2024 Intentional Focus
Defining clear intentions to say no to the things that might distract me from them
Believe it or not, this wasn’t my plan for the first issue of the year, but after seeing many other creatives sharing their year intentions, I was inspired to make mine public for the sake of accountability, so we’ll call it a happy accident.
Last year, I took a very classic approach to this with a list of resolutions:
🎸 Get back to playing guitar
🎨 Find excuses to draw and paint
🕹️ Play games I bought and haven’t played
📚 Pick up the books I’m dying to read
📝 Blog more consistently
📷 Capture moments with photography and journaling
🔌 Disconnect more often
As you can see, these goals are broad but not easy to measure. I checked alternatives like Josh Dunsterville’s More or Less and Dan Mall’s Rich Life List (Which I plan to have fun in the future), but my favorite was David Hoang’s intention framework:
The framework
Set intentions and themes
Map out what achievable goals look like (if necessary)
Write down examples of what making progress in these areas looks like
If relevant to you, set a specific goal and target
Questions to ask
What was great about this year that I want to double down on?
What was lacking this year? Were there things I wish I had more time to focus on?
Applying this framework to my intentions, you’ll notice similarities with last year’s resolutions, but now with a clear focus, hence the title of this issue.
Shape my strategic creativity.
Strategy is usually a catch-all term tossed around in almost any context in life. Still, when you ask for a definition, few can explain it appropriately or describe an action plan.
To me, strategic creativity is about clearly articulating a set of actions to focus on to achieve a goal in the design context to solve people and business problems.
This requires confidence in skills often not associated with us creatives, but I like being uncommon.
Signals of progress:
Leverage business thinking and tools to articulate design decisions and their impact
Prototype with numbers to de-risk innovation
Reflect on and share my learnings in upcoming issues of this publication
Have fun with design.
In a world where design systems have become ubiquitous and most experiences are predictable in one way or another, users can tell when the people building a product have paid attention to details… or not.
I want to go back to my Graphic Design roots and get inspired by many more things beyond UI to be able to infuse them later on in the experiences I craft.
Signals of progress:
Capture inspiration daily, not only when it’s needed
Use non-UI references during the ideation phase
Defy the boundaries of feasibility to create moments of delight
Nurture craft through art.
I got into design because I was an artist at heart. Even before I opened Photoshop for the first time, I was already drawing and painting in my notebooks, playing the guitar, and taking pictures with disposable cameras. Unfortunately, life got busy to advance in my career, and these passions took the back seat.
This principle is closely related to having fun with design because crafting through other mediums can spark new ideas the next time I face a software design problem.
Signals of progress:
Practice “the art of noticing” with my cameras every month
Take illustration projects to create something just for fun
Get back in shape with my guitar technique
Disconnect to recharge.
Even tho this is a pre-requisite for every introvert; I only started doing it more regularly in the last few months. In a way, I feel like I haven’t stopped running since I started freelancing over ten years ago.
This year, I want to be intentional about it to have the physical, emotional, and mental energy needed to get inspired and create with quality, not quantity.
Signals of progress:
Capture memorable moments through journaling
Immerse myself in other worlds with fiction books and video games
Plan quarterly getaways with family and friends
These themes and principles will help me decide throughout the year where my energy should be spent and prioritize it. I originally had a total of five in mind, but since I wanted to be serious about focus, I decided to drop one of them and leave it for next year if it’s still relevant. You’ll have to stay around to see what happens ;)
It's always more fun to learn with others than doing it alone, so don't hesitate to reach out on Threads @laurieesc if you want to continue the conversation. If this article has been helpful, share it with a friend!
Over and out,
Laura ✌️
Thank you so much for sharing, Laura! I'm excited to read your blog posts and see your photos this year!