Senior Designer Camille Davis emerged from a 5-day design retreat with a sketchbook of fresh ideas.
Back in March, I found myself surrounded by fellow designers, artists and storytellers at Paradiso, a five-day gathering in the historical downtown of Merida, Mexico. Coming back to the States, I found myself more grounded, more curious and more in tune with my own creative instincts. Here are three lessons that stuck with me long after the closing keynote.
1. To Reveal What Matters, You Gotta Reduce the Noise.
In Tala Schlossberg’s workshop “The Art of the Journey,” she invited us to do something deceptively simple: take a solo walk with only a pen and paper. No phone, no agenda here — just a prompt to observe and jot down what we noticed. It was called a “walking observation.”
At first, it felt like a novelty. But now, I find myself doing these walks a few times a week. They’ve become a way to quiet my mind and tune in to something deeper. I notice textures, colors, smells, snippets of overheard conversation — details I’d normally breeze past. It helps me trust myself more. Trust what catches my attention. Trust that my creative voice knows what it’s doing, even when it’s quiet.
Tala said, “Making art is meeting yourself.” That line echoes in my head. These walks help me meet the version of myself that’s less about performance and more about presence. They’ve also made me less reliant on online platforms and more attuned to the world around me as a source of inspiration.
"Making art is meeting yourself." – Tala Schlossberg
2. You Know When You Get a ‘Gut Feeling’? Make Space for It In the Creative Process.
We also heard from Guillermo Flores (along with Pablo Honey), who gave a powerful example of following your intuition even when the “logical” choice is to call it done. He shared how Adobe originally loved his first draft of the Photoshop loading screen: a vibrant rooster illustration. It could have ended there. But Guillermo noticed this persistent feeling that there was something else worth exploring. So he went back and created something entirely new: a toucan that ended up exceeding everyone’s expectations.
He called it listening to his “duende” — a Spanish word for that mysterious inner voice that drives creative work. It was a reminder that some of the best parts of our process aren’t rational. They’re felt. And they deserve space.
Oliver Jeffers echoed this idea in his keynote. He talked about influence and originality; how it’s natural to absorb other people’s work, but at some point, your own voice needs to break through. He said something I scribbled down with a smile: “F*ck process. Find what works for you.”
3. Changing Your Perspective Changes Your Perspective.
Oliver also reminded me why I got into design in the first place: to tell better stories. As a father, he said he became aware that the way he talked about the world was shaping his children’s worldview. And that realization changed the way he approached his art.
Rather than focus on all the things that are broken, he decided to tell a different story: one of beauty, humanity and hope. His books became an offering, a vision of what “we” can be when we come together, rather than focus only on “me.”
Paradiso was a creative reset button for me. It reminded me to quiet the noise, listen to the mysterious parts of the process and be intentional about the stories I depict. I’m excited to say I’ve returned with more than just notes. I’ve got clarity.
