The number of people I actually know on Bluesky has increased significantly in the last week.
How the Ivy League Broke America. Incredibly thought provoking article about education, society and the concept of merit.
When income level is the most important division in a society, politics is a struggle over how to redistribute money. When a society is more divided by education, politics becomes a war over values and culture.
I haven’t been active on Twitter in a very long time, but I deactivated my account this morning. Now I have to find all of the links to Twitter on my blogs and other profiles and delete them. Going to take a while.
Really, really don’t understand how people are still on Twitter. Communities will reform elsewhere. So many people have left, your follower count is an illusion at this point. There are other options. I just don’t understand.
Then: Reflections from 11.10.24
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
I skipped last week’s post. Sunday, I was busy with schoolwork and didn’t have time. I planned to post something later, but the election happened and I just didn’t feel like posting at all.
Favorite Picture of Last Week
Our oldest, Norah, joined us at the polls to cast her first vote in a presidential election. And while most of the races didn’t go the way we hoped, I love that I was able to share this experience with her.
Feels
- Nervous. I’m worried for the future of our country and the future of democracy in general.
- Optimistic. I had advisement this week and feel like I have a strong path forward toward finishing my Ph.D. I’m planning on taking two courses in the fall, one in the summer, and then, I’m pretty much just writing from there to the end of my dissertation.
- Reclusive. I don’t really feel like being around anyone right now. It’s don’t feel like sharing on social media. I kinda just want to be a recuse for a little while.
Health
- Fine. This week wasn’t the best week for my health.
Projects
- School work. I’ve got to talk about my research on Wednesday. And then finish up my project for class. Very doable.
Entertainment
- Not much. I’ll be honest. Pretty much avoiding all media right now. Just not feeling it.
Today, everything in my life seems small. My job feels inconsequential. My career choices, misguided. My research, misdirected. My dissertation, pointless. The world is so broken. I feel like I could have — should have — committed to making more of a difference… somehow…
I have grad school advisement this afternoon and class this evening. I have decisions to make about my next step in my Ph.D. process. I’m not at all in a mental state to think about next semester.
According to Facebook, 15 years ago today, I got a Google Wave invite.
Then: Reflections from 10.27.24
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
This week was busy like the last couple, but felt much more manageable for some reason. I have an insanely busy week ahead of me and as the semester wraps up, I have a lot of school work to do. But emotionally, I feel a little more focused.
Favorite Picture of Last Week
My son, Ryan, is a lacrosse goalie. He played four games this weekend and did amazing. Probably his best week in goal ever. I also try to capture the action and yesterday, a kid made a great move a slipped the ball past Ryan. Great shot, and a fun picture.
Feels
- Motivated. I have a lot to do this week. And I’m feeling good about getting it done.
- Deep in thought. I need to make some decisions on my dissertation that I’ve been putting off. I think I’m starting to figure out what I want to do — and it’s a little more ambitious than I originally planned. But if I’m staring off into the distance, that’s what I’m thinking about.
- Frazzled. Less than two weeks to the election. I know I should vote early, but it’s my oldest’s first presidential election and I want her to get the full experience of going to the polls.
- Tired. We dropped off Jillian very early this morning to go on a school trip to DC. I should be trying to get some sleep right now, but the cat woke me up and I so figured I’d be productive and knock this out. Honestly though, I should be asleep right now.
Health
- Still stable. Not much progress this week. At some point, I’ll kick back into high gear soon, but this week is not the week.
Projects
- School work. I’ve got some projects to finish up for the class I’m taking this semester.
Entertainment
- Welcome back, Lower Decks. Star Trek Lower Decks is back for it’s fifth and final season. Loved the first two episodes of Season 5 and excited to see where it goes. Sad that it’s wrapping up, though. It’s been a wonderful addition to Star Trek.
- Formula 1. In the middle of a three week stretch of F1. Mexico City Grand Prix is today.
Just a reminder that aggressive tariffs and the resulting trade war were one of the causes of the Great Depression.
