Design For Life

Written By Andrew Aviles

As I reflected on topics I wanted to cover on this blog and my Youtube channel, the statement “Design for Life” emerged from the darkness of my mind like a stealthy predator. I could not escape it, so I decided to surrender and try to understand why this statement had me in its alluring  grip.

“Design for Life” is a powerful statement because it has a double meaning. By breaking down the double meaning further, my goals are to introduce my life-long passion for creativity and to share advice about how to design for your life with more intentionality and purpose.

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“DESIGN FOR LIFE” MEANING 1 - A Lifelong Devotion to Design & Creativity

If you read the word design as a noun, “design for life” means a devotion to design and the creative spirit. As far back as I can remember, I’ve been drawn toward all things creative and have seen life as a continuous learning process. My love of creativity, progression, and expression is something I simply can’t live without and my creative work has become an outlet that is necessary for my well being.

I don’t claim to be any more creative than anyone else. I’ve just always loved the magic of turning a bit of imagination into stories, characters, and designs that prior to putting pen to paper, did not exist. The concept of creatio ex nihilo, or creating something from nothing, fascinates me and I plan to write more about it in an upcoming post.

We didn’t always have a lot growing up, but I was never disappointed when my mother would bring me a stack of defective copy paper from her workplace and my father would take us to our local craft store to buy some art supplies. I could fill a whole summer just sitting there drawing my favorite characters, animals, or scenes from my imagination.

It is a humble memory but I wouldn’t exchange it for any other. So these formative years likely influenced my life and career as a creative. They taught me how imagination, discipline, and expression are the building blocks for any creative endeavor. 

WHO IS A CREATIVE?

That being said, creativity isn’t only visual arts. I was fascinated seeing my father’s guitar, a quiet contraption of wood and strings, come to life when he picked it up and started playing music. My mother spoke a language I’ve come to love a little too much, food! How does a jumble of ingredients turn into a delicious meal like enchiladas? Creative magic through cooking. My sister was in choir and I also admired the devotion she poured into hours of trying to sing a difficult note, even if it annoyed the hell out of me after the 100th attempt, it was still an example of creative discipline! 

While talking to an engineer friend in college, we came to a casual debate about if his major was considered to be in the creative field or science field. My argument for my friend was that while engineering was indeed a very science driven career, he was still a creative because the process of engineering is filled with imaginative problem solving, effort and error; this is the foundation of any creative process!

When it comes to visual communications like drawing and painting or graphic design, you are actually just visually problem solving; you may be trying to express a feeling, explore an idea, or convey a concept, but it is still problem solving at the root. If you are a chef, you are also expressing those things through food and cooking techniques.

It’s all creative, and everyone has the capacity to expand their creativity. All it takes to be creative is a bit of imagination applied in a format that resonates with you personally. So whether it is painting, cooking, dancing, etc… I encourage you to imagine, practice, and express yourself in a way that rings true for you. It will bring a profound depth to your life if you are not already doing this!

“DESIGN FOR LIFE” MEANING 2 - Planning for Life in a Meaningful Way

On the other hand, if you read the word design as a verb, “Design for Life” is a calling to plan your life in a meaningful way. I agree with author Steve Pavlina when he says lifestyle design breaks down into two broad categories; “Relationships & Experiences.” If you plan for these key factors first, it will help you design a richer lifestyle and avoid many pitfalls.


Often, people make the mistake of focusing so much on their career and then the rest of their lifestyle is something they squeeze in around their job and in their spare time. I know from personal experience and pursuing the things you are actually passionate about get pushed to the side because of life, but in retrospect I am in a miserable state when I am disconnected from myself in this way.  It is important to snap out of auto-pilot, take the wheel back, and be intentional about how you spend each day.

RIGHT RELATIONSHIP

When I think broadly about the purpose of life, the best summary I have come up with is right relationship. This is a concept I can unpack more in the future, but for this context, search out the people you would like to have in your life, what kind of people you’d like to interact with, and the type of person you want to be to others. If you do this intentionally, it will:

  • Aid your career because it will determine who you end up working with and affect how you feel about going into work each day.

  • Help you in your personal relationships because you can be clear about who you want to spend time with on such an intimate level.

  • Reveal and shape the person that you want to be to others.

For example at my first job, I ended up having a range of managers with very different personalities and management styles. It taught me very early that a manager can make the same exact job heaven or hell. I chose to draw closer to the good managers throughout my career and put my time and effort into building with them.

It helped because not only was working with them a better experience on the daily grind, but they remembered me in the future and opened up new doors for me. So choosing who you have around you and how you relate to them will aid you greatly in life.

ELEVATED EXPERIENCES

Another key factor in “Designing for Life” is pursuing the experiences that excite you! Think about how you want to spend your time. What is a job you would enjoy showing up to regularly? Do you aspire to travel? Have you always wanted to start a garden? Or do you have creative projects you’d like to spend your time working on?

By brainstorming and writing down the experiences you want in life, you will better understand where to put your time and energy.

Do not fall into the trap of wasting your days on experiences you are unhappy about, that is how one ends up having a severe mid-life crisis or a life always in crisis. Be creative, make it an enjoyable process, and share your dreams and goals with someone you love so they can hold you accountable. Recognize the depth of creativity you have and design for the life you aspire to live!

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS… 

It takes bravery to share art and insight, and the book “Show Your Work” by Austin Kleon definitely helped! Audible has enabled me to listen to great books like this one while driving, working, and exercising. Click here to try Audible and get your first book for free. Audible is a service I’ve personally been subscribed to and have used for many years and I highly recommend it!

You can also show support by checking out my favorite Creative Tools on Amazon:


Andrew Aviles
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