Life

Lessons from Japan

On beauty, craft, self awareness, and community

  • Cleanliness is beauty and beauty is cleanliness
  • The best design is deeply compassionate for the least of us
  • Designing for the least of us makes life better for all of us
  • Self awareness in large quantities can create tranquility, peace, and calm out of what would otherwise be chaos
  • Individuality and independence aren’t as amazing as the West makes it out to be
  • Discipline and precision should be offset with laughter and whimsy 
  • Bigger isn’t always better
  • There’s more in restraint / less (or, more is just more)
  • Every part that makes the whole is vital
  • Every job is essential and sacred
  • Everything is craft if you choose to approach it that way
  • Fulfillment comes from “enough”, not from more, growth, or scale 
  • Sliding/pocket doors are awesome
  • Details are the design

🤝 Stay in touch

I send an email several times a year with a handful of the most interesting things I’ve written or uncovered at home, abroad, and on the web.

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