roots

One of my dearest friend/mentor in the field of design shared with me words of wisdom, that designing is comparable to a chef that develops their palette, which can only be done by tasting the food.

My journey in the appreciation for culinary arts began when I sat down to eat at a blind restaurant in Berlin. I never understood what it felt like to lose the sense of sight, only to amplify another. I sat there mesmerized and yet perplexed by how complex our sensory system is. That moment taught me that design is not only visually but in other facets as well.

Then came Naoto Fukasawa. He taught me how to take something as simple as food and turn it into something functional. It was when I first saw the phone design that he did, inspired by a shaved potato.

Philippe Starck taught me humor, Marc Newsom taught me versatility, Dieter Rams taught me structure, and Elon Musk taught me courage.

On the day that Elon Musk came to speak at our graduating class of 2010, he gave me hope. He gave me a reason to lean in regardless of the circumstances. He not only spoke but more importantly showed me what being all in looked like through his example. These are people that I may never meet in person, but they have impacted my life. There’s a saying that it takes a village to raise a child.

Thankfully, there is: both directly and indirectly.