In his famous 2005 Stanford commencement address, Steve Jobs said: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards.” He was talking about how we can only understand the meaning of our past experiences (and how they’ve led us to where we are) in retrospect, not in anticipation. It’s a much-quoted message to trust the journey, even when the path ahead seems uncertain.

But there’s an implication here that is often overlooked: in order to connect the dots, you have to create them in the first place.

There are a lot of designers on social media, making a lot of noise. Every day, thousands of designers share their latest Dribbble shots, case studies, or blog posts. But you only get to see the exceptional ones.