I’m not much of a self-help kind of guy. I find some of my writing lately starts to creep into that territory. So it is not my intention to sound like I have it all together because I don’t. In fact, I barely have it together. I wrote out this simple equation that explains how much I have together:

My life = chaos² x (my age + Legos I step on) / (age(s) of kids)

So you can clearly see what’s going on in my life right now. With that said, I want to celebrate some small victories.

```cv
vimeo
{"url":"https://vimeo.com/800895307","width":240,"height":240,"thumbnail":"https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/1615830441-1e034e06b5dfb88af83b4bfdada5a4bb3f803e7e28bb8fa639d6e307aeaf5abb-d_200x150"}
```

I enjoy committing myself to things. Every year is an opportunity to do the thing that I have been putting off for an entire year. It’s easy for me to think about what an entire year will look like. 

“This year…I will read 24+ books!”\
“This year…I will not buy new clothes!”\
“This year…I will exercise every single day!”

The hopeful part of my brain takes over, but the pragmatic part of my brain knows  better. I can barely plan a week ahead, but somehow I am going to manage to plan an entire year. New Year’s Resolutions are great, but New Day’s Resolutions might be better. 

I set a goal for myself at the beginning of this year. 31 days. Not 365. Each day that I achieved my goal became a small victory. I’ve now had 52 small victories. Small victories are powerful. They feed off of each other (like the infected in *The Last of Us* 😭). A snowball effect. 

Now that we are in February, the glamor of resolutions has certainly died. I know that feeling all too well. In the past, I would have simply said “I’ll start next year.” This year I have focused on small, daily victories knowing that they’ll turn into big wins. So if you set goals and messed up, next year is a ways away. But tomorrow is pretty soon. 

small victory + small victory + small victory …  =  big wins

Small Victories

```cv
vimeo
{"url":"https://vimeo.com/user14325841/mitch-goldstein","width":240,"height":240,"thumbnail":"https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/1636381587-f5e831b3750711e2e9ed25c8c9f054f05dc682797478c911d8060a7640b10bbb-d_200x150"}
```

In this episode, I talk with Mitch Goldstein about his new book *How to be a Design Student (And How to Teach Them)*. We discuss what it was like to not only design a book, but also write one; whether a formal design education or learning online is better; and we dive into familiar education topics like grading and critiques while also discussing topics like active curiosity, agency, pulling, and what it means to be a tourist, traveler, and citizen.

If you have followed Mitch Goldstein on Twitter, then you know the knowledge and humor he brings to the subject. Above is a teaser of that conversation. In typical Mitch fashion, he doesn’t shy away from saying what he thinks.

I wrote a short, informal review of the book. If you are currently a student, teacher, or are just interested in reinvigorating your curiosity, this is a great book. 

**My review:**

I found it to be such a refreshing take on a “design” book.

It doesn’t really center around the technical or theoretical aspects of design. There are no pictures (well except for the amusing and insightful Venn diagrams). There are no references to famous dead or living designers. There are no tutorials or tricks for using the latest design software.

Instead it attempts to (re)frame how students AND teachers can approach design education (and beyond). Some topics are expected like the critique, collaboration, and grades; while others illuminate lesser known aspects like agency, pulling, and tourist vs traveler vs citizen. Although it is for design students, a lot of the topics easily apply to students in general.

