Debbie Millman has an ongoing project at PRINT titled “What Matters.” This is an effort to understand the interior life of artists, designers, and creative thinkers. This facet of the project is a request of each invited respondent to answer ten identical questions and submit a nonprofessional photograph.
Michael Ian Kaye is the Chief Design Officer at SYLVAIN, working with clients including Walmart, Meta and The Information. Kaye has designed book covers for the likes of Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point and Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club, and has earned numerous accolades, with some pieces residing in the permanent collection of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
Creating spaces for exploration and discovery.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
Wrapping my brain around string art.
What is your biggest regret?
Never learning how to use hand tools with precision.
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
By remaining open to heartbreak again and again.
What makes you cry?
Heartbreak.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
It dissipates quickly as my self-critical nature kicks in. But it always returns a few years later (and sometimes sooner).
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
I know that the energy I put into the world through my work, teaching, actions, and relationships will live on in perpetuity.
What do you hate most about yourself?
My propensity to collect things. Having so much weighs me down and keeps me from engaging in the world more broadly.
What do you love most about yourself?
My propensity to collect things. I love to surround myself with items that inspire me and others with whom I share my life.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
A meal that consists entirely of things I have grown.