Hi, I’m Steven.

This is my creative writing space, where I explore lots of different ideas. Writing is thinking, so this is really just me thinking out loud. I have a portfolio site where I showcase some work projects.

I’ve always been fascinated by human behavior and what is happening beneath the surface. Several years ago, I started a cultural blog project called Initial Descent and then co-founded a social journaling app, Sideview, where you might notice some familiar branding (letters 2 & 3). 

I was inspired by Freud’s id concept, the instinctive part of our psyche. An underlying theme to my work has always been about encouraging free expression in a highly filtered world, and I coined IDspiration as my way of pushing people to be who they are with confidence.

BIO IN 3 BULLETS

• I’ve worked in 5 countries on 5 continents; currently in Tokyo by way of Virginia, California, New York, Dubai, Amsterdam, and São Paulo (fun fact: In Japan, my name is クリメク スティーブン).
• Most of my work has been focused on digital innovation (although I believe human-centered design can & should be applied anywhere on the org chart).
• I’ve traveled to about 75 countries and flown over 2.7 million miles (4.4 million km). I still stare out the window for every takeoff and landing.

I GEEK OUT ON

• Don Norman (“A challenge to the designers of the world: Make signs unnecessary” 🤯).
• Harold and the Purple Crayon & other children’s books.
• Reframing problems (we often scramble for technical optimizations without exploring simpler, more effective psychological solutions).

MY GUIDING VALUES 🧭

• Kindness 
• Curiosity
• Simplicity 
• Agency

Thank you for stopping by. Leave your email address below to get an occasional interesting thought from me, or drop me a line to connect!