Derek Castelli

★ The 48 hour project

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

It all started with a text message at 3 am on Sunday March 8th. The text was from one of my best friends. The message: “A map of every Christian church in the US would be pretty interesting to see.”

I agreed so I started to build.

I wouldn’t open up Cursor or Claude Desktop to start this. I’d go to Figma Make for the second time. You see this idea came from sharing a fun interactive map I had made a couple weeks back using Figma Make. And well of course with Claude Opus 4.6.

This time I knew what was capable so prompt after prompt with a set overall feel of color and font Claude in Figma Make starting putting together this interactive map of churches in the U.S. Seeing it get built wasn’t the fun part this time—it was figuring out what data sources to use and how to fully use them to accomplish what we needed.

We’d use OpenStreetMap to get the locations that would be cross-referenced with data from the U.S. Census and another association that specializes in religious denominations and their institutions. This is all the data that is free and there ready to use and make sense of. Of course could use Google Places API to make this data more rich but this was a great start and I know this Google Places API would most likely need to be an additional payment. So I passed for the time being.

The map was made. It was a simple React map as an SVG using Motion for animations and the Lucide icon pack. Nothing revolutionary but to my surprise no comprehensive and well designed directory of churches had existed. Either you had to pay to access it and see what was all available or the church directory was definitely not representative of every church with many denominations having their own.

Aside from missing churches and addresses overall the estimated weekly attendance data needed improvement with our current data of churches. The initial way of calculating this was to take the surrounding population size/density of where said church was and the average size of the denomination of that church to come up with an estimate. But, overall many if not all were all low/outdated. Now this is where things got really fun...

Turns out there is building square footage data that can be sent through from the data sources we’ve already been using. So tapping into this 40-50% of churches now had a more realistic estimated weekly attendance number. “We” took the total square footage and assumed a portion of that to of course only be the sanctuary or the place used for worship and service to get a number that would be an estimated capacity. Then this number would be shrunk as more than not the space wouldn’t reach 100% capacity every week. Again, this isn’t perfect and far from exact but it was better than the previous estimate numbers.

70k tokens used with Claude later the project was now a thing and well I couldn’t help but make it more real.

Brainstormed a name (came up with Here’s My Church to be more approachable and casual), bought a domain, pushed all the code to a GitHub repo setup under my primary project, Harvous, and along the way all the data was saved in Supabase.

All of this was feeling like the early days, back in 2010, when I’d start side projects late at night or over the weekend. Only difference was that the entire project was built in a matter of hours and the brand and domain and and announcement post all came after the idea already had a v1.

I’m a designer that has always loved to tinker. I’d get the biggest dopamine hit going from initial idea to logo and announcement. Now, because of Claude that initial idea is actually something—more than just an idea. And when I announced this the community on X flocked to it.

This side project went from idea to creation and being shared in a matter of 48 hours. Wild.

★ I turned 37

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

I turned 37 today.

I have mixed feelings.

On one hand I can feel this year already being a year of growth for me. I can feel God preparing me for something—I hope it’s to work more on the app He called me to make. But on the other hand I’m feeling burnout. I feel unsuccessful and the need for change.

Funny enough this past year was been nothing but change. Getting married to my best friend. Taking her last name. Of course moving in together. Selling my car. Actually launching an app I made. And to top it off my Dad chose conditional love and in turn I set boundaries.

I now have daddy issues... haha.

All I wanted to do was make my dad proud. Now I get to just make God and the people that actually care about me proud.

I definitely feel more change coming. Change in the form of growth for me. Growing to be stronger, smarter, and wiser.

I know God is helping me for what’s next. And maybe just maybe that happens all this year.

★ Dogfood or die because of AI

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

I’ve written quite a bit about AI. I use it and am optimistic about it vs the doom and gloom. However, I’m frustrated because it’s become this obsessive distraction that many great products aren’t improving or are implementing features that don’t make sense.

There is both an identity (soul-like) and not actually dogfooding issue. ‍ How can you improve a product if you don’t use it? This still baffles me. If you are on a team with direct influence to improve the product you should use the actual product in anyway you can. And if there isn’t any good opportunity then you should have a department or person who does be the go-to person for core improvement.

And see this is where AI is going to really improve things. With coding being solved anyone can tell AI to change something in the code. Obviously guards and process and workflows all need to be strongly considered to prevent anyone from just changing the product with 1 prompt overnight. BUT what is crucial here is everyone has an equal chance of improving the product whether their focus is the product or finance.

Companies that will fail and wither away will be ones who have too much bloat, too much red tape, and too much influence from their boards and executive teams that they ignore their team and customers.

How we work in the very near future will encourage less red tape. Less “you can only do these things”. And less excuses for making an experience better.

More companies will operate more like a church—where the goal at the end of the day is that it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure people feel heard, seen, and know more about God while we each do our little focused part.

Because of AI the choice is clear. Dogfood or die.

★ Faith apps deserve a wow

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

STILL only a handful of faith-based apps are beautiful.

The rest... well the rest look like AI clearly made them (even though many old ones exist pre-AI). They all look very boilerplate. No originality. No style. No soul.

I also have woken up to see this amongst many modern churches. You see old churches are still places where the world goes wow. Hmmm it’s almost like they are not of this world—a little piece of Heaven on earth. And well I think the same should be true for everything a believer makes. And especially if if that thing is to honor and help build God’s kingdom like a church.

Instead we get these churches that are giant boxes and you could easily get them confused with an event center.

Now the app I’ve been designing and putting a lot of thought and heart into over these past 3 years isn’t a work of art by any means. But I do think you could say it has a point of view. There is a certain soul to it. And there are things that you wouldn’t expect because others don’t do it this way.

More apps need to think differently. More apps need a designer. And maybe just maybe I can help others out. Because faith based apps deserve to be beautiful—something the world says wow at.

★ Making rectangles

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Anytime someone asks what I do I just say “I make websites.” Well earlier today I found myself making rectangles during an impromptu design session

The challenge was to design a screen in 15 minutes with minimal knowledge of “product design”.

There I was in the same Figma file with a designer I looked up when I was just getting into digital design along with two designers who’d say they make interfaces. I’d poke around to see what they were doing. But then I just took my iPhone screen sized frame and started making rectangles.

Where they yinged, I yanyed. The screen we were exploring was for a photo and video app that needs a customize-to-share screen. The yinged is I think what you’d expect from a photo and video app. Nothing wrong with this. But I thought... what if instead of giving a user all these options to add different text, stickers, and effects you just picked a pre-designed theme.

This is where I yanged.

I had fun in a field of design I don’t have a lot of experience just figuring things out one rectangle at a time.

★ A tool waits to be used

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

A tool waits to be used

Last night I rewatched The Social Dilemma. Tristan Harris, co-founder of Center for Humane Technology, made a distinction of what a tool is that stood out to me this time.

“A tool waits to be used.”

I’ve been thinking more and more about the tools that are made and now in the age of AI the tools we can all make. So what separates an app from being an actual tool vs something that is disguised as a tool?

The financial incentive.

There are three reasons apps are created:

Solve existing problems
Combat inefficiencies
Imagine the possibilities

But we’ve got to make money to keep making or stay in business. The financial incentive comes in play when the tool is marketed and designed in a way that maximizes growth vs the usefulness of the tool. All of a sudden the toolmaker is now just a businessman.

An actual tool can wait to be used because people willingly pay for something genuinely valuable—once or ongoing.

A businessman is always running the numbers whereas the toolmaker is okay with waiting while they keep making.

A tool waits to be used.

★ Be a toolmaker

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Tools need to work. And we expect a good result.

If the toaster doesn’t toast we have a problem. If the spelling feature doesn’t find that mispelled word before you hit send on that email we have a problem. If an app that says it’ll relieve headaches but actually causes one we have a problem.

We find tools to help us solve problems, expecting a good result.

And if we can’t find the right tool we make one.

At least, that's how it's supposed to work. For most of human history, making tools required specialized knowledge, expensive equipment, or both. You needed a workshop, a factory, a degree. But because of AI and 3D printing anyone can make the tool that will work for them.

I’ve been thinking about this given this idea of personal software becoming a thing because of AI and how much 3D printing has advanced to create parts and objects that you couldn’t find elsewhere.

We live in a time where if you have a problem you can actually solve it yourself. The only thing lacking is the will to do so. The reasons of time and money are quickly becoming excuses because of how fast and cheap things are becoming.

So make something. Be a toolmaker.

★ Dear Charlie

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Dear Charlie,

We never met. We never shook hands. And well I never got to see or hear you in real life. But, many times I listened to what you had to say (although I will admit I had to mute you on X) and witness through a screen you try to have others be more apart of the political process and fighting for what it means to be an American. No denying you made a mark on my generation (I’m 36) and many other generations. You were able to do the unthinkable—tirelessly show up and debate fair amongst the general public. Only a few can do this and yet it felt like you were training us no matter if we agreed with you or not. Training us to speak our minds and have healthy dialogue no matter if that ended with disagreement.

Here I sit thinking about what you’ve been able to achieve and how your legacy is bright and continues all thanks to God. I sit here at my desk writing this thinking about you set out and did what God called you to do. You were obedient and gave all the glory to God. You did the hard work and tried to the best of your ability to fulfill what God designed and had on your life. But, man I’m sad because there was so much more you had for us and the world.

Between me and you God has called me to build a Bible notes app that I believe and know will help bring more light in dark places. I’ve only begun but what happened to you has me fired up to do more and work even harder. To think what God can do in one day and how patient He is with us in helping fulfill His plans has me needing to do more.

Again, thank you for your hard work and I’m sorry you left us the way you did.

Until I see you in Heaven, Derek

★ Change of plans

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Having kids was always up in the air. I’d imagine a plot of land with friends nearby. We’d have people over at least once a week. We’d share deep conversations about life and work. My family would come and visit and they’d have a place to stay. Lilo girl would have a fenced in outdoor area where she could sit and smell all she wanted. I’d be running my own company with a small team from home during the week and spending quality time with the people in my life at nights and on the weekends. A few times out of the year trips would be taken to experience more.

4 years ago everything changed. But, in 4 years everything will change again. Only this time, these change of plans won’t be a surprise and a setback.

★ Why I'm making Harvous

Sat, 26 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I'm making Harvous because I need to remember the Bible, better.

The more you can remember the Bible the more you can connect things and hear what God has in store for you. And the more you can be there for people in time of need or curiosity. As Christians we’re called to make disciples.

The thing is there’s so much to Bible study.

Sure, there’s reading the Bible. But you also have sermons, videos, podcasts, and other books that add to your knowledge and understanding of God and His Word. You have conversations, personal reflections, and group study where life and the Bible start to overlap—to shape us and our understanding.

Humans help humans. Tools only help.

Harvous is a tool. It’s the easiest way to capture anything and everything that you’d like to save for your Bible study. And later is about the active pursuit of remembering your study, connecting all the dots, and being more equipped to live a healthier life while being there for others who again are in need or curious.

Harvous is the space for Bible study to be remembered.

In the beginning it’ll just be a nice way to organize your Bible study notes. These notes can include ones taken during a sermon or just a resource you discovered. They all get organized into Threads. Think of these as collections of notes, but threads go on a journey and serve their purpose no matter if they are big, small, short, or long. And, if you want, a note, like a verse, can belong in multiple threads. Oh, and throughout it all, of course, you’ll be able to find everything.

Once this chapter is complete. Harvous will add in layers of sharing, reviewing, and learning. More to come on that later. Let’s just say the more you use Harvous for your Bible study the more Harvous will help your Bible study.

Again, humans help humans. And Harvous is just another tool that will help me remember my Bible study. Maybe just maybe it’ll help others too.

★ I'm not my Dad

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

“You are not your dad.”

This is the last thing my ex-wife ever said to me.

For the longest time I looked up to my dad. He was my hero. I wanted to make him proud. But, as one does, you become older and you start to figure out the world yourself. Well, I sadly lost my hero when he decided to do things his own way, against my solicited advice, and leave our family. He had his reasons. In hindsight my mom and dad are more or less the same person so butting heads was inevitable but that’s when you try to work on things.

I learned this through my own marriage. Nothing prepares you for when your spouse asks for a divorce. You then put in extra effort to heal and better things. But if the heart isn’t willing you just have to let life run its course. So, I focused on myself. Going to therapy, figuring out what triggers me, and getting equipped with the right tools to not only better understand my weaknesses but use these tools to my strengths for a healthier me. And in turn, I’ve become a person that feels most me. I’m different. I’m always thinking. I always have an opinion. And I’m spicy/passionate about what I care about. And over the years I’ve learned how to be more respectful, compassionate, and patient. I have bad days still, but I’m trying. And to me that’s all that matters.

Effort is noticed. Effort is heard. Effort is felt.

Now even though my dad was no longer my hero I still wanted to make him proud. By my works I wanted to make him proud. I was the rebel, the troublemaker at home. I would do things that were unconventional. I would push back when the reason was “just because”. I would get myself into trouble—mentally and financially. But my parents would say I was a good kid. And my dad was still my dad who I wanted to make proud. I wanted to feel heard. I wanted to prove that doing things differently can also be rewarded.

Over the years my dad and I would get into conflicts so bad we wouldn’t speak to each other for months at a time. It was either something like my birthday, father’s day, or Christmas we’d put in effort to talk again. But, if I’m being honest, sadly ever since I lost my hero my dad and I have been distant.

Even though he’d disagree with me on this I do think I’m a bother to him. And sadly, through his recent actions and words I was proven right.

My ex-wife knew my childhood trauma with my dad. She knew the things I hated about myself. She knew the things that made me similar to my dad, some I like and some I don’t like. And by the grace of God and through therapy the final weeks leading up to us saying goodbye one last time we were able to have a very respectful, tough, but good conversation about life.

This week will mark 4 years since our divorce was final.

I think back when this happened. My dad was so sorry. He felt he was responsible. But I had told him, this wasn’t on you. This was between me and her and that I’m at peace with it.

Later my dad would go to church for the first time in a long time seeking more than just checking the box—being a church goer. I was so happy for him! And this church would actually be the one I used to work at and attend until me and my future wife decided to attend her church.

Fast forward, and my dad would loose his dad. My dad didn’t agree with or like his dad but we still went to the funeral. Nothing personal from the family was said about my grandpa. It was just a very cold wintery sad day. In the back of my mind, I wondered if these moments would offer an opportunity for us to be better together.

More months would go by and we’d get into a conflict about my nephew getting my childhood baseball bat without my consult. On my way home I’d get a text from him asking if I was okay as I seemed quiet and that something may be bugging me (still to this day I don’t believe it was him who thought this and it was more my stepmom). So I called. And then was verbally attacked while he played the victim, which is the one thing I have done and still sometimes do that I dislike about myself. I hung up, apologized, and asked him to call me back when he too was better ready.

6 months would go by. We’d meet up for lunch to catch up and share some family news. I then asked if he was sorry for not reaching back out. He was annoyed. We decided to agree to disagree on what all happened that day. I guess I just wanted to spend time with my dad.

Fast forward more and I had decided to gift my dad coffee shop money for us to have regular coffee times together. It was in celebration of his retirement. Might I add we live only 15 minutes from each other but typically during the course of a year I’d see him only 4 to 6 times for birthdays and holidays. I figured what if just the two of us could have routine, scheduled time together. Maybe this could help.

They were great! He even got to meet who is marrying me and my future wife come October. Oh and my dad loves her (my future wife). These two could nerd out and talk about science things for hours. After times we’d hangout together I’d tell her, “hey you got to talk with my dad more than I did.”

And then came the day I have been anxious about for over 2 years. I still had to tell my dad I was taking her last name. So I reach out and say I’d love to meet in person or FaceTime to tell something important. We chatted. He was taken back by it as to be expected. He asked why. I shared the reasoning. I then asked what he thought. And he surprised me by saying, “kiddo nothing I say can change your mind and honestly all that matters is between you and her.” I was very proud of my dad.

Then came a text 4 hours later. It was all undone. Text after text I’d be getting attacked, told who I was, told what I was trying to do, and it was hurtful.

It was clear to me that my dad was not my dad during that FaceTime. Nope, the real dad showed up as an immature coward in a victim costume trying to get me to change my mind and make me feel bad for my decision while dishing out lies.

The effort I put in all forgotten.

The feeling of being heard erased.

Yeah, I’m not my dad.

★ No response is a response

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

You send an email, but no reply back. You send a text, but no reply back. You send a job application, but no reply back. You send a gift, but no reply back.

Sure there are times when life gets busy and things get forgotten. But other times this no response IS the response.

★ Taking her last name

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 00:00:00 GMT

What’s wild is in just a few months I’ll be getting married to my best friend!

Her and I became friends ever since we made an Aldi run together and had a 2+ (I think it was 4) hour conversation. We went all in on getting to know each other. And really if you knew us separately it just makes sense that we’re friends, best friends, and soon husband and wife.

However, this wouldn’t be my first marriage...

My first marriage didn’t even last 3 years. And well, my future wife and I will have been friends closer to 4 years. What I had learned was...

I needed therapy.
I rushed into that marriage even though we loved each other. But us running into my first girlfriend really jumpstarted things.
Everyone has a “crazy” that makes them who they are. It’s the kind of crazy that you can’t change. So you need to be willing to accept said crazy.
Being best friends always comes first.
You can change someone's mind, but not their heart.

In these 4 years I have learned a lot. I have not only learned a lot about myself, but a lot about my wife-to-be. So much so that I know taking her last name would mean the world to her.

Without getting into the specifics... lets just say that she never really had a family and the one thing she liked about her troubled past was her last name. And so with that in a few months my last name will change to hers.

Together we will try to create a good legacy with her name as one has yet to be told.

Together we will shape the name to mean being passionate, intentional, helpful, caring, and strong (funny because the name means “castle”).

And when you hear our name it’ll make sense once you know our quirks and our heart.

★ The Real Glass Castle

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMT

A year and a half ago my best friend told me I need to read this book. You see I don’t read books. I like the idea of reading books. But I’d rather write, listen to music, or watch something. Comprehension is a struggle for me. So when I was hesitant she responded with a, “pleeeeeease”. So, I agreed.

While I have a bookshelf with many books I also have a virtual shelf in the Books app where I’ve spent most of my time. This book my best friend told me to read would be bought later that day. It would, however, collect digital dust for a bit.

She’d ask, “have you started reading it?” I’d have to say the unfortunate no. I could tell this book was very important to her. Out of all the things I could do at night when I’d make time to do non-work related things it’d honestly be the last thing on my mind or that I’d want to do. On my list was working on an app, playing Cities:Skylines, or watching YouTube.

But, I’d soon open the Books app and start reading this book. Lots of descriptive words. I’m a visual person and so this was helpful to try and picture myself there. I wasn’t able to fully picture things but it did help me keep reading to try and get a better picture.

The more I read the more I realized this is about a dysfunctional family. I’d start reading this book after my other best friend (not the best friend who told me to read this book) said we no longer can be friends because I’m dysfunctional. This book reminded me of my best friend (again the one who told me to read this book) and how she grew up.

