Ryan Bolick - User Manual
Hi 👋 I'm Ryan. I like to build, teach, and learn. I try very hard to make the world a little less confusing than it was five minutes ago. This is a short guide for working with me.
How to Communicate With Me
I think best out loud, especially when I'm bouncing ideas off someone. If we're brainstorming, expect me to talk fast and sketch concepts in the air like I'm trying to conduct an invisible orchestra.
Slack is great if you want a fast response, email is a bit more of a coin flip.
How I Work
I work in bursts. When I'm in flow, I move fast. When I'm not, I recharge by staring at something design related until my brain decides to cooperate again.
Also, if it's not in my calendar, it basically doesn't exist.
Motivation and Stress
What gets me out of bed is watching students light up when something clicks. That moment beats everything.
I care about craft, thoughtful systems, and solving real problems for real people.
What stresses me out is wasted motion and sloppy work.
I love efficiency so much it might actually qualify as a personality flaw.
Feedback
Direct > dancing. We can talk live, point to specifics, fix things, and move on. Evidence helps. I promise I don't take it personally (design school beat most of the ego out of me).
I appreciate people who challenge me and make me better.
Warnings and Known Bugs
BUG_REPORT.LOG
Efficiency Overdrive. I will unconsciously optimize every workflow, including how to move through my own kitchen unloading the dishwasher.
Letter Swap Error. I have mild dyslexia and thought everyone mixed up letters like b and p. Did not discover this until grad school - whoops.
Things I Love
My family. My son Bentley. Anything fast. My track car has turned into my daily (when not raining) because I love it so much. Photography. Hiking and adventure, preferably with a little danger involved. Woodworking. 3D printing. Science videos. Museums. Anything nerdy that teaches me something interesting.
