“Don’t look back. You can never look back.”
As an obnoxious record collector with an inexplicable aversion to the Eagles, likely spurred by THAT scene from THAT movie, I regret to admit that I spend a lot of time—too much time—thinking about Don Henley’s “The Boys of Summer.” The song is in the canon of a sentimental strain of 80s dad rock that starts to speak to you as you become a person of a certain age. I can only tell you that those sentiments you’re feeling when you first really experience the song are beyond your control and that Henley is talking about a lot more than just a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac—that much is incredibly obvious. But there’s a good nugget of advice tucked away in there, especially if you’re a person prone to looking back and relitigating the past.
That also applies to design in a lot of ways, too, and most other creative endeavors. Don’t get stuck in the past. Don’t linger on what you’ve already done. Be a shark, and keep going, dammit.
