The Fringe Benefits of Quitting from Liz Danzico’s talk at Webstock 2014

The principle of affordable loss: So long as the loss is tolerable, keep going.
“In entrepreneurship, in side projects, in relationships, don’t be guided by the thought of how awesome the rewards might be if you were astoundingly successful at any given next step. Instead ask how big the loss would be if you failed. As long as it’s enjoyable, or even just tolerable, then keep going, take the next step then see what happens.”

(via swiss-miss)

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“If you don’t understand, ask questions. If you’re uncomfortable about asking questions, say you are uncomfortable about asking questions and then ask anyway. It’s easy to tell when a question is coming from a good place. Then listen some more. Sometimes people just want to feel heard. Here’s to possibilities of friendship and connection and understanding.”

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah (via carosee)

(via lxuuu)

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sketchplanations: “Stages of competence framework. A handy mental model to have in mind when you are learning, or teaching any skill. As I grow older I find that I realise the first step to conscious incompetence in pretty much every field I come...

sketchplanations:

Stages of competence framework.

A handy mental model to have in mind when you are learning, or teaching any skill. As I grow older I find that I realise the first step to conscious incompetence in pretty much every field I come across, and mark it as an happy achievement.

I was taught that a final step, for great teachers, takes you back to conscious competence. In other words, you are not just excellent at the skill, you are aware of what you do that makes you excellent, and are therefore able to teach it to others rather than just demonstrate.

Wikipedia does the source for the four stages of competence model better than I would do.

(via sketchplanations)

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Made with Code is an initiative launched by Google to champion creativity, girls, and code.

The movement is designed to do three things: To inspire girls by celebrating women and girls who are using code to do great things; to engage girls to try coding through introductory projects and resources; and to sustain their interest by creating alliances and community around girls and coding.

Google is also collaborating with Code School to allow thousands of women and minorities everywhere to expand their skills. Through this online application you can get a free 3-month subscription to Code School. This opportunity is available to all traditionally underrepresented groups in technology (including, but not limited to, African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, persons with disabilities, women and veterans).

Also check out this series of videos they shot which highlights inspiring women in tech, including Danielle Feinberg of Pixar, Erica Kochi of UNICEF, Limor Fried of Adafruit, and Maddy Maxey of Crated.

Ask a question | Jason Santa Maria

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When I want to find out more about my own work, I ask a question. When someone asks me to look at their work, I ask a question. It’s a silly thing to say, but it took me years to do that.

It’s silly because it’s probably obvious to you, or to anyone who’s thought about it for a moment: If you want to get a better understanding of something, asking a question is infinitely more useful than making a statement.

It took me years to get there because I fell into the same trap many young designers do when in a critique—I tried to participate by offering answers.

Answers are appealing, of course, as is the idea of a charismatic leader who has pockets full of them. But of all the work I’ve done, the projects I consider most successful were accomplished by teamwork. Answers shouldn’t come from one single person, no matter how skilled they may be. Instead, they come as a result of discussion among peers.

Asking questions is at the heart of collaboration, more so than any project management software or process. And if you want to truly collaborate, I’ve found you need to allow yourself to be someone without the answers.

Here was a fun DIY project I helped out with at Auggie back in November 2013. Robot March is one of their more popular prints, so we thought it would be cool to let kids print and color in their own robot creations. My sister, mariahmakes did an awesome job with a set of her own, so we did a mini photoshoot on her desk (using a folded yellow duo-tang as a backdrop). Filing this under “things I do at work that don’t feel like work.”

You can still build your own bot HERE and be sure to tag it #robotmarch if you’re posting it up on Instagram so that we can find it.

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A few days ago, I launched this website for Alexandra Votsis, a Toronto fashion photographer currently studying and working in Florence. Much of the focus was in making it easy for her to upload, edit, and organize the photos herself, as well as creating a layout that presented them in a way that worked on most mobile devices. 

This turned out to be one of the funnest projects I’ve done in a while! Despite being in different time zones, communicating with her was such a breeze and we both had a similar idea in mind from the start. Go peep her portfolio!

“DIY is DESIGN IT YOURSELF. It’s absolutely NO FEAR. If you can’t fucking do it, LEARN HOW. You have to go out there and make it happen. You have to bullshit your way to any situation you can. If you don’t know how to design a house, it doesn’t matter. You know what to do. It’s inside of you.”

An awesome talk by Kate Moross who is coming out with a book for young artists and designers called Make Your Own Luck: A DIY Attitude to Graphic Design and Illustration.