Ryan Stone is currently working as a staff product designer on the Shopify Markets team at Shopify. His team is building revolutionary tools that enable millions of merchants to scale their businesses internationally.
Before Shopify, he was designing flight seatmaps at Expedia, trail finders at REI, and iOS apps at QVC.
He also moonlights as a serial entrepreneur. His brain constantly seeks unique problems to be solved. His current ventures are photography and raising kiddos, but he has previously founded a hat company, designed business logos and print media, created a design podcast, and paid his way through college as a commissioned fine artist.
Twitter → twitter.com/RyanStoneDesign
Hardware
MacBook Pro M1
Apple Keyboard + Mouse
Blue Yeti mic
Software
Figma (of course)
Notion
Principle
Spotify
G-suite
Airtable
iMovie
Lightroom
What is your favorite item in your workspace?
In college I took a 3D sculpting class. It was my first experience in multi-dimensional design and I fell in love. The flow state of sculpting is incomparable and surreal. For my final project I sculpted this hyper-realistic plastalina replica of my high school football cleat. It took an entire month and countless retries. It sits in my office as a reminder of what I’m capable of when the imposter syndrome creeps in.
My second favorite item is my dog Odin. He is the best coworker.
How do you spark creativity?
Honestly, anything fitness wise. I like to think through ideas without disruptions, and the best place for me to do that is when I’m taking a walk, running, or lifting.
How do you keep the work-life balance?
Working 100% remote requires setting clear boundaries with both colleagues and family. I keep my work calendar blocked off to keep meetings within core hours. I get ready for work as if I’m commuting, and try to convince my kiddos that I’m unavailable for playtime during core hours. It’s easier said than done sometimes. Also, wearing jeans at home has been a life-hack for tricking my mind into thinking it’s work-o’clock. I highly recommend it.
If you enjoyed this edition of Workspaces, please consider sending it to someone that you think would love it just as much! ❤️
-Ryan (@rjgilbert)
