Lee Black

I’m really honoured to be named Best @Framer Designer 2025. A lot of hours, a lot of care, a lot of obsession, and a lot of trying to make things feel a bit more human. Very thankful to Framer and to everyone who’s supported the work. Means a lot. 💙

@Threeaio Yeah go for it. Pen plotters are amazing for large prints.

@mrblackstudio Thinking about finishing (and actually using 😆) my atelier for some time now… most of the apps you use are also installed there … maybe a pen plotter on top 😬

My new tech stack: - A3 flatbed scanner - rotary trimmer - raised metal ruler (50cm) - craft knife set - A1 Elan cutting mat (green, has to be green) - random shape punch kit - glue - random collection of retro and new magazines Total cost: 400€ minus VAT. No subscription fees. No notifications. No pressure to perform. Just 100% analogue creative fun. I think this will be my best investment this year.

@yvaril0 Yeah. What’s worse is not asking permission or paying me for their marketing.

@mrblackstudio It's a shame that even big companies like Replit are doing it. And it's only the beginning.

so now we’re building templates for people who screen-record them, feed them to AI, and make a janky copy nice what’s the point of making paid templates if this becomes easy for everyone?

@DannPetty Finally, something that AI didn’t balls up. Glad you’re on the mend. Sounds painful.

AI might have saved my right ball. Not a joke. Friday night it started hurting out of nowhere. Twenty minutes in I could barely walk. My plan was to load up on pain meds, lie down, and see if it passed. I asked Claude first. It said: this could be testicular torsion, there’s a 4 to 6 hour window before you lose it, go to the ER now. Don’t eat or drink in case they need to operate. Don’t drive yourself. I went. The first ER tried to untwist it and sent me home by midnight. At 3am I woke up in worse pain and went back. They tried again, then put me in an ambulance to the bigger hospital. We still don’t know for certain it was torsion. The first doctor untwisted it before an ultrasound could catch it. Three days in the hospital. I’m home now, healing, and keeping everything I walked in with. Sudden pain down there is an emergency, not a tough-it-out thing. Hours matter. The doctors told me most guys wait too long because they’re embarrassed. Don’t be that guy. The same AI I use every day to build brands and ship products told me the exact right thing at 10pm when I was about to sleep it off. My wife is a superhero. She got me there the first time, advocated for me for three days, caught a medication error, and ran our whole house solo while doing it. If it hurts, go. If it still hurts, go back.

Window decals have arrived for the new studio. Can’t wait to cut them up, then apply them on Thursday after the industrial cleaners have scrubbed and polished every corner, including the glass and frames. Slow but steady. Swiss minimal type will be the feels. Nothing more than what is needed 😊

@scanner_daily 👀🫶

@mrblackstudio Search for Cricut Maker 3 - you basically send it vector based files and it cuts any shape out of paper/cardboard etc. Handy for collage type work.

@scanner_daily What’s a crocus machine. I’m intrigued 👀

@mrblackstudio Great stack - I recently added a Cricut machine for cutting custom shapes.

@pizzaboy Cannae beat pen and paper and the creative mind.

Even with a full client brief, notes, and signed off mood board... I don't think I'll be turning to farming just yet.

Worry is creativity’s idiot twin. They both make up shit from nothing. — Darby Hudson

@eoindesigns Glad to hear it brings you comfort. The best comfort though comes from taking those time outs. Your nervous system will thank you 🙌

Thank you for this post - it gave me a feeling of comfort reading words that resonate with how I have been feeling lately. Since AI has taken over more and more, I find myself experiencing burnout regularly. The more I feel burnout, the more I am not happy with my work, and the more I want to get back online first thing to try and rectify that feeling. This is a vicious cycle because anything outside of design can be hard to do - it becomes easy to avoid breaks etc. which makes it so much worse. This last weekend I took some time to intentionally switch off. I did not open my laptop or do any design work all weekend, I forced myself to detach - it's hard because I love design but I am realising more and more that for it to be sustainable then I need to set some clear and hard boundaries so I can stay healthy and happy. That and I have made it a mission to just have fun with design - AI can get in the way of that part too and it can start to become all too serious. I am trying to find ways to make design fun, and challenge myself in ways that I can grow sustainably.

