Some of my favorite design decisions started with drafts I didn’t like.

There’s a strange kind of freedom that comes from admitting an idea isn’t ready — not because it’s bad, but because it hasn’t become itself yet. It’s still wandering. And instead of hiding those moments, I’ve started sharing them more.

Not for validation. Not to “build in public.” But because there’s something valuable in showing work when it’s still a question.

When a layout feels off, I save it anyway. I revisit it later. Sometimes it becomes something else. Sometimes it just shows me what not to do. But either way, I learn more from the near-misses than from the polished exports.

Some projects need friction. Some start too clean and end up lifeless.

When I keep things too “safe,” I know I’m avoiding risk — and risk is where the real design lives.

So I let myself try things that might not work. I name files things like “option-weird” or “v2-but-better-later.” I work past the obvious and give space to the strange.

Because unfinished ideas aren’t wasted. They’re compost.

They grow things later.