I got a really great score in Quartiles this morning. I wondered if I could easy share my score on social media like I could on Wordle. While Apple has a share button, it’s just a link to the puzzle in Apple News+ that few can access. Missed marketing opportunity.
I thought it was interesting that during the start of the Scout Motors unveiling, they promised to never sell their customers’ data. Privacy matters.
Scout Motors is unveiling their new vehicle designs later this afternoon. I’m excited because I want to see how they interpreted the old design into a new EV. But also, they are going to be built right here in Columbia, South Carolina.
I know I should probably vote early, but it’s my daughter’s first presidential election and I want her to have the full experience of going to the polls.
Then: Reflections from 10.20.24
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
Another busy week. I feel like a broken record at this point. The kids' schedules are busy. We went to the South Carolina State Fair. I was thankful that I didn’t have class this week for Fall Break, but I’ve still got a bunch of grad school deadlines to handle. We are actively looking to buy a car — which is a process I do not enjoy. It’s all quite overwhelming, but we manage to figure out how to fit it all in.
Favorite Picture of Last Week
I’ve decided to add this weekly feature to my Now page to encourage me to take and share more pictures. We went to the State Fair to see my daughter’s papier-mâché giraffe. While I was there, I caught this Ferris wheel against an impossibly blue sky.
Feels
- Overwhelmed. October has been a little bit of a whirlwind. Ryan is doing lacrosse. Jill has hit peak homework. We’ve got school events and volunteer events. It seems like we never have free time.
- Grace. Recognizing that I need to give myself some grace. I’ve been too hard on myself, and realize that I’ve been a bad model in that regard for my kiddos and Liz. There isn’t enough time in the day to do all the things I need to do. And I need to be okay with that.
- Frazzled. Still nervous about the state of the nation, but encouraged that I see more and more people standing up and expressing their support for Harris Walz. Several friends in Georgia recently shared their stance on Facebook challenging their conservative family members. My neighbors have Harris Walz signs in their yard in a corner of conservative Lexington, South Carolina.
Health
- Stable. October has been a holding pattern. I realize how much a busy schedule works against my efforts to be healthier. I’m choosing to give myself some grace…
Projects
- Accepted. My journal article was accepted for publication. A couple more editing hurdles and it’ll be ready to go. I’ll share more here when it’s out.
Entertainment
- SEC football. Big win for my Gamecocks over Oklahoma. Georgia beating Texas. Tennessee beating Alabama. There really isn’t a more exciting conference in college football.
- F1 is back. Watched some of the sprint race yesterday and qualifying. Watching the United States Grand Prix this afternoon.
- Quartiles. I’m really enjoying the Apple News+ game Quartiles. It’s pretty much replaced The NY Times games like Wordle and Strands that I had been playing daily.
SEC football this season is incredible.
Went to the SC State Fair to see a giraffe.
I really enjoy the Apple News+ game, Quartiles. It’s fun and challenging and I’ve started to mix it into my daily morning routine.
Got the email that my latest journal article was accepted for publication. I’ll soon have one more entry on my Google Scholar profile.
I bought my first Retro 51 pen at Origami Ink in Asheville, an amazing pen shop that was destroyed in the Hurricane Helene flooding. So when I saw that Retro 51 was offering a special edition to support Origami Ink, it was an instant purchase. Amazing pen. Cool design. Great cause.
Then: 10.13.24
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
Tough week to summarize. It was a challenging week for several reasons. Work wasn’t great. We were busy at home. Running constantly. And in the middle of it, I had a little bit of a professional realization. We got to see my nephew play football finally. We’ve been to games that he hasn’t played in, but this time we got to see Brady play and hear “Brady West on the tackle.” Ryan had four lacrosse games on Saturday, which was exhausting for everyone. And I got a chance to take Liz to one of our favorite restaurants for a much needed date night.
Feels
- Running. So many commitments. Always on the move. I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world, but it can be exhausting.
- Pondering my career. I came to the realization that I don’t love design any more. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to change careers in the short term, but it’s led to a bunch of soul searching.
- Nervous about the upcoming election. But also optimistic.
Health
- With all the running around, I didn’t prioritize my health this week. I need to do better planning for when things go wrong.
