Learning Log, Apr 2024
How is it May already? That feels unreal. April went by in a flash of flowers, figuring out which way is up at my new organization, and enjoying new-to-me restaurants around town.
![A group of tulips in pale yellow and burgundy stripes](/assets/images/content/melanierichards-april-tulips-s.webp)
đ˘ Shipping
I started my new role at Webflow in midâlate March, so April was a blend of continuing to onboard, forming a product area vision and strategy, and starting to be useful. The engineering team Iâm working with here had been working on a pinned ruler and crosshair for measuring layouts on the Designer Canvas, so we got to launch this together!
đ§śÂ Making
- Still working on my first knit pair of socks
- A few plein air drawings for Plein Airpril
- Just started: a mini site documenting my analog journals and favorite stationery materials
I really didnât do any blogging this month, besides my Learning Log. In recent months Iâve been starting blog posts, second-guessing them or deciding they donât need to see the light of day, then archiving them. Feeling mildly unsettled by not being brave? focused? enough to just finish one of these thoughts in public.
Reading
I only finished 2 books in April, which is particularly surprising given I participated in Deweyâs 24 Hour Readathon. I âDNFâed a couple books that werenât grabbing me.
Product
Web
Work & productivity
- How to Stop Taking Work So Personally
- âAll It Takes Is a Quick Walkâ: How a Few Minutesâ Exercise Can Unleash Creativity â Even if You Hate It
Self-improvement
- Why I Swear by âMy Year of Noâ
- Take Ownership of Your Future Self
- Jungâs Five Pillars of a Good Life
Art
- Control where people look using tonal values
- You Just Do It and Do It and Do It
- No Such Thing as Waste
- Managing Water Supply When Urban Sketching