Friday, April 11, 2025
Become a Patron!C’mon, really? Debbie Millman (@debbiemillman on IG) not only appeared here for Ep. 462, but it’s her third trip to CNF Pod HQ (her first and second are here and here). It’s when people return — and by all accounts seem happy to return — that validates the enterprise all the more.
Debbie has a new book out, Love Letter to a Garden (Timber Press), which is a bountiful book with her tight, concise, philosophical voice, much of it in her beautiful hand lettering. The book also has recipes from her wife, Roxane Gay. You may have heard of her.
As luck would have it, this new book also publishes in the lead up to Debbie’s podcast, Design Matters, turning … twenty! It can almost buy a drink. Think about that: she started Design Matters in 2005. I mean, the Red Sox had just won their first World Series in 86 years at that point in the fall of 2004. And we thought it couldn’t get worse than Dick Cheney and John Ashcroft! What a time!
Mmmkay, Debbie talks about the early days of Design Matters and how she saw herself as objectively bad and didn’t really hit her stride until 2012, and really mastered her point of view until 2017. That’s 7-12 years improving. The patience and perseverance is the point.
Debbie is the author of Why Design Matters and Self-Portrait as Your Traitor, The Remarkable Life Deck, among others. She’s the co-founder of the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan and has worked on brands like Burger King and Tropicana.
You’ll find her to be one of the most generous and genuine people in the creative space, so I hope you’ll check out more of her work and maybe buy a boo or two (in this economy?). No, seriously, consider supporting people who make our culture better.
If you dig this episode, share it, and tag me on IG @creativenonfictionpodcast or Bluesky @brendanomeara.bsky.social. And never forget to consider kind reviews on Apple Podcasts or ratings on Spotify. They all help and don’t cost a dime.
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