Projects
- Yeah, I got nothing much done this week, but I’ve got a couple of hours scheduled today to get some work done.
Entertainment
- I didn’t really have time to read anything this week. Or watch TV.
- Looking forward to F1 being back next week.
Next
Many years ago, I was having coffee with a successful designer. We were discussing career challenges and he just offhandedly commented “I just don’t love design any more. In fact, I’m thinking about winding down my business.” I was still a pretty young and ambitious designer and left the meeting stunned. How could a successful designer get to this point?
Fast forward to about six months ago. My oldest is in college and took a digital art class… basically the first design class. She did really well and thought about changing her major to graphic design, but she didn’t. “I don’t want to do what you do.” In fact, all of my kids are incredibly artistic, and none of them want to be designers. I shared this observation to my wife, who matter of factly commented “You don’t love design. You haven’t for a long time. They’ve watched you. Why would they be excited about it?”
Yesterday, I was in a work meeting and I found myself far more interested in data and far less interested in creative execution. I was thinking about all the different ways I could study a problem and understand it better.
I’ve been in graduate school for what seems like an eternity.1 I went back to school to get a Master’s degree and fell in love with research. Specifically research surrounding design and visual communication. Mostly quantitative analysis. I’ve written journal articles and conference presentations. I finished my MA and rolled right into Ph.D. work. Grad school is literally what I choose to do in my “spare” time. It’s a grind and sometimes, it’s overwhelming, but I love it.
There are still aspects of design that I enjoy. I love creating typefaces and working on personal projects. Many of the things that made me a successful designer — asking questions, identifying problems and crafting creative solutions — are the same skills that I use as a researcher. Career wise, I’m still a creative director and designer, but the passion for the craft isn’t there like it used to be. I just don’t love design anymore.
I’m at peace with this revelation, but it’s a strangely emotional moment when you realize that the career you’ve built over the last 27+ years no longer fits you.
Bob Wertz is a type designer, Ph.D. student and researcher living in Columbia, South Carolina. He’s been blogging since 2008.
-
I’ve been a part-time grad student for six years at this point. ↩︎
Then: 10.6.24
Posts in the “Then” category were originally shared on my “Now” page.
This week provided confirmation of how bad Hurricane Helene devastated the people and places that we love in Asheville. We’ve heard from all of our friends and they are fine, but the destruction is almost incomprehensible. Asheville is a 2 hour drive from our house, and we make day trips up there all the time. Many of the stores, restaurants and spots we visit are quite simply gone. Lutheridge — a camp very special to my family — is okay, but with a lot of damage. The pen store in Biltmore Village is destroyed. So is the little bakery next door with the amazing Ginger cookies and the restaurant across the street with the pea salad that my wife loves. It’s hard to process all the loss.
Feels
- Off balance. Last week was a dance of improvisation. School schedules were changing and shifting, normal rhythms interrupted. But still thankful that our family and house are fine.
- Busy weekend. Ryan had his first lacrosse game of the season and it went well. Jill had her homecoming dance. We’ll be at the coffee shop later to work on homework.
- Where has this year gone? How is it already October?
Health
- Still doing pretty well with my diet. Still on track for my goals. Giving myself a year to get healthy was a good plan, but it’s hard to stay motivated over such a long span of time.
Projects
- Didn’t really make much progress on projects this week.
- Got a revise and resubmit with minor changes this week. Excited to see this work get published.
Entertainment
- Didn’t watch any college football this weekend. Which means I missed my Gamecocks struggling against Ole Miss. And Vandy’s shocking upset against Alabama.
- Looking forward to F1 being back next week.
Just found out that my favorite pen store in Asheville, Origami Ink, was completely destroyed in the flood. I assumed that was the case because they were located in Biltmore Village, but the owners posted an update today confirming the sad news. Such nice people. I’m devastated for them.
It’s funny to see how a post shows up when crossposting. In Micro.Blog, it’s a link with some tiny thumbnails. In Bluesky, a link with all four images. In Threads, a link with a preview, but the featured image is my Micro.Blog fish avatar.
