Sushmita

product designer by the day @thekenweb, substack writer by the night :)

[말도 @maldomasaeyo]

‘책을 많이 읽으면 말솜씨가 느나요?’에 대한
민경 편집자님의 답변이 너무 너무 좋다 ….

“책을 많이 읽으면 용기가 생겨요. 제가 생각했을 때 문학 작품의 90% 이상은 다 실패한 사람들의 이야기예요. 슬픈 일이 있어서 좌절을 딛고 일어나거나 그게 나에게 영원히 트라우마가 됐지만 그래도 살아가는 이야기가 주 내용인데 그런 이야기를 많이 읽다보면 다른 사람들을 응원하게 되잖아요. 소설 속 주인공들을 응원하게 되잖아요. 그러면 자기 삶도 응원할 수 있어요. 그래 나도 열심히 살아보자 하는 근거 없는 용기가 생깁니다.”

[christine røde @chrstnerode]

we just wrapped our Spring quarter at @diabrowser. before i jump to the next big thing (!), a short behind-the-scenes on one of my favorite projects to date: artifacts!

the design challenge: how do you make AI-generated docs that don’t *feel* AI-generated? (🧵 1/10)

[Rajjath @Rajjath24]

George Orwell on writing:

[Sushmita @vsushmita_]

What is/are the best Vipassana center(s) in India for first-time goers?

[maja 🔭🍒 @majamediaco]

increasingly convinced the work of a truly great editor or writing teacher is to keep asking “why do you care?” until you reach the live wire under the draft

so much early writing hides behind abstraction, cleverness, explanation. it’s incredibly powerful to have someone listen closely, probe honestly, and help you find the personal, electric thing underneath

[maja 🔭🍒 @majamediaco]

@SardineTruther the trick is to write on Substack and then become so annoying about it on X that people who hate Substack still end up reading yours out of spite, curiosity, or accidental emotional capture

[femiiiiii. @femiiiszn]

i love when people do photo dumps. like yes, please show me the mundane, like light passing through your window, a sign on the road you liked, a crying selfie, a bowl of what you cooked.

[Sushmita @vsushmita_]

@shreyabhandari_ anything by Henrik Karlson (Escaping Flatland) and Maja (Velvet Noise)

[anu @anuatluru]

Make something people want to see themselves in.

[Sushmita @vsushmita_]

Building truly fun things is so important to keep the creative muscle alive because it reintroduces the play aspect in work. I recently came across a website that maps a Rothko painting based on the weather in your city, and I mean... how fun and playful is THAT!

[Jonas @jonaasw1]

i like beautiful things pt. 2

some more fun sites:

https://t.co/O2ElfySg3a - visual inspiration
https://t.co/jT3mmImPye - photo books
https://t.co/452R8hVwKa - artists' books
https://t.co/byhWmjakGA - design magazines
https://t.co/4yS31UFQ3O - type archive
https://t.co/ZzdbsvehId - beautiful websites
https://t.co/gwsLRpDAwh - essays
https://t.co/sfwLPBq2pK - typography in the wild
https://t.co/fZH7DrPFOv - weather-matched rothkos

[Sushmita @vsushmita_]

@jainnandika Always been a stunner... and now a runner too :)

[anu @anuatluru]

It’s Media and Machines all the way down.

Even the purest art gets plugged into media logic and machine infrastructure the moment it flirts with being influential. Storytelling pulls attention. Machines turn it into scale. Soon machines will make the media too. The infinite loop of our time.

[Sushmita @vsushmita_]

Maja's writing is well done in the way that one can truly sense a distinct voice and crisp articulation of the way she thinks, utilizing the power of language with creativity and brevity. Check this out :)

[maja 🔭🍒 @majamediaco]

i've started working with people on their writing, voice, and public body of work, and it has become some of the most fulfilling work I’ve ever done

the work is basically: creating a container and mirror for the ideas already in you, finding the signal, then helping it become more real in public

if you feel something in your mind wanting to take shape through public writing, essays, a newsletter, or a clearer body of work, reach out

[noit @noiterations]

@majamediaco isn't that how you decide what to write on?

you keep observing small and big details of random things, some of these form a pattern, and once you can't ignore that pattern anymore, you write.

[Sushmita @vsushmita_]

@majamediaco :)

[Sushmita @vsushmita_]

Taste building is not an intellectual exercise of endlessly scrolling through inspirational websites. It's about observing the world, leaning into curiosity, and your own perspective on why something is the way it is. The precursor to building taste is intuitive.

[Meaghan @meaghaneschoi]

An important thing to remember if you're designing with AI today is that models aren't great at design yet.

But there's also so much that Claude can do outside of design decision making that feels magical AND leaves more thinky design time

[Ankit @ankitkr0]

guy who talks to claude for 18h everyday, girl who reads substack essays in a coffee shop

[Sushmita @vsushmita_]

Read somewhere that the most radical thing one can do in today's age is personal documentation, making notes of your work and life that's untouched by the thinking and sense-making structures of AI. Designers, how do you document your thinking and decisions?