just wanted to remind you:
☀️ you’re valuable even if you’re going through change
☀️ perfection is overrated
☀️ indulge in optimism, it will make life sweeter
☀️ we control nothing except how to respond
☀️ you deserve, overwhelmingly, to be loved and supported
You know a few years back, a woman wrote about including more black/brown folks in awards shows like yours? You blamed her for not participating; publicly minimized her contributions to your magazine. It incited abuse for over a year.
Yeah, um, I’m her!! So that's a no. 😂
Hi Twitter. I need your help.
A few years ago, I had a freak accident that sent me into catastrophic kidney failure. I've been struggling to find a kidney donor ever since. I'm in dire need of a type O+/- kidney and ask that you please share my story.
#kidneyfordevon
🧵👇
After…
6 surgeries
5 blood transfusions
2 bouts of pneumonia
Lost 20 lb
Lost ability to walk
4 months on hemodialysis
2 months (and counting) on peritoneal dialysis
…I’m back!!! And boy, am I ready to work 😤
Design panels in 2020:
Jan 👱🏻♂️👱🏻♂️👱🏻♂️
Feb 👱🏻♂️👱🏻♂️👩🏼
Mar 👱🏻♂️👱🏻♂️👱🏻♂️
Apr 🧑🏿🦱🧑🏾🦱🧑🏾🦱
May 🧑🏾🦱👱🏻♂️👱🏻♂️
Jun 👱🏻♂️👱🏻♂️👱🏻♂️
Jul 👩🏼👱🏻♂️👱🏻♂️
i’m on a machine 10 hr/day, often working while being drained & filled through a catheter (painful). i have 18ft of tether, enough to reach a bathroom. i still lead my team as founder/ceo & go above and beyond for my students every day.
pain is inevitable. suffering is a choice.
I'm in desperate search of a kidney donor who meets the following requirements:
∙ Blood type: O+/-
∙ Age: 18-55
∙ Location: Based in US
∙ No history of kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure
Could this be you? Let me know at .
can we normalize enjoying a creative hobby without:
- getting likes/attention for it
- having a "natural talent" for it
- monetizing it
no one else needs to validate your interests! there is so much value and freedom in just being creative
still a wip but starting to get somewhere with this expanded
@maxon3d
cinema 4d keyboard shortcuts guide!
mechanical keyboard scroll interaction:
- cinema 4d + octane -> lottie ->
@webflow
- lil' animations for loading and parallax
- backlight hue shift controlled by css
every senior designer walking around with a huge ego was once a young, emerging designer who never learned to humble themself. you either learn that skill when you’re young, or you never learn it at all.
let it be a warning. we are all branches of the same tree.
i have great news!!
I HAVE A POSSIBLE KIDNEY DONOR!!!!!!!!!
they weren’t able to tell me anything else (you don’t get any details until they’re 99% sure), but i’m going to have more testing done and they’ll be drawing extra blood every month now. it must be a serious prospect!!
Y'ALL.
Y'ALL.
WE REACHED THE KIDNEY TRANSPLANT FUNDRAISING GOAL!!! ❤️😭
I'm paying off my medical bills right now. What a relief. As soon as we get a donor approved, I'll be able to schedule surgery!
Your support means so freakin' much to me. Thank you for all the help 😭😇🙏
Hi Twitter. I need your help.
A few years ago, I had a freak accident that sent me into catastrophic kidney failure. I've been struggling to find a kidney donor ever since. I'm in dire need of a type O+/- kidney and ask that you please share my story.
#kidneyfordevon
🧵👇
today, for the first time in almost 2 years, i took a shower without giving up or sitting down to rest. i stood up the whole time with no support!!!!!!
recovery has been slow and hard, but i’ve come a long way from being in a wheelchair 😭😭😭
Hi! I’m making an introductory Cinema 4D course for designers. Learn my high-impact, use-‘em-forever techniques for beautiful shape, form, and lighting in 3D.
🏓
how to stop saying sorry:
sorry for the delay -> thank you for your patience
sorry i'm just rambling -> thank you for listening
sorry for bothering you -> thank you for your time
kidney transplant post-op:
- FEEL LIKE A MILLION BUCKS!!! 💰
- donor doing fantastic, went home after 1 day ✨
- cherishing her gift & time we spent together! ❤️
- ice chips -> clear liquids -> now back on solid food 🤩
- incisions healing nicely even on immunosuppressants 💫
omg... i FINALLY have a date on the books for kidney transplant surgery!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭
it's scheduled for THIS WEEK on wednesday
look how excited my dialysis nurse was 😁❤️
first time she met me i was in a wheelchair and could barely lift my head
here a few beginner blender tutorials to get you started!