I was invested. But as things happened I’d read a little, then take a long break, forget, and then come back and read a little more. I was reading about this “dysfunctional” family who prioritized happiness, independence, courage, and values over stability, money, and what people thought of them. The book centered around one girl and everything she went through. Lots of moving, living out of the car, being homeless, and not knowing what’s to come with parents who were around but not present.

My best friend has a similar upbringing. Moved a lot. Lived in a green van and green house along with many other places. Lost her dad when she was very young so never knew him. Was removed from her mom multiple times due to sickness. She was officially the child of the government. Her older brother brought her in with his family. While on paper more conventional and stable not a healthy one. So much so that when able to she moved out. Years later she would stop seeing them.

So again, I was invested. It was like this girl in this book had a similar journey as my best friend.

But, life got busy and I’d forget to read more. I was about 80% complete. So, she asked me how close I am to being done. I said about 80%. She was excited and then began to tell me I need to finish it soon so we can watch the movie together. This would be the first time I read a book before watching the movie by said book.

Then one night I picked the book back up. I had gone to bed an hour early and well an hour later I had finished the book. I cried. I cried so much I couldn’t catch my breath. Up until now I had only cried more when my wife left me.

This book was about a dad and his girl. He shared a dream with her early on to build a “glass castle” and she was all-in. But, through his unidentified trauma, pressures, and imperfections he’d imprison himself to live on paper a troubled, dysfunctional life.

The plans never came true. Damage was done. But there was beauty in the mess—in the dysfunction. Dad would get enough money to get her through college. Dad would teach her to be strong and not afraid. Dad would save every story she ever written. Dad would gift her a blank journal telling her “be careful, you just might change the world.”

So while no glass castle was built or lived in a strong woman was created by an imperfect dad who didn’t care what others thought of him or his family. All he cared about was that she was happy.

And that is a beautiful glass castle. It all makes sense why my best friend wanted me to read this book.

The book was The Glass Castle. And my best friend is the woman who I get to marry come October and who is on her way to be a holistic doctor. She too is going to change the world.

★ My Silent Cofounders

Wed, 23 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT

The door to the deck is open.

You can hear nature talking.

Here I am sitting on the couch.

Kiya is passed out to my right, head on the pillow.

Lilo is passed out to my left, right up against me.

Earlier we all were up and about.

And now I'm the only one awake.

I love my two silent cofounders.

‍

Special shoutout to Pat Walls and Demi

★ To share is to live

Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I was thinking about conflict and why relationships succeed or fail.

It's all about sharing.

Under normal circumstances, sharing is balanced. But when someone's having a bad day, they need to share more. If the other person starts competing for space, things collapse.

The secret? Flexible sharing. Some days you talk more, some days you listen more. Problems arise when someone always dominates or never opens up.

This applies beyond conversations. We constantly divide our attention between work, relationships, and self-care. Each decision is about how much to share and where.

When things go wrong, I ask: "Should I share more or less right now?" The answer usually appears instantly.

Life is just balancing what we give and take - in words, objects, and time.

★ A Shifting Season

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 00:00:00 GMT

My dad retired last week.

I’ll be getting married soon.

I’m 36. Self-employed. No kids. Two dogs. Soon to be two cats—thanks to my future wife. We’re building a life. Slowly. Carefully. With a lot of moving parts.

Lately I’ve been thinking about what this all means. This phase. This stretch of road I’m on. I’m still juggling client work with multiple agencies. I’m still grateful for the work. But I’m also building something else on the side—a Bible notes app—with a friend who lives in Oklahoma. I’m in Iowa. We work remotely. It’s slow, but steady.

There’s a part of me that wants to shift. To step away from the agency grind. To give this app a real chance. But it’s not that simple. I have responsibilities now. A future to build, and someone to build it with.

So for now, I’m in the in-between. Still working. Still dreaming. Still grateful.

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” — Proverbs 16:3That verse has been sitting with me lately. It’s also one of my friend’s favorite—the one I’m building the app with. That feels like more than coincidence.

I don’t know what’s next. But I know who I want to become:

the leader of my family
a provider, with God’s help
a reliable, go-to designer and Webflow dev
and a founder—hopefully leading a small, nimble team one day

That’s the direction I’m facing. I’m just taking the next step.

★ The Family Farm Fire

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

This all happened yesterday.

I was finally going to see our family farm—this place that's been in our family for over 100 years—and I was bringing my fiancé along to check it out too.

Dad had warned me it was a "dilapidated eyesore" now, but I still wanted to see it. We were already heading out that way for my grandpa's 80th birthday on the other side of the family, so it seemed like perfect timing.

We followed Apple Maps down this long dirt road off the highway, and as we got closer, I could see the farm from a distance. But something was wrong. There was just a barn and silo standing. The farmhouse, the other barns, all those beautiful trees—gone.

Turns out, the place had caught fire just a few days earlier. And here's the crazy part—my cousin, who's from my OTHER side of the family (completely unrelated to this farm), was first on scene as a volunteer firefighter. He and his crew fought that fire for 5+ hours straight. They still don't know what caused it, but apparently all the junk metal that had piled up over the years made the fire burn super hot.

So my first-ever visit to the family farm was seeing it mostly burned to the ground. 100+ years of history just... gone... in hours.

I'm still processing this. It's just so bizarre that days before I finally see this place, it catches fire, and the person leading the effort to save it was my cousin from a completely different branch of the family.

Life is wild.

★ 1 year of making Harvous

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

It’s wild that today marks 1 year of working on Harvous.

Harvous didn't start as Harvous at all. God planted this calling in my heart along with Proverbs 25:2, which talks about how God conceals things and it's our job to search them out. And man, did I do some searching to figure out what He actually wanted me to build.

I initially thought God wanted me to make something to bring families together. Growing up not feeling heard, I figured a family journaling app would solve that for me and hopefully other families too. I called it "Hike" and gave it a chair logo because when I think about reflecting and taking rest, I think about sitting down. A chair just made sense as that symbol. And "Hike" felt right because it's a journey at a casual pace — just like your mental health and journaling.

My best friend (at the time) and I teamed up to build it. I was fresh off a divorce, which honestly just fueled my drive to create something meaningful around connection. But like Proverbs 25:2 suggests, God hadn't revealed the whole picture yet.

Then things got wild. My friend and I had a disagreement about churches, and he basically ended our friendship right after our weekly Bible study. Talk about timing. He deleted everything — the app didn't exist anymore. I was heartbroken, but I got back up because I knew God had called me to build something, even if Hike wasn't it.

Soon after, I found out Apple was releasing their own journal app. And if I'm being real, my family probably wouldn't have used Hike anyway. These weren't just random setbacks — they were God's way of pointing me in a different direction.

So, back to the drawing board.

It’s now 2024.

This time I thought, "What if I build something that's useful even if I'm the only one who uses it?" I briefly thought about an app for creating and managing gardens to continue my family's farming legacy. I wasn't personally into gardening, but that's actually how the name "Harvous" came about — a play on "harvest" and "community." My fiancé called it "Hike 2.0," and I liked that the chair would conceptually live on even with a different logo.

Around this time, I started using Duolingo for fun and was blown away by how it made learning effortless. I'd spend hours on it without even noticing. And it hit me — I struggle with studying the Bible, mainly because I personally lack comprehension. What if I could build something that made Bible study as engaging as Duolingo makes language learning?

But there was another layer to uncover.

Duolingo works so well because learning languages is pretty linear. There's a clear starting point to build from. The Bible isn't like that. Sure, you can learn core concepts, but then where do you go? There are so many options. This realization shifted my focus to creating a Bible app aka a faith tool.

Which is wild. Because even though I left my church job (for good reason), it remains one of my favorite, most fulfilling jobs. Maybe God wants me to directly impact His kingdom.

I started thinking about my own Bible study habits — constantly jumping between YouVersion and Apple Notes. What if there was a modern, fun alternative?

That's when the Harvous notes app was born—a notes-first app designed specifically for Bible study.

You'd create your own study Bible where all your notes are saved, whether from your physical Bible, a digital Bible reader, or from conversation. And with these notes, Harvous would create only opportunities for you to share with others and learn more from what you’ve saved.

Throughout this journey, God brought me a new friend who (crazy enough) actually used to work at YouVersion and now has an app directory for Christian apps called Faith Tools. He and I work together on Harvous now — I focus on design, he focuses on programming. I believe God brought us together for a reason — it was God revealing another piece of His plan.

Looking back over three years — two with Hike and one with Harvous — I can see Proverbs 25:2 playing out.

God concealed what He wanted me to build, and my job was to keep searching it out. What started as a family connection tool evolved into something different but exactly right — helping people engage more deeply with scripture through their own notes — bible study time.

The chair that symbolized Hike lives on in spirit with Harvous — a place to sit, reflect, and connect with God's Word. And the journey continues as we keep uncovering new aspects of God's vision for this app.

The past 9 months were me solo figuring out the direction and design of the app. Then the past few months have been with Cam Pak, who I’m so grateful to not only have as a friend but as someone who has generously offered to help get the app developed. This is still very much a side project. But, my goal, God willing, is to have this be my full-time job.

I’m eager to start using Harvous myself! The goal is to solve the problem I’ve been having with my Bible study and in turn I think it’ll help many others. And we’re pushing for this Fall!

★ Through the Glass Door

Fri, 21 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Happy 5th birthday. I’m sad I can’t see you. Last time I saw you was for a second. There you were in your new home excited to see me. But there I was on the other side of the glass door. Unable to hold or see you any longer. When I hear a fire truck I still hear your howl. I wonder if you remember me. I wonder if you remember your sister. I wonder if we’ll ever see you again.

★ Hearing Spring

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I can hear spring.

The saying goes “spring is in the air” but here I sit at my desk with the window opened to my left hearing spring.

I can hear the wind hitting chimes. I can hear the wind hitting gutters. I can hear the wind hitting loose doors.

This is all possible because my window is open and there is wind. Truly spring is in the air. The air that is flowing. The flow is the wind I hear.

Spring is my favorite season for this reason.

★ App First. AI Second.

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

In my previous three articles, I covered the "AI Checkbox Fallacy," the "Seduction of the Sparkle," and the importance of "Building for Tenants, Not Tourists." I've been pretty critical of how companies are implementing AI, but criticism is easy. What's harder is actually putting principles into practice.

That's why I wanted to share how I'm trying to walk the talk with my Bible study app, Harvous. My approach boils down to one simple rule: App first. AI second.

How We're Doing It at Harvous

At Harvous AI stays in the background. It never takes center stage. This drives everything else we do and really captures what I mean by "App first. AI second."

Here's what this looks like in real life:

Contextual Scripture Support: When someone in your group shares a thought, AI quietly analyzes for relevant cross-references and historical context. You can see these through a simple "More Context" button if you want. The AI doesn't butt in or take over—it just makes extra info available when you ask for it.
Discussion Help: The AI can suggest questions to deepen the conversation, but only when you specifically ask. These aren't generic AI questions, but thoughtful prompts designed to help your group explore the text further.
Personal Learning: The system looks at your notes to create custom review exercises based on your own insights. It's not teaching you new stuff; it's helping you remember and connect your own observations.

Notice what I deliberately left out: There's no "AI Bible Teacher" feature. No "Ask the AI Pastor" button. No automated theological correction system. Sure, these would be flashy and marketable, but they'd completely undermine what Harvous is actually about.

Our Actual Implementation Choices

Here's how this translates to specific choices we've made:

Everything is opt-in: All AI features are opt-in, never automatic. You have to actively choose to use AI assistance.
Suggestions, not directions: AI suggestions are framed as considerations, not authoritative instructions. "Have you thought about..." rather than "This means..."
Enhancing what's already there: We integrate AI capabilities into existing user flows rather than creating separate "AI experiences."
You're in control: Both groups and individuals can adjust how much AI help they want, putting you in control.
Finding connections, not creating content: The AI surfaces relevant scripture and connections rather than generating new theological content.

None of this is particularly flashy. None would make for a great investor demo. None would probably generate press coverage. But all of these choices serve the people who actually use Harvous for Bible study—rather than random "AI tourists" who might be briefly impressed by something more attention-grabbing.

This Isn't Just About Bible Apps

What makes our approach different isn't specific to Bible apps—it's a principle that could apply to any product: App first. AI second. The core purpose and what users actually need should drive everything, with AI serving that purpose rather than becoming its own thing.

For a Bible study app, that means AI should enhance study and discussion, not replace it.
For a photo editing app, that means AI should make editing more powerful, not take away creative control.
For a writing tool, that means AI should support your writing process, not take it over.

This seems obvious, but it's surprisingly rare in practice. Most companies aren't asking "How can AI make our core product better?" It seems they're asking "What AI features can we add?" It's a subtle but critical difference.

Practicing What I Preach

It's easy to criticize how companies are implementing AI. It's way harder to actually build something better. With Harvous, I'm really trying to put these principles into practice—building for the people who actually use it, using AI as a subtle enhancement rather than a flashy feature. In every decision, I remind myself: App first. AI second.

I won't get it perfectly right. There will definitely be missteps and adjustments. But by starting with clear principles and focusing relentlessly on what Harvous is really for, I hope to avoid the traps I've been writing about.

The future of AI isn't about products that show off their AI capabilities. It's about products that use AI so thoughtfully and subtly that you barely notice it—you just notice that the product works better for you.

Because while tourists might be impressed by the AI label, tenants just want a better place to live. And that comes from putting your app first, and AI second.

★ Building for Tenants, Not Tourists

Tue, 11 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

In my previous posts, I broke down the "AI Checkbox Fallacy" and the "Seduction of the Sparkle." But I've been thinking about an even bigger problem that's bugging me lately: companies are building flashy AI features for tourists instead of improving their products for the tenants who actually pay the bills.

Tenants vs. Tourists

Look, there are two types of users for any product:

Tenants are the loyal users who:

Live in your product daily
Pay their rent (subscriptions) month after month
Need stability and reliability above all
Provide the sustainable revenue that keeps your lights on

AI Tourists are just passing through:

They show up because of some AI hype
Take a few screenshots, maybe create some buzz
Bounce as soon as the novelty wears off
Somehow still drive product decisions despite their transience

I keep seeing this everywhere - companies renovating their entire product for these tourists while ignoring what their actual tenants need. It's maddening.

The Scenery Story: Evicting Tenants for Tourists

I recently watched this play out with Scenery, a browser-based video editing platform. They built something genuinely useful that solved real problems for professionals:

Cloud-based collaboration on video projects
A canvas view for footage organization that was actually innovative

But then the AI hype train came through town in 2023, and they completely lost the plot. Suddenly they were all about courting AI tourists with flashy features to generate buzz and impress investors - not serving their core users who actually paid for the product.

We all know how this story ends. Adobe acquired the team and shut down the product entirely. All those professional users who built their workflows around Scenery? Evicted. The problems Scenery originally solved? Back to being unsolved.

All because they wanted to attract tourists instead of taking care of their tenants.

The Painful Reality

I'm seeing this pattern everywhere:

Webflow built its reputation on reliable, powerful web design tools. Now they're pouring resources into an AI Site Builder while their core product has growing performance issues. Their professional designer tenants (like me) who pay monthly subscriptions are watching in frustration as our needs get deprioritized.

Apple is throwing everything at Apple Intelligence while loyal users deal with persistent bugs in Photos, Finder, and basic iOS functionality. The foundation is cracking while they're building a fancy AI penthouse.

Why This Happens

I've been thinking a lot about why companies make these seemingly irrational decisions, and it basically comes down to three things:

Investor pressure - Every funding meeting now requires an "AI strategy" slide
Press and shiny object syndrome - AI features generate headlines; stability improvements don't
The demo trap - AI features demo well in sales pitches and investor meetings, while core improvements are invisible

It's pretty straightforward, really. Companies are optimizing for what looks good in demos and press releases, not what creates actual value for tenants.

Companies Getting It Right

Not everyone is falling for this trap:

Notion has integrated AI in a way that enhances their core experience rather than distracting from it. Their AI writing assistant works within existing workflows, making tenants more productive without forcing them to learn new patterns or visit some separate "AI section" of the app.

Spotify enhances recommendations without compromising the core listening experience. Their AI works invisibly to improve what users already do. Even their newer AI DJ feature builds on the existing listening flow rather than fragmenting it.

Basecamp has taken a refreshingly different approach, focusing relentlessly on stability, performance, and core functionality. They're like the property manager who makes sure the foundation is solid, the roof doesn't leak, and the utilities work reliably before adding fancy amenities.

These companies get a fundamental truth: Your tenants - the ones who'll still be paying next year - care way more about reliability than flashy demos.

How to Fix This

If you're running a product company:

Stop building separate "AI experiences." Integrate intelligence invisibly into existing workflows.
Fix the foundation before adding AI penthouses. Performance, reliability, and core functionality come first.
Listen to your tenants, not the tourists. The feedback from subscribers should outweigh hypothetical new users attracted by AI features.

And for users like me (and probably you):

Vote with your wallet. Support products that maintain excellence in core functionality.
Be vocal when companies neglect basics. Don't let them hide declining quality behind AI announcements.
Recognize the tourist traps. Be skeptical when products suddenly pivot to flashy AI features.

Building for Tenants, Not Tourists

It's pretty simple. The most sustainable products are built for tenants, not tourists. They're designed for the people who actually live in them daily.

Think about it like real estate. A good property manager knows: you can fill your building with tourists who pay for one night and trash the place, or you can find reliable tenants who stay for years, take care of the property, and provide stable income.

Smart product teams fix the plumbing before adding a rooftop pool. They ensure the heating works before installing smart home gadgets. They maintain the foundation before adding a fancy lobby.

The companies that will win aren't those creating the flashiest AI demos for tourists. They're the ones using AI to make life better for their loyal tenants – often so subtly those tenants don't even notice.

Because while tourists might post about your product on X, it's the tenants who pay the rent. And if you neglect them long enough, they'll move out – no matter how many tourists come through for the weekend.

★ The Seduction of Sparkle

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

In my previous article on The AI Checkbox Fallacy, I mentioned Webflow's AI Site Builder as an example of grafting AI onto a product rather than thoughtfully integrating it. But there's a deeper concern here: as resources and attention shift toward these new AI initiatives, has the core product experience been neglected?

This question has been bugging me a lot lately. I've been watching products I use daily chase the sparkly allure of AI while their foundations show more and more cracks. It's like everyone's following the same playbook: rush to add AI features while letting the core experience deteriorate.

The House With Beautiful Paint and Crumbling Walls

I always come back to the house analogy when thinking about product development. It just makes sense to me. Your product's core functionality is like the foundation and framing of a house - it's what everything else depends on.

What I'm seeing in this AI gold rush is homeowners obsessively installing smart home gadgets and fancy fixtures while ignoring that their foundation is cracking and their electrical wiring is shot. They're slapping on fresh paint while the plumbing leaks. They're installing voice-activated everything while the roof is about to cave in.

Sure, that sparkle is seductive - who doesn't want the newest, shiniest features? But man, that sparkle dims quickly when the basics stop working.

