Understanding the Game We're Playing
Simon talks about technology, millennials, and the importance of practicing empathy at CreativeMornings San Diego, October 2016.
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Wabi sabi is a Japanese design concept. It means beauty in that which is temporary or imperfect. Things that come off of an assembly line, for example, are perfect, but things made by hand, like the glaze on a Japanese ceramic bowl, are imperfect. It is their imperfections that give them their beauty.
The same is true for people. It is the combination of all of our imperfections that make us vulnerable and beautiful.
We love the idea of wabi sabi as a metaphor for the work we do. Our work centers around this idea of life as a journey. That we are all working to become better versions of ourselves. The idea of a “work in progress” is also the strategy for our website.
You’ll see little things that are imperfect—the size of images next to each other, for example, or the hand drawn elements. We wanted our site to reflect the journey of constant improvement we are all on—as leaders, as organizations and as individuals. We believe that it is the imperfections that make it feel human, and beautiful.