Celebrating 19 years of Abduzeedo. Disconnect to reconnect and find inspiration on a road trip along California’s Highway 1.
In the coming weeks, Abduzeedo will celebrate his 19th birthday. Yes, you heard that right. I started this blog in 2006 after my former design studio was robbed and I lost all my digital backups. At the time I was running a studio called Zee with my business partner Fabiano Meneghetti. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with digital inspiration, connecting with people, testing new products, and staying up to date with industry developments.
A lot has changed since then. We’ve gone from the naive possibilities of user-generated content, fueled by the idea that we would all learn from each other (which we did for a short time) to the mobile revolution, where everyone has a camera in their pocket and the ability to create content.
One thing is certain: people are extremely flexible. We quickly learn to use tools; after all, creating and using tools has taken us to the top of the food chain. However, we often focus on the positive side of this progress and rarely look at the downside. For example, with social media we have created an incredible opportunity to connect, but we have also opened the door for bad actors. We are only just beginning to see the impact, from the loss of privacy to children dealing with depression earlier in life, as the scale of social comparison is now global, rather than just their local circle of friends.
I remain an optimist through and through. I truly believe that our ingenuity in creating these tools also gives us the tools to solve the problems they cause, hopefully in time.
That said, I’ve been trying to rethink what “getting inspired” looks like. Instead of scrolling through sites, I go outside. I try to spend more time on my own thoughts and ask myself questions that I can’t immediately ask the AI for answers to. I focus on spending time with my family and watching my son grow and learn new things – concepts that I often have absolutely no idea about (aka 6-7).
This is what inspiration looks like to me now. It helps me become a better designer, keeping me motivated and energetic. I recently heard the expression “you have to disconnect to reconnect,” and that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.
Here are some photos from a recent camping trip to Pescadero Beach, California. You can see more at unsplash.com/@abduzeedo
#Camping #Highway #California