Webflow: A Case of Divided Attention

Coming back to Webflow, I've noticed increasing performance issues, longer load times, and growing reliability concerns. Whether these are directly connected to their AI push or not doesn't really matter - the perception is clear among many users (myself included): they're sacrificing fundamentals for flashy new features.

This shift is particularly frustrating for a design platform that built its reputation on reliability and performance. When I'm trying to design a site and the core functionality lags or glitches, no amount of AI-generated sites can make up for that terrible experience.

The Apple Paradox

Apple might be the most glaring example of this problem. They're pouring massive resources into Apple Intelligence, hyping it as the next evolution of their ecosystem, while users like me face a daily reality of:

Siri still not understanding basic commands after all these years
The Photos app crashing when I'm just trying to take a picture
Finder (which literally has ONE job - to find things) failing at that one job
iOS updates that seem to introduce as many bugs as features they fix

The disconnect is maddening. Apple wants me to trust them with sophisticated AI capabilities while basic functions I've relied on for years become less reliable. It's like they're installing a cutting-edge smart home system in a house where the toilets don't flush.

The Hidden Costs of the Sparkle

This AI obsession creates a bunch of cascading problems:

Resource DiversionEngineering teams can only do so much. When significant resources shift to AI initiatives, maintenance and improvement of core systems inevitably suffer. This isn't just about money – it's about attention, expertise, and priority. I've seen this play out countless times.
Technical Debt PileupAs focus shifts to new shiny AI features, technical debt in core systems accumulates. Small issues go unfixed, optimizations are postponed, and the codebase becomes increasingly brittle. It's a slow decline that suddenly accelerates when it hits a tipping point.
Trust ErosionWhen the basics become less reliable, I lose trust in the product as a whole. This erosion of trust contaminates even well-executed AI features. If your app crashes when I try to save my work, why would I trust your fancy AI assistant?
Ignored User Pain PointsIn the excitement over AI, longstanding user frustrations with core functionality get overlooked. These persistent pain points eventually drive users away, no matter how impressive the AI additions might be. I've abandoned products with amazing new features because the basics just didn't work reliably.

The Reliability Threshold

Here's a harsh truth that product teams need to understand: AI features have zero value if the product isn't reliably delivering on its core promise.

Users like me have an implicit reliability threshold – a minimum level of dependability we expect from core features. When a product falls below this threshold, no amount of innovation elsewhere can compensate. In fact, each new feature announcement in the face of deteriorating fundamentals only increases my frustration.

This creates a weird situation where the very AI features meant to delight users and drive growth instead accelerate dissatisfaction and churn. I've watched this happen with several products in my own workflow.

How Companies Get Seduced by Sparkle

This drift from fundamentals doesn't usually come from bad intentions. Instead, it emerges from subtle shifts in organizational focus:

Executives feeling pressure to "show AI progress" to investors
Media attention that rewards AI announcements but ignores reliability improvements
Engineers naturally preferring to work on exciting new tech versus maintaining existing systems
Metrics focused on new feature adoption rather than core reliability
Fear of missing out as competitors announce their own AI features

What makes it worse is that fixing fundamental reliability issues rarely generates headlines, while even minor AI features can get significant press coverage. The incentives are all messed up.

Examples of Resisting the Seduction

Not everyone is falling into this trap. Some companies have managed to pursue AI innovation while strengthening their foundations:

Notion: Their AI features are thoughtfully integrated into the core experience, enhancing existing workflows. Importantly, they've maintained and improved the reliability of the core platform alongside AI development. It feels like AI is making the product better, not competing with it.

GitHub: GitHub Copilot extends the core development experience without compromising the reliability of fundamental features like version control and issue tracking. They've invested heavily in infrastructure to ensure AI features don't degrade performance. It's a great example of foundation-first thinking.

Figma: After their initial AI misstep, Figma refocused on integrating AI in ways that enhance core design functions rather than replacing them, while simultaneously improving performance and reliability. They learned the hard way but course-corrected effectively.

What these companies understand is that AI should serve the product's core purpose, not become a distraction from it.

Substance Over Sparkle

The companies that will truly thrive in the AI era aren't those racing to implement the flashiest features. They're the ones maintaining an unwavering commitment to product fundamentals while thoughtfully extending those fundamentals with AI.

Remember my house analogy: A smart home with a crumbling foundation is just an expensive problem. But a solid house thoughtfully enhanced with technology creates genuine, lasting value.

Before succumbing to the seduction of AI sparkle, ensure you've maintained the structural integrity of your product's foundation. Because no amount of technological magic can compensate for a product that fails at its core promise.

The true innovation isn't AI for its own sake – it's AI that strengthens foundations rather than concealing their cracks.

★ The AI Checkbox Fallacy

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I've been thinking a lot lately about how AI is being implemented into products, companies, and features. What I'm seeing everywhere are cookie-cutter, obvious implementations that feel shortsighted and rushed. Everyone seems to be in this frantic race to slap "AI" on everything possible and promote these AI things aggressively. I call this the "AI Checkbox Fallacy" – the misguided belief that simply adding AI features to a product checklist automatically creates value.

But here's what I believe: the best use of AI is subtle and powerful. It doesn't draw attention to itself or flash neon "AI INSIDE" signs. It simply makes an existing experience significantly better.

Evolution, Not Revolution

The most valuable AI isn't about creating entirely new AI-specific products (though those have their place). It's about taking existing algorithms or features and enhancing them to be more helpful and useful. It's evolutionary rather than revolutionary - the next logical step in making products serve users better.

Take Duolingo, for example. Their core learning algorithm uses AI in a subtle way, adapting to your pace and customizing your learning path without making a big deal about it. That's good AI. Then there's Duolingo MAX, their explicitly AI-branded feature. While fun and useful, it feels more forced, lacking the same thoughtful integration.

The Catalyst

As someone who spends a lot of my time in Webflow as a freelance web designer and Webflow dev the recent release of Webflow's AI Site Builder to their "AI at Webflow" suite is what sparked me to write about this. In this AI Site Builder like every other ai site builder you input a few prompts, and it generates pages and sections. Sure, it's impressive technology, but is it really solving the right problem?

I can't help but think a better implementation would have been enhancing their existing template marketplace experience. Imagine using AI to find better template suggestions based on your needs, then customizing colors and content automatically for your specific project. That would leverage what Webflow already does well while removing genuine friction points for users.

What's particularly interesting is that this approach would have aligned better with Webflow's own original AI vision. In April 2023, Webflow co-founder Vlad Magdalin wrote about their AI strategy, emphasizing subtle integrations that enhance existing workflows:

"At the end of the day, AI-generated content is only as good as the development environment the content is dropped into — and the human being orchestrating the entire creative process... the tools that let you deeply customize, manipulate, and build upon what AI generates will ultimately create the biggest impact."Vlad outlined plans for contextual AI assistance directly in the Designer, an AI copilot for iterating faster within existing workflows, and AI-customized templates – all examples of enhancing core experiences rather than creating standalone AI features. The recent AI Site Builder seems to represent a shift away from this integrated philosophy toward more of a checkbox implementation.

This evolution at Webflow perfectly illustrates how even companies with thoughtful AI visions can drift toward more marketable but less helpful implementations.

Why Subtle AI Matters

The difference is intention and thought. Is the AI implementation:

Solving a real user problem?
Enhancing an existing workflow rather than creating a parallel one?
Focusing on outcomes rather than on showcasing the technology?
Meeting users where they already are?

When companies add AI just to say they have AI features, we get flashy but ultimately less useful tools. This is the AI Checkbox Fallacy in action – prioritizing the appearance of innovation over actual user value. When they focus on making existing experiences better through intelligence, we get genuine advancement.

Let's look at some examples that illustrate this distinction:

Spotify's RecommendationsSpotify doesn't promote an "AI DJ" feature (though they have one now). Instead, they've spent years refining algorithms that understand your taste and suggest music you'll love. The intelligence works invisibly to create better playlists and recommendations. That's subtle AI that genuinely improves the core experience.

Photo Editing SoftwareCompare two approaches: One photo editor might promote an "AI TRANSFORM" button that completely changes your image with minimal control. Another might use AI to power better selection tools, more accurate retouching, and smarter adjustments that still leave creative control with the user. The second approach enhances rather than replaces the core workflow.

Email ClientsGmail's smart compose and categorization features don't interrupt your experience or make you use a separate "AI email writer." They quietly integrate into how you already use email, saving time and reducing friction. You might not even think of them as AI, but they make the product substantially better.

Maps ApplicationsMaps applications like Google Maps and Apple Maps already exemplify this subtle AI approach. They don't bombard you with "AI NAVIGATION" buttons, but instead quietly use intelligence to:

Adjust route recommendations based on your previous preferences and traffic conditions
Suggest departure times based on your calendar events and real-time traffic conditions
Warn about routes that might become dangerous due to weather conditions

None of these features are explicitly labeled as "AI," yet they make the navigation experience significantly better by understanding context and patterns. The technology disappears while the benefits remain front and center.

The best AI implementation feels less like a new feature and more like the product suddenly understands you better. It's intelligence that serves you rather than showcases itself.

When AI Implementation Goes Wrong

The rush to implement AI features without careful consideration can lead to serious problems beyond just creating subpar product experiences. We've seen several high-profile examples of this:

Figma's Design Generation ControversyWhen Figma first introduced AI-generated designs last year, they faced significant backlash from their community. Why? They had trained their models on user data without explicit consent or clear opt-out options. The controversy wasn't just about the quality of the AI feature, but about the fundamental respect for user trust and data privacy.

Apple Intelligence's Rushed RolloutApple Intelligence was announced with great fanfare, but the rollout left many users frustrated by partially implemented features, regional limitations, and capabilities that didn't match the marketing hype. By prioritizing the "AI announcement" over ensuring a complete and polished experience, they undermined user confidence in what could have been a more thoughtfully integrated set of features.

Webflow's AI Site BuilderAs mentioned earlier, Webflow's approach prioritizes showcasing AI capabilities rather than enhancing the core problems users face with template selection and customization. This represents a classic example of the AI Checkbox Fallacy – adding an AI feature to tick a box on the product roadmap instead of addressing genuine user needs.

These examples highlight a crucial point: when companies rush AI features to market without thoughtful implementation, they risk not just creating lackluster products but actively damaging user trust and community goodwill. The costs of getting this wrong extend beyond product metrics to the core relationship between companies and their users.

Looking Forward

I'm not against AI-specific products like Perplexity, ChatGPT, Midjourney, Visual Electric, or Lummi for photo generation - they serve their purpose. What I'm advocating for is thoughtful integration of AI into existing products in ways that don't scream "look at our AI!" but instead whisper "notice how much better this experience has become."

The products that will win in the long run aren't those racing to implement any AI feature they can think of, but those carefully considering how intelligence can remove friction from their users' lives in meaningful ways. Companies that escape the AI Checkbox Fallacy will create experiences that truly serve their users rather than just serving their marketing departments.

The best AI, like the best design, often goes unnoticed - because it just works.

★ From Domain Collector to Problem Solver

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I've been thinking a lot about "dogfooding" lately - you know, that practice of actually using your own product. Next month, it'll be 1 year since I registered a new domain name for the sake of exploring a new idea. This past year I've been able to focus on just one idea—an actual problem I have and can solve.

The Domain Collecting Days

Let me paint you a picture of where I started. I was that founder who'd get excited about every new idea that popped into my head. Sparrow? Bought the domain. Chrchlink? Yep, got that one too. Decent Soap, Little Sea & Me, Shift Pace Drive - my domain registrar probably loved me. I'd sketch out logos, dream up brand names, and convince myself each one could be the next big thing.

The list grew: Lazwear, Cogitav, Resimplify, and many more. Some were just fun ideas, others were attempts to catch a trend or make some money. And each time, I'd go through the same ritual - register the domain, design a logo, and... well, usually that was about it.

The Wake-Up Call

But then something changed. I started noticing a pattern in the few projects that actually stuck with me, the ones I couldn't stop thinking about even after the initial excitement wore off. They were all solving problems I faced every day.

HandiworkLook, I spent two years on church staff, and Planning Center was just... not it. Every time I had to use it, something felt off. The workflows weren't intuitive, and I kept thinking "there has to be a better way." That's what led to Handiwork - I wanted to build the church management tool that I wished I had when I was on staff.

PerchI've been renting since 2014, and let me tell you, the state of property management software is rough. Every time I needed to communicate with my property manager, it felt like I was using software from another era. Perch came from wanting to fix that - making it visual, making it intuitive, making it actually work the way modern software should.

HikeBeing the Black Sheep in my family isn't just a throwaway line - it's something I've really felt. And I bet there are tons of others who feel the same way. That's why I created Hike. It's a family journaling app that lets you keep tabs on how everyone's doing without forcing those awkward "so how are you REALLY doing?" conversations.

HarvousHere's the thing - I got saved in 2016 and baptized in 2019. Coming to Christianity as an adult means you've got a lot of catching up to do with Bible knowledge. I was struggling with comprehension and remembering what I learned. The idea started with thinking about how Duolingo makes language learning stick, but evolved into something different: a notes app specifically for Bible study that helps you remember and learn from what you've saved. Instead of just collecting highlights and notes that you'll never see again, it helps you build on your understanding through your own saved content and what others have shared. It's about making all that knowledge actually stick and grow over time.

The Power of Focus and Real Problems

Looking back at that long list of domains I registered - from Lazwear to Cogitav to Resimplify - I can see how much my approach has changed. Since starting Harvous, I've only registered one new domain: ReviseMy. And even that was different - it wasn't just another random idea, but a strategic reservation for potentially evolving my client work into a productized design service someday.

I still have different ideas pop into my head all the time, and I probably always will - it's just part of who I am. But now, instead of immediately jumping to register a domain and design a logo, I ask myself "Could this idea actually be a feature or extension of what I'm already building with Harvous?" It's amazing how often these new ideas can actually strengthen your core project when you're focused on solving a real problem.

The dogfooding projects stand out because:

The motivation comes from a real place, not just market opportunity
I can instantly tell if something works because I'm the user
The passion stays strong even when things get tough
Every feature decision comes from actual experience, not guesswork
The way I talk about these products is more authentic because I've lived the problem

I'm not saying I'll never have new ideas or see new opportunities. But now, instead of jumping to register a domain at every interesting thought, I ask myself: "Is this solving a problem I actually have? Would I use this every day?" Because I've learned that my best work comes from solving my own problems. And when you solve a real problem for yourself, chances are you're solving it for others too.

★ Webflow's $39 Designer Seat Problem

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Turns out Webflow now requires clients to pay $39/month for a Designer seat just to give access to their freelancer - even when they have free guest slots available. This unexpected cost creates friction at the worst possible moment: right after project completion during client handoff. The absurdity? I'm already paying for a Freelancer workspace specifically designed for client work.

The Webflow pricing page has always been complex. As a platform serving both people building sites for themselves and those building for others, some complexity is unavoidable. But the recent addition of seat pricing has crossed a line from complex to contradictory - particularly for the freelancer-client relationship.

A Real-World Example of the Current Friction

Recently, I experienced firsthand how the new seat pricing impacts the client handoff process. A new client found me through the Webflow directory, having already created their free workspace and project. As per standard practice, I built their site in my Freelancer workspace, planning to transfer it to them upon completion. They knew they'd need the CMS plan for hosting, and I explained I'd transfer site ownership to their workspace - all standard procedure so far.

But here's where things got messy. When the client tried to add me as a guest Designer (despite having 2 free guest slots), they discovered this now requires a full Designer seat at $39/month. This feels like a step backward from both the original Client Billing system and the previous guest access approach. What makes this particularly frustrating is that I'm already paying for a Freelancer workspace specifically designed for client work.

The Evolution of Client Billing

The original Client Billing was nice for freelancers - sites stayed in our workspace, billing was automated, and we could add maintenance fees. But it had one critical flaw: clients didn't truly own their sites. If a freelancer vanished, the client was stuck. So Webflow sunset it - a completely valid decision.

In the community, many of us freelancers talk about the frustrations of clients accidentally breaking things in the Designer that we then get asked to fix. Sure, we could use Client Billing 2.0 (Client Payments) where the site stays in our workspace, but again, I don't want this liability or to prevent true client ownership.

The Current Dilemma

The pendulum has now swung the other way. With the new pricing structure, we're in an awkward spot where ensuring client ownership (good!) creates unnecessary friction and costs (bad!). This particularly stings given Webflow's statement that "Freelancer and Agency guest access remains unchanged at this time."

My client was understanding and paid for my Designer seat despite having free guest slots available. But this isn't just about the cost - it's about adding complexity to client relationships at exactly the wrong moment.

A Proposed Solution

Imagine if clients could "forgive" Designer access to specific freelancer/agency workspaces? Think of it like delegating access back to the professionals who built the site. The client maintains ownership while avoiding redundant seat costs, and we maintain the ability to support our clients efficiently. Just like we transfer sites from one workspace to another, we could assign roles to workspaces. This wouldn't impact pricing plans because there would be no additional cost unless you wanted to add another Designer seat.

I understand Webflow is working on solutions - Client Payments (Client Billing 2.0), Seamless Transfers, and Project Fees were all announced at Webflow Conf 2024. Maybe we're just in an awkward transition phase. But right now, this seat pricing structure is creating unnecessary friction in the client handoff process - the exact moment when we want things to be smoothest.

While I respect the move away from the original Client Billing to ensure client ownership, this current implementation needs refinement. The pricing page remains confusing, and the seat/roles system adds complexity exactly where we need simplicity - in the client handoff and ongoing support process.

Those of us building client sites on Webflow need a middle ground - one that preserves client ownership while maintaining the efficiency of the guest access system we've relied on. Until then, we're stuck explaining to clients why they need to pay extra just to let us help them with their own site.

The Webflow ecosystem thrives because of freelancers and agencies who champion the platform. It's time for the pricing structure to support, rather than complicate, these crucial relationships.

★ A decade of unconditional love

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

10 years ago a girl was born that would change my life.

2015 would prove to be one of the darkest times of my life. I was lost. I had suicidal thoughts. At the time my family and friends didn’t know and many probably still don’t. I was lost. It felt like no one would notice if I was gone. I was the black sheep of my family and turns out my friends weren't even my friends—just coworkers.

In hindsight I’m thankful I was pushed to get a puppy March 2015.

My then girlfriend would hear about my desire to get a puppy. But no way I would as that seemed like a big risk of responsibility and for the sake of my poor finances. But she found a place and I met Lilo for the very first time.

There Lilo girl was. The runt of the litter and only one not begging for attention. Once on the road back home all she did was look at me with a smile.

Everyday since this moment I’d wake up, she’d wake up and we’d make eye contact. Everyday I would tend to her and she would tend to me. Everyday we’d be there for her. More out of necessity for her since she’s a dog, but this girl was my emotional support animal—my dogter.

2015 would, again, shape up to be one of the darkest years of my life. But, I had Lilo to care for. While I didn’t want to take care of myself I made sure she was taken care of. She in turn took care of me.

