PROFIL
EAs a natural introvert, sitting on the bank of
a lake with a flask of tea and a pint of
maggots is a great way to recharge the batteries
and get some perspective. It’s a perfect antidote
to the day-to-day pressures I face.
Running a busy design and web development
agency for over ten years is an incredible privilege.
To be able to work every day doing something I
love is rewarding but overseeing a small business
can sometimes feel like a 24/7 job. With a never-
ending to-do list and expectations constantly
drawing me towards ‘doing more’ or working
longer hours, finding any sort of headspace in this
environment is crucial for my wellbeing.
I feel fishing is as far removed from my day job
as it can be. It is tangible and low tech and for me
that is a huge attraction. I enjoy the simplicity of
fishing with a rod and line, trying to outwit a big
fish to fall for the trap I have set out. There is a
mystery to what is going on under the water and
although I have influence over certain elements,
such as location or bait choice, fortune still plays a
part in my success. When I take the time to notice,
I enjoy the connection with the natural world,
which stimulates all my senses. The sound of fish
breaking the surface of the water, the smell of
wet leaves underfoot or the sight of early morningmist slowly rising from the lake. You can’t help but
feel inspired.
I have recently read Alex Soojung-Kim Pang’s
book Rest, which opened my eyes to the influence
that proper rest has on our creativity. Many of the
most brilliant and creative figures that have lived
were well known for spending time in nature,
resting and allowing their minds just to wander.
Charles Darwin, Beethoven and Charles Dickens
(to name just three) all had strict routines where
they would purposefully take time out to think
and contemplate their work. When we choose to
switch off, our subconscious minds become active
and it is during these times we can often solve the
‘impossible’ problems or come up with new ideas.
I often feel guilty when I turn off my screen –
after all, that to-do list doesn’t get done on its
own. But taking purposeful time out (and
hopefully catching some fish) can actually
increase my productivity and quality of work in
the long run.FISHING
Ally Morris vkduhv#krz#Ľvklqj#kdv#ehhq#ehqhĽfldo#wr#klv#
phqwdo#khdowk#dv#zhoo#dv#klv#fuhdwlylw|#dqg#surgxfwlylw|BEYOND PIXELSMorris is a passionate designer/
developer and Norwich City fan.
He is also director of Reborn
Media (rebornmedia.co.uk)FEED
Beyond pixels
STUFF I LIKE
HARRY BRIGNULL
UX leader
w: smart.coAIRTABLE
If you’re the kind of person
who likes to use spreadsheets
for things that aren’t just
tables of numbers, then you’ll
absolutely love Airtable. It has
transformed the way I do user
research and it bridges the
gap between qual and quant
really nicely.
https://airtable.com/WEBFLOW
Imagine Sketch with some of
its best plugins and a button
that lets you publish a
responsive website. That’s
Webflow in a nutshell. It
markets itself as enabling
users to build business
websites without touching
code and it’s well worth
having an explore of it.
https://webflow.com/SIZZY
We’ve been working on a
responsive SVG thing that
needs careful visual QA. Sizzy
is a browser for developers
that lets you see lots of
different viewports at once
and you can trigger an
interaction across all devices
in one hit – which saves a ton
of faffing around.
https://sizzy.co/