One of my favorite podcasts to listen to is Design Matters by Debbie Millman.
I started to listen to podcasts while at work. I think the first one I ever heard was Radiolab after a friend suggested it to me. It was so addicting. I went through all their episodes pretty quickly. The use of sound/music coupled with the amazing stories would transport me to a cool space in my head where I could do my work, which wasn’t very creative, while also feeling like I was in a creative place.
Later on, another friend recommended Tim Ferriss’ show to me. Tim interviews people from athletes to authors who are super achievers and asks them questions which helps to shed some light on how they ended up where they are now. I wanted to be just as successful and efficient as those people but after a year or so, I was burnt out. I felt stuck in my own life and listening to their achievements made me feel bad about myself. I wasn’t happy designing apartment buildings and I didn’t want to admit it to myself. I felt a lot of shame for being unhappy.
One day I wanted to switch it up a bit, so I searched for design related podcasts on Itunes. Design Matters popped up and I began listening. Debbie Millman, the show’s host, speaks in such a calm and caring way that that alone made me feel good. I listened to a lot of episodes in a short time. I got introduced many people that I’d never heard of before like Steven Heller, Maira Kalman, Jessica Hische, and Lisa Congdon to name a few. And then I excitedly run into people I did recognize like Massimo Vignelli, Alain de Botton, and Tim Ferriss! I felt like I’d fallen into the perfect mix of people. Super achievers and super creatives. I didn’t feel like a super achiever (I don’t think of myself as one still) but I felt like I finally found the right people to look up to. They were doing the same things I wanted to do and that was an amazing discovery for me.
I had started drawing again here and there shortly after listening to Tim’s podcast, playing with the idea that maybe I could eventually do something with my art. Listening to Debbie’s interviews with artists inspired me to create more consistently after coming home from work and it was one of the main motivators that helped me decide to pursue graphic design in New York! I’m new in this artistic/design world and I’m still finding my path, but I’m happy to be here. I’m grateful for Debbie and her wonderful show ♡
