a quick note if you're new here: i'm Kai. i built Design Garden, a co-op accountability sprint for designers who ship. four weeks, a project you’ve been sitting on, one partner and a supportive design crew who actually cares if it ships. this is my newsletter about the messy middle of building.

i added wheels and passenger seats 🫶

that's Design Garden — a project i built for myself first, then opened up because other designers needed the same thing.

summer growing season doors are open. 1 spot left. every designer in the pool is someone i've personally vetted — portfolios, experience, and a shared understanding of what accountability means to them.

we officially start sprinting monday, july 6th. registration closes sunday, july 5th.

the hardest part of a sprint like this isn't shipping. it's picking the right thing to ship.

most people show up with five ideas and no way to choose between them. so here's the framework we’re using this growing season at Design Garden: three lenses, one goal.

head — is it logical for where you are right now? does it move you toward something you actually need, not just something that sounds impressive.

heart — do you genuinely care about it? if you don't care, you won't push through week 3 when it gets hard.

hand — is it realistically doable in four weeks? do you have the right resources or tech stack? not the dream version. the version you can actually finish.

when a goal clears all three, you stop debating and start building. that's the whole point: moving past vague ambition into one focused thing you can feel excited about, commit to, and actually complete.

if you've been torn between too many ideas, or you keep almost-starting and never finishing, this is the place to fix it.

i review every application myself, so the group stays small enough to decide things together instead of me dictating them. even the showcase format is a group call — the crew sets it once everyone's matched.

showcase isn't just a wrap-up. you build a short deck and tell the story of what you made: what you set out to do, what actually happened, what you learned. it's the milestone that makes you sit down and process four weeks of work instead of letting it disappear into a folder.

(missed orientation on june 30? i've got a recording to catch you up.)

mid-sprint, there's an optional networking event too: 15-minute show-and-tells where you see how other designers actually work. great way to make connections and pick up a trick or two. open to the public, cohort or not.

you don't need the perfect portfolio or a five-year plan. just show up, stay curious, and figure it out with other people.

four weeks, one goal, one accountability partner.

$20. deadline is THIS sunday!