1️⃣ beginner's guide
2️⃣ low poly human
3️⃣ boxcutter tut
4️⃣ custom typeface
5️⃣ character creation
i’m on my way to the hospital to get my kidney transplant workup updated! kind of nervous 😩 first time going anywhere since march (other than my dialysis clinic) but i think it will be worth it
i want to see people excited about their work again. when we practice design every day for an employer or school, we forget how much fun it is. keep learning. do things for you. find ways to re-discover your own creative ambition. that is how you hold on to your best self.
not easy to post updates like this
residual kidney function is declining
dialysis treatments increasing in intensity
bp meds have been doubled
scared i'll have to be on machine even longer (already connected 9+ hr/day)
2 people evaluated for kidney transplant, no matches
Going through a rough patch. My CKD diagnosis has advanced from Stage III to Stage IV. This is the final stage before dialysis and organ failure, so I’m starting conversations with potential living donors for a preventative transplant.
many internet gworls of my generation got into coding through livejournal, neopets, myspace, tumblr, and other community spaces that valued creativity + self-expression
what apps today offer a direct entry point / inspire curiosity around using technology to be creative?
Just got out of an MRI! That was my last scheduled exam. Now a kidney committee reviews my case and decides if I’m fit to receive a transplant.
A cute doctor walked me to my appointment and the technician had jokes and was cracking me up. Going to take it all as a good sign! 🤞
just some evergreen advice:
- done is better than perfect
- begin with the end in mind
- beauty is as beauty does
- extraordinary results require extraordinary effort
- be like water
Guess what! Thousands of people are learning 3D with me right now.
MOST.
OF.
THEM.
ARE.
WOMEN.
I know, I know, we’re easy to miss. We’ll try and remember to smack you upside the head a couple times when we pass you on by. 😂
If you don't know me:
Hi! I'm Devon. I’m a teacher, heart and soul. I pour my passion into creating design and technology classes, as well as bringing computer literacy to underserved communities.
My life's mission is to make the magic of computing accessible to beginners.
The 3D for Designers Black Friday $99 Sale starts this Friday at 10am PST!
🌟 Beginner-friendly
🌟 Older hardware OK
🌟 Only need After Effects CC
Ready to have a good ol’ time with Cinema 4D and me? Sign up here to get notified when registration opens:
building my dream work situation:
- team call once a month (cameras optional)
- no other required meetings
- annual education stipend
- notion, loom, slack for async collaboration
- almost never use email (once a week-ish)
- driven by joyful mission + diverse team
things that are more important than any tech skill:
- effort
- self-awareness
- generosity
- patience
- sincerity
- honesty
- passion
- kindness
- boldness
- authenticity
- perseverance
- commitment
if you love doing something please pursue it with all the passion and vigor you can muster. after going into kidney failure, i look back and am so happy i put in all those hours on my projects. i was prolific. you never know what will happen. you may not be able to do it later.
A couple weeks after I launched , my dad suddenly passed away. I'm still struggling with the loss and will be for awhile. He taught me so much about integrity, hard work, and positivity...
I miss him every day.
Hug 'em tight, folks. It's all so fleeting.
whispered “mission success” to myself walking away from the coffee shop just now 😭😭
i’ve been in recovery for 812 days and this is the first time i’ve been strong enough to run an errand on foot
another recovery milestone unlocked!! 😇✌️✨
I've pushed myself to the limit trying to get back to work. I miss teaching so much. But I have no chance of recovery until I get a kidney transplant.
Please help me find a
#kidneyfordevon
. If we reach enough people, I know we'll find a donor.
💫 3D FOR DESIGNERS IS OPEN ✨
i'm now accepting new beginner 3d students for intro to cinema 4d for designers! learn shape, form, lighting, color, and animation in cinema 4d lite.
just $99 for black friday 🔥
please share!!
enroll here:
health update:
i was just now, finally, 1.5 years after going into kidney failure, put on the waitlist for a kidney transplant.
my blood type is O so the wait time is around 10 years, but i may be eligible to get one sooner - in 7 years - because i’m so young.
