Justin Jay Wang

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I loved reading The Creative Act: A Way of Being by music producer Rick Rubin. It’s organized into 78 short reflections — easy to pick up, put down, and come back to.

A few select quotes from Rubin:

  1. Good habits create good art.
  2. Ultimately, your desire to create must be greater than your fear of it.
  3. As soon as a convention is established, the most interesting work would be the one that doesn’t follow it.
  4. Communicate your singular perspective.
  5. The world isn’t wanting more of the same.
  6. Inspiration comes first. You come next. The audience comes last.
  7. The best work is the work you are excited about.
  8. Being an artist means to be continually asking, “How can it be better?” whatever it is. It may be your art, and it may be your life.

And a few more he cites in the book:

  1. It’s the little things that make the big things come about. (John Wooden)
  2. The personal is the universal. (Carl Rogers)
  3. The object isn’t to make art, it’s to be in that wonderful state which makes art inevitable. (Robert Henri)
Filed under: Media

I came across, by way of Soleio, a Steve Jobs interview with Playboy magazine from Feburary 1985. The referenced interview transcript is no longer online, so I’ve reproduced it here on my site.

Steve Jobs Playboy Interview
David Sheff, Playboy, February 1985 Playboy: We survived 1984, and computers did not take over the world, though some people might find that hard to believe. If there’s any one individual who can be either blamed or praised for the proliferation of computers, you, the 29-year-old father of the
Justin Jay Wang
Photo credit: Norman Seeff

Well worth the read and packed with extraordinary ideas, including:

  1. On rigid thinking:
People get stuck as they get older. Our minds are sort of electrochemical computers. Your thoughts construct patterns like scaffolding in your mind. You are really etching chemical patterns. In most cases, people get stuck in those patterns, just like grooves in a record, and they never get out of them. It’s a rare person who etches grooves that are other than a specific way of looking at things, a specific way of questioning things.
  1. On intuitive and expressive tools:
[The telephone] performed basically the same function as the telegraph, but people already knew how to use it. Also, the neatest thing about it was that besides allowing you to communicate with just words, it allowed you to sing. […] That is what Macintosh is all about. It’s the first “telephone” of our industry. And, besides that, the neatest thing about it, to me, is that the Macintosh lets you sing the way the telephone did. You don’t simply communicate words, you have special print styles and the ability to draw and add pictures to express yourself.
  1. On embracing corporate troublemakers:
What happens in most companies is that you don’t keep great people under working environments where individual accomplishment is discouraged rather than encouraged. The great people leave and you end up with mediocrity. I know, because that’s how Apple was built. Apple is an Ellis Island company. Apple is built on refugees from other companies. These are the extremely bright individual contributors who were troublemakers at other companies.
Filed under: Media Technology

I asked ChatGPT:

this is a picture of me. can you roast me?

ChatGPT:

Haha, you sure you want me to roast this? Alright, let’s see…

You look like the kind of guy who corrects people’s grammar mid-conversation and then says, “Just trying to help!” The peace sign screams “I’m chill,” but the tucked-in elbow says “but also kinda anxious.” And I see you holding that guitar—bet you’ve played Wonderwall at least once to impress someone. 🤣

That oversized tee is giving “I wanted to wear a blanket but settled for this.” And that haircut? It’s like you told the barber, “Make me look like every indie film protagonist who stares out of windows contemplatively.”

Honestly though, you look like the friend who always has the best music recs but refuses to share them because “you probably haven’t heard of them.”

All in good fun—you’re rocking the effortlessly casual look! 😄

Not bad.

Filed under: Technology

Basketball rules that people shouldn’t forget:

  1. a team has five players on the floor,
  2. there’s only one ball to go around, and
  3. most importantly, the game is played on both ends of the court.
Filed under: Lists Sports

More albums that, without exaggeration, changed my life:

  1. Ágætis byrjun (1999) by Sigur Rós
  2. Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (2008) by Sigur Rós
  3. Bryter Layter (1971) by Nick Drake
  4. Bloom (2012) by Beach House
  5. Atlas (2014) by Real Estate
  6. Carrie & Lowell (2015) by Sufjan Stevens
  7. Golden Hour (2018) by Kacey Musgraves
  8. Deeper Well (2024) by Kacey Musgraves
  9. Rumours (1977) by Fleetwood Mac

Music has that unique ability to transport you back in time and place, to that particular season of your life where you listened to it.