It’s why still 10 years later I get emotional. Because I truly believe there’s a high possibility that I wouldn’t be writing this, living my life, and making the memories that I have without Lilo girl.

Her jealously for attention, amount of love she pours into people I love, and sassy stubborn self is what makes her her. And today she turned 10. It’s stupid cold out today so we’re staying inside BUT as soon as it warms up a bit we’re going for a car ride to get a pup cup.

Happy birthday, Lilo girl. Love, dad

★ The Joy of Inefficiency

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

I'm a big fan of the 37signals team. DHH, one of the co-founders, is famous for software development and racing cars. On a recent podcast he began chatting about his enjoyment of driving. This got me thinking about self-driving cars. I'm also a big fan of Tesla and they are at the forefront of self-driving with the irony of making cars that are also really fun to drive. Self-driving cars promise to optimize this "waste" of time.

But here's the thing – I actually enjoy driving. Not the mind-numbing highway stretches or frustrating traffic jams, but those peaceful moments when it's just me, the road, and my thoughts.

This got me thinking about our obsession with optimization.

We're constantly trying to save time, streamline processes, and make everything more efficient. But what are we really gaining? And more importantly, what are we losing?

I've seen this firsthand in my work as a designer and developer.

There was a time when I could let designs evolve naturally as I built them, watching them grow from static mockups into living, breathing websites. The "inefficiency" of wearing both hats – designer and developer – actually made the end product better. Now, in the name of efficiency, we've split these roles into separate assembly line stations. Everything's more "organized," but something valuable has been lost in the process.

The truth is, some inefficiencies are worth protecting.

Think about cooking. Sure, meal delivery services and microwave dinners save time, but they strip away the meditation of chopping vegetables, the satisfaction of timing multiple dishes to finish together, the proud exhaustion of serving something you created from scratch.

The "inefficiency" is part of the joy.

We see this pattern everywhere:

Handwritten letters carry meaning precisely because they take more time than texts
Physical books engage our senses in ways e-readers can't replicate
Walking to a local shop creates unexpected conversations that Amazon Prime will never provide
Film photography makes each shot matter in a way that unlimited digital storage doesn't

This isn't an argument against progress.

Self-driving cars will make long-distance travel safer and more accessible. Digital tools will continue to transform how we work. But maybe instead of asking "How can we make this more efficient?" we should sometimes ask "Is this something worth being inefficient at?"

There's a certain irony in how we save time.

We optimize tasks to create more free time, then fill that free time with optimized entertainment – algorithmic recommendations, binge-watching, endless scrolling. We've gotten so good at saving time that we've forgotten how to spend it.

★ Dyslexic Thinking

Sun, 05 Jan 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Books and I don't get along. Never have.

My brain is wired differently, and it's actually pretty awesome. While I struggle with reading, I've got some serious superpowers when it comes to design and creative thinking.

Think of it like having a different operating system. Mine's optimized for visual processing and problem-solving instead of text processing. And in the design world? That's gold.

When I design interfaces, I can instantly see how elements should flow together. While others are stuck in documentation, I'm already visualizing user interactions and spotting potential issues. This isn't just faster - it's a completely different way of solving problems.

When I need to learn something, I skip the reading part entirely. Give me videos. Give me audio. My brain just gets it better that way. I'll absorb more from a 20-minute video than from hours of reading documentation.

Want to know what's cool about dyslexic thinking? These aren't skills I had to learn - they're just how my brain naturally works:

I see patterns others miss. In one project, I noticed that users were struggling with a navigation flow that looked perfect on paper. I could visualize their journey and spot the disconnect that others couldn't see.
Complex problems? Bring them on. When clients come with tangled requirements and conflicting needs, my brain lights up. I can hold multiple scenarios in my head and see how they intersect.
Spatial reasoning is my jam. I understand how elements relate to each other in space without having to sketch it out. This makes responsive design feel natural - I can instantly visualize how layouts will adapt across different screen sizes.
I can visualize solutions before they exist. In client meetings, while others are still processing requirements, I'm already seeing potential solutions. This isn't just about being fast - it's about seeing possibilities others might miss.

The Bible is basically a wall of text. Not my favorite. So I found better ways - The Bible Project videos, sermons, and The Action Bible (it's like a comic book version of scripture. Pretty cool, right?).

But I still needed a better way to remember what I learn. That's why I'm building Harvous - it's a notes app specifically for Bible study. I'm designing it for visual thinkers like me who:

Process information differently
Need better ways to organize spiritual insights
Want to remember what they learn without fighting their natural thinking style
Connect better with visual and interactive elements

My dyslexic thinking actually makes me better at collaboration. I can:

Quickly grasp complex project requirements
Translate client needs into visual solutions
See potential roadblocks before they become issues
Bridge the gap between different team perspectives

When team members get stuck in details, I help them step back and see the bigger picture. My different way of processing information often leads to breakthrough moments in stuck projects.

My dyslexic brain isn't broken - it's just different. And different can be really good. In design? It's my secret weapon. I don't just understand design - I think in design. That's pretty powerful and this has been something I recently learned.

★ 2024 Year in Review

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 00:00:00 GMT

My 2024 started with a goodbye to my grandpa. This would set the tone for my year—a reminder that time isn't infinite and tomorrow's dreams need today's action.

This year was all about transitions—new adjustments. From joining new teams to finally getting those drums I've wanted since childhood, 2024 became less about dreaming of what could be and more about building what should be.

Stand out moments

Joining the Kem Design team and Apollos web team opened up new chapters in my professional life—the kind where you know you're exactly where you need to be.
Made a new friend. His name is Cam Pak. His project, faith.tools is pretty cool.
Had my mind blown at NF concert. His music has gotten me through some difficult times and I respect his craft.
And then there was watching the SpaceX Starship landing and Tesla's We Robot events. Really motivated me to start building. Good things take time and constant effort.
My aussie girl, Kiya turned 1. Lilo, my other aussie will be turning 10 here soon. These two are my kiddos.

Stop

‍Life has a way of teaching you what needs to stay and what needs to go.

I said goodbye to a work situation that wasn't pushing me to grow—sometimes what you think you want just doesn't align with your need to keep improving and advancing your skills.

I'm done redesigning my personal website (even tried dark mode—definitely not me). Sometimes you need to try things to know they're not your thing.

Making some lifestyle changes too. I'm cutting out palm oil since it gives me headaches and nausea. More importantly, I'm working on dropping the victim mentality and letting go of expecting too much from others—like my dad.

Continuing

‍Some things are worth keeping around.

Still trying to hit that goal of reading one book a year—tackling "The Glass Castle" right now.

Got myself a Brick for better screentime management (social apps only on the iPhone that gets "brick'd"). It's about intentional disconnection.

Keeping up my support for Dr Disrespect as he has been my #1 distraction when I have tough days. We are also cut from the same cloth when it comes to heart, mind, and humor.

Keep blogging. I love writing. It continues to be a great escape for my mind.

Oh and nothing crazy when it comes to working out but ensuring every other day I do some calisthenics in the morning combined with daily walks with my two aussies.

Starting

Okay so get this. My fiancé got me an** **electric drum kit for Christmas. This made me emotional as I've wanted to play the drums since I was a kid. Instead I got a guitar that I never played. So this was super thoughtful and it'll be good to have a hobby without a screen.

I've been known for having slow mornings, but that needs to be less. I'm more productive and creative in the morning so I need to take advantage of that. It's all part of the bigger picture—build mode is activating. Going to cut down on consumption and ramp up creation, especially with website work looking busier and Harvous v1 on the horizon.

Money management is getting a serious upgrade too. And those calls and visits with my grandparents? They're about to become a lot more regular. No more putting off these important connections.

2024 taught me that sometimes you need to stop certain things to start the right ones.

2025 is all about building the additional floors on top of the now firmer foundation.

★ My WordPress Era

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT

It was 14 years ago.

What felt like a substantial moment of my journey into web was only 2 years. From 2010 to 2012 I started many side projects, procrastinated a lot while in college, and got to connect with a lot of great guys. My WordPress era was a special one.

It started with me trying out so many themes from Themeforest. Why? Because I wanted my WordPress blog to stand out and I didn’t know how to design and develop one. But, I started to learn how to take a theme and tweak it—customize it. I chose AcosminMag2 for my two blogs.

My first WordPress blog

LifeNotion was my first ever blog. I wanted to be like John Gruber and his blog, Daring Fireball. I always had thoughts about technology, especially Apple so I thought why not. This was 2010 and Twitter was still a new thing people were trying to understand. I would even find myself writing about Twitter for the college newspaper, Iowa State Daily. There was such a demand for "Twitter tips" that the infamous ProBlogger, Darren Rowse started TwiTip. I even posted here.

The Blogussion days

Months would go by and I’d have new ideas while still blogging on various blog names. Throughout all of this, what I can remember is that I stumbled across this blog about blogging called Blogussion. Very meta, but people that were in that scene definitely knew about this blog. Blogussion was created by Alex Mangini who was making WordPress skins for a WordPress theme product called Thesis. Yeah this was the OG drama of Matt Mullenweg and WordPress.

Anyways, I started contributing with a hot take post right away. It was titled "Stop Blogging About Blogging Already".

Alex really liked my posts. So him and I started connecting via Skype and we’d have remote work sessions. We established a friendship. While on s Skype call either of us would rarely talk. It was a way to keep us accountable to working on our side project. At the time, and I think still today the amount of work Alex put into Blogussion really set the bar for a great WordPress blog. On average we’d also have 20-40 comments per post.

_Side note: Gah I miss the days of native commenting being popular. _

While Blogussion was a team effort I had my own side projects (I mean really they were just logos, Twitter accounts, and domain names) and Alex had his WordPress theme shop called Kolakube with it’s primary product offering being Marketer’s Delight. He was focused and working hard on building this as a business. I witnessed this and this pushed me to buckle down and focus on one project.

Now, during this I had pivoted LifeNotion, the tech blog to a college tips blog. This is how I ended up meeting THE Thomas Frank of College Info Geek. Turns out, we both attended Iowa State University. So crazy. And then, I pivoted again to have LifeNotion be blog about blogging called UniqueBlog.

This all concluded when Alex sold Blogussion.

The final attempt

So then came a blog focused on all topics related to design. By this time I was making logos and loved tinkering with WordPress themes on the side that I wanted to get back into blogging about this focused interest of mine—design. I’ve always been a fan of minimal design and that’s where the name Resimplify came from—the process of simplifying something.

I started a relationship with the 8BIT team from Atlanta who were responsible for the Standard Theme. The relationship prospered so much that they wanted to partner with bloggers and I was one of them. Together we created designs and they were developing said designs for Resimplify.

But, this came to an abrupt halt. What’s wild is 8BIT ended up selling their blog, WP Daily to WP Engine. I know, right?!

What I thought was going to be my moment quickly turned into me back to square one. And now, in hindsight this would be the last time I personally used WordPress or felt part of the WP community.

It was a fun and very memorable 2 years. Thanks WordPress.

★ It takes two... designers

Mon, 09 Sep 2024 00:00:00 GMT

One of the worst feelings for me is when I have no more opportunity to grow or be better at what I'm doing. In the case of being a designer this was apparent being the solo designer on a team.

This team was my first team of independent creatives all coming together on a per project basis. There was a lot I had to learn and still need to learn especially when it comes to this idea of process for dev handoff. But, as a designer you need feedback—multiple points and rounds of it. And not from anyone, while helpful, to me the most helpful feedback is from other designers.

This is where it takes two designers to help and grow each other's work.

For me it's gone from "I think this is good" to "I'm going to back my design" to now "ooooo let me keep cooking."

A good designer is like a good chef...

If there isn't another chef or sous chef in the kitchen then how do you really know if the dish tastes good. Another chef will challenge the taste and your skills to make a better dish. A server and customer will keep demanding the classics and settling for what they've known to be good.

★ The Mirage of Growth

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT

In two months, I'll mark my second anniversary as a full-time freelancer with this local agency. During this time, my role evolved from web designer and Webflow developer to "Lead UI/UX Designer".

Initially, I welcomed this change. While learning Webflow, I had inadvertently neglected to focus on web design. Though I engaged in UI/UX design, I wanted to concentrate more on this aspect rather than Webflow development.

This shift aligned with the agency's needs, both then and now. Work has been steady, with more projects in content, design, and development. The agency even hired a dedicated project manager to handle various aspects of project oversight.

Adding to this "growth," we're transitioning between project management tools - though in reality, we've been without one for months.

The underlying theme is the agency's vision of expansion and becoming a larger team. However, this vision may not fully align with the current reality. While there's plenty of work, only a few of us collaborate at any given time. The agency may boast a team of 10, but in practice, it's a team of five at most. This context makes my "lead" title feel somewhat inconsistent with the actual team structure.

During client calls and pitches, I've observed presentations that might not fully reflect our current team composition. Most team members are remote, located over 100 miles away.

Project timelines have improved, but there are still challenges in aligning scope, deliverables, and ongoing projects. While we appear to have a thorough, well-intended process, it can be compromised without proper planning, expectation setting, and communication.

Our new project manager is tasked with addressing these issues and creating SOPs. However, I believe we need to focus more on planning and project forecasting. Unfortunately, they're constantly managing unexpected issues, which limits their ability to implement long-term improvements.

These might be seen as "growing pains," but they've led to increased stress and challenges in maintaining the quality of work we aspire to deliver.

As this situation has evolved over months, I've adjusted my workload as a self-employed freelance designer. I've reduced my availability from 25-35 hours per week to 10-15. Fortunately, new opportunities have made this a smart and healthy decision. While I'm grateful for the consistent work with this agency, the increasing complexity and stress have become unsustainable.

Moving forward, I'm transitioning into more of a "design advisor" role with the agency. This shift allows me to leverage my experience and expertise in a way that benefits the team, while also giving me the flexibility to pursue other opportunities. As a design advisor, I'll be able to provide strategic input on projects, offer guidance on best practices, and contribute to high-level decision-making without being as deeply involved in the day-to-day execution.

From this I've grown and am grateful for the start and journey I was one within this agency. Without this agency I would not be able to do what I am transitioning into with the goal of one day working on my own product full-time with no clients and spending most of my time providing feedback.

★ Death by SOP

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 00:00:00 GMT

I've been with this local agency for almost two years. At first, I did both web design and Webflow development. Now, only design in Figma which includes wireframing. This change is something I wanted at the time but feels like I'm just a small part of an assembly line.

It's harder now to move from Figma designs to actual development. Before, I would start designs in Figma but let them grow as I built them in Webflow. This let me see how the design worked on real browsers and devices. I could make it better as I went along. Figma prototypes are useful, but they can't show how a real website feels and responds.

My old way of working was more flexible. I'd make desktop designs in Figma. Then, as I built the site in Webflow, I'd figure out mobile layouts and make design choices based on what actually worked. It wasn't perfect, but I could adapt and improve things easily. I really miss that now.

Doing Two Jobs Well

This worked because I'm good at both design and development. I might not be the very best at either one, but I'm great at connecting the two. I can design something and then bring it to life. Building the site always helped me make the design better.

Now, I have to try to think of every little detail before any coding starts. It's like I need to see the future and know how everything will work before we even begin. This goes against good design, which should change and get better over time.

The development team now tries to make everything look exactly like the Figma file. Even if small changes would make the site better, they won't do it. I have to spend so much time making sure every tiny thing in Figma is perfect. There's no room for making things better as we build.

The worst part is when I suggest improvements during reviews. People often say, "But that's not how it looks in the Figma file." They don't seem to understand that design should keep getting better as we work.

New Rules Miss the Mark

This change isn't happening without reason. The agency struggles with organization, and project teams often vary. They introduced Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to create consistency. The idea was to keep everyone on the same page.

I understand the need for SOPs, but their current application is too rigid for web design and development. When I suggest adjustments to fit a project's unique needs, I'm told to stick to the process. It seems like following rules has become more important than adapting to each project's requirements.

We do need some guidelines, especially to ensure each phase—from content to design to development—gets proper attention and isn't rushed. But there's a crucial difference between helpful frameworks and inflexible rules. Our field requires us to be nimble. Each project has its own challenges and opportunities. One-size-fits-all procedures often miss these nuances.

These SOPs were meant to bring order, but they've created a new issue. They've built walls between different stages of our work. Now, it's harder to make small, necessary adjustments as we move from content creation to design, or from design to development. We've traded one problem for another: less chaos, but also less ability to fine-tune our work as we go.

Oh and well there's actually more chaos that includes: rushing things to meet unrealistic expectations, PMs not fully knowing what's going on or the status of a project, and not taking the proper time to review things before going to the next phase.

What we really need are simple, flexible processes that keep projects moving forward while allowing for natural collaboration and adjustment between each phase. This would let us maintain efficiency without sacrificing the quality that comes from addressing each project's unique needs.

Broken Feedback and Loss of Big Picture

Our feedback system is even more disjointed.

Also, I miss being able to see the whole project. I used to spot problems in development while designing, and vice versa. Now, with jobs split up, we lose the benefits of seeing how everything fits together.

I'm trying to adapt to this new way of working. I'm being more detailed in my initial designs and trying to think of all possible problems early. But I can't shake the feeling that our work isn't as good as it could be. We're losing the things that made our work special.

I don't want to get rid of all processes or go back to having no structure. I'm just tired process, process, process and only doing design work with no input on development.

What's next?

I remember why I got into this field. I love creating things, solving problems, and seeing projects come to life. I'm fighting to keep these things, not just for me, but for the future of our work and industry.

The past two years have taught me a lot. While the agency isn't what I want right now, I see this as a chance for change - for me and maybe for the agency too. Only time will tell if we can fix this "death by SOP," but for now, I'm choosing to protect my creativity and find a better balance.

★ Launch Day

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 00:00:00 GMT

June 10th has always been a launch day for me. My favorite number is 10 but it’s never been about that number, it’s been a happy coincidence.

The first launch was a blog and newsletter called Made in DSM. Back in 2016, my best friend at the time and I felt Des Moines, Iowa was missing a community of makers. Not only to seek out new makers, but to support the existing ones. Turns out the demand was there and every month 100s of people would check out our blog and newsletter. It was the first time, I had launched a side project and witnessed an overflowing amount of support that was so unexpected. Due to differences and time commitments, the project ended in 2019. Still to this day, many local shops rep the “Made in DSM” sticker. What a wild 3 year ride that hade a positive impact on a small community within a small, but growing city.

The second launch was a big one. I left my full-time job at my former church as a designer to freelance full-time. The first 6 months was very rough. So rough that I decided to take an L by seeking employment with my now website design and dev skills. Oh and for time frame this was 2020. A couple months after COVID-19 hit the world and changed everything. I took a risk. Like many things during this time, it fast tracked a lot of the inevitables and desires. I desired to be less stressed, but do design work full-time. The good news is that to this day I’m still a full-time freelancer. It’s been 4 years.

The third launch, well it’s not today. But I’m reminded of these two crucial events happening on the same day of the year. June 10th. And maybe there will be a June 10th in the future that sees the launch of Harvous, the Bible study app I’ve been working on on the side.

