Hiya, I’m Eric — a designer, strategist, and voracious music lover currently living and working in the Chicago metropolitan area. I help teams build (and break) digital products and experiences with a focus on quietly improving people’s lives, one thoughtful interaction at a time.
Trust me, I’m no expert.
The world doesn’t need any more thought leaders, gurus, or theoretical purists. We need more amateurs — those eager to playfully explore both new and well-worn paths with curiosity, kindness, and a willingness to be the carefree fool. For “nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood.” 2
I’ve spent over 20 years as a professional amateur. That’s a long time experimenting and appreciating the beauty, connection, and unpredictability that makes us human — beyond algorithms, analytics, and the latest trends. I believe in people before profit, and our shared need to learn, teach … and just tell good stories.
These are the things currently occupying my attention.
A blog? Kinda … maybe, not really. Either way, please enjoy some intermittent musings on design, music (a lot of music), tech, and other tangentially related things. Some of it might even make you laugh.
As of late, I’m listening to some exciting Canadian artists (Lou-Adriane Cassidy, Saya Gray, Marlaena Moore), reading Doireann Ní Ghríofa’s A Ghost in the Throat, and watching season two of Severance on Max (along with everyone else).
2024 Albums of the Year
Once again, I listened to a lot of new music over the past 12 months, which is why I always enjoy taking this annual snapshot of where my head is at based on the music that resonated with me the most … very artsy, very poppy.
Beyond the first four, they’re listed in no particular order. Narrowing it down wasn’t easy – and there’s plenty of great stuff that didn’t make the cut – but I don’t believe in just handing out participation trophies. These are the best of the best.
Clarissa Connelly
Hélène Vogelsinger
Haley Heynderickx
Dana Gavanski
- Clarissa Connelly’s World of Work is a masterpiece, plain and simple, and easily takes this year’s top spot. It’s a cascade of haunting vocal melodies, classical chord structures, 70s folk, and modern production, all infused with a sense of both the profound and the comical. (I mean, just look at the cover!)
- I will never tire of losing myself in the hypnotic sounds of a modular synthesizer, but it takes something truly special to sit comfortably in the top tier. Ethereal Dissolution, the latest from Hélène Vogelsinger, majestically belies the simple mechanics of patch-cord routing and dial twiddling.
- I was not prepared for this progressive folk triumph, having been unfamiliar with Haley Heynderickx before hearing Seed of a Seed. Her honeyed vocals, gentle finger-picked guitar, and sparse instrumentation weave compelling melodies that skillfully capture feelings of unvarnished serenity.
- Already a stand-out among my mid-year picks, Dana Gavanski earns the coveted fifth star and a top-spot with her beguiling Late Slap. It’s a brazen album of fun grooves and surprising vocal leaps, but not without an underlying sense of discomfort and earned perspective.
Be strange, but don’t be a stranger.
I’m not on social media much. It wasn’t always this way, but nowadays I mostly rely on good ol’ RSS and a few exceptional newsletters to keep me informed and entertained. Quality over quantity, always.
Reach out anytime if you’d like to ask a question, share a recommendation, or hear about my latest Bandcamp Friday spending spree. 3