Shape a life you love using design thinking
- irisjonsthovel
- Mar 31
- 3 min read
While looking out the window this morning, I saw the light turn our valley slightly pink, with the last patches of snow flickering in the morning sun. I could feel that familiar excitement for spring bubbling up, a new season to look forward to. And not just any season, sowing season! Hopefully, this year I’ll grow some zucchinis (fingers crossed), some tomatoes (fingers crossed), strawberries (fingers crossed), and of course, flowers! It’s that time of year when things start taking shape, both in the garden and in life, which makes me as excited as a child.
It probably has to do with the change of season, but lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about shaping. Not just our garden, but also the choices we make every day, the people we grow into, and the kind of life we hope to cultivate along the way. Shaping is an ongoing process happening in the background, made up of a series of decisions that determine who we become.
Redefining my teenage dream of becoming a Designer
As a teenager, I dreamed of being a designer, an artisan, spending my days creating. In a way, that dream has come true, though reality looks a little different. Instead of crafting all day, I spend a lot of time behind my best friend, the computer, squeezing creative time in between deadlines, emails, and the general effort of making a living. I don’t see it as a failure of the dream, just a different version of it. After almost 20 years of no longer being a teenager, I now know that following your dreams isn’t about reaching some final destination; it’s about continuously making space for them, over and over again.
That’s why I believe asking yourself the right questions is so important, because with the right mindset and tools, you can shape a life you love using Design Thinking, continuously making space for creativity, exploration, and growth. Trying things out, and seeing what brings out the best in you is essential. That’s also what I love about being a designer - it’s about uncovering insights, triggering thoughts, and tinkering until the best ideas bubble up to the surface. It feels like magic. And because I believe in that process so much, I’m shaping my whole career around it. ;-]
Teaching Design Thinking to help students make life-shaping decisions
This process of shaping starts early, right when you’re a teenager and your brain is still forming. That’s why I believe so strongly in teaching Design Thinking at that stage. Last week, I had the wonderful opportunity to work with ‘studiekeuzebegeleiders’ (study choice counselors) from high schools across the Netherlands to explore how they can better support students in making life-shaping decisions. Together with the national organization ‘Landelijk Centrum Studiekeuze’, I designed a workshop to help them uncover their biggest challenges and come up with their own solutions.
Instead of simply asking them what they needed, I guided them through a hands-on process. It started with a sensitizing booklet, something tangible they received in the mail before the workshop to get them thinking. Then, during the session, they used worksheets and stickers to map out their entire study guidance process, identifying the tools they use and the challenges they face with their students. For the final exercise, they received a box of tinkering materials and were tasked with designing their own solution to their biggest problem. The ideas they came up with were fantastic and gave us deep insight into what’s missing.
Giving teenagers the tools to grow
This experience reinforced something I already knew: teenagers need more guidance in shaping their future, and schools aren’t really equipped to provide it. Study counselors lack the time, money, tools, and knowledge to support them properly. This has given me even more motivation to keep developing a ‘Design Your Life’ DIY toolkit - something teenagers can use on their own, at home, without having to rely on schools that aren’t able to provide the support they need.
I guess we all benefit from practical ways to help us shape our lives. Tending to a garden - sowing and growing fruits and veggies - is hands-on work and a continuous process, so it makes sense to approach our own lives in the same way!
Anyway, that’s what I’m thinking about this morning while I sip my tea and let my mind wander from growing zucchinis to teenage brains and shaping dreams into the future! I hope the sun is shining wherever you are and that you’re starting this spring season with childlike excitement.
Iris
♡ Visit my shop to find all the Design Thinking tools you'll need for crafting a life you'll love!
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