We shall see. Until then, happy launch day!

★ Mother's Day

Sun, 12 May 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Mother’s Day growing up meant getting something for mom during the annual Tulip Time festival that would be either days or a week before. Looking back many others were probably doing the same.

Everyone has a mom right? Well, in recent years I’ve gotten sensitive about the idea of having a mom.

While everyone has a mom to begin their life with, not everyone currently has a mom. Take my dad, his mom passed away too young after a freak accident just days after beating cancer. In my first marriage, I wanted to recognize her at our wedding. So we put an empty seat behind my dad. My dad had no idea until he looked back. My dad is a man who rarely cries in front of people. Well, that was one of those times. Even though she has been gone for almost 20 years now I get emotional thinking about her. She was a great mom and I know she is looking down from above with a smile.

Then an unexpected and uncomfortable situation arose in my life. I now had technically two moms. My mom and then my now stepmom. Family drama aside this did my head in because I gained a stepmom as an adult. Still to this day I don't call her mom but I think she is very understanding as to why.

Just when I thought I was done getting emotional over motherhood my wife at the time asked for a divorce. This would be weeks leading up to Mother’s Day. I was feeling many things—gutted, betrayal, lost, confused, and needing to feel heard.

I sought out my mom. The first time was rough because she was shocked. Then the second time she was giving me hope. I didn’t want hope. I wanted someone to just listen and comfort me. My mom hates when I’m in pain. She also has always had my back through altercations at home and many of my passions to covering for my many mistakes as a teenager. She’s a great mom. While we don’t have many common interests to just chat about she puts in effort to chat and be there for me. I'm grateful for that.

Then came the third time.

Now this is the Mother’s Day after my wife moved out. We went to Olive Garden, my mom’s favorite restaurant even though she doesn’t like spicy food and most of the Italian food is spicy. We got seated at our booth where it was me, my sister and her family, my stepdad, and my mom. Everything that happened recently in my life was still fresh and I was fragile. All my mom had to do was look at me with her eyes and I started crying. My mom knows so much about me.

I say all of this because Mother’s Day now means so much more than getting a gift at a local tulip festival.

My now wife-to-be grew up with a mom that never had the chance to fully become a mom. Knowing everything my mom has done for me this breaks my heart knowing she didn’t and still doesn’t have that. She did, however, say to me… “well Derek I may not have a mom, but through you I have two moms.” As you can imagine I cried. Oh heck, I’m crying now.

Mother’s Day is less about gift giving and more about the idea of motherhood.

★ AI Traffic Signals

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Why don't they exist? Instead we have technology that relies on sensors and timers. Traffic engineers program these giant metal boxes based on data from a small timeframe of observation and data collection from cable sensors.

Then you have the occasional survey from the city asking about traffic signals. And then you have the reason for traffic signals not being in sync is intentional to prevent shoplifters from getting away.

Traffic signals today are archaic and stupid. You may as well put four way stop signs everywhere because how we use traffic signals today isn't smart.

Imagine a traffic signal prioritizing the flow of traffic. And when it sees a clog it makes adjustments to maximize the flow. No more going through a loop where it's probable that no car is moving.

Lights are changed only for the sake of flow. And flow isn't stopping one car for 24.

If a car needs to cross an intersection of a priority road why not give them a blinking red light signifying you can go only if it's safe? Why should the traffic signal go red on a priority road when flow isn't a concern and it's not high traffic?

At times the flow of a four way stop sign interchange is better than one with a traffic signal.

I could see Tesla's Vision helping solve this.

★ Spectating game devlogs

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT

I wouldn't call myself a gamer. But I would say I'm a spectator. Some of my favorite memories are me sitting on the couch watching one of my friends play a video game. I was spectating video games before Twitch was a thing.

And now that I've started designing my own app, I've been hooked on spectating game devlogs—video journals of a game dev and the game their making.

While my app isn't a game per say it will have gamification like Duolingo.

The simplest form of gamification has made its way into many apps today. My first memory of this designed approach (gamification) was with Foursquare and the OG Gowalla. This was back in a time where it was cool to check-in to physical places to earn badges in the digital world. And there was a leaderboard. The more places you checked-in and how often you did everyday like a streak the more points you'd have. It was brilliant. People would use the app to keep their streak alive, collect more badges, and/or be at the top of the leaderboard.

The problem? The fun fizzled out.

Both a game and an app with gamification need the content to be fun, useful, engaging, and interesting otherwise no streak and leaderboard will help. With each new piece of content comes new levels, add-ons, achievements, and more. When a player (or user) maxes out the game is done. When a player or user feels like the game is too easy or too hard the game is done.

Content is still king. And watching said content get made has been inspiring in my app design journey.

It's through these game devlogs on YouTube like DevDeck and ThinMatrix that allow me to see creative process and design decisions that effect overall player enjoyment, engagement, and progression.

A player is also a user and I'm the spectator and creator at the moment.

★ Thirty-five

Sat, 02 Mar 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Today I turn 35.

It’s been a year of God teaching me about prioritization.

It feels like a part 2 as last year was a year of focus. God knows I have lots of ideas, lots of thoughts, and tend to day dream and dream about all the what ifs. Me and my imagination.

Sometimes though, my imagination gets me in trouble. I ignore the tough realities of my life. I’m $40k in debt, spending more than I earn, and wasn’t making any changes as I had hoped one big opportunity would be a great reset.

A few months back, I applied at Webflow and made it to the final round. So yeah, I was pumped!

It felt like a great reset on my life. For the second time in my life I wouldn’t just be living paycheck to paycheck paying off my debt along the way. I’d be working for a company that I not only greatly admired but one whose product empowered me as a designer to create real experiences.

It felt right, but they didn’t offer me the job. I was that close. In a matter of seconds after reading that email it wasn’t meant to be. But, man did I have a great time going through the interview process. Imagine getting to meet the people on a Zoom call who, up until now, you've seen during live or pre-recorded videos. Also, got to connect with them on a bit deeper level. Rather than being unknown, we are now acquaintances.

In hindsight this would have been an easy fix. Rather, I needed to work on fixing the problems and bad habits of my life that I consistently ignored—my spending. And while other things in my life I feel so lucky with, working through my financial situation has been a big faith walk. Through this I know God has something great for my life as he has called me to build a tool only I can build that will positively impact the world.

Okay enough of me and financial struggle and more on that calling later...

Here are some this year’s highlights in no particular order:

Traveled to Oklahoma for the first time with my best friend, Monique, to see her best friend that I call Pepé. Immediately, it felt like home. Pepé’s parents are great. I didn’t feel like an inconvenience to them as we didn’t have any history and were merely writing the first pages of the first chapter of this “life book”. We were there for a friend of a friend’s wedding. I definitely danced and we all had a good time.

Moments before the wedding I would receive a call from where my oldest, Lilo was staying with her sister Kiya. She had bled everywhere and needed to seek medical help immediately. I was stressed and an emotional mess. Lilo means the world to me. She’s been part of my life for 9 years and those 9 years have certainly had many lows and highs.

Oh and Kiya, well Kiya was a new member of the family! Ever since my divorce and Lani going with my ex-wife I’ve felt bad that Lilo lost a sister. So after debating on it and Monique saying that I better get her... I got her. She’s been such a great pup and keeps Lilo on her paws.

Speaking of family...

There were two events that have got me wanting to spend more time with my grandparents. The first one was surprising my grandma for her 80th birthday (I jokingly asked others if it was a good idea to surprise our 80 year old grandma). She was so moved because she thought it was just a little surprise birthday party with some of her close relatives. But, it was actually a home filled with almost everyone she loved and cared about. Seeing her scan the room and notice more unexpected faces brought happy tears to my eyes and hers.

Then came a lot of sad tears. My grandpa (on the other side of my family) passed away January 1, 2024. Several days while on his bed unable to speak I sent him a voice message telling him my life updates and what he taught me. We all deserve more voice messages and more chances to spend time with one another. Life is special and it’s fragile and just like that my grandpa was in Heaven. I thought his death wouldn’t be emotionally hard on me as I hadn’t spent a lot of time with him in my life. This wasn’t the case. The days leading up to his death I realized that we were very similar—we both made our families laugh and both very stubborn. I miss my goofy grandpa.

Another thing I missed was helping out in church production. After going to an Elevation Worship concert among really any other concert I always love the lighting design. When I worked at my former church as the Experience Lead my favorite places to serve were on lights and video switcher. Three and half years later I would return to the video switcher role and serve for my now church’s youth conference. Watching back at the recording I’m proud of what everyone involved accomplished. If I was in youth this would be a forever positive memory.

Lastly, I had the opportunity to work with Scenery, a video editing web app. From branding and wire framing to web design and Webflow development this project was very fulfilling. My lead was their CMO who believed in content-first and together we made a great new website for their out-of-beta product launch. While I have liked focusing more on the web design phase this past year I enjoyed owning the entire process going from branding all the way to Webflow development. And do it with high praises from the client with my favorite being—he was fun to work with. Shoutout to my friend, Corey for this opportunity and continued friendship. Without him I don’t know where I’d be in my freelance website journey. I’m so grateful to call him my friend.

Along with Corey, I’ve became friends with some other great guys. We are all in this web design/development industry and all of them know my aspirations. Their support has been awesome!

Back to my calling...

The other day I received more clarity on what God has called me to build. First, I rewatched what was prophesied over my life. Alex prophesied over me that he sees me building something with technology that is creative and that only I know how to build because God has the vision for me while citing Proverbs 25:2.

Secondly, in a great chat with Kenneth I should be focused on building “The Duolingo for Bible study” and not something that is “more manageable” or easier like a Notion template. Why? It distracts from the core vision I was given and why not start with a MVP. The barrier I placed up was not knowing the technicalities but he said that’s why you have me and others who are more than willing to help out with that side of things. I get to focus on the vision and the visuals. I was pumped!

Lastly, in chatting with one of my pastors about what I believe to be Hike 2.0 (special shoutout to Monique) which again is this memorization app like Duolingo but for Bible study. He said, omg! I’ve been working on a simple guide on reading the Bible.

So, this idea which I call Harvous (aka Hike 2.0) had so much clarity and affirmation to start now.

It feels like a season for training—getting ready for the big race of doing what God has called me to build (Harvous). In the season of training I do the work that I don’t necessarily love but I’m good at and more than able to do. Oh and creating healthier habits now like with my spending for a brighter more sustainable future for me and my family.

This year is me transitioning away from always thinking about the future to doing the things now for that future.

"Seize the day. Because, believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing." -Robin Williams

★ Hike

Thu, 22 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT

I've always felt like the black sheep in my family, as I seem to be the only one who speaks my mind about my feelings and thoughts. While I'm an open door, it seems everyone else is a closed door.

So, I set out to solve this problem by creating a journaling app built for families. This app would redefine the concept of family, allowing users to define their family however they see fit and be part of multiple families simultaneously.

I believe in scratching your own itch, and to me, that's the best way to build something meaningful. Instead of chasing opportunities, I prefer to chase the struggle because that's where the most impactful solutions often lie.

As I started creating notes and jotting down my ideas, I dreamed about what this app could become. What if it could one day replace Facebook, serving as a social media app exclusively for tight-knit groups for both work and home? However, I decided to start with the home.

The core idea was simple yet innovative: a journaling app specifically designed for families.

While many journaling apps allow you to record your thoughts, memories, and moods, this app would take it a step further by making it easily shareable and collaborative with your family. By default, your mood would always be shared, and you could also passively let your family know what you need, whether it's support, a vacation, or space.

This feature was what I desired most from my family.

I should've known this app wasn't going to see the light as the darkness of my family would be the last ones to use such an app.

The first version of the app was designed in XD and developed in Webflow. I collaborated with my best friend, who was a full-stack developer, to create the functioning app using Livewire and Laravel. Everything was going smoothly, and the app was weeks away from user testing through a beta phase.

However, things took an unexpected turn when my best friend suddenly went silent and ultimately decided we shouldn't be friends anymore. As a result, the project came to a halt. All the code on Github was gone, and all I had left was the Webflow frontend. I was devastated.

Despite its untimely demise, the app was called Hike, inspired by the idea of a journey at a casual pace. Version 2 of the app had a design that felt like a physical book, and I was very proud of it. Hike will always hold a special place in my heart as a project that could have been my time to shine, taking an idea from conception to an actual product.

R.I.P. Hike.

★ Redirecting Ideas

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 00:00:00 GMT

There's no denying that I have ideas.

Over of the course of my adult years (I'm currently 34) I've had so many—probably should create a list. With each new idea, though, would come a new logo—a new domain. Every new idea was a complete new direction or new thing.

The problem with how I handled all these ideas is a lot of time spent on not having focus and spending money that didn't need to be spent.

It took me 16 years to recognize the need to redirect my ideas. And this became so much easier when I received a calling and prophesy on my life back in 2021. I think about these two moments quite a lot. It formed a solid foundation for my work and all of my future ideas.

With each new idea I would reframe it under what I was told to build. I began to redirect my ideas.

To me, an idea comes from a my creativity for solving a problem whether the problem is truly one or one I assume. So, rather than perusing each new idea as it's own thing I redirect the creativity to see if there is a place as it relates to the one thing I'm working on.

It's time for focus. One side project or maybe two at a time.

★ How I got into design

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

"How'd you get into design?"

I've been asked this question multiples times this past month. Typically I credit Legos or even me playing in Sketch and tinkering with WordPress themes from Themeforest.

But the more I've thought about it, the more I can better recall my first moment with design.

As a kid I loved these things called Micro Machines. They were these small little blocks of buildings and scenery where your little cars could experience. I wanted all of the sets, but my parents said no. So, I took out a notebook and with some pencil and markers I made my own blocks. Without knowing it this would be me designing this environments solving my own problem of wanting as many places for my micro cars to experience.

I did play with my Legos and Tonkas. I did watch my dad design the house I grew up in on AutoCad. And I did enjoy drawing floor plans and elevations of homes on grid paper. All of these transformed into designing logos in Sketch and wanting to get into web design.

But creating these environments on notebook paper is when I first remember solving a problem, which is what design is all about.

★ Limited Screen Time (LST)

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

I feel like we're on a constant journey of finding the right balance. While we can easily walk and physically find our balance, time management and what we do with that time is challenging.

And with screens, screen time for anyone that uses a screen to make a living only complicates this more.

As a freelance web designer and developer I get to work from anywhere. All I need is my MacBook Air and I'm good to go. I can work away from home, at home, and anytime of the day as long as I have an internet connection. Realistically, I could work 24/7 but that's crazy, right?!

Well, knowing that I can work 24/7 does two things to me:

I can work on said thing whenever, so what's 15 minutes here and there of getting lost on YouTube
I don't actually end up getting said work done and also not present with my dogs, family, and friends

My goal for 2024 is to be present more—both work and personal.

Yesterday was a great start to this where I gave myself deadlines/cutoff times. So even though I can work 24/7 I blocked out a 5 hour window of time where only work could be done. I amazingly stuck to it, was productive, and used the other time in my day to be present with my dogs, my fiancé, my family, and actually work on my side project.

This is only day 2 but in 45 minutes I know I have to start work.

I now have limited screen time.

★ Two strikes and the 80 percent rule

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Out of three strikes, anytime you get to two there is a shift being made—mentally.

Let's say at your work you've experienced the same offense for the second time.

In my head I have this informal strike system.

Upon reflection I've realized that the reasons why I leave are when the two strikes becomes too heavy, feeling closer to a third strike, or it has well surpassed three strikes and they've gone ignored. I can trace back why I've left my previous experiences to this informal two strike system.

Then comes the 80 percent rule.

This is what keeps me going through the two strikes, after the first strike, and through the continued strikes that could occur.

To me, it's unrealistic to expect any job to satisfy you 100%. But, I do think a goal of liking a job 80% of the time is realistic and healthy.

It's when this starts to dip below 80% that in combination of two strikes I am looking for a new opportunity. I'm figuring out what matters most to me, what I can learn from my time, and where I'd like to grow to continue my lifelong journey.

The 80 percent rule supersedes the informal two strikes, but the strikes have a greater possibility for less than 80%.

★ My goofy Grandpa

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT

Several days back I sent my grandpa a voice message. He was in hospice care and couldn’t speak, but I wanted him to hear my voice and say my final words to him. The last time I had seen or chatted with him my life was very different. I was happily married and working at my former church full-time.

Since then though I had left this job and my then wife asked for a divorce. I definitely wished I had kept in touch with him. In the 3-minute voice message I gave him a brief life update to let him know while I went through a really hard time I am much happier now. I then told him the #1 thing that I learned from him—life is too short not to be goofy.

Every time we’d hang out he would be sarcastic and saying funny things and I would follow. We’d make each other laugh. I’d always fall for him tricking me like Cool Whip on my face when eating his famous giant pecan tassies. It was a classic.

While him and I were never really close I was definitely part of him in spirit. We both make our family laugh. I miss my goofy grandpa.

★ The missing soul of Steve Jobs

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Apple has removed the soul of Steve Jobs.

No this isn't 1985 when the board fired Steve due to a massive disagreement between CEO, John Sculley, and the board.

This is 2023. The current CEO, Tim Cook walks around Apple Park talking to only a camera recording a made-in-post video streamed for thousands of people. Not only is Timmy not in the Steve Jobs Theater presenting the following new products, but Apple Stores have altered their internal credo removing many of Steve's words.

Sure, during the COVID-19 "pandemic" it made sense to make these highly produced videos to not only show off the empty Apple Park but take presenting and editing to a whole new level when we weren't supposed to be close to one another. A packed event in a theater like the days prior would be a PR nightmare for Apple.

Well, it's been more than 3 years, and still no presentation from the mainstage of Steve Jobs Theater. This is saddening, especially given the history and significance of a main stage with limited seating that would also be streamed live for many more to experience. Rather than rehearsing and editing in post, it meant everyone speaking, including the new face of Apple (Timmy), needed to be ready LIVE. Of course, though, no one would ever be like Steve when it came to presenting. He was witty, captured your attention, was passionate about Apple's place in the market, and told us simply the whys and how they will impact the world.

Back in 2012, I had the honor to join the Apple Retail team at my local store. The first days weren't spent learning where products are, how systems work, or practicing to help customers. Nope. The first days were spent learning about Apple's history, learning why Apple does what it does, how Apple is different, and being introduced to the Apple Credo — the mission statement that guided our every interaction and decision at Apple Retail.

This credo included statements like:

"We redefine expectations. First for ourselves, then for the world. Because we're a little crazy. Because "good enough" isn't. Because what we do says who we are."

It was all about how we enrich people's lives with Apple's products and services that required us, the Apple team, to do so.

Well, fast forward to today and you will find a word replaced in that line. "Crazy" was replaced with "different" because "crazy" is now seen as offensive by world culture. Gone is the tribute to Steve and his famous speech, "Here's to the crazy ones."

And you find the desire to not be presenting in front of people like Steve was famous for. It's a new Apple, one without Steve and his soul and one with Tim and world-approved culture.

