Uphill Rest Stop
We'll be back after a brief message from me.
In Greek mythology, Sisyphus is punished by Hades to push a boulder up a hill for eternity. Every time he nears the top, the boulder rolls back down again. After I hit send on last week’s issue, it felt like I had reached a rest stop. Pushing the rock is tough but letting it roll forever is worse. So next week, we push it again.
For those of you who read or listened, thank you. I've only received a few responses from that issue, but they've all been positive. I think the discussion of mental health has struck a chord with the readers who have responded. Grappling with burnout is one of the many battles on my path to happiness. I'd imagine that you've had a similar journey in hopes of finding satisfaction.
I may not be a mental health professional, but I'd love to continue talking about my own experiences. If your social media feed is anything like mine, it can feel like everyone is at the end of their quest. By comparison, it feels like you haven't even started. The driving force behind that self-perception is one of the reasons I started this newsletter. It's also one of the reasons I'm going to keep telling you about my history of imperfection.
I've been a designer for a little over 10 years now and still hold the same apprehension in my own work, the things that I say, and the way that I carry myself. If there's one thing that the responses to the last issue have taught me, it's that we're all feeling the same way. I might be further into my self-healing journey than you, but I've been where you are too.
For now, I'm taking a break between content-heavy issues and dropping some links for you to save. We'll continue our self-healing journey later. The next issue is about critique: the good, the bad, and the downright cruel.
Link Roll
(I stole that title from David Hoang. Sorry buddy.)
Charlie Pite.
He writes. I don’t see copywriting portfolios too often because it’s difficult to show good copy in situ. Charlie’s site has one small idea in the header and footer that set the site apart from the rest.
Blaze Type Guide — How To Design Fonts
I make an annual New Year’s resolution that I’ll make a typeface but I never get around to doing it. But this year is different! Blaze Type, a French type foundry, just released a 144-page type design guide. If you use the discount code FRUTIGER you’ll get 20% off.
Clippy
https://bennettfeely.com/clippy/
My friend Maria Karavá showed me Clippy a few days ago. Instead of rotating divs or using SVGs to create the shapes you want, use Clippy. Pick your shape, modify the clip-path to customize it, and copy the CSS it generates.
Jesse Nyberg’s Newsletter
I’ve been a fan of Jesse’s TikTok content for a while but only recently discovered his newsletter. There’s a bit of content crossover but the long-form content from him is my jam. He’s one of the rare creators whose content feels like you’re getting the real him, not some doped-up marketing guy.
Das It.
See you next time when I talk about critique. If you haven’t already heard/read my last issue about burnout, I encourage you to give it a chance. I don’t want to hear about the reading length since I now read every issue out loud. My newsletters will always be free but I also offer a paid subscription if you want to support my work. If you liked today’s newsletter, let me know. Leave a comment or send me a message on Twitter @devinsfountain.
Bye bye.
💜