I am assigning this book in my Introduction to Graphic Design class this quarter. I am hopeful the book will spur interesting conversations and help both the students and myself approach the classroom with a new agency.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FOkJoZHfEAUho5YsFZlasm9U7Upu2%2FW1X3Myf0ZDZx08IrFqcn%2F79748cd1-167d-491e-95ef-0bd6ce632a0f.jpg?alt=media&token=29aabe70-8bca-47f4-bd84-9fac7d3636a7","id":"79748cd1-167d-491e-95ef-0bd6ce632a0f","width":3024,"height":4032,"filename":"IMG_3509.jpeg","type":"image/jpeg","caption":"My beat up copy of How to Be a Design Student.","border":false}]}
```

[Listen on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/6fige1trB2uXUg8Jjo3iV8?si=94acaa707e024f9a)\
[Listen on Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tangent/id1615098052?i=1000604559235)\
[RSS Feed](https://www.jakedugard.com/tangent?format=rss)

Tangent Podcast: 003 Mitch Goldstein on How to Be a Design Student

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FOkJoZHfEAUho5YsFZlasm9U7Upu2%2FXhECRmbpv03Z8kETXuIp%2Fa460b0ad-6211-4862-8d10-6013f9a15f3e.gif?alt=media&token=35679643-a68d-41e3-b14e-687edc11c190","id":"a460b0ad-6211-4862-8d10-6013f9a15f3e","width":600,"height":601,"filename":"Tangent Builder.gif","type":"image/gif","caption":"","border":false}]}
```

I am not a coder, but I cobbled together this tool that anyone can use. I originally wanted to make this to generate unique cover art for the Tangent podcast. The original code is in Processing, but I decided to publish a tool that anyone could use. So I converted it to p5js using ChatGPT. After much trial and error, and arguing with a computer, I got it running. Again I am not a coder, so it is pretty rough, but [feel free to give it a try](https://www.jakedugard.com/tangent-builder).

Tangent Builder

```cv
vimeo
{"url":"https://vimeo.com/812038170","width":240,"height":240,"thumbnail":"https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/1641851001-2c399b8102d690d248cffd02e79d427d828131abb0b2dcf96dc73b9203aa771a-d_200x150"}
```

In this episode, I talk with Andy Chung, the designer of two platforms that represent a new direction for social media - one that values authenticity and meaningful connections. We talk about why he and his small team are building a new space for people to connect and why they are not interested in moving fast and breaking things.

[Listen on Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/episode/1f3LSav3QHohCJgKogljUV?si=fcdcf9fbaed548fd)\
[Listen on Apple Podcasts](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/andy-chung-on-moving-slow-and-making-things/id1615098052?i=1000606016239)\
[RSS Feed](https://www.jakedugard.com/tangent?format=rss)

004 Andy Chung on Moving Slow and Making Things

I don’t know why it took me so long, but I finally read Austin Kleon’s book Steal Like an Artist over the weekend.

Other than stealing (which I intend to do more of), another idea in the book that I clung to was writing fan letters. I used to do this. One thing that Kleon recommended was to write public fan letters out of admiration and to share that admiration with others. I love that idea so I’m starting today.

This series doesn’t require a response or affirmation from anyone. It is simply to say thanks and hopefully for others to find a new person worth admiring.

```cv
gallery
{"layout":"hscroll","images":[{"src":"https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/maitake-project.appspot.com/o/pages%2FOkJoZHfEAUho5YsFZlasm9U7Upu2%2FiaBVNK1ypb8gasTr4uuI%2F63006a7c-a7c9-47e8-a760-4d54f2a50f1d.png?alt=media&token=cf0dbb0a-0c4f-4752-a1cc-cf5e57ec75f0","id":"63006a7c-a7c9-47e8-a760-4d54f2a50f1d","width":1500,"height":974,"filename":"Rob+Giampietro.png","type":"image/png","caption":"","border":false}]}
```

Dear Rob Giampietro,

Thank you for teaching me how to write a syllabus.

You showed me that a syllabus didn’t have to be a boring, lifeless document — it could tell a story. I remember stumbling across Lined and Unlined in 2016. It was like opening a random door on a random street and walking into an amazing library. I remember scouring each project, essay, and workshop. Workshop. I remember it being such an interesting and deliberate word choice to categorize a webpage outlining the basics for a course you were teaching. Everything about your work was just that…considered. Even down to the humble syllabus.

