Germany, with a history so full of iron-fisted terror, war, and wanton violence, had finally experienced a revolution without a single bullet being fired.

I go to the studio at 8:45 in the morning. I leave at 5:45 in the evening.

In the meantime, I go through what is often referred to as the “creative process.”

In the last few years, I began working on self-generated projects, such as children’s books and visual essays. The biggest challenge here is that before I can even begin to think about a solution, I have to first create the problem to be solved.

And as I struggle with an interesting solution, I constantly worry whether I should have started with a different problem.

I hate it when people tell me, “You are talented.” The word “talent” implies a natural gift. As if there is a miraculous superpower that helps an artist produce decent work.

Some people probably do have an aptitude for drawing or writing, and that makes it easier for them to create, but even this is worthless if you don’t hone your skills through years of practice. If there is any kind of talent I would consider relevant, it would be natural enthusiasm, which keeps you going despite the difficulties and frustrations that are inevitably part of creative work.

There is one annoying question people ask me: How do you overcome writer’s block?

This makes it sound as though writer’s block is something that you encounter infrequently and for which there is some sort of remedy. Like a skin rash.

The truth is that: My entire professional life is one big fat writer’s block. Trying to overcome this is exactly what I do from the second I enter my studio to the time I clean up my desk at night.

I spend my workdays in a state of almost perpetual grumpiness.

Over the years, I have developed a remarkable ability to hide my mood when I am on the phone with clients.

It seems so simple at first glance, but it turns out to be all but impossible and also highly unglamorous.

Also, contrary to what one would hope, a half-assed effort will not yield half a chicken.

Be warned: Yoga may make you a happier person, but it will destroy your design career.

As I grow older, I hope to become a more confident and well balanced human being. But as far as my creative work goes, I have realized that self consciousness and tensity are actually professional assets.