Evan Abrams, a talented motion designer and educator known for his expertise in After Effects, dives into the intricate balance between communication and creativity in design. He discusses the importance of structured learning in fostering creativity and shares insights on mastering tools like Blender and Cinema 4D. The transformative impact of AI on the industry is a standout topic, highlighting the need to maintain creativity amidst automation. Abrams also explores audience engagement through personal storytelling and the challenges of creating content for platforms like YouTube.

Learn more at → ⁠https://jackvaughan.com⁠ Yann’s Website → ⁠https://yannglt.com⁠ Yann-Edern is a software designer and maker based in Paris, focused on developer experience. He’s currently working at Linear and most recently contributed to the new UI of the desktop app. He previously worked at Specify, where he contributed to creating a Design API and its design token format. On the side, he loves to create tools for designers and engineers, interconnecting tools and providing ways to adopt the same language. He’s the creator of Styles to Variables in Figma, some Raycast extensions, and he teased another plugin he’s currently working on for Framer. We talked about a bunch of topics, including his award-winning personal website and playground where he’s experimenting a lot with different technologies, most recently with React and Rive. Topics Covered: Design System Changes: Insights on Linear's recent design update, focusing on a more cohesive, timeless, neutral aesthetic. Inspirations and Admired Products: Discussing the brands and products that influence Linear’s design philosophy. Linear’s Impact: Exploring how Linear has become a trendsetter in the design community. Yann-Edern’s Experiments and Projects: His journey and contributions, including key projects and design decisions. Small Team Dynamics: The dynamics and benefits of small, focused teams in a design-centric company. Design Systems and Specify: The importance of robust design systems. Tool Building: Yann-Edern’s approach to creating tools and plugins that streamline design workflows. Core Design Philosophy: Yann-Edern’s philosophical approach to design and creativity. AI in Design: The hype versus reality of AI in design and its implications for the future. AI Design Tools: Comparing sketch-based AI design tools to prompt-based ones. Admired Tools: Tools admired by Yann-Edern and others at Linear. Yann’s Main Quest: A discussion about Yann-Edern’s ‘North Star’ Yann-Edern’s Side Quests: Yann-Edern’s work outside of Linear, including personal projects and experimentation. Work with Framer & Raycast: His ongoing work with Framer and developing new plugins. Using Copilot: How Yann-Edern leverages Copilot to enhance his workflow. Physicality and Tactility: The importance of incorporating physical elements into a digital work environment. Routines and Habits: Yann-Edern’s daily routines and habits that support his creative process. Starting with Passion Projects: The value of beginning the day with exciting or educational activities. Personal Workspace: Designing a productive and inspiring personal work environment. Award-Winning Website: Yann-Edern’s personal website as a creative playground and its recognition. Creativity and Constraints: The role of constraints in fostering creativity. Animation Tools: Exploring tools like Rive, Cinema 4D, and After Effects in his work

Tristan L’Abbé, Head of Design at Glide and a seasoned product designer, dives into the transformative impact of design tools like Figma on collaboration and creativity. He discusses the delicate balance between constraints and freedom in design processes, and how these tools shape thinking. Tristan shares insights on his journey from freelance work to leadership, emphasizing agility and continuous growth. Finally, he explores the evolving mindsets necessary for success in the fast-paced tech landscape, highlighting the quest for tangible skills in an increasingly digital world.

In this episode I speak with Andy Claremont, who's head of community and ecosystem at Glide. We talk about the early days of discovering online communities in our youth and his journey from community member to community professional. We also talk about the state of no code, its relation to AI and where the space is going.

Kyle Hamrick is a creative and technical director, motion designer, video editor, and Adobe Certified educator. Despite its youth, motion design is a vast and continually expanding field. I was eager to restart this podcast with an overview of it from Kyle's perspective. Show notes at: https://jackvaughan.com/posts/008-kyle-hamrick

Sophie Alloway is a fantastic UK drummer that tours internationally with a ton of artists. She’s in one of my favorite bands - the Lydian Collective.  In this episode we look hear about: Her work with different artists Her work with Lydian Collective Latest album adventure Her process for learning a new track Some interesting analysis of her tracks How to think about groove as a band leader How she approaches developing and maintaining her chops Her ‘Desert Island Disks’ Links ‍Terri Lyne Carrington episode‍ Peter Erskine Artist Works‍ Dave Weckls Drum School‍ The Jazz Podcast with Sophie‍ Capitol Orchestra with Lydian Collective‍ Chihiro Yamanaka Definitely check out their tours and music over at https://www.lydiancollective.com/ ‍

When the first musician you ever sit in with is Rahsaan Roland Kirk, your first gig is when your 10 and names like Max Roach, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy Haynes, Alan Dawson and Jack Dejohnette are really interested in your development... you know you're off to a good start. Terri Lyne-Carrington is a GRAMMY® award-winning drummer, composer and bandleader with decades of experience. Over the course of her career, she's played with the likes of Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Wayne Shorter, Esperanza Spalding, Dianne Reeves, Dee Dee Bridgewater, John Schofield, Lizz Wright, Terence Blanchard and the list of her amazing musical collaborations goes on and on... During this interview we get into talking about how this all came about. We talk about the different styles of band leaders she's worked with & how she herself works with others. It was a true honour to speak to Terri - she's a really great person - very real and super chilled. On the day that we spoke Terri was actually doing numerous other interview for names like Jazzwise Magazine - so I'm really grateful for the time she took to speak to us. Show notes at: https://www.leanmusician.com/podcast/terri-lyne-carrington

Barry Green is a writer, performer and teacher. He was principal bassist for the Cincinnati symphony for 28 years. He’s coached hundreds and hundreds of people on their performance, not just the practical but the inner game. He’s an endlessly fascinated and inspiring musician who’s been on a lifelong quest and exploration of musical mastery. He’s the perfect guest for us to have on. In this episode we discuss, among other things: Barry's 3 books: Mastery of Music, Bringing Music to Life and The Inner Game of Music How Barry became involved in the Inner Game and then how he applied it to music The principles of the Inner Game How Barry has worked with these principles in other professions as well as music The principle of ‘relaxed concentration’ that creates optimal performance How to practice using inner game principles How to deal with distraction and increase your focus The importance of detail and paying attention and more...

https://leanmusician.com For the last three decades, Dave has been the main bass man for Jools Holland. In this interview we hear about how Dave started out, we hear about his journey to becoming a well rounded musician, his early years with Jools, all the experiences with the band & we talk a load about education. Above all, there’s one quote or message that I took away from the podcast & it’s directly hinted at the excerpt at the beginning of the podcast. Often the study of music - whether through education or not - can all too easily become an academic affair - in other words, our effort to study and intellectualise music can actually work against us. In this brilliant interview, Dave reminds us how important it is to “go to the source” with music - in other words, don’t study things around music, or books etc… but listen, transcribe, assimilate - and then go do your own thing. It’s amazing and deceptively simple advice.

Chris Donnelly, a Juno-nominated pianist and composer from Toronto Canada came on the show to discuss how to practice, the importance of play, finding flow with computers, chip tunes and much more. Show notes & links at: https://leanmusician.com/podcast/chris-donnelly