We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Xiaobi Pan a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Xiaobi, thank you so much for making time for us today. Let’s jump right into a question so many in our community are looking for answers to – how to overcome creativity blocks, writer’s block, etc. We’d love to hear your thoughts or any advice you might have.
I haven’t encountered a lack of creativity or inspiration during my creative journey. More often that not, my own “creativity block” comes from an over-abundance of creativity itself. Having too much ideas in my mind tend to paralyze me. And I have learned over the years that picking anyone of those ideas and starting to get my hands dirty as I explore that one idea is much more productive than comparing those ideas on paper or in my mind. So simply put, action (actually carrying out the idea and allow things to change while you’re making the project) is the best way to overcome one’s Creativity Block.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a designer, artist, technologist, and writer (https://irispan.net/aboutme). I have been the inventor of the sound interactive Installation visited by over 1 million participants, the first-of-its-kind 4-dimensional VR poetry Poeceptible, the app that promises to plant 100 million trees on our planet by 2025, and a series of industry-leading new technology products and experiences.
Currently a Lead Designer at Amazon, she is dedicated to using technologies such as Augmented Reality and Artificial Intelligence to revolutionize the consumer experience for both business and social good. Outside of work,
I like to write, make music, and saber to my custom songs in Virtual Reality. My writings on design, technology and their social implications have influenced over 10 million readers worldwide. In 2024, I co-founded HMW (How Might We) Design Studio (https://www.hmwdesign.studio/) with my partner Junru (Jennie) Xu, and new media company SeeLove Technology with my cofounder Amy Liu.
HMW Design Studio is dedicated to shaping a future where creativity serves as a catalyst for positive social change. With a focus on impact-driven design innovation, the studio crafts experiences that are both forward-looking, and deeply grounded in today’s societal challenges. We look at social problems such as environmental protection, healthcare, charity giving, parental care, animal health, etc., and seek creative ways to tackle these challenges through collaborative design and design thinking. On the other side, my company SeeLove Technology is committed to helping people enrich and preserve their “special moments” in life, be it weddings ceremonies, birthday parties, anniversaries, or any other sorts, through new media and technologies.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think my top 3 qualities are the ability to imagine, to tell stories and share visions, and to integrate resources in order to realize those ideas. I believe storytelling is a key skill not only every designer should master, but every individual who wishes to make an impact in the current world, should learn and excel at. For aspiring designers and creative professionals, my advice would be, share your ideas and your creative process on the Internet as often and as early as you can, to the extent that it makes you self-conscious. Sharing one’s thoughts and creative journey has an amazing power to help you connect with like-minded individuals, mentors, and potential career partners.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
An ideal client should be rigid about their purpose (where they wanna go) but flexible in their routes (how to get there).
They should help set a lot of constraints (yes, constraints are the most helpful tools to narrow down creativity), whether it’s their preferences, budget limit, or other types of objective/ subjective constraints for a project. At the same time, they should be open-minded about the forms creativity could take and the inevitable process of iterating through trials and errors.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://irispan.net/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/irisxpan
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@irisxpan
- Other: https://www.hmwdesign.studio/ https://www.youtube.com/@HMWDesignStudio
Image Credits
Iris Pan
