Welcome to the Human Prototype blog, a space where the past and present converge to showcase the evolution of a life in progress. Inspired by my TEDx talk, "I am a Prototype," this blog is part of a broader journey of transformation through journaling, capturing the essence of living as a perpetual prototype. Each week, during 2024, I reviewed my archives from 2016, contrasting journal scans filled with drawings against the backdrop of my current experiences.
Finding Calm in the Familiar Chaos
Then: February 29th- March 6th, 2016
Like then, like now: a leap year, reminding us to honor and adjust to the natural variations in the Earth’s orbit and rotation speed.
So, what happened that week of 2016 for me?
The usual combo: packaging projects (that seemed to be raining on me that week), some CrossFit with a 3 rep max back squat of 130lbs (strong legs in the making right there), the weekly house cleaning and series watching, and the weekly Human Centered Design course with my newfound friends, Kiran and Noha.
What’s new: I got to start working with my colleagues in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which I made sure to depict with some of their country’s landmarks. A shower leak made its way to my neighbor downstairs - slightly embarrassing, given Oscar (my cat) had a penchant for peeing there. Convenient for cleaning, sure, but not so great for neighborly relations when it comes to the smell. I also started with mentorship at work, personified as Yoda in my drawings (I remember feeling very proud of myself for using this metaphor in my journal, lol). I took Oscar for a little walk outside (he wasn’t thrilled), and Sunday, my car’s battery was dead, which is quite common in Dubai, as the heat makes the batteries die a little faster than usual. That being said, it happened right at the start of the workweek (yes, at the time, Dubai’s work week was Sunday-Thursday, they changed it to Monday - Friday in January 2022), maybe as a reminder that my own batteries were dead too.
Last week I mentioned that I had a call planned with the TED team; it happened with Richard on Thursday, yielding some learnings. (The specifics? Those would have been useful to have in the journal, but let’s see, we may uncover them in the following weeks…)
So, a week filled with the ordinary with a couple of unexpected events. To be honest, I’m worried we’ll see more of the same in the coming weeks. So it’s going to be a great exercise to explore what’s between the lines of the illustrations…
What does ATG mean?
You may have noticed the acronym “ATG” a few times already. And you know what, I’m not exactly sure what I means, but my best guess is “Activity Task Group”. Essentially, the ATG meeting is when everyone who’s working on activities (or projects) comes together to update each other on our respective progress (for example, if I was working on an activity that involved the development of a new packaging format, I would run some trials and then update the ATG on the status so we could plan for launch and/or mitigate any risks of delay). These were usually lengthy meetings with little fun. But I made it through and I’m here to tell the tale.
Now: February 26th- March 3rd, 2024
Hear the journey: There's a unique intimacy in spoken words—a warmth and immediacy that text alone may not convey. In my weekly audio commentary, I share reflections both deep and light-hearted, offering a companion piece to the visual and written narrative.
Companion Links: Extend Your Journey
Learn to let go and detach with Aaron Doughty (30min video)
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Together, let's embrace the beauty of becoming, the intrigue of what was, and the promise of what is yet to come.
