Debbie Millman

the swashbuckling former frontman of the rock group Van Halen.

I first became a fan of the band in the mid-1980s after the release of their five-time platinum album, 1984.

The record sold over 12 million copies, produced four singles, peaked at number two on the Billboard charts, and was only held back from the number one position by Michael Jackson's Thriller.

I interviewed David Lee in 2019 and asked him what it felt like to reach the peak of the tallest mountain in his storied career.

He paused and was reflective as he recalled the experience, and what he said next really surprised me.

He told me, you have to be really careful when you reach that peak, as it's always cold,

you're often alone, and there's only one direction to go.

And it occurred to me right then and there that I didn't want to peak until the day before I die.

And I wanted to take my time slowly walking up that mountain, making new things all along the way.

So the next time you finish anything, a book, a poem, a song, a painting, try not to despair.

That fleeting feeling of accomplishment isn't a flaw.

It's part of the creative condition.

Instead, heed the calling, continue to make things, and maybe, just maybe, take your time becoming the creative being that you want to be.

Thank you.

From the TED Audio Collective, this is Design Matters with Debbie Millman.

For 18 years, Debbie Millman has been talking with designers and other creative people about what they do, how they got to be who they are, and what they're thinking about and working on.

On this episode, Min Jin Lee talks about her values as a writer.

Design Matters is produced for the TED Audio Collective by Curtis Fox Productions.

The interviews are usually recorded at the Masters in Branding program at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, the first and longest running branding program in the world.

The editor-in-chief of Design Matters Media is Emily Weiland.