Steyn Viljoen
@steyn
Designer at CustomerOS. Gardener. Dad. Write at Viljoen Space about product, gardening and parenthood.
Steyn Viljoen
viljoen.space
A chief gladness of gardening comes from its dual nature, from how it salves our longing for making order out of chaos but also frustrates it. There is elemental satisfaction in the reminder that we can never fully control nature — that, in fact, any sense of control is a childish fantasy, for we ourselves are children of nature, made by the... See more
Spearman was right that people differ in their ability to solve well-defined problems. But he was wrong that well-defined problems are the only kind of problems. “Why can’t I find someone to spend my life with?” “Should I be a dentist or a dancer?” and “How do I get my child to stop crying?” are all important but poorly defined problems. “How can... See more
Adam Mastroianni • Why aren't smart people happier?
Like the tiger, we dream of the savannah, the rainforest and the mangrove swamp. We want to hunt and fuck and bask in the sun. We want to climb trees and drink from freshwater streams. We want to pursue our true calling and live to our full potential. I believe this desire is in every one of us. And when it’s suppressed long enough, we rebel.
... See moreJonathan Carson • A Call to Rebellion: A New Story About Depression
An unkink hose feels like…
The freedom to know your version of enough. Take a pause, any kind of pause at any kind of time and not beat yourself up for it.
Light speed clarity.
The freedom to not set huge radical business goals just cos everyone else is, cos it's just not your time to over-hustle.
Spaciousness.
The freedom to politely decline the
... See moreI cannot say exactly how nature exerts its calming and organizing effects on our brains, but I have seen in my patients the restorative and healing powers of nature and gardens, even for those who are deeply disabled neurologically. In many cases, gardens and nature are more powerful than any medication… The effects of nature’s qualities on health... See more
Gardens and Into the void
Perhaps success might – after all – be nothing more than a quiet afternoon with the children, at home, in a modest street.
Overcoming the Need to Be Exceptional - The School of Life
We reject the shallow conformity of the engineering mindset, the stifling constraints of form following function, the illusion of minimalism, and the monotony of linearity.
In their place, we rediscover artistic principles rooted in tangibility, natural forms, the unicity of objects, and the texture and materiality of the physical world.
We impose... See more
In their place, we rediscover artistic principles rooted in tangibility, natural forms, the unicity of objects, and the texture and materiality of the physical world.
We impose... See more
Antoine Valot • Design Nouveau
When we are deprived of green, of plants, of trees, most of us (though evidently not all of us) succumb to a demoralization of spirit which we usually blame on some psychological or neurochemical malady, until one day we find ourselves in a garden or park or countryside and feel the oppression vanish as if by magic.
— Robert Harrison: Gardens: An
... See more