00 / Visual essay · c. 2002–2017
Fragments before form.
Finding expression before finding the words.
A personal account
The experiences behind the work.
Before I thought about design, I was finding ways to make sense of experience.
A repeated calculation. An overwhelming sound. A drawing when words would not come. These memories still shape what I notice, and what I choose to work on.
01 / Pattern
Something to return to.
In first grade, I recited doubles on the walk to school. The same operation, again and again. Looking back, that repetition helped me steady myself.
1 + 1 = 2
1 → 2
02 / Sensitivity
The surroundings were never neutral.
Classroom bells felt physically painful. Everyday sensations could overwhelm me.
- SoundBells · echoes
- TouchClothing tags
- SmellCertain scents
03 / Expression
When words were difficult.
I drew.
Ink gave anger and other inner experiences somewhere to go. Drawing became a way to express what I could not yet explain.
Since 2013
A change in perspective.
Even an A could feel like failure: my own standard allowed only the top score.
“Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”
In late high school, I adopted this as a personal rule. For me, it meant trying not to add another layer of suffering to pain I could not avoid.
04 / Systems
Beyond the object.
From 2018, design shifted my attention from individual objects to the conditions around them: how people move, behave, and relate to one another.
05 / Learning
A question for learning environments.
My experience of gifted/2E traits and difficulty fitting into existing learning environments still informs my work. Conceptual design and consulting led me back to these questions.
At NYU LTXD, I’m exploring how learning environments can support expression and participation.
Neo-Terakoya