I do believe, Steve passed the torch of CEO to Tim Cook (AKA Timmy) knowing future innovations after his time would be more internal than external. With Tim, formally as the COO, (responsible for all of the company's worldwide sales and operations, including end-to-end management of Apple's supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries) Steve knew he needed a captain to run Apple and not a presenter because Steve cared a lot about the future of his company, Apple.

It's just disappointing to see how the soul of Steve Jobs is gone at Apple. The new "soul" of Apple is Apple's PR department which rides on the perception of world culture. That's not a company I'd want to work for and if Steve was alive I feel that he would be disappointed.

I'm sorry, Steve.

★ Seventy-three

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT

I wanted to be an architect

I was the glue in my family

I am always the one laughing

I am always the one frustrated

I am hard on myself

I was part of a few friend groups

I thought I had many best friends

I went to college to pursue my dream

I started standing up for myself

I started leading

I was told a divorce was coming

I stayed up late

I stopped wanting to be an architect

I got lost

I have always struggled communicating

I quickly found my skill in nonverbals

I spent three days on a cover letter

I pioneered the future of retail

I plateaued

I fell in love with words

I fell in love with someone special

I fell in love so hard that I proposed

I felt alive

I felt purpose

I felt responsibility

I was working for God

I was designing for God

I was again told a divorce

I lost touch with myself

I lost touch with my marriage

I got lost in my work

I put myself first

I now only have myself

I was alone

I was hurt

I seeked therapy

I seeked a healthy me

I seeked validation

I fear abandonment

I love words of affirmation

I love words

I love myself

I am a new me

I still laugh

I still get frustrated

I still am hard on myself

I gained a best friend

I was vulnerable

I was open

I had my trust in him

I had a brother

I am a brother

I trust in Him

I got called to create

I got to create to help families

I got to help with mental health

I returned back to working for God

I knew this was different

I knew this was purpose

I gained another best friend

I was vulnerable

I was open

I have my trust in her

I love her and the love she has for me

I am her teammate

I am broken

I lost him

I don’t know why and never will

I thankfully have Him

I will keep going and growing

I will keep working for Him

I have faith

I am alive

And so is He

★ 2nd Time Watching E.T.

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 00:00:00 GMT

The first time I watched E.T. was me being a little kid. I couldn’t watch it again. I was angry. I was angry at the government taking E.T. away and accidentally killing him. I lived through Elliot, who was devastated.

I was so hesitant to watch again. I didn’t want to feel that pain again.

Man what a different perspective the second time.

This time I would quickly realize Elliot was scared because he finally had someone that understood him because E.T. had powers that could easily feel his feelings while he was able to feel the feelings of E.T. The government did take E.T. away to try but to try and save him. E.T. actually saves Elliot by doing the right thing and separating himself from him. Then home comes and Elliot rushes to bring him back home, back to the spaceship in the forest where E.T.’s curiosity got the best of him and accidentally getting left behind.

When I was a kid I was angry Elliot. Now, a mature, clearer picture.

★ What a wild Hike

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT

2 years ago I began designing a group journaling app for families. Over the course of these years many iterations were done but soon we’d release a beta to several gracious individuals. “Think Spring” was the phrase. But then something happened…

Since December no work progressed on the app. The development was at a standstill. I was patient. Good things come to though that wait. Then it was gone.While it wasn’t my code it was my design and vision. I was hurt.

Hike had to exist, so…

I went back to the foundational reasons of building Hike. The problem is navigating conflict, struggles, and obstacles we face mentally and emotionally with ourselves and others. A journaling app made sense and it’s a tool that may come later.

But, that was now out of scope…

Then it hit me.

I was reminded how during my therapy journey I had resources from my therapist like prompts, exercises, and tools that were very helpful for me. But they definitely weren’t organized.What if I created a library of these resources to help assist others?

In a matter of weeks Hike went from a different take on a group journaling app to a sidekick for one’s mental health journey.

You never fully know the journey an idea will take and become. But, I’m happy and thankful it’s here!

★ Thirty-four

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 00:00:00 GMT

Today I turn 34.

I knew this year was going to be a year of growth for me. I didn't expect how much growth though.

This year turned out to be a lot about being okay with stillness while still moving forward. Rather than being in a boat powered by a V8 engine I needed to be okay with riding the river current and using the paddles.

You see, I'm prone to rushing things. Probably, why I love F1 and in a different life I'd be a racer. Aside from my personal growth that I could feel coming and happening what I didn't see happening was what recently happened between me and my best friend.

We've been working on the Hike app for two years now. It went through a couple major iterations and we set a beta release date for Late March 2023. Its March and Hike will sadly not be released within 30 days.

Almost 2 years ago I was given a calling by God to build something to help families. That's all I knew at the time. We set out to build a different kind of journaling app. One that would be more designed around the group, family aspect with unique all-in-one approaches that included public feelings and needs along with easily shareable private thoughts. This app would create insights and many relational data points based on everyone in the family's usage. No recommendations, just points of interest or any patterns.

With under 2 months remaining to meet the Late March beta release date, all that was left were the permissions and sharing capabilities within the app. That's it.

And "that's it" would be the second most unexpected experience of my lifetime. The first being my ex-wife's ask for a divorce. The second being my best friend all of the sudden having zero communication with zero explanation. Oh the irony.

But, I know Hike must continue with or without him.

In a matter of 3 weeks I've grown even more to stand firm in my calling, trusting in the process and timing even more, and that extending the timeline is okay.

While I feel extending the timeline has annoyingly been the pattern of my life, I truly believe the best things are coming when they're ready for me. God's got something special for me. I just know it. And He wants me to have zero control over its timing.

Which is fucking hard.

This year is about FOCUS for me. And that's become even more clear after what happened to me at the start of February.

I've been blessed to be self-employed and do the design work I love for a team that supports me and pushes me to be better and likewise for them. It will be 1 year in October at One Branding that's going through a redesign to set ourselves up even stronger as a website design and development house.

Hike remains a daily thought for me. "What's next?" The beautiful thing is that God has conveniently surrounded me with great people in great situations to help Hike turn into something that helps so many families. I don't know yet any specifics yet. I do know it will happen.

It has to happen. Everything up until this moment has prepared me for something even greater. For a tool or tools to help people manage their feelings and get through any conflict with any relationship that's important to them. More than ever our world needs something like this.

So, while this year felt similar to when I turned 32 but was very different.

I know what I need to do. I know what I need to focus on. And I have the right people supporting, loving, and being there for me while I do my best to be there for them too.

★ Goodbye Tags

Fri, 20 Jan 2023 00:00:00 GMT

It’s all about input and organize.

But, what if you could just focus on input.

And inputing would feel frictionless. The only friction would be your mind and willingness to input. Not the input itself.

I don’t wanna have to think about what tags I’m going to add to it or how I’m going to organize it. That’s not a job I want to do. I just want to input to remember.

The magic lies in the app helping me make sense of my inputs and organizing it in a way that is useful.

Gone are the days of adding tags.

★ My favorite rebrand of 2022

Mon, 26 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT

As 2022 comes to a close I've witnessed many rebrands. Whether that be a completely new name or an iteration, I love the process that a rebrand goes through. And what I feel is my favorite is purely subjective. This will be the first time I've shared my yearly opinion. I want to do this every year to showcase my overall stance that also puts a mark on the year.

This year felt like a refinement year—take what was good and reMARKable and refine it, make it simpler.

With refinement as my overall theme and feel for 2022 my favorite rebrand was Sprite.

‍

★ Despising Saturdays

Sat, 10 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT

It’s the first day of the weekend. Traditionally these are the days when most people spend time with friends and family. From the ages of 22 to 33 I’ve either worked a Saturday or since I normally work them I’m see as unavailable.

It sucked. It felt like I was missing out. It surely didn’t help my biggest fear of abandonment. I felt like the black sheep.

You see, I worked in retail and at a church. My Saturdays were at the mercy of work needing me first. Time with family and friends came second. And it became such a distant second that, again, my family and friends would always forget that I’d be busy on Saturdays. This created tension.

I know this created tension and disappointment with my former wife and her family. I would share my frustrations and ultimately she would have my back. That didn’t change the underlying feeling of disappointment from her and her family.

Retail was always a struggle to plan free time on Saturdays. So when I started at my, then, church I was hopeful. The church has a Saturday night service but I figured it’d have most of the day to be available.

That sadly wasn’t the case. You see most plans started in the afternoon and carried through into the evening and even night. I don’t know what I was thinking. This all makes sense now, but at the time it didn’t. Even though I was more available I essentially wasn’t. At church I was the production lead which meant that I was responsible for every service happening from a tech aspect. Being the only designer, too, meant that I was ensuring all the graphics and content were ready for the Saturday night service as changes would typically happen hours before the start of service.

This Saturday free time would quickly dwindle as I started to work most Saturdays from 2 to 9 as after service there would be things we’d need to improve before Sunday.

The struggle was that I loved what I did at the church so much. I was really good at it, but ultimately I found myself not equipped at the time to handle it for my wellbeing.

2 years later I would depart from the church. Months later my wife, at the time, would depart from me. Oh, and during this time I would get let go from a local creative agency.

Needless to say I sought out therapy.

Times are better, but here I am on a Saturday sitting at my dinner table writing about how I despise Saturdays.

★ The elephant in the room

Mon, 17 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT

This is my approach to any talk when there is people that don't fullyknow me. Takes the assumptions away.

★ Leaving Apple Retail, Again

Mon, 19 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMT

The day has come again.

When I first left Apple back in 2018 I took on the role of designer and production lead at my church. 2 years would go by and I would realize that I needed to take a step back to work on myself, my broken marriage, and how to balance work and life.

I started my very first LLC in 2020, a couple months after COVID-19 started shutting down everything and changing how we work and live. I was thankful to start with a good amount of design work as a new freelancer. Then I faced the challenge of being able to provide for myself while still trying to build my business. I wasn't good. I was bleeding. I needed a temporary lifeline to regroup myself.

All I could think about was Apple.

Even though I felt like I already moved on, I needed to take a step back if they would have me back.

This time would be different. I wasn't at Apple for a career as I have big plans for building a team and making an impact with Hike. This time I was there to help the team as they transitioned out of the pandemic ways of living into the new normal and learn more about what it takes to create a high-performing team.

I've been back over a year. I've learned a good amount, but feel like I'm just swimming against an ongoing current. I could also feel burnout coming.

It was time to take another risk. A risk like the one I did to work at church. A risk like when I started my own LLC.

This risk would be to return to freelancing full-time, but this time I was ready and had secured work.

So, that's why I'm leaving Apple Retail, again. What's next is more time spent on design, Webflow, and building a sass company (Hike). Oh and being hyper-aware of my personal and family time.

★ Love with an asterisk

Sat, 18 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Some of us choose to love with tough but respectful love. Some of us choose to love by advocating and encouraging unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles.

You don’t love an alcoholic by feeding them beer in the same way you don’t love a broken, troubled person by having that rest of the world adapt to their lifestyle.

Love is to help. Love is hard work. When you love to advocate and encourage unhealthy behavior or acts you’re not helping. You’re just accommodating.

★ Part-time designer

Fri, 08 Apr 2022 00:00:00 GMT

My competitive advantage is that I can design fast at a price that is affordable.

I got to thinking about this after I sent a quote for a potential new project in partnership with another team. You see, I'm a part-time freelance designer focused on Webflow websites that doesn't need to charge a minimum of $5000 per website. My target audience of local businesses and churches even like this. Of course they would right?

There's definitely a lot of creatives out there that are able to charge that amount and I applaud them, especially when people are willing to pay them. Some of them have more experience than I do in the web design and development space. I have 8 years. Some of them are making websites full-time. I'm only part-time.

So to cover my costs and account for my worth with the design eye I'm blessed with and skills I've learned I charge $900 a week.

That means your project takes only a couple days like a quick, simple logo then you're looking at $258 for a logo. That also means most websites I can complete in 1 to 2 weeks which means your business, church, or project can have a completely new website on Webflow (a service/platform that is easier to use than WordPress) for less than $2000.

It's a win, win, win situation. (Anyone get The Office reference?)

You get a great design for an affordable price, I'm able to cover my costs, and the people building the apps and services helping make this happen continue to operate.

★ Expand your branding

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

I obsess over branding. I obsess over the logo, the colors used, and the fonts I choose. As a designer that cares about good looking brands, I really care about a brand that I'm building and have full control over. No client here. I'm the client and the designer. But, then a great conversation woke me up.

Over a nice cup of coffee with a good friend we chatted about branding, product marketing, and product positioning. Yes, how something looks is important but ultimately it's how well the design of the website and supporting marketing elements communicate the problem you're trying to solve.

I jokingly said that I changed the tagline of the app I'm building so many times. He said, but at the end of the day that tagline won't help build your brand. A clever tagline has a better chance for impact after years of use and 1000s of customers. Not for the first 100 people that check out something called Hike.

Then, I received an email from TinySeed talking about branding becoming more important in crowded spaces.

Branding isn’t about your company’s logos and colors. Instead, it’s about what people say about your company when you’re not around. Your brand’s impact is felt through your customer experience, the content you publish across platforms, how you engage your audience, and how you use internal marketing to engage your employees.I couldn't agree more. Branding is more than a logo. Your brand voice matters. That's what I'm now focused on designing for Hike.

★ Thirty-three

Wed, 02 Mar 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Today I turn 33.

What a wild, crazy year it's been. This time last year I was asking God for guidance on a job as I felt the financial stress from my recent decision to leave a comfortable paying job to do my own thing. Did I get a new job? Yes. I did. In a matter of weeks I was working for a local creative agency building Webflow websites and doing other digital design work.

So that was cool, but then I'd face one of the greatest battles and storms I have ever experienced—my then wife asking for a divorce. It shook up my world. I didn't see it coming. I thought we made a great team. Heck, we even had a podcast together documenting our journey as a couple. The shake up ultimately led to a divorce that while I respected her decision with forgiveness I disagreed with the decision.

The next several months would be tough. Memories shared, familiar environments, the thoughts of Lani (a puppy we got together), where did I go wrong, why now, and what's next were all repeating things go through my heart and mind. I made the decision to put everything that reminded me of her, anything we had shared together, and our wedding rings in a tub that would be buried. Then photos. Oh all the photos of her would be deleted. I didn't want to erase her because she helped make me who I am and my love for her will always be a thing but I did need to move on and this was healthy for me. I didn't expect the year of 32 to be when I started therapy, moved again to live by myself with Lilo, and return to Apple Retail. But, it all happened.

Fast forward!

I'm oh so happy today. This is my year. I can feel it. Over the course of 365 days I've learned how to be obedient, trust His timing, develop healthy habits, stay firm on my values, focus on my calling, know the purpose for what I need to do in the season I'm in, and develop the friendships that actually matter in my life.

I have my family who shared many ups and downs with me. I have two best guy friends who are like brothers to me. I have a small group of friends that feel like family. I have a pastor who got me back on my feet and continues to be a really great friend that I look up to. I have a dog who is filled with a spirit that knows how to comfort me and provide me joy. And finally, I have a girlfriend that understands me, supports me, challenges me, makes me laugh, laughs at me, and was my best friend first.

Life is crazy.

When you put your focus on God and trust His timing things will happen in your life that you didn't think could happen. Things will happen in your life because He knows the way He designed you and what you all need. God did all of this for me.

There's no way I'm going to stop listening to Him. This is my year. He gave me a dream and this year I continue to work towards having it come to fruition. Oh, and fun fact: Jesus was 33.

Thanks to all who have been on this journey with me. Means a lot.

★ Building home

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:00:00 GMT

To every sound structure is a strong foundation. When passing by or at first glance it's tough to see the foundation. It's not obvious—many times fully hidden. It's only until the first wall gets built that you start to take notice what is being built. Before more work is done everyone can see inside the structure that will be your home.

It's not your home yet though. Walls need to be fully constructed to make things fully private. Doors and windows need to be placed for touch points of invitation whether we choose them to be protected or public. Then the paths that lead up to the home—how your family, anyone invited, and any strangers approach your home.

At first everyone could see what was being built. Now, it's all private as it should be. Only when you invite people in is when you can be vulnerable and share more about your family. More about how your family is built. More about the foundation of your home. Just like the ol' saying of don't judge a book by it's cover, don't judge the family by their home.

When building your home it's less about the actual home and more about family time.

★ Button styling and expected function

Sat, 08 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT

I continue to have fun building my first ever web app, Hike. I use Adobe XD and Webflow to think through and build the interface. Among each step or sign of success there is a new problem—I love this.

Aside from this constant problem solving there is also making sure there are consistent and clear operations. To help, I started with the button styling.

There are four different colored buttons a user will experience: gray, light blue, blue, and red. The red one is a cancel or go back. When selected the user is expected to back out of what they got themselves into. The blue one implies that there will be more steps ahead that require the most thought out of all buttons. Then there's the light blue one. The expectation here is that when selected you don't have to do anything else. The app handles it. Lastly, there's the gray button. This one is the user's way to organize what they want.

Identifying these four seperate, but core functions of each button really helped design a cohesive user experience. There's now expected function and now any part of the interface has to follow these four expected functions for each button.

★ My church I once designed for

Thu, 06 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Continues to be one of the toughest things in my life. In 2018, I was offered the dream job to lead the design efforts at my church, Eternity Church. Alongside the design role I would also lead and manage the production when it came to weekend services or really anything happening in the auditorium. Leading this team proved to be one of my favorite responsibilities and it was only one of my many other responsibilities.

I loved the impact I had on the overall feel of the church. I strongly believed I didn’t just create visuals, but I helped foster an environment that was creative. It’s why when my pastor said, “we are all created to be creative” really spoke to me. And of course he said this during the first big sermon series I gotta design and actually iterated on from my interview process. It was and will forever remain as a special moment in my life.

I had the opportunity to design walls, screens, merch, and experiences. My favorite was by far Love Month as I got to do my favorite kind of work: mixed media. Specifically, meaning that both physical and digital environments were designed to create one cohesive experience. It was beautiful and such a success.

The photo box in the foyerAlright fast forward. It’s June of 2020 and I left my church. I felt this fire to start working on my own thing. I began to do freelance branding and web design for small businesses and even a growing local city.

Fast forward again. It’s somewhere around September of 2021. I’ve been away for over a year. I’ve been away from a place I spent so many hours of almost 2 years at. That’s crazy.

Anyways, I’m back at Eternity. I’m immediately welcomed back! The tough part immediately started to sink in though. I was noticing the environment. I was noticing all the changes. It really did my head in. I felt sad as it’s like the work I put in was now lost. It wasn’t as many still remind me today of the work I did. But, I didn’t have that design impact anymore on my church. I seriously asked God, “why am I back?” His response: “You need to forgive your church. Oh, and they need you to serve on lights.”

My time at my church looks different. I’m focused on serving and helping lead lights. What’s crazy is as a kid I had this desire in my heart to do lighting design but was set on becoming an architect. I’m now a web designer working on an app to help families better communicate while serving on lights.

