- We all have our own realities
Approach others with the idea that your experiences can’t be fully understood. Everyone experiences things at different rates and levels of understanding so don’t be upset when someone’s experience doesn’t align with your own.
2. Work one service job that you don’t get fired from
If you are designing for the general public why not see what it’s like to work for them too? There is a lack of understanding in work ethic from those who work a 9-5 Monday through Friday schedules and have never worked an unpredictable service job that you are underpaid for with extremely high expectations. A lot of good design can be learned by understanding what people care about.
3. Put on a wig and dance
In order to be a better designer, you should have enough confidence to be able to present your ideas and take feedback. Put on a wig and dance in front of a crowd of people (and maybe make a buck or two).
4. Understand your passion
You must know about at least one thing very powerfully. Sure, I can try to get into collecting rocks or learning to rock climb but I should also get as deep into one of those hobbies as I can. It doesn’t matter who knows about this passion but you will always have something to inspire you.
5. Do nice things for other people
You don’t have to wait for someone to need something to do something nice for someone. Open a door, bring some water to someone, be a host. Follow through with the opportunities life gives you to help others. Every project has a way for you to make it about helping a community of people.
Consider what you would do for someone else in your position and actually do it. Have you ever noticed a product or service that could’ve been better and it would’ve prevented something bad from happening to you or others had it been done right from the beginning?
About my manifesto:
Manifest-oh No She Didn’t! is really about being accepting of what life and being human brings to us. Living in San Francisco, I feel especially aware of gentrification so I would love it if the awareness I had was spread across the techies of San Francisco. It would be great if people wanted to take the initiative in making San Francisco better for all of its residents especially those who were here before us, and the same sentiment for other communities as well. When you learn to love something deeply, and appreciate it outside of its monetary value, you are then able to have a better sense of empathy. I also feel like people need to be more fun. We should be taking each other seriously but we should approach life with a bit of whimsy so that our imaginations, especially as designers, don’t get stippled. I don’t want us all to turn into gray people like in Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge.
Yup, I think we all should try to figure out our own passion.
Great thoughts and points. I’d love to see this tweaked to be about you more – what do you believe and how will you act and design? For example point 2 – instead of “If you are designing for the general pubic” – can you reframe this to be “If I am designing for the general public, I will see what it’s like to work for them too.”
Right now these are a bit too much about what others should do and not phrased in a way that is how you approach your work or at least want to approach your work.
I feel like a huge light bulb just went off above my head. I think I was writing this like I was talking to a mirror, like I was some athletet trying too boost my confidence before the “big game” or something. I feel so silly
Hi Corey,
I love how personable your writing style is! I always find joy in reading your work. I think these points are so important, not just in the world of design, but in our everyday lives.
Thank you for sharing your philosophy!
You issued your manifesto differently in the different ways. It is not a rigid statement, but a feeling from the heart. Yes, designers should not only possess technology, but also come from empathy in life.
I liked all the points you listed, especially the “put on a wig and dance”. I can definitely feel the energy and authenticity in this work.
Interesting points! I totally agree with you that designers should have the ability of making the world be more joyful.