Seen a few too many posts this week from big accounts ending up in A&E with heart or stroke like symptoms. I’ve also read some people pinning it on Anthropic. I’m not convinced that’s the right target. Software doesn’t magically give you palpitations. But I do think the way AI has been sold to us deserves a proper look into. And how we talk about it. I’ve been banging this drum for over a year now. I genuinely think we’re about to see a huge rise in burnout, anxiety, palpitations, nervous system dysregulation and people whose brains simply can’t keep up with the pace we’ve created. Let alone the expectations now set on an industry level. And before someone inevitably appears with “I’m fine”, good. This isn’t about everyone. Plenty of people have boundaries, switch off, touch grass and possess the rare superpower of loggging out. I’m personally relearning this as I’m a serial workaholic, and have been for 25+ years. I’m talking about the rest of us. The ones being told every day their job is dead, they should be making 50k MRR with three prompts and a team of agents, shipping 3 products before breakfast, and somehow still finding time to optimise their morning routine. Our nervous systems didn’t evolve for infinite urgency. They evolved to panic because Derek from the cave next door looked suspicious, not because twelve AI models released while you were making a cup of tea. I don’t think we’re watching an AI epidemic. I think we’re watching a stress epidemic wearing AI as a costume.

All my vacations for the last 25 years has been like that. Without AI, and what I know now, was a problem. Now we get the agents on our slack channels on our phones to further help us disconnect from the world whether on vacation or not. That’s a sure fire burnout waiting to happen.

@mrblackstudio @AlexAperios Dude, it's the worst. I literally went on a six-day-long vacation two weeks ago and said I wouldn't work. I ended up working three-quarters of the time

@Danielgbright @AlexAperios It’s more addictive than crack. Take the breaks 🙌

@AlexAperios @mrblackstudio I’m on my way there as we speak, I keep on saying that I’ll take a break, but I never do

@nickclement @gilhuybrecht It’s ok, that’s just levelling up to Van Goch status.

@gilhuybrecht @mrblackstudio Until you lop off an ear or finger

@cyze_dev Glad it resonates Blake! Your point also resonates with me personally. At times it felt so easy and comfortable to juggle 6 projects, until it wasn’t.

@mrblackstudio "Doesn't AI make your job easier?" Yes. It also means I'm now expected to juggle six projects at once. Productivity gains quickly become expectation inflation. Reminders like these really help me take a step back from it all... well said.

@mrtipton_art @AlexAperios Totally. If you can see it around you, you can also feel it. I certainly do and it’s making me stop and listen. Or ask the question: what do I really need right now?

@AlexAperios @mrblackstudio There is definitely a different level of fatigue. It requires a different approach to what rest looks like.

@krealdesign Haha I’ll stick with reading books and making collage art for now. It’s working to my rhythm. Book sounds good. I also saw one advertised that looks good called “How to create typefaces.” Might be worth checking out.

Never late to start doodling man! Really fun and unwinding. I’m not sure I will pick up walls again but will see, sticking to the blackbook for now 😅 Lettering - certaintly. I got recommended a book by Ken Barber called “Lettering Manual” which I’m ordering next week. Can’t wait!

@nickclement Yeah. I think Kirill also hits the nail on the head.

@mrblackstudio It’s just more hats to wear and plates to juggle

@krealdesign Yeah 100%. I like to think I’m grounded too, but I’m also a create-a-holic. That sounds like an amazing hobby. I never got into graffiti. Always felt very specialised. Amazing if you can do it! And also great from a lettering perspective.

Thank you for speaking on this, Lee. Despite I consider myself fairly grounded I still get an occasional “rush” that I’m not doing big steps enough. Setting a few days a week aside to just indulge in your hobbies (or find some) really realigns all that back. I recently picked up graffiti sketching again and found tons of fun and relaxation in it. At the same time I found I can use that to learn lettering!

@gilhuybrecht I’m in the process of making that kind of transition. Slowly. The appeal and affect (for me personally) is life changing. Not talking financially changing, obviously 😜 I don’t mind these kind of trade offs now at my stage of life.

@mrblackstudio I love design but the idea of becoming a painter or woodworker feels so calming sometimes haha