New Chapter Energy
Turning 40, honeymoon, Google Labs graduation, new job, and my year of Direct
There’s so much I want to share. You work and prepare for months, and then things can kind of happen all at once. I’m leaning into that new chapter energy.
I (finally!) went on my honeymoon.
I turned 40.
I had my last week at Google Labs.
I had my first week at my new job.
…there, I said it all.
Graduating Wonderlab
Almost two years ago I started working at Google Labs as the first creative technologist. I joined a new group called Wonderlab within the UX team in Labs. The vision was to create a space of curiosity, discovery, and exploration by building prototypes on top of the rapidly advancing generative AI models. It was a kind of “Labs within Labs.” I’d work in that space between new AI capabilities, user needs, and what could be rapidly prototyped. We’d collaborate horizontally across Labs teams, sometimes for months, sometimes for a quick sprint. You can read some of my related posts on working with product teams as a creative technologist, and vibecoding prototypes.
Labs helped develop my sense of how to use prototypes to facilitate a conversation and articulate a vision. Given some area of inquiry, what kinds of experiences would be useful to understand? And with those, what are the range of ways to use prototyping to get a feel for those experiences? Wonderlab showed me how to cultivate a culture that lifts people up to be ambitious, creative, and motivated.
Something happened on a deeper level for me too. I realized a previous work environment from many years ago was pretty toxic and I had internalized wounds from it. Things were tough. I felt lost, I questioned my abilities, and wasn’t sure what the path out would look like. What I found was that healing wasn’t just taking time off, it was finding a work environment where my body and mind could feel what it’s like to be around something nurturing rather than damaging. Recovery is relational. I found myself in a space where I could truly thrive.
Working at Wonderlab has been such an incredible gift. I could not have even imagined an environment and culture like it. When reality expands your imagination and capabilities like that you know it’s something remarkable. I’m super proud of the work I accomplished with the team.
What’s next? You may have noticed from my last post that I was looking to move from being a contractor to being full time. I’ve joined the GenAI Lab at YouTube! I’m thrilled to be continuing my work in this space of creative technology and AI in product.
My year of 🧭🎬📣💖 Direct
Let’s go back to around this time last year. In the beginning of 2025 I journaled to find my word of the year. I picked a word to give me energy to do the most meaningful thing I’ve ever done with my family and closest friends: planning my wedding. I wanted to do it collaboratively. But also, I wanted to have a clear direction and vision for it. I thought of Direct, as in Director:
As in clarity, articulateness, leading, coordinating, straightforward. Managing the relationships with family, coordinating all the things for the wedding.
Reflecting on my year of Direct, it was certainly intense, and I’m proud of myself for how I navigated the challenging parts. I recognized and figured out tools to move through blocks both emotional and physical. As I wrote in my last update:
You figure out how to work together and you must overcome communication challenges, tensions, and find paths around all the multitudes of ways something can come apart. The planning was an opportunity to build connection and grow with my family, my friends, and soon-to-be wife. This was hard, but the tools we figured out along the way will long serve us.
With Direct, the highlight for me was the day after the wedding. I sent out a last minute note the night before inviting the wedding guests over to just spend time together (and help me finish the food and sake). But something happened during this…
All around the house were the decorations from my proposal. A year earlier I had invited friends over to decorate the house while Helen and I were hiking. I proposed on the hike, and we came home to find a second surprise — our friends had all gathered and the house was full of bright neon decorations.
Now a year later, surrounded by friends that day after the wedding, I had a sudden idea. Now was the time to refresh the house, and again, do it together. What if we took those decorations down, and put up the wedding decorations?
“We’ll do it,” a friend said, “but only if you don’t do any work. Just sit there and relax!” I felt… so cared for.
Activity sprung all around the house, removing old photos and streamers, and then hanging new art, marigolds, decorations, and the thousand cranes. I played bansuri in a small procession of a droning melodica, a meditation bell, and incense, moving through and blessing the space.
This was it. The spontaneous and natural facilitation to channel group energy towards a vision. It was thrilling. It was my word, Direct.
Thanks for reading
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🍿 Check out my talk at the MIT Media Lab. It connects the thread from my creative practice from 2017 to the present — starting from drawing and zine-making, into creative coding dailies with visuals and audio, to most recently my AI prototyping.
📞 Book an unoffice hours conversation: We could talk about something you’re working on, jam on possibilities for collaboration, share past experiences and stories, draw together / make a zine, or meditate.