Life is crazy. I still can’t help but think about the visuals at my church. I don’t think that will ever go away. But, I know I’m there for a different purpose. I’ve grown. I’ll still have my tough moments. That makes me stronger. I do, however, want to redesign our church website! :)

★ Creating a brand voice matters

Wed, 05 Jan 2022 00:00:00 GMT

One of my favorite parts of design is figuring out how to best communicate something. Not necessarily for the sake of clarity, but for the sake of identity.

I’ve never been great at marketing, but it’s something I’m learning. What I have been great at is coming up with a brand because of the thought, intent, and choices I make to help identity the brand. The most important part of a brand is how they communicate. What’s their voice? If you had a spokesperson of your brand how would they sound over a nice cup of coffee? To me, that matters.

How people interact and engage with the brand centers a lot around the voice of the brand. Just think about why you’re friends with who you’re friends with. For the most part you can tolerate their voice. You can tolerate what they have to say. You don’t have to agree with everything they say but you at least can understand and support what they say.

Most people think a brand is the logo. All a logo does is create a quick visual representation. This is why I always push for simple, bold logos. They exist to spark something. How it’s applied and where it’s communicated is what creates understanding.

When I set out to create the brand for Hike I first answered some questions to a questionnaire centered around “what type of brand are you?”. Before I took the questionnaire I was heavily inspired by Nike. I really like their marketing. They make all of us feel like an athlete. That’s really powerful. For Hike, the goal is for everyone who spends time with family is a hero in our ever-changing world. And the results were in! The brand would have care about the hero mindset—about saving the day, about building someone up to be better, and about them being fully capable of doing so.

So, all the communication of the Hike brand needed to overall represent this heroic vibe.

This isn’t easy and I’m still making and thinking about edits.

The biggest realization was to only have positive language. There are no obvious negative words or words that imply we can’t do something. It’s that can-do attitude. Oh, and this isn’t just applied to the website it’s also being applied to the app too. For instance, where you normally would label a button as “cancel” because you don’t want to do said operation anymore it now reads “exit”.

What to have the buttons, the labels, and any text say excites me. Creating a brand voice matters to me.

★ Bring on 2022

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT

2021 was definitely one of the toughest years I’ve ever had to face. Just when I thought this year would represent good rhythms, more family time, and coming to a healthier, happier home that all got shaken just after my 32nd birthday.

Financial stress was high so I prayed for a stable job to supplement my freelance work. And then, out of nowhere an opportunity to do Webflow design work for a local agency was on my lap. I greatly enjoyed the work and things felt good even though I wish I could be more at home versus at the office. But, I felt like a clicked with a couple of people on the team. I added design input on some new branding for a client which was well received. All my years of design experience was coming together.

Again, it felt good.

Then on the way home from work my then wife asked for a divorce.

I was in shock. She expected me to be angry. But, I was sad. This made things complicated. She didn’t think I was taking her ask seriously as I communicated my want to work things out. Many tough and awkward interactions would happen. Then one weekend she asked to stay with one of her sisters. That’s when my gut felt that she wouldn’t be returning. This unfortunately proved to be true. Damn gut feeling.

A week later I was told to leave the agency I’ve been working at because of my loss in focus and desire to not be there. Fair enough. The timing wasn’t right.

Over the course of the next several months I would shed so many tears. I was fragile. But, over these same several months my pastor helped me get back on my feet. I went to the gym, I got into the Word, and focused on the time with my therapist.

By this time I would be welcomed back at Apple! What felt weird at first has turned into a blessing. I know that my time there isn’t for a career as I originally thought, but merely a place for me to make a difference and receive the support I need during this most, unknown and shaken up time of my life.

I returned to attending the very church I left. If you can’t forgive your own church how can you forgive even tougher things. I even forgave my now ex-wife with her decision to divorce even though I said I disagree with it. You can’t control things. All you can do is try to love well, be aware, and seek to understand better while being true to who you are.

2021 was the year I was more me than trying to be someone else. It was the year where I had to reach a very big low to realize that God always comes first, no matter how much you love your wife. It was the year where I am more comfortable with myself and what God continues to do for me than my own cravings and desires.

So grateful for less and less financial stress, my close friendships, my family, and my Lilo girl.

2021 was the year of regaining trust in Him and myself.

2022, I feel, will be the year of focus for me.

★ I voted for Trump in 2020

Mon, 08 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Either we are passionate about politics or stray away from ever chatting about it. I was always the latter until I was allowed to vote. Well, not quite. I'd voice my who I voted for when it came to the Presidential election and only the Presidential election.

So, 2020 was no different right? I knew it wouldn't be because of how toxic people became over the years and how much more vocalized, powerful, and heavier it all became during the midst of social justice chaos and media manipulation.

I was done with doing what I was supposed to do. So much chatter about "you're voting for Biden, right?!" Well, like any wise person I did my research on Biden. I've been granted this gut feeling where I'm able to get a good sense of someone's character in a fast manner. No judgement, just character that I feel. Biden, immediately didn't sit well with me.

Probably didn't help that his whole campaign was "a vote for me isn't a vote for Trump." Wow, you're correct but that's why you want people to vote for you?! That's why I should vote you info an office of great honor and responsibility? Simply because you're not Trump. Well you're right, Biden. You're not Trump. You've proven that. You're unfortunately not even yourself. Just when everyone was making fun of Trump we now can't help but make fun of how lost you are. You're not fit to be President. Is this what our great country deserves? I think not. We deserve someone who knows who they are, can focus on a task at hand, and fearlessly lead our country while making many difficult decisions.

Trump did that. Was he brash? Yeah he was and is. He is a New Yorker!

We live in a world that promotes loving everyone for who they are and allowing everyone to be okay with who they are or want to be. But, we also live in a world that is okay with bashing people that made mistakes. It's so contradictory. Navigating life isn't easy. No one said it would be.

Heck, I'm certain that my vote didn't help my ultimate divorce. I lost a lot of acquaintances. I lost a lot of friends that I thought were friends. Turns out, nope.

But, I'm proud I voted for Trump. I'm proud for who God designed me to be. I'm bold. I have a heart and gut that can read a great sense of character. Trump didn't make me who I am today. But, vocalizing my vote for him certainly helped me stand firm in what is good for me.

★ Prioritization

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I recently wrote about the idea of prioritization.

Even though the Perch app may look very simple, I learned one key thing that would be carried over to me designing the Hike app—prioritization.

Priority of where your action items are placed
Priority of how your elements and sections are ordered
Priority of each screen, think about how you can take advantage of each screen rather than feel like one is better designed. Each one will have its superpowers. Lean in on that.

And now I'm thinking about my own internal struggle—not feeling prioritized.

★ I fear abandonment

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT

Telling my true, biggest fear for the first time was hard. The first time I talked about my biggest fear was with my ex-wife—at the time my girlfriend. I was vulnerable with her. I felt comfortable with her. My biggest fear is a common phobia. But, until today, I didn’t know my fear was a phobia that’s ridiculous to pronounce.

My biggest fear is abandonment, the fear of being forgotten or left out, or what’s known as Athazagoraphobia.

I have other fears that most people would have or reply with when asked, “what’s your biggest fear?” I fear drowning, death of someone in my family, and failure. But, nothing as big as abandonment.

This marks the second time I’ve told my biggest fear so my family and close friends will now know. Please know this isn’t me asking for you to do better. I’m very happy and I haven’t felt alone for some time.

This is still something I fear though.

Growing up I wasn’t the popular kid in school. I wasn’t the son that remained quiet about things I disagreed or was frustrated with. I wasn’t a kid that knew how to make friends. I didn’t know who I was or what I stood for. The days of grade school were difficult. Teachers liked me because I respected them more than others in class. Not because I wanted or even knew about the idea of “brown-nosing”. My teachers were people I spent most of my life with and they made me feel appreciated and would challenge me in ways that I couldn’t disagree with. I honored my teachers.

At home, my family wasn’t the kind of family that would voice concerns, share struggles, or ask for help. The only help my sister and I would ask for was with homework, paperwork, or chores around the home.

I’m proud of how my sister and I turned out without having that strong family connection. We manage to live a good life and do things we love to do. We were gifted a good head on our shoulders when it came to good morals and strong work ethic. Our parents taught us those two things.

The thing that got unnoticed were my fears, my worries.

It took time for me to figure them out. Many hours of reflection and many days of struggle. I know my biggest fear now. I’ve known it ever since I lived alone for the first time while not being invited to a social gathering.

Who would’ve thought that’d be when I’d find out my biggest fear.

★ Making my dad proud

Thu, 28 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

I wasn’t the smartest kid. I didn’t get the best grades. I caused trouble. I disobeyed my parents. I have one sibling. She’s my best friend. She was the smartest kid. She got great grades. She didn’t cause trouble or wasn’t seen as the one causing trouble. She obeyed Mom and Dad even if she didn’t agree with them. This isn’t about my sister. This is about me and my dad.

I saw how proud and happy my dad was when my sister had small and big wins consistently. I know my dad was frustrated with me as kid. I was an unhappy kid. I felt I just needed to work hard and show my dad that I know what I want to do. I wanted to be an architect. I used this to prove to my dad that no matter what grades and trouble I gave my dad that I had a plan and this plan would be successful — proving something to my dad.

Not once did my dad say I was dumb, not as smart as my sister, or that I wasn’t going to be successful. He was frustrated with my anger, how I acted, and how I would get caught up with ideas while not being able to show accomplishments.

I was a hard worker at my first job in high school.

I went outside my comfort zone and the family norm by joining a fraternity at Iowa State University.

I was elected Vice President of this fraternity two years in a row.

I applied at Apple and soon received a call asking if I’d join the team. This day changed my life. I was able to get into arguably one of the best companies of our time.

My dad was proud of me.

Four-ish years would go by and I would start to feel the feeling of not making my dad proud more and more.

I felt… I went to college. Spent a lot of money. Left college with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and advertising. But, I was working in retail. Something just didn’t seem right. I kept reminding myself how many lives I positively impact through the experiences I create for my customers. And I do this for a very admired company. But, I was comfortable and I felt like I still needed to prove something to my dad.

And I started to compare myself to my sister.

She went to college. She studied interior design. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interior design. She works full-time as an interior designer. It felt like I still had something to prove to my dad, even though he’d disagree with me.

You see, I always had ideas to solve problems in the world that I would see. I liked to design at such a young age where I didn’t know what the word design meant or what being designer entailed.

It felt like once a month I would call my dad with a new idea I had.

Over 50 ideas later, not one would take off because I would continue having another idea that I felt would be better.

You see I just wanted to have an idea or do something that would just take off and surprise my dad. That would then make my dad proud. Right?

I know my dad is proud of me, no matter what.

But, that won’t stop me from the chase of making my dad proud.

★ Nothing special, yet

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT

This night is nothing special. On the chaise part of our couch with my MacBook on my lap. My wife on her yoga mat watching YouTube. The pup passed out to my right with her warm smile on the cold floor and the oldest out of sight, but probably cozied up on her bed. And me writing to you about…

Hmm… well it’s been awhile since I’ve put on my headphones with the goal to just write. Not because I want to show you something. Not because I want to feel noticed on social media with a post about my work, my wife, or my aussies. This is for me.

Okay, here goes nothing.

One year ago I was thinking about what I wanted to accomplish in 2020. Like many, maybe even you, 2020 was going to be a very purposeful year. A year that took advantage of “perfect vision”. I dreamed about the year. My best friend and I would launch our first app together. Every week, I’d spend around 40 minutes with my wife recording our podcast. Team building would be a focus as I was leading production and design at church.

And then, I got distracted, lost focus, fought a lot with my wife, was unable to separate work and family time, felt alone, and unsure what I cared about —what I wanted my legacy to be.

I needed help, but didn’t know how to communicate that.

Okay, the year is 2007 and I’m 18. My family is all together. It’s a school night. All of us which is my younger sister, my mom, and my dad are now at the dinner table. Dinner was always ready between 5:30 and 6. We’d always be waiting on my dad. My dad loves his work and was usually late to dinner. Once my dad was at the table we’d serve ourselves. Gah, my mom is a great cook. I’d scarf down my food. Then, usually my mom would open up the conversation. My mom would transition family time from just being by each other to actually spending time with one another.

She’d ask, “so how was your day?” My sister or I would usually answer first. Our answers went something like this, “Day was good” or “Not great”. If our day was actually good we’d follow that up with what made it good. When we’d say “not great” mom would want to know why. So, more often than not we said, “day was good” even if it wasn’t actually good.

My parents lack social skills. They lack communication that explores deep thought and emotion. Because of this, my family time lacked depth and I don’t remember any of those times.

I needed help, but didn’t know how to communicate that. I grew up not exploring thought and emotion that went beyond the first “why you feeling this way?”

Last year really sucked as I not only emotionally struggled with my lack childhood family time, but thinking and saying things that felt 100% me.

2021 is the year for family time. I don’t know what that looks like. I do know that many other families experience similar complications when it comes to have quality family time. Family time that isn’t afraid to explore the rollercoaster of emotion and thought that go on everyday.

It’s time we tend to our families.

Alright, closing down my MacBook and chatting with my bride. Maybe, asking her why she’s watching many singing videos. But knowing she’s a great singer and has this dream of singing in an empty parking garage at the college campus we both attended.

★ Logos aren’t meant to sell products

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT

One thing you should know about me, I love branding. I could talk about anything and everything related to the idea of branding. So, when a friend reached out to me wondering if I had thoughts related to a recent study regarding logos published on Harvard Business Review, I said yes!

Here’s the summary of the study:

Great logos help sell products. But what kind of logo is right for your brand? Researchers analyzed 597 companies to answer this question. They discovered descriptive logos (those that include visual design elements that communicate the type of product) more favorably affect consumers’ brand perceptions than nondescriptive ones (logos that are not indicative of the type of product). They also found that descriptive logos are more likely to improve brand performance — unless consumers associate your product with sad or unpleasant things, in which case a nondescriptive logo is probably better.While I appreciate comparing the effectiveness of a descriptive vs non descriptive logo as it relates to understanding and sales I don’t believe this is the ultimate test on how effective they are. Also, it looks like their study focuses on the visuals alone and not taking into account any supporting words or other factors. The effectiveness of a logo needs context as no one just looks at a page full of logos next to each other unless you’re a brand/design nerd like me haha.

The idea that a coffee shop should include a coffee cup so people understand the name of the brand more and that the brand would be more effective is bonkers, to me.

Look at Starbucks. Yes, they are very recognizable now but they started with a more complex mermaid and “Starbucks Coffee” was written along with it. A logo is more than the visual symbol.

Two more examples where I think this study falls apart: Nike and Apple (two of the most recognizable brands in the world now)

Based on this study and going back in time, Nike should have had a shoe or someone running to be more effective.

And Apple should’ve went with a computer screen? rather than an actual Apple? They don’t sell apples.

There’s only so many ways you can design a coffee cup. Nike is much more than a shoe or running company. Apple needed a symbol that everyone understood when it came to “Apple” in the very technical space of technology/computers.

The mission of Starbucks, Nike, and Apple was grand. The mission wasn’t a selling point. It was a cause, something bigger than them. It was their why.

Okay, let’s go away from recognizable brands for the time being…

Let’s use some known Iowa (yeah, I’m from Iowa and you may not know these) brands: Friedrich’s Coffee, Casey’s, and Ryan Construction.

Based on this study the following should be more true: Friedrich’s would be more effective if they had a coffee cup, Casey’s should have a slice of pizza and fuel pump together, and Ryan Construction should have a crane or bulldozer.

Instead, Friedrich’s has an older gentleman in a mustache, Casey’s has a rooftop with a weathervane, and Ryan Construction has a shamrock.

Friedrich’s is recognized as a coffee shop, Casey’s as a place to get pizza and gas, and Ryan Construction as… yeah a construction company.

You see a logo is just one element of an identify for a brand. There’s the brand messaging and the actual brand name that supports the logo.

I agree with this study’s findings but it fails to look at a brand making up several parts. The effectiveness of a logo does not equal the effectiveness of a brand.

To me, it’s what a brand does with the logo. How do they communicate what they do and what do they do to help support the logo to make it most effective.

I believe that logos are not for consumers. A logo is for the people behind the brand, the mission, the company.

Many plumbing companies have pipes and toilets part of their logo. Many heating and cooling companies use red and blue and flames and snowflakes for their logo.

How do you stand out? You understand that a descriptive logo, with evidence from this study, will make you better understood in a literal since and just logo alone without the name of your company.

The problem is these logos start to look similar and all of the sudden you’re not recognizable. Yes, you’re understand as a heating and cooling company but people don’t remember which one you are.

My advice is for brands to come up with a strong “why”. They need to focus more on their why than their what. Oh and “to make the world a better place” is not a unique why anymore.

Once brands have that, then they can begin to come up with a logo design that best represents their why while also thinking about the industry they are in.

It’s not about being understood. It’s about being recognized. My opinion is that a logo makes your brand more recognizable. How you advertise and market to your consumers is what makes your logo understood.

Remember Friedrich’s doesn’t have a coffee cup as their logo, but they have “coffee” in their brand name”. That’s the difference.

AND Casey’s has a rooftop with weathervane for their logo. The fact that they are a place with gas pumps with their logo next to them makes the understood.

My Summary

This study, to me, falls apart as effectiveness seems to be comparing many logo together on one page and having people decide which one they better understand. Of course, any logo that has a literal representation of the brand will be better understood (or in their terms.. more “effective”). Where I disagree is that in the real world how does one recognize your brand when they all look the same because they are all using a very similar logo to represent their brand. I suggest not to use scales of justice for your logo if you want to stand out. A logo needs to represent why you’re different. How do you feel or want to be different in the legal services industry? Why should people choose you, etc.? Answers to those questions are a better start to making an effective logo. Not whether to be descriptive or not.

Logos aren’t meant to sell. That’s what marketing is for. A logo is part of branding. There’s a difference.

★ Firework

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT

_As he entered the room the atmosphere changed. He radiated energy and excitement. His dancing eyes were the color of dark chocolate, sweet and smooth with a bite. The bounce in his step was exhilarating and sent electricity through the floor fueling the fluttering around your heart. His intentional questions were dizzying but it was all you could do to scoot closer; to feel a little more of his buzz. Though the room was dark his winter skin made the freckles on his arms and face glimmer on the surface like sun kissing the surface of water. _

_Through time it became more obvious that his passion spread deeper than just for learning about you; his need to learn was beating deep within his veins. He longed for new experiences, new skillsets, and new projects. The way his mind worked was fast and bright like lighting striking through summer night skies; thunder rumbling in its wake and causing everything around it to vibrate. Everything he does is in hyper speed and leaves ripple as he moves past. The energy is intoxicating and exhausting. Everything he does he does with one-hundred-and-ten percent of himself causing you to not be the center of his world, but he loves you deeper than you know. _

_It is no wonder that Independence Day is his favorite day. He says he loves the way fireworks cause everyone to stop and take in the moment together. He loves the color and boom. He loves the feeling he gets in his chest. It is no wonder he loves Independence Day; he is a firework. _

★ Thirty-one

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Today I turn 31. Many months leading up to this day, only last year, I was thinking about what I had accomplished but what I was still craving.

