Great questions beget great answers. That’s one of the most important insights I gathered from user experience design. So how do we start asking better questions?

One question I strive to answer is what the right balance can be between passion and overwork, life and fulfillment. Between the fast-paced iterative process of Silicon Valley (especially in startup land) and setting strong priorities for a healthy life (8 hours of stress-free sleep, seeing family, taking breaks to refresh), I often find myself seeking quality answers that focus on enhancing life amid work and passion.

Googling singular questions can only do so much, so I blend Quora and Medium, blogs and motivational and deep dive podcasts which cover strategy. As these are big picture questions that need intentional answers, the best approach I've found is being consistent and mindful of our own principles while finding resourceful and compassionate people to work alongside. I stick with the funny, uniquely minded friends that inspire us to dont-blink-feel-awake. When people are not present, good books are captures of a person’s wisdom and observations on doing and living better.

The following books and resources have helped me do what I do, better.

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Books on being a better Human
+ Living with other Humans, Creatures and the Earth peacefully and compassionately

Search Inside Yourself
by Google's Happy Guy: Chade-Ming Tan

Deep Work & So Good They Can't Ignore You
by Georgetown professor / Study Hacks creator Cal Newport

How Did We Get Into This Mess?
on Politics, Equality, Nature
by George Monbiot

Let There Be Water
Seth Siegel, compilation of Israel's water history, insights, and technological advances the rest of the world can adopt for the near future.

Heat - How to stop the planet burning
by George Monbiot
Synopsis: How we can cut carbon emissions by 90% without destroying our quality of life

Utopia for Realists
by Rutger Bregman, who dares us to dream possibility into reality.

The Wisdom of Slowing Down
by Eknath Eswaran from Berkeley CA.

Thoughts & Meditation
by Lebanese-American artist, poet, writer, Khalil Gibran

Good People
by MiniLuxe and Cue Ball's Anthony Tjan

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Books I highly recommend from Self Aware Creatives

I'm privileged in many ways, but the most privilege I feel stems from the industry I work. I work in a profession that constantly struggles against immoral and unethical choices, where success sometimes unfairly sits between poverty and difficulty. I don't often meet greed in my line of service; at worst I see foolhardiness, ego, and ambivalence. At best, I see and feel generosity, compassion, and joy.

The best artists, designers, authors and creatives I know devote much of their time in seeking answers for themselves, and generously, for others. They offer their advice, their hope, and best wishes. These are my favorite words of the designers and creatives I've looked up to for years.

Things I have learned in my life so far
by the delightfully humorous and tall Stefan Sagmeister

Make Good Art
resonating words by Neil Gaiman and design by Chip Kidd

The Art of Asking
by the infinitely amazing Amanda 'Fucking' Palmer

Sketchy Past
by Peter de Seve
In sophomore year at RISD, my friend and I once sent an email to Peter. We didn't expect an answer, and only wanted to let him know we admired him, were inspired by him. He sent back so much more - in aiming for your dreams, working hard to attain them, and never giving up hope. Along with just some personal advice on how touched he was. We were elated. This moment of connection, however brief (we didn't send him another except a thank you) taught us that humility and humbleness makes for an even greater artist to be admired. I still hope to one day speak to him again, perhaps in person to thank him fully.

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Podcasts for Designers & Illustrators
for the Aspiring, Currently, or continuously Failing ;)

I did a short stint in podcasting with a couple friends called "Creatively Curious" in college. It never went live, but I'm hardpressed to say it failed as we did interview a variety of pretty cool creatives and got to share their stories among friends and a small local community. From that experience, I learned how getting a great interview is much harder than it looks; I'd liken it to the classic kiss - 10% interviewee's job to know what they know, and 90% interviewer's job to ask the right questions. The result is more rewarding when you thought through the core concepts, considered the juiciest bits, and buttered up the mic correctly.

Most importantly, this stint taught me how to listen and feel a part of something bigger. No matter where you're at with your art or career, it's important not to feel alone. The following two podcasts help me stay productive and centered, while learning about other creatives stumbling or stomping through their lives, and constantly think outside of myself into the bigger community at large community.
 

Your Dreams my Nightmares
by Sam Weber, SVA + New York

Sam interviews illustrators primarily; those working in industry, in New York, sick of and moving out of New York, sick of web design or business and moving into illustration. Intelligent, informal, and sometimes cynical, the personable fellow covers day-to-day topics like outrageous rent in the brownstones, unrequited love and artistic bouts, and goals in the illustration field, along with important questions like Does Style Matter or How To Job. Listening to Sam's interviews is like you're in Gertrude Stein's apartment in the 1920s with Hemingway and Dali, only drinking perhaps the newest nitro beer and listening to quasi-questionable alt rock music.

Some of my favorite episodes are with Wesley Allsbrook, Eric Hu, John Hendrix, Yuko Shimizu, and Jon Han

Design Matters
by Debbie Millman

Debbie is a DELIGHT. She's quirky, personable, adapting, and accepting. Not only is she a multi-talented designer in her own right, she's brought on many infamous designers and creatives to the show, uniquely shining light on their own quirks and preferences, opinions and life stories. Design Matters is a podcast that I hope will live on through time, because of how lonely it can feel being a creative and how unalone Debbie makes you feel when you tune in.