At this point, I don’t know if I’ll recover, or if I’ll need dialysis for the rest of my life. They biopsied my kidney but the results are inconclusive right now. It may or may not heal itself. All I can say is I’m here, I’m surviving, and I’m ready to accept any outcome.
i need help - i still haven’t found a kidney donor
looking for volunteers to help me campaign to find one!
need support on: writing, research, organizing, admin, getting the word out
please reply if you can help 🙏
Let’s goooooo! We are LIVE! 🗣
Now accepting new students for Intro to Cinema for Designers. Let’s learn 3D for design!
🌟 50% off for limited time
✅ Learn 3D fundamentals
✅ Use After Effects or C4D
✅ 1-on-1 support
90% of the highest-performing designers i know didn’t study art or design in school
there is no degree <-> ability correlation
whether you’re a great designer is determined by your willingness to develop the habits and behaviors of one
AHHH! I'm doing it! I didn't think I would be recovered enough to do a Black Friday sale, but now it's happening. And I'm going to make it a big one:
🌟 Starting Friday Nov 29 at 10am PST, you can join my beginner-friendly Cinema 4D course for just $99.
UX is beyond teachable. It is innately understood by the next generation of designers, who know from day 1:
- Visual design is UX
- 1 prototype > 100 wireframes
- More usable = more money
UX was never meant to be a dry, isolated discipline of just wireframes, flows, stories etc
If you aren't feeling up to it, you don’t need to be productive, creative, or learn a new skill right now. Seriously! It’s totally okay. I wasn’t productive for almost an ENTIRE YEAR recovering from kidney failure. There’s plenty of time, I promise.
Guess who is dropping a big
#cinema4d
freebie right now? 😅
Behold! An interactive search tool for EVERY Cinema 4D Lite shortcut:
⌨️ Search and sort by category
⌨️ Up-to-date with the latest version
⌨️ Mac and PC shortcuts
⌨️ Free PDF download
i stopped being friends with
@pasql
10 years ago after witnessing super disturbing/creepy behavior from him toward women at a party. the stories of harassment & assault i’ve heard since then have made my skin crawl. disgusting and depraved. i fully back
@boop
and
@saskiakeultjes
inspiration: kenji ekuan (1929–2015) was a japanese industrial designer who designed the kikkoman soy sauce bottle, yahama motorcycles, bullet trains, and so much more. he was inspired to create things after seeing his hometown of hiroshima destroyed by an atomic bomb.
learning new things when you're busy:
- use enthusiasm as motivator, not pressure or negative self-talk
- 30 min every other day is better than giving up
- give yourself small, achievable assignments
- find a community or accountability buddy
- learn just enough to be dangerous
I started learning to code as a kid almost 20 years ago. It's not like I'm doing deep technical work—just running a business—but I still use HTML, CSS, and basic programming skills every day of the week.
Every day! I don't know what I would do without it. Hell of a payoff.
After being admitted, I underwent 6 surgeries (including 2 dialysis access ports), 5 blood transfusions, and had pneumonia 2x. My feet also inexplicably seized up in pain.
I was discharged in a wheelchair, shattered and weak. I didn't walk for 6 months.
everything just came to a grinding halt because of a surge in covid-19. all transplants are on hold. my energy is getting very low. i sleep 70% of the day and can’t work much. i really need to be transplanted, it’s been almost 2 years, i just have to keep holding on... 😭😭😭😭😭
This is called an anamorphic illusion! When viewed from the right perspective, it looks like the wave is suspended and crashing around in three-dimensional space. It's really just a gigantic LED screen.
Proud of myself for launching a ridiculous amount of stuff between then and now. I have my own motivations, but anyone can do it. These are my rules:
1. If it’s trivial, ignore it.
2. If it’s more trouble than it’s worth, end it.
3. If it’s not important, say no.
It's all about COLOR and LIGHTING in this new tutorial for Cinema 4D Lite first-timers!
Learn about omni vs. infinite lights, working with shadows, and swatching colors for the perfect palette. Please RT! I put a lot of love into this one. 😊
how to make twitter less exhausting:
- no inconsequential arguing
- no defending yourself to strangers
- no replying out of obligation
- no dunking on smaller accounts
- no contrarian replies / devil’s advocacy
- mute anything that drains you emotionally (including people)