On Your Way Here

It's with great excitement that I am announcing On Your Way Here, a series of interviews with designers focused on life experiences and decisions.

On Your Way Here is a project I started well over a year ago. The concept is to interview designers about their life experiences and career decisions. Afterwards, each designer recommends the next designer that I should talk to. Sort of an interview chain mail.

The idea started with a school assignment, as required informational interviews with professionals, but continued well after I was out of school. Being new to New York, I didn't know many people in the industry so I decided to give myself the same assignment to reach out to professionals and ask them questions about how they ended up where they are. The people I reached out to were so friendly and willing to sit down with me. It was during one of these interviews that someone suggested that I archive the conversations somehow. 

Originally the conversations were broad and unfocussed and I felt like I really needed to narrow them down if I was going to turn them into a collection. I needed a theme. I've always been interested in decision making and life experiences. I love to people watch and to create fictional backstories for the people I see. So I decided to ask people about their journey. I want to learn about their philosophy and how that has been shaped through their experiences.

So I created On Your Way Here. It has allowed me to sit down with some fantastic people and listen to amazing stories. At the end of each interview, the buck gets passed on to another inspiring creative. I'm hoping that practice will continue and allow the project to stay organic and without an agenda. 

I'm excited to see the project and the site grow. I am learning about interviewing by trial and error. I have no experience besides some user interviews I've conducted, but I'm excited to learn as I go. So far the interviewees have been so gracious with me as I stumble over questions and awkward pauses. 

First up is Jason Santa Maria. Jason was one of the first designers I met when I moved to New York and was kind enough to keep in touch with me. I felt it only appropriate that he be the first to kick off the series and the get the ball rolling with the introductions.

I'm very excited to finally launch this project. And I'm excited to see where it goes!