My biggest weakness is also of those that is my greatest strength. And that is continuing things. I suck at it because I constantly think about new things, new ideas, new brands, and new voices to change the world. I care so much about branding that the initial phase of branding is all I’d focus on.

But branding is more than the initial logo, copy, and presence. It’s what happens next during that first customer exchange. It’s why people continue to talk about your or not talk about your brand. It’s the marketing side, but I leave the data and numbers to the data nerds.

Why am I talking about branding? This is my blog so I want to. Today is my birthday so I want to. But really because branding is the work I love to focus on while also being the work that I needed to improve on. When I was 29 I needed to start less and focus to continue more.

I turned 30.

Some new things were started because well it was in the moment and just too much fun not to design a logo while coming up with a brand name for a crazy, new idea. I’m on an emotional and mental high when it happens. I love it. I thank God for how He designed me to be this way. I also know that He knew I’d just get branding and could truly impact thousands because of one or two brands that I helped start.

Here’s what happened:

Started blogging more and using this made up word, “resimplify” as the blog name. One of my lead pastors recently used this word in a sentence that brought me joy.
Connected with an awesome guy from church that turns out has the same aspirations to make an app that I do. More to come but it’s happening! We have a logo and website, naturally (Surprise! Surprise!) but we also have a login page to a real working app! It’ll be a game changer pushing for at least 1000 true fans.
Lastly, last Sunday morning I woke up and God told me to restart something me and my best friend worked on back in 2016-2018. During this time we had influenced and united the creatives of our home city. Life happened and so we stopped. 2 years later, within a week we’ve revisited a coffee shop (that was our second home) once and already have a new website and slightly updated logo. Goal is Spring 2020 for the relaunch!

Today I turn 31 and I’m so proud of the work I’ve been able to accomplish. I realized that branding is what I do best and what I love to do. Not only do I get to work on branding for my awesome church, but I get to explore two great potentials while documenting it all here on my blog.

As for this year? No new ideas just new ideas within the ones I’m currently working on. The focus has been rest and He is getting me prepped.

★ Groups

Fri, 21 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT

Since day one we've been part of a group. May be thinking, "huh?" A group is a number of people who are considered together. I doesn't say more than two or any amount of people that defines a group. A group is merely who are considered to be together. Family is a group. Friends have many groups. Wait. It's the other way around isn't it. We have many groups of friends. The thing is that groups have and will always exist. Everyone is at least part of one group if not several.

Being part of a group is the original social network. The group existed because you were all considered to be together. Together in location. Together in work. Together in play.

Groups matter. Because of groups we're able to accomplish more. There's accountability and support in a group.

Groups are the foundation of all good things. All good work. Groups just need a nudge, a reminder, an assistant every now and then stay together to keep going.

★ Leveling up my team

Mon, 20 May 2019 00:00:00 GMT

There's two reoccurring dreams that I have. These are good dreams as nightmares are bad dreams. The first one involves a logo on a glass door. I never know what the logo is specifically. I don't know where the building is with this glass door. All I know is the logo is of a company I'm a founder / co-founder at. And the glass door? It's less about the door (I do love glass doors) and more about what I see through the glass door, past the logo on the door.

Past the logo on the glass door is another dream. The second reoccurring dream is seeing my team and me leading that team.

These dreams have been reoccurring for the past 5 or so years. They stopped 7 months ago.

7 months ago I gained a responsibility at my new job. As the in-house graphic designer for my church I would also be the Production Lead.

I've lead a team before. This was the first time I would lead a team that was my full responsibly. It was my production team now. I was their leader, making the calls, scheduling, giving direction, encouraging, training, and supporting them.

This team is ran by volunteers, expect me.

On any given weekend many of my team is scheduled for various roles including but not limited to things like sound, lighting, photography and media. When I took responsibility the team was fairly small in size. There were your go-to people for roles. When these people weren't able to serve on a weekend the second string would come into play. And they weren't second string because of their skills or talent. Just merely experience and tenure.

I became comfortable with scheduling the "first string" as it was easy but quickly become uncomfortable not knowing my "second string". Even more uncomfortable by having a "first" and "second" string.

I wanted my production team to be big. I wanted the ability to scheduled any group of volunteers for a weekend and be able to deliver a good service with always room for improvement. Our church seeks excellence. That idea of excellence was preventing the growth of my team.

Growing a volunteer team isn't easy. But, it became easier when I took a step back away from thinking about "excellence" and focusing more on training, opportunities, and trust.

My team could be categorized into three groups from an "asset management" perspective. Weird to think about but knowing your team's strengths and weaknesses helps you build a better team. These categories were solely based and measured on their time involved with production. So they were: tenured, part-time, and new.

Training, opportunity, and trust impacted each of these three.

My tenured team knew what excellence was. They helped form that excellence and would help lead the charge during training. The tenured group has and continues to put a lot of time and dedication into production. I trust this team. They knew what we're striving for before I began leading them.

My part-time team were volunteers that just didn't get enough playtime and experience. Either because the tenured team was being scheduled for the sake of excellence or availability. The part-time group wants to serve but also wants to and just simply can't be serving every weekend. So there's a barrier of opportunity which naturally hinders training and trust.

My new team is inspired by what Production Team is able to do and gets to do. The challenge is that they need lots of opportunities and training. And if they are aligned with part-time of not wanting or able to serve less than tenured this makes it even harder.

For months scheduling training and opportunities would be my focus to grow the team.

One thing continued to stand in the way: trust.

Over 7 months the following happened: More adults and kids became interested by my quirky energy and fun, in times of need the "part-time" or "second string" stepped up and amazed me in striving for excellence, and my tenured team had time off.

My team felt more and more like my team. Not because I wanted to feel they are my procession. But, because I was noticing them growing and becoming a nimble team.

I was proud of them and continue to be amazed by them.

This past weekend I introduced a brand new role on the team: me.

And the one who I challenged to be "me" (Production Lead) did a great job trusting the team, having fun, giving encouragement, working as a team to solve any problems, and give praise!

My production team is nimble. I've forced that on them. Being nimble allows them to lead, step up in ways you couldn't predict, and grow the team quicker.

Training, opportunity, and trust are still and will always be a thing amongst any great team including a volunteer team. The volunteer aspect was making all three a challenge when we strive for excellence. But, continued training that was simple enough for anyone to grasp, scheduling opportunities always be available, and having more trust in my team made the challenge achievable.

All I did was level everyone up.

I don't dream about having a team because I have one that is fully functional. I trust them. I just set the tone, give direction, and support them.

★ Saying Sorry

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT

I wasn’t a good son. I was disrespectful. I was a loud mouth. I disagreed with a lot of the things my mom and dad said to themselves and me. I had anger problems that I would later come to realize while in college. I took a lot of my anger out on my mom and dad. And with my mom more active in my life during grade school I hurt her the most. She’s a strong woman but at the time she was fragile and I didn’t help. I made things worse.

But, oddly enough, I was the glue in my parent’s marriage. I was the one that called them out. I held them accountable to their ridiculous and out-of-line actions. My doing this I was out-of-line as I was forced to say sorry. Saying sorry for my actions was difficult. I said sorry just to move on from things.

Many years would pass.

By this time my mom and dad have been separated for some time. They are both happy now. Both my sister and I are very happy with how things ended up. We’re grateful and thankful that we still have loving parents even if they aren’t together.

Out of nowhere, one day (I seriously can’t remember when exactly this happened but I think it was right after college) my mom approaches me.

She said, “We should’ve listened to you more. I’m sorry we didn’t.”

It took the air out of the room. It took me by surprise because I was the one that said sorry and looking back I was the one out-of-line and disrespectful.

My mom didn’t get into any specifics. Still to this day we haven’t revisited this moment that left both of us silent and immediatly changing the subject.

It took a lot of courage for my mom to say that.

And mom, if you’re reading I never told you… “I’m sorry.”

★ I got to hug my hero

Thu, 08 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Talking about my hero is both great and hard now. I say now because about a week ago I got to hug my hero, Gary Vaynerchuk, at a random meetup in Minneapolis. I went with my best friend, but before I get talking more about why it’s so hard to talk about him now, I want to talk about why he’s my hero.

College has many ups and downs. The ups were me realizing myself, what I wanted to do, and overcoming personal challenges. The downs did not know who I am, what I wanted to stand for, and what I wanted to do with my life to give it purpose. I was lost. I would spend many late nights procrastinating on homework with blogging about what I was noticing in the tech world at the time. I blogged a lot. I didn’t know if I was doing the right thing for myself and my future. I’m very stubborn and romantic about creating something great and take a lot of pride and creating a great brand. This, of course, prevented me from every continuing something.

Then something happened. During one summer break, I came across a show called MTV Hired and cheered for this guy named Phil Toronto. He wanted to prove to his Mom that he could do what he only dreamnt of doing. This started with working for Gary and VaynerMedia. He was hired! Then I began to explore Gary more and his recently released book called, Crush It!

I read this book in one sitting. Probably a first for me. Then I checked him out on his YouTube show called Wine Library TV. I quickly admired his attitude and spicy passion towards doing the right thing and believing in it 110%. So I bought the audiobook, put in my earpods, laid in my bed, and just listened all the way through from dusk to dawn.

The next morning I skipped all my classes. I took my blogging more seriously. A couple of years would go by, and I would see him at the Big Omaha conference for his next book, The Thank You Economy. This book is still to date my favorite book of his. This is his thesis on how brands and companies need to be thinking about good customer experiences. You see I started to care more about UX design and that quickly meshed and overlapped with my experience in customer service ever since high school.

My first job was at a local and regional grocery store, and now I work for one of the most admired tech companies providing some of the best customer services and training others to do the same.

Back to the book and Big Omaha.

I shook Gary’s hand and got my copy of The Thank You Economy signed. I still have it to this date, and in it, he signed his name with “Thnx” before his signature. It was then I started following him nonstop.

Years would go by. He would continue to write books, inspire more people, and put in the work of doing what he wanted while caring about all of us. That’s who I saw myself as. Not as good of an entrepreneur like him. Not as good discipline and execution he has, but definitely similar beliefs about caring about people and putting in the effort to accomplish what needs to be done.

As soon as I shook his hand and kept following on what he said and did, Gary became my hero. Someone I admired so much I would call him my friend that I hardly get to see and talk with. From then until today I had a few interactions with him through social media whether that was a little “thanks” or liking something I said.

Gary is my hero because of how he makes me think about myself and pushes me to put in the work, be patient, and be kind to others when building something you take pride in. And when I feel others need to be inspired like I needed I tell them to check him out. My best friend’s hero is now Gary too. That’s what made this random trip to see Gary special. I asked my best friend, “who told you about Gary?” He replied, “you did!” This isn’t to brag this is to simply put that I must have shared Gary with him without knowing it. I mean, I don’t remember that moment I shared who Gary was with him. What I do remember everyday is how much we look up to him and everything we do whether it’s a day we’re feeling productive or a day we’re feeling lazy we can’t help but think about “What would Gary V do?”

Side note: Team GaryVee if you’re reading this.. some WWGVD bracelets would be oh so awesome with his signature on them too! I’d buy one, if not two for someone else to have and thank me later. :)

Since 2009 and more meaningfully since 2011 Gary has been part of my life. And seven years later I saw him again. I had so much to thank him for and say to him and even ask him. But when it was my turn to get a picture with him at this random meetup in Minneapolis all I could say were the following:

“I love you!” “Thank you so much!”

Before saying those, I did show Gary the signed book from 2011 and asked, “do you remember me?” He replied, “YES! Of course!”

I lost it. currently tearing up Hearing him say that changed my life forever. Hugging my hero changed my life forever.

There was not crazy, bro handshake. There were just a hug and firm handshake. And I’m left speechless. Thankfully, my best friend captured all of this on video. Watch it below. Every time I watch it I choke up. Every time I talk about this moment I choke up. It’s very emotional for me. This day was in my top 5 of greatest days of my life and so many of these days have yet to be written. I will never forget this day, and I still haven’t forgotten how much he has done for my life and the lives of the people I surround myself with. Thanks again, Gary! Love you man!

back to being heads down and not consuming your content

★ Twenty-six

Thu, 31 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

2015 will be remembered as one of the most emotional times of my life (so far). There were times when I couldn’t believe how great my life was becoming and then there was intense frustration from things breaking down. And phrases like “you got to be kidding me”, “no way”, “I’m so happy”, “I hate my life” and “please pinch me” were all used.

Here’s a little how my 2015 went…

Started something new just before February.

Blew up lots of balloons for a suprise birthday party.

Moved out with no more late night video game raids.

Moved about five miles away in another new development.

Got promoted!

First Auto Show in Chicago (ALL TUXED’ UP).

Visited a Tesla Store and went for a ride to test out insane mode. Rad people!

One of the weirdest birthdays where my true friends shined.

Picked up Lilo!!! My first puppy!

Visited Petco and turned Lilo into a Blue Buffalo girl.

Raising a puppy is both hard and very rewarding.

Hung out with my two new cousins at Easter.

Invited to my best friend’s wedding in KC!

Pool party!!!

June thru September were some of the hardest times of my life due to some close friends going behind my back, having no respect for the choices I make and not being on the same page.

Celebrated 4th of July with my Dad and Lilo at Lake Okoboji.

The fireworks made me miss something special at the time (It was complicated).

First Tax-Free Holiday experience in KC!

Feeling played with, used and just another number.

Punched myself.

Two tire accidents within a week of each other.

Worst customer service experience at Ramsey Mazda.

Called my Dad, my Mom and my sis more than ever.

Was forced to move out.

First winery visit with my Mom. All the cheese and wine! Finally, got to meet my stepsister.

Moved again. Now just Lilo and me in a studio apartment. Best thing that I ever did.

Applied for many jobs to help with debt and higher living costs. Job applications are the worst and very inconsistent.

Attended my first Taylor Swift concert! Thanks Charlie!

Got accepted at REI!

Made new friends!

Got my new 1.3, 256, Space Gray MacBook

Witnessed Lilo’s first sight of snow :)

Turkey Day and choked up over what I was thankful for (Lilo for being by my side, especially throught the tough times).

Caught up with friends from High School and College.

Launched new projects but no progress…

My sister (very best friend) got engaged!

Dinner with Ana and her family with some of the best chicken noodle soup with mashed potatoes.

High score on Crossy Road of 391. Woot woot.

Celebrated Christmas with all of my family, including Lilo!

I probably missed a few things that happened in 2015 but 2016 is going to be a year of high positivity, high self-esteem, high productivity, and bonding time with the pup and my friends. If I have free time I will spend it with Lilo! Oh and do more exercise, drink more water and just do more work.

★ A man who changed the world

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT

This was originally published on Iowa State Daily where I was an opinion columnist.

“Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being,” the company said in a statement.

Just Tuesday, Apple made the announcement of the new iPhone where Tim Cook, the new CEO of Apple, gave his first product address. While watching, I couldn’t help but notice that there was something in the air. It surely was at least because Steve Jobs was not present, but I believe the team at Apple knew his passing was coming very soon.

Then, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, Steve Jobs passed away while leaving a very well-known mark on the world.

He inspired people like the founders of Microsoft, Google and Facebook and really anyone and everyone else that enjoyed his work. Those who looked to him, myself included, felt that sense of pride he had for making the world a better place. Looking back on his life, he revolutionized the way we use computers, become entertained, explore our senses and passions, and communicate in this vast and ever-expanding digital age.

If someone doesn’t discover something, it will surely be discovered by another person, right? Correct, but the taste and vision of Jobs was certainly special and is how he was and will continue to be remembered. Just imagine if Jobs and his team at Apple didn’t release the Macintosh, iMac, iPod with iTunes, iPhone, MacBook Air and the iPad. Because of the mighty push from Jobs, when he co-founded the company in 1976 and then we he came back (yes, Apple fired Jobs) in 1997, the world of technology has been revolutionized. He created a stir and a struggle to create a newer and better user experience.

As I just hinted, Jobs was let go from his duties at the company he co-founded because of how he was handling the operations. He later claimed that “being fired from Apple was the best thing that could happen to him.” During his time away from Apple, he founded two companies called NeXT and Pixar. You should all know about Pixar, later sold to Disney, but NeXt was essentially a computer software company that was geared toward higher education and business use. When Jobs came back to a struggling Apple, the vision he always had with NeXT and Apple combined to deliver a world in which we think differently.

Amongst his discoveries and inventions, I continue to remind myself that passion and effort matter in life. You should always work hard and take risks to define who you are and what you believe in. Jobs has inspired and continues to inspire me through his actions, beliefs, and words. Here are just a few memorable quotes:

“I think if you do something and it turns out pretty good, then you should go do something else wonderful, not dwell on it for too long. Just figure out what’s next.”

“Stay hungry. Stay foolish.”

I’ve not only looked up to him for inspiration on how to make the world truly amazing, but I have learned from him how to think differently for the sake of human enjoyment. I’m honored to have known him when I look back through human history and ponder what it might have been like to live through the times of da Vinci, Edison, Einstein, Lennon, and Elvis.

After the death of all these memorable people, the world praises them for their creations, discoveries and hard work, which continue to be talked about for generations to come. As much as they are praised, many are also frowned upon. Jobs’ workplace ethics, behavior and obsessive perfectionism have always been hotly debated. But what matters is the work he has done, which could be likened to the celebrated achievements of Michael Jackson.

He was a technology determinist that created an environment at Apple that encouraged good ideas and then was able to use them to create and conquer entire markets. His ability to create the future made many competitors “face palm” and change their strategies, if only to nip at the heels of Apple’s success.

I, again, can say I’m honored to have actually known of Steve Jobs, even though I have only dreamed of seeing him in person. Who wouldn’t want to just say, “Thank you, Steve,” to him personally?

My life would surely not be the same without the experience provided by my Apple products. I know how so many other lives have also been changed for the better, and how I and others now have the ability to create as much positive change as Steve in our world.

What’s next? Life will go on, new products will be created, and new problems will need to be solved.

In closing, I want to share this story that Walt Mossberg of All Things D shared that gives a glimpse into Jobs’ character:

“After his liver transplant, while he was recuperating at home in Palo Alto, California, Steve invited me over to catch up on industry events that had transpired during his illness. It turned into a three-hour visit, punctuated by a walk to a nearby park that he insisted we take, despite my nervousness about his frail condition.

“He explained that he walked each day, and that each day he set a farther goal for himself, and that, today, the neighborhood park was his goal. As we were walking and talking, he suddenly stopped, not looking well. I begged him to return to the house, noting that I didn’t know CPR and could visualize the headline: ‘Helpless reporter Lets Steve Jobs Die on the Sidewalk.’

“But he laughed, and refused, and, after a pause, kept heading for the park. We sat on a bench there, talking about life, our families, and our respective illnesses (I had had a heart attack some years earlier.) He lectured me about staying healthy. And then we walked back.

“Steve Jobs didn’t die that day, to my everlasting relief. But now he really is gone, much too young, and it is the world’s loss.”