Hi, I’m Steven.
You’ve arrived at my creative writing space, where I usually explore the intersection of culture, design (systems), and psychology. I write frequently about things like EQ, leadership modeling, and the value of stretching comfort zones. Now, I’m also working on a children’s story!
IDSPIRATION…Huh?
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 more than 2.7 million miles (4.4 million km). I still stare out the window for every takeoff and landing (and silently judge people who close the shade while we’re below the clouds).
I GEEK OUT ON
- Don Norman (“A challenge to the designers of the world: Make signs unnecessary” 🤯).
- Harold and the Purple Crayon (yes, my all-time favorite book was written for 5-year-olds), and other children’s books.
- Reframing problems (we so often scramble for technical optimizations without exploring psychological solutions that often turn out better).
- EQ is the most valuable yet least recruited skill in the working world.
- Fluency in human-centered design is as valuable as any kind of language (programming or otherwise).
- Failing a business, getting fired from a job, being stranded abroad, or facing some similar adversity will make anyone’s life richer by virtue of stretching their comfort zones.
Thank you for stopping by. Leave your email address below to get some occasional interesting thoughts from me, or drop me a line to connect!