for his own company, Super Heroic, and I told stories about making movies at DreamWorks and designing for transformation at Twitter (and later Sequoia). We were a pretty good team. I keep a collection of inspirational freestyles that Jason had recorded while driving around in his car or early mornings (he doesn’t sleep much) at the kitchen table. I listen to it when the challenges in life compound to the point of approaching an untenable state. He has a way of bringing creativity and hope to everyone—of challenging you to be your best and then to strive to improve further—even if forces conspire against you or unfair, unjust, extra challenges are placed in front of you. He views creativity as a form of altruistic rebellion. His book teaches us to give ourselves something that others cannot take— the solace that comes from the personal pursuit of creative excellence. One of the first micro-lessons I learned from Jason was to “design all the way down to the aglets.” Aglets are the little plastic or metal tips of shoelaces. Most people pay little attention to them, but not Jason. He notices; every detail matters. This week, Jason is launching his book, Speed of Grace. I’ve pre-ordered my copy, and can’t wait to read.
ART
Using AI when you can already paint. I’ve been painting my whole life, not as a way to pass the time, but as a central part of my career. Gallery shows, museum shows, films, ballets, books, apps, fashion—painting continues to play a role in all my work. Recently I trained an AI on my own paintings and then had it create a few more back for me in my own style. What do you think? Using AI when you can already paint.
DESIGN
How to design the story of your life. This method offers a concrete approach to what is normally an amorphous, unknowable, and mostly uncontrollable process: how to design the story of your life. Use this guide to help figure out who you are, what you love, and what life you hope to create. Ten Lines: How to design the story of your life with ten sentences.