Pedro Sanches, Designer

Pedro Sanches is the designer and technologist behind WIP.llc, originally from Brazil, now in NYC, via Switzerland and Mexico.

APOSSIBLE™ is a non-profit bringing psychologists, technologists, artists and creatives together to explore how technology can better support creativity and human fulfillment. In this ongoing interview series we’re discovering what people value, what makes their lives fulfilling, and what kinds of relationships to technology they already cherish.

1. What is a ritual, practice, or routine in your life that is important for your psychological wellbeing and/or fulfillment? Why?

I'm from Brazil, but I grew up my whole life outside of Brazil, moving around. And once a year with Christmas we would go to my grandmother's beach house. So when I was thinking about this question, it brought me back to going once a year to this recurring spot. Kind of the new year reset. Not even new year's resolutions but just reflections. I used to do a lot of things for one year. I would work at a place for one year, and then I would reflect. Am I happy? Am I not happy? And then if I wasn't, and I had that time to reflect, I would make a change.

My grandmother’s beach house was in this area where you didn't have phone service, you didn't have internet. Now it’s creeping in, and that has its benefits. Now I can work from my favourite place. But because it’s in the ocean, you get a lot of time where you are off your phone anyway. You’re in the water, you’re completely disconnected from the digital world.

We usually spend two to three weeks there. Enough time for to reflect. And really, that's the ritual. Giving yourself space to think. Because a common theme is time slipping away from us. One week turns to two weeks, turns to three weeks. Even in the best of days, when you’re focused on work, it’s going well, you're entering flow state — which is supposed to be a positive thing, it has its drawbacks.

2. What is a human-made creation that brings out the best in you? Why?

One is stories. I read a lot of fiction and science fiction, and as crazy and lovely as our world is, it's amazing that we can come up with completely new ones. Even when I am in nature, I'll probably bring a book with me. So for me, stories are by far one of the best human creations ever.

The other thing makes me happy is whenever I notice a design detail. I might be using an object, or I’m in a public space, and there's just something that was thoughtful. And I’m not really communicating with that designer or creator, but it's amazing how I can appreciate that human who made that decision that made my life better.

The counterpart the frustration when you see something that's thoughtless. Where you’re just like, damn, if that person had spent a little bit more time… especially in public spaces.

But part of the joy is that it can be a useless detail. A little extra. But I also love the functionality. When you don’t even notice it. Because sometimes you don't notice it. These things when they work, they just work. But as a practicing designer, every so often you take yourself out of that state and you're appreciating everything that was made, was designed.

3. When do you cherish the slow or hard way of doing something? Why?

I do a lot of frame by frame animations on my iPad. Not for work, just for fun. I find it incredibly therapeutic. Of course in general, there’s the slow and hard way of doing things. But I don't have a specific traditionalist opinion about it, or that “you should be super efficient”, or “you should not be super efficient.” I think it totally depends on the context.

But there's something about drawing. It's a flow state where it's relaxing. Especially with frame by frame animation, you're repeating the thing over and over again. There’s a joy in seeing hard work turn into something, right? It’s a progression. It's why video games can be addicting. Same with those frame to frame by frame animations. There’s something really satisfying about doing this line over and over again, and then you make this other line over and over again.

Here’s an example. So I’ll just start, do one, and then another one. And they just build up and suddenly you have this thing that's chaotic but more than the sum of its parts.

4. What is something you appreciate or long for from the past? Why?

The nostalgic feel of the internet in the past. When it felt like you were discovering things, like little nooks on the Internet. Or you would find these special places. There's a sense of discovery there that’s gotten lost. Even tumblrs. People had personal spaces, and it feels like no one has their corner on the internet anymore.

There might be something about the difficulty to discover something that made it special. It really was only when someone shared a website, or url, directly. That was the only way you got in. Or through this maze of links.

I guess we confuse nostalgia with good sometimes, can't tell if that was a better past. Maybe not. But I do miss it.