Live in the Leading - The Spaces in Between the Rules

We’ve often been told to follow a particular set of rules throughout our life. It didn’t matter who you were, the color of your skin or what you did; you needed to abide by these set of rules, whether for moral or principal reasons. Though, more often than not, those rules have been broken in some way. For better or for worse, I say, these rules needed to be broken. Why, you ask?

We need to first look at the outcome of what happens when those rules are broken. What was its result? Were there unintended consequences? Was there a disastrous outcome following? I believe you already know the answer. But there had to be a purpose to all of this, correct? Why break the rule in the first place? Why not just stay the course, walk in a straight line, keep your head down, and proceed as if the world is the way that it is.

Change can only happen when you accept the current situation you’re in. As Tony Robbins once nobly quoted, “change happens when the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change.” Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan, Dr. King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi and all other great leaders accepted that change needed to happen. We wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for these great leaders of our past and current generations. They broke the rules. They saw the pain in the world and decided to act on it.

I believe the same applies to who we are at PHENYX and the reason we’re here. We’re not rule-followers. We see the tension and pain in the world, and we’re no strangers to it either. We, however, have decided to channel that discomfort and pain into something we believe in; making something great for any and all to see. Whether that’s in the content we produce, the designs we create, or the words we write, each of us are here to make a difference. 

For us, it starts with the little things. What we can we do today that will affect tomorrow? And with every design that we create, we ask ourselves, what can we do differently? How can we convey that what we’re creating isn’t just another product but an experience that needs to be experienced? After all, we’re all here to experience something great. And the next great thing isn’t a product but is instead something deeper. A connection and understanding to not only ourselves and who we are but the people and life around us.

If we can impact someone’s life through the work we create, then our mission here is complete. No matter the industry, client, company, or product, the work we do here is important. It’s here to remind people that the way something is, is not necessarily how it’s supposed to be. From concept to creation, we question everything. It doesn’t matter the background you come from or the history you hold; your product or company has a story to tell. And we want to tell it.

We’re designers, and for better or worse, we’re here to make a change. We don’t have all the answers, nor do we act as we do but what we do know is, there’s change needed to be made.