Complaining is silly. Either act or forget. Thinking life will be better in the future is stupid, I have to live now. Being truthful works against me. Helping other people helps me. Organizing a charity group is surprisingly easy. Everything I do always comes back to me. Drugs feel great in the beginning and become a drag later on. Over time I get used to everything and start taking it for granted. Money does not make me happy. Worrying solves nothing. Traveling alone is helpful for a new perspective on life. Assuming is stifling. Keeping a diary supports my personal development. Trying to look good limits my life. Material luxuries are best enjoyed in small doses. Having guts always works out for me.
04
How Can I be Happier as a Designer?
A personal mission of Sagmeister‘s is to become happier as a designer. His easiest answer to this problem is “to do more stuff that I like to do and much less of the stuff that I don’t like to do.” In order to get a better grasp of what it is he really liked to do, he shared a list of goals that is a reminder to all designers to reflect on the values of their design. His work is driven by his boundless mediums and creativity.
Some of his goals are to “be involved in projects where I know about 50 percent of the project technique-wise and the other 50 percent would be new”, “to be close to the content”, and “think without pressure.” Sagmeister‘s greatest fear of being bored prompts him to find creative ways of seeking and renewing inspiration. This eventually lead him to separating from design for advertising so he could focus only on personal projects.
“Worrying Solves Nothing” is one of many pieces of advice that can be found in Sagmeister’s book, ‘Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far’.