Some of my favorite episodes are with Simon Sinek, Mike Rigby, Mimi Valdés, and Roz Chast.

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Far-more-appealing-than-History-class Reads

I grew up with a family that taught the best way to understand ourselves in the world was through 1. Philosophy, and 2. History. Coupled with an affinity for Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra at the dinner table, I'd sit with my family and my stepdad would share stories and history lessons...we'd ask questions; he'd provide answers. I learned about the country I was born in and the culture I came from my mom. But having mixed culture showed me the other side of things through my stepfamily.

History has an immaculate ability to widen your world and broaden the sky. I'm still catching up, but tuning into select news channels, observing the differences between their tones and talk points, and building a better foundation. Here's a select few of my favorites.

Give Us the Ballot! 
by Ari Berman

Caste & the origins of our discontent
on the caste system within the United States
by Isabel Wilkerson

Trump: Anatomy of a Monstrosity
by Nathan J. Robinson

Who Gets What - & Why
Alvin Roth

Favorite fruit? Dragonfruit, Durian and Papaya

Current pandemic hobbies? Hiking for inspiration, ikebana for feeling texture again with my hands, practicing Mandarin, for culture and Finnish, because Vikings and good head-banging metal.

Favorite artists? Matt Mahurin, for his unique and powerful, almost controversial vision in editorial illustration in the 90s, and Pat Steir for her dream-like paintings.

Also inspiring: James Jean for his god-like precision and execution. Sam Weber and João Ruas for their realistic painting and technical ability. Chip Kidd for his playfulness and creativity on the page, where you DO want to judge by a cover.

Favorite comic?
SAGA by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples. Blankets written by Craig Thompson, an endearing story of growing up in the Midwest, finding first love and spirituality. Beautiful Darkness by the infamous French duo Kerascoët.

What I value: Listening. empathy. self-awareness and humility. These are too rare in our country’s culture and rhymthms. Listening and hearing comes first in order for understanding and appropriate action to follow. Perhaps if we valued more of these traits, we might have more compassion in our motions. With more compassion may come the collective strength to beat some of our greatest challenges: America’s ability to tackle climate change, systemic racial, gender, and income inequality, and healthcare for all.

What I fear: Not being fully present for those very dear to me.

Why I pursue design and illustration: Because the work is fun and the journey is rewarding. Really, it’s that simple to me. A few years ago my sister and I were talking about why she opted for the decades of school to become a veterinary neurosurgeon. She answered, “What could I never tire of? What could I do until I am 80 years old and my mind is still intact? What will I never get bored of?”

For me, anything creative and collaborative makes a career worth sticking with. I have many more thoughts on the industry, but that's for another time.

Favorite drink? Roobios with a splash of honey and soy milk.

What does your name mean?
Typically when a baby's born into a Chinese family,  the child receives 3 characters. The first character is your Family name, like mine is Wang / 王 (translated to King ).

My following 2 characters are a combination of one character borrowed my mom's name, and one from my dad's (so egalitarian!). Though their characters were quite complex, so luckily for me, they recognized that I, an American-born baby, might struggle with writing their characters. They kindly changed my name to easier characters with the same sounds: xīn / 心 (translated to heart) and lì 利 (used in context for a smooth and bump-less journey).

What are some things you're tackling right now?

My family grew up with mixed cultures, Swedish-American with Chinese/Taiwanese. Our dinner tables had chopsticks and forks next to our dishes, Jazz and Chinese opera playing in the air. Our conversations, like many cultures, shared diversity of thought: on politics, culture, and growing up as an American.

Looking at recent times, and seeing how my childhood stories and ethics shaped me and brought me balance of differing perspectives, I realized design’s ability to communicate our culture and stories. Designers and Illustrators can use their skills to promote certain narratives, and destroy others. That, to me, is a powerful motivation to continue creating positive and reinforcing work that supports our most vulnerable communities.

I am passionate about design, but my work and time aim to serve companies and leaders who understand the need to empower those who are underrepresented and overshadowed. I am careful to work on projects that not only strive to make the world better in the future, but also projects and teams that do not forget to improve our current society every way we can today.

What drives your design process?

It's a repetitive motto of my generation, but the word passion sticks out. My stepfather was a Woodstock trombonist hippie who stood up for ideals. His passion was to share through music and jazz. No matter how repetitive, I think a certain level of passion will always drive meaning.

Doing work for the sake of work may pass a day very slowly.

Passion gets you grit. It teaches you how to wake up early in the morning even if you’re a night owl, and can keep you awake an extra hour or two even though you’re tired to the bones. It makes you pick at the corners and stay generous with your treasures (learnings or earnings). It helps you make a difference. With passion, you surpass your limitations because you don't see them as unsurpassable barriers.

To quote Sagmeister, "I remember in a Minale Tattersfield book that said: "In my experience, every designer whose prime aim in going into business was to make money while at the same time producing good design, failed on both counts. I believe that designing is something you have to do for love. If you are committed first and foremost to producing good design then you'll make money as a by-product because good design is something people are willing to pay for. But that financial reward will be a bonus, a gift." 

To echo Sagmeister, good design makes a big difference. Good designers are well worth their time. When you find one, pay them well and fairly, because these designers work tirelessly to be good people too.