Drew Warkentin and I met in a design group on Slack. Someone I knew was looking for a UX designer and Drew was recommended. When I asked to interview him for Designers Drink, he didn’t hesitate to say yes. (I’m always surprised when people say yes.)
This episode had several unfortunate turns, and I almost gave up on it. First, I accidentally deleted the first half of my track. After successfully re-recording all the bits I could remember and making up the ones I didn’t, I accidentally deleted the first half of Drew’s track! I thought briefly about impersonating him but decided against it. Instead, you get a summary of the first half. Sadly, it contained my favorite part of our talk. Drew explained to me his philosophy of how design is like farming. Look, Drew, Wendell Berry would probably agree with you!
“Why do farmers farm, given their economic adversities on top of the many frustrations and difficulties normal to farming? And always the answer is: “Love. They must do it for love.” Farmers farm for the love of farming. They love to watch and nurture the growth of plants. They love to live in the presence of animals. They love to work outdoors. They love the weather, maybe even when it is making them miserable. They love to live where they work and to work where they live. If the scale of their farming is small enough, they like to work in the company of their children and with the help of their children. They love the measure of independence that farm life can still provide. I have an idea that a lot of farmers have gone to a lot of trouble merely to be self-employed to live at least a part of their lives without a boss.”
― Wendell Berry, Bringing it to the Table: On Farming and Food
Episode 03 of Designers Drink: Drew Warkentin
Drew Warkentin
The one where Sam deletes the first half. Also, Sam and Drew drink craft beer and talk about clients (because you can never talk about them enough), how design is like farming, and the truth behind creativity.
What we drank: Saint Archer’s Pale Ale & Live Oak Pale Lager
Drew’s One Book (every designer should read): Designing for Emotion
Find Drew Warkentin on: Website, Twitter, Dribbble
Podcast: Embed
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So much to absorb and consider. Perhaps it’s okay that some was lost. Intense.