From your meta workshop Teacher’s College in 2012, where students were teaming up to create a syllabus, you stated:

Following a favorite teacher of mine, the syllabus will begin with an image and end with a list, forming points A and B of the document. How these points connect, and how future designers might make use of them, will be our collective concern and ultimate project.

This simple idea told me so much about what a syllabus could be. The format could change. It could bend. It could connect dots with ideas and concepts outside of the subject matter. It could be ephemeral. It could be highly specialized. It could include images, drawings, and lists. It could be a very direct and concise 200 words. Or it could be an exhaustive 2000 words, like your essay meets syllabus for RE-THINK!, one of your courses at RISD in 2015. This syllabus alone includes references to constellations, the cave paintings at Lascaux, Sala Regia, the 1953 exhibition of Alison and Peter Smithson called Parallel of Life and Art, and of course the Eames Office work THINK! for the IBM Pavilion at the 1964–65 World’s Fair.

I love the internet, but it tends to break in its always changing and ephemeral nature. Thank you for keeping your work, writings, and teachings available on your site all of these years.

Sincerely,

Jake Dugard

Thank You → Rob Giampietro

There’s a gouge in my nightstand.

That’s a little dramatic. It might be in the knick category, but it’s in a very prominent place on the piece. I see it most days. It stands out amidst our minimally-furnished house and I use it most days placing a book, cup, or my phone on it (guilty).

I know who marred my nightstand. It wasn’t a cover-up or my kids jumping from it onto the bed. It was me… with a laundry basket.

```cv
vimeo
{"url":"https://vimeo.com/790913180","width":240,"height":240,"thumbnail":"https://i.vimeocdn.com/video/1591309336-72c2676a0032224406f42967eb5566eb104c76c108fd557afc73c535743d33e1-d_200x150"}
```

I recently came across [a video of Natalie Lam, an advertising strategist, talk about Nike](https://mgcp01.engage.squarespace-mail.com/r?m=63c5c8703609f23e09b0469b&u=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FxzVMQAtAXwo&w=5fc95c6063ada56cc5102d02&l=en-US&s=HMfkF2NsPbMir3z0oXH1cwSHSqU%3D). And I can’t get it out of my head.

After working with them for years on various products and campaigns, she noticed a pattern that made Nike stand out among its competitors.

“If you look at everything they do, 99% of the time it’s the same thing. But they always manage to have one sharp point.”

*Sharp points.*

I immediately became interested in this idea for a couple of reasons.

#### **01**

The obvious one is to intentionally introduce more sharp points into my work — to have one element that is unexpected, shocking, and possibly disruptive. One sharp point can do the heavy lifting, whether it be form, color, or language. These sharp points stand between individuality and homogeneity.

#### **02**

The second and more abstract reason that this idea fascinated me was to embrace sharp points in my life. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed the propensity to seek comfort and routine and round, soft edges. Soft edges can be nice, but so can points.

Years ago, Stephanie (my better half) and I were having an argument. What it was about, I don’t remember. Maybe about chores because I was folding laundry. I hate folding laundry. I’ll take dishes, garbage, mowing, scrubbing toilets. Anything! Just. Not. Laundry.

Out of frustration I dropped the laundry basket right on the edge of my nightstand taking some of the wood with it. That sharp point became both a mark on my nightstand and my life (dramatic much?!). It marked an otherwise forgettable day with something permanent like getting married, having kids, or getting a tattoo.

Don’t get me wrong. I love ease, comfort, routine, softness. But I’m trying to remember that although points can be painful, they also leave marks. Marks that can be remembered.

Sharp Points

Designer + Educator

This tool was built in order to generate unique cover art for each episode of the Tangent podcast.

In this episode of Tangent, I talk with Mitch Goldstein about his new book How to be a Design Student (And How to Teach Them).

In this episode, I talk with Andy Chung, the designer of two platforms that represent a new direction for social media - one that values authenticity and meaningful connections. We talk about why he and his small team are building a new space for people to connect and why they are not interested in moving fast and breaking things.

Jake Dugard

2023