Mar 11, 2022Member-onlyHow Taking Care of Yourself Takes Care of Your TeamAfter hiring our 3rd designer at Northstar, I’ve been shifting a lot of my growth to learning about being a leader and mentor for my team. It’s a huge challenge for me personally, who has been mainly an IC designer in every role I’ve had in some capacity. Now that…Leadership2 min readLeadership2 min read
Aug 3, 2021Member-onlyWhat to Do Your First Week of a New Design JobSo it’s your first week in a new design role, what do you do? What should you have prepared? Here’s what I did my first week in a Head of Design role. This past week was my first week as Head of Design at Northstar, and throughout the week I…Design3 min readDesign3 min read
Published in Cortes Studio·Feb 6, 2019Why to Seek Unfamiliarity in Your Next Full-Time JobHow to keep yourself constantly learning on the job — As of when I am writing this, I am starting my first day at my new job tomorrow. I’ll be starting as a Product Designer at Dave, a financial tech company based in Los Angeles.Design3 min readDesign3 min read
Published in Cortes Studio·Dec 31, 2018My 2018Volume 106 - six minute read — 2018 was a big year of changes for me with almost every aspect of my life changing in one way or another. It’s been a year of self-reflection, personal growth, relaxation, and of realization for me. Wrapping up this year though, I’m feeling the happiest I’ve felt in a very…Life Lessons6 min readLife Lessons6 min read
Published in Cortes Studio·Oct 19, 2018How I’m Managing My Debilitating Anxiety and DepressionYou’re not alone, here’s some ways to help yourself — Feels good to say that publicly. The past few weeks have been pretty tough for me on a personal level and I’m not someone to bring up personal issues often. …Mental Health8 min readMental Health8 min read
Published in Cortes Studio·Sep 22, 2018Now I Understand the iPhone X HypeVolume 104 - three minute read — September 21st, 2018 Last year when the iPhone X was announced, it was all the talk of the town and one of the prettiest pieces of hardware we had seen in a while. Despite the notch, everything about the iPhone X felt flawless and gorgeous. As a digital product designer…Apple2 min readApple2 min read
Published in Cortes Studio·Sep 15, 2018The Appropriate Underwhelming of an Apple EventVolume 103 - three minute read — September 14th, 2018 Going into this past week’s September 2018 Apple Event, there were rumors of possible new MacBooks, Mac Minis, and even iPad Pros. I was excited to hopefully see news on the modular Mac Pro as well and hoped for the best going into this next event. As…Apple3 min readApple3 min read
Published in Cortes Studio·Sep 7, 2018Finding Purpose in Life Outside of Your WorkIf you find your worth tied to your worth, it’s time for a change — Design, code, and the pursuit of being better at each was all I lived and breathed in college. It’s all I ever thought about, to the point of me daydreaming in class about what I was working on the night before and how I would continue it later that day…Life4 min readLife4 min read
Published in Cortes Studio·Aug 31, 2018How Blogging Can Make You a Better Remote EmployeeBlogging improves your communication skills more than you think — Working remotely is all the rage nowadays. Companies can hire more diverse sets of people, save money on salaries, and find the best people fit for the job. After all, 43% of the workforce has spent at least some time working remotely in 2017. Working remotely provides for a more…Remote Working3 min readRemote Working3 min read
Published in Cortes Studio·Aug 24, 2018What I Learned Writing for 100 Weeks of Weekly ArticlesMaking the most of what you learn and sharing with others — This week marks 100 weeks of writing and publishing a new article every single week in my spare time. 100 weeks! That’s crazy to think about. It’s basically become a habit at this point so I forget just how much effort I put into these articles.Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
