Sept to Jeannette - The Design Manifesto - Part 3

 

Jeanette might have thought this one was a little wimpy or unfinished. I spent a lot of time pondering options - but in the end, I was so fond of it for its subtlety. I hope she likes it. I should put a gold star on the back of my favorite envelopes so that people know they got one that I really like. I hope the USPS was OK with the address up there in the sky. I put Jeanette's address on the back - right in the middle - so hopefully the scanner would see it and send it on its way.

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Part 1 of the manifesto said that I had found a manifesto.

Part 2 said that I was writing the manifesto.

Which is it? First I found a book - I loved the book. I might have recommended it. If not, here it is:

Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life is a book by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans that aims to help readers organize themselves through journaling and design thinking. The New York Times best-selling book was published in 2016 by Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group and utilizes a series of exercises throughout its eleven chapters in order to provide others with a sense of structure in their lives. These creative and thought-provoking exercises allow the reader to reflect on their life and determine what they should do with their future.

So, it's basically a self-help book. I think I agreed with everything in the book. It seems like it was all very familiar material. While it's exactly what I would write if I were to write a manifesto - I don't think the world needs another manifesto. I totally get it. People keep writing more books to hopefully help other people with their problems. We don't need more books.

I'll just stick with helping you with your envelope problems. If you have other issues, feel free to ask for my point of view. I can usually toss out an idea with a creative and aesthetic twist. Or - I might offer one of those pithy quotes that we all love. Now I want to think of a problem for which I have no suggestions so that I can say... well, if you have a problem with *whatever* - <pause> It didn't take long to come up with the largest gaping hole in my functioning self. Participating in a group activity that is not an art project. That's pretty broad - but very accurate. This topic might pop up later.

Here's the beginning of my collection of pithy quotes. I started it during the covid lockdown - and forget to add to it. Maybe it's long enough.

https://pushingtheenvelopes.blogspot.com/p/quotes.html

I was happy to find the words that were in that little drawing I posted a while back when I said I couldn't find the author.

Apparently the NYTimes has a quotation of the day - and they posted this one.

It is from IBRAHIM ISMAIL ZAIDEN, a postman in Baghdad, Itaq.

It's something wonderful to get a letter. The paper, the stamp, the envelope. It's not just a piece of paper. It's something sacred.