Dear me,
There was a stretch when I fell out of love with design. I was burnt out and disappointed, in the work and a little in myself, and the screen felt heavy every morning. Then I started watching Culinary Class Wars, and somewhere between the episodes I got my appetite back.
It was the small things that got me. Cooks who learn to keep their station clean, because a clear bench is how you stay calm when service goes wrong. That is design too: a tidy file, layers named so the next person can find their way, a brief written clearly enough that nobody has to guess. Nobody sees it on the plate, but you can taste it.
And so many of them started at the bottom: washing dishes, peeling onions, years of prep before anyone tasted their food. I started at the bottom too, making videos and running events before I ever opened Figma. None of it was wasted. It is where I learned to read a room and finish what I start.
Cooking also has no single standard. Give two chefs the same ingredients and you get two different dishes, and both can be delicious. I used to look for the one right answer to every brief. Now I think there are many good ones, and the job is to find the one that suits the people at the table, then make it with care and a little of yourself in it.
So, keep your station clean, and keep cooking.