Albums that changed my life
Justin Jay WangJustin Jay Wang
Filed under: Lists Media

Reflecting on everything that’s happened in the past couple years, a few thoughts and lessons come to mind:

  1. Don’t be afraid to scrap something or walk away, even if you’ve already invested a lot (the sunk cost fallacy).
  2. Keep things close to the core.
  3. Hiring is the highest-leverage investment of your time.
  4. If something smells a little off, it probably is.
  5. The truth can be inconvenient and easy to dismiss.
  6. Life is full of sliding doors moments.
  7. Go towards good vibes.
Filed under: Reflection

Who doesn’t love a good easter egg? There’s a fun one in Google for typophiles: try searching for Matthew Carter or Georgia font. Works for a handful of other fonts, too.

Filed under: Design

I had fun creating Notion-style avatars of the family using their new Notion Faces tool. What a clever idea, to take their branded illustration style—which they’ve consistently used since day one—and open it up for anyone to create their own portraits.

Filed under: Design

Over the break, I rewatched the Japanese television mini-series Going My Home. Written and directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda of Shoplifters fame and starring Hiroshi Abe and Tomoko Yamaguchi, it’s low-key, charming, and quite possibly the best show I’ve ever seen.

A few favorite quotes:

If you don’t look for them, you won’t know if they are there or not.
It’s those things you just glance at that can be what’s important.
This world isn’t made up with just what you can see with your eyes.
Filed under: Media

This new year’s resolution: be more grateful, patient, and kind.

Past resolutions:

  1. focus (2016)
  2. take action (2015)
  3. stay inspired (2014)
  4. go with the flow (2012)
  5. connect with people more (2011)
  6. don’t be lazy (2000)
Filed under: Reflection

I’m diving into Next.js, and absolutely love it. To me, it’s as if they’ve anticipated every pain point of web development—things I don’t want to deal with, like configuration, performance, asset optimization, and deployment—and found an elegant solution.

Filed under: Development

Things I believe:

  • Straightforward is best
  • Constraints help creativity
  • Critical thinking is invaluable
  • People respect honesty
  • Process matters
  • Consistency is underrated
  • Humor shouldn’t be forgotten
  • New is not often an improvement
  • Sometimes “nothing” is better than “something”
Filed under: Lists Reflection

The following is a letter to myself, written five years ago on this date in 2013.

Justin,

I hope you’re doing well. I just wanted to provide a good checkpoint for you, so double check that you’re on your way to achieving what you want to during your time.

I’m predicting that you:

  • Are working a job that you’re passionate about
  • Became an even better designer
  • Love where you live
  • Love who you’re with
  • Kept in shape
  • Traveled the world a bit
Filed under: Reflection

I’m moving back to the West Coast! New York, it’s been an inspirational three years. Looking forward to another adventure.

Filed under: Updates

I’m visiting D.C. this weekend, so here’s a playlist featuring mostly artists from there.

  1. Marvin Gaye – “Got To Give It Up (Pt. 1)” (Live at the London Palladium, 1977)
  2. Peaches & Herb – “Reunited” (2 Hot!, 1978)
  3. Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway – “The Closer I Get to You” (Blue Lights in the Basement, 1977)
  4. Marvin Gaye – “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” (How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You, 1965)
  5. Ginuwine – “Differences” (The Life, 2001)
  6. Toni Braxton – “Breathe Again” (Toni Braxton, 1993)
  7. Duke Ellington & John Coltrane – “In A Sentimental Mood” (Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, 1963)
  8. Gil Scott-Heron – “Washington, D.C.” (Moving Target, 1982)
  9. Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On” (What’s Going On, 1971)

Listen on Spotify
Filed under: Mixtapes

Songs that made an indelible first impression.

  1. Belle & Sebastian – “Get Me Away from Here, I’m Dying” (If You’re Feeling Sinister, 1996)
  2. Radiohead – “Airbag” (OK Computer, 1997)
  3. The Evens – “Shelter Two” (The Evens, 2005)
  4. Neutral Milk Hotel – “In the Aeroplane Over the Sea” (In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, 1998)
  5. Passion Pit – “I’ve Got Your Number” (Chunk of Change, 2008)
  6. The xx – “Crystalised” (xx, 2009)
  7. Kanye West, feat. Pusha T – “Runaway” (My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, 2010)
  8. Youth Lagoon – “17” (The Year of Hibernation, 2011)
  9. Lorde – “Royals” (The Love Club EP, 2013)
  10. Miguel – “Adorn” (Art Dealer Chic, Vol. 1, 2012)
  11. HAIM – “Falling” (Days Are Gone, 2013)
  12. Jeremih, feat. J. Cole – “Planez” (Late Nights: The Album, 2015)
Listen on Spotify
Filed under: Mixtapes