P003 → On Perpetual Stew
"In our darkest moments, we don't need solutions or advice. What we yearn for is simply human connection—a quiet presence, a gentle touch. These small gestures are the anchors that hold us steady when life feels like too much.”
-Ernest Hemingway
A perpetual stew in Bangkok that has been simmering for 45 years
As you advance in your college career, you must confront the reality of the hellish job-scape we live in. In the age of LinkedIn, Indeed, and Instagram, I’m going to tell you the cold, hard truth.
Job applications mean nothing. They go straight into the void. What matters is who you know and how you brand yourself online.
Now, if you take this the wrong way (no-ethical-consumption-under-capitalism gone utilitarian), you might begin to define networking as “Artificial social bonds created to get connections, move up the ladder, and get that referral line filled on your application.”
Instead, I propose another model for defining networking, a model built around community, friendship, and connection.
We must resist algorithmic social climbing and orient ourselves around a lifestyle inspired by trade guilds, subreddits, and book clubs. This model is the metaphor of the “Perpetual Stew”.
The Perpetual Stew as we know it today originated in the hearths of medieval taverns, where stew would simmer for years, even decades, creating an evolving flavor profile as ingredients were added and soup was consumed (basically a culinary Ship of Theseus). If the concept is still evading you, this quote from the best piece of journalism will explain it sufficiently.
“The dish originated not as the creation of a master chef but as the accidental result of peasant indolence. Starting up an ancient wood-burning stove every morning was a tedious job. It was simpler to keep it burning day and night, to heat your cottage as well as cook your meals. Then one day a farm wife had a moment of gestalt. It was only a step from the eternal flame to the eternal pot. Why prepare a new soup every day when all you have to do is keep one simmering and throw in new ingredients occasionally? The perpetual soup was delicious. What had begun as a peasant expedient became an affectation for snobbish gastronomes.”, notes Arthur Prager.
He describes his soup lovingly, saying, “MY pot-au-feu reaches its majority this week. Older than Brooke Shields, better-seasoned than Mariel Hemingway, it has been child, wife and mistress to me for 21 years. I nurtured it through its turbulent teens, cared for it, loved it.”
If you do some math, the perpetual stew in question would have been born in 1960. Sometimes I wonder how long the soup lasted, and if/when/how it’s caretaker died.
In the same way one nutures a perpetual stew, one nurtures a network to become a fulfilling community, where you can find kinship, inspiration, and companionship from people who understand what you do and share your passions.
My own LinkedIn at the moment... one day I will reach 500+ connections... one day...
To be honest with you, my own network was started awfully late. Since last October I’ve had a public portfolio and LinkedIn, but since then, I’ve had approximately 12-ish coffee chats with professionals I look up to and I want to share some of their most impactful remarks with you, so that this whole website and advice collumn or whatever this is isn’t too biased towards my own experiences.
Molly Migano
The first person I spoke to was Molly Migano, an animator at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The PMA is an astoundingly cool establishment, and I’ve spoken to two people who work there, which has been such a gift, as I admire their devotion and the museums commitment to establishing a community of creatives. When asked on her advice for applying at the PMA, Molly said, “Show any club experience that you have, I think that helped me when I was applying, and community building, because that is a core value that they hold. I think just marketing yourself as what you have to bring to a team, whatever the specifications in the internship role, yeah, just kind of highlighting your strengths there.”
Molly’s words back me up in that you must sell yourself. But at the core of what she is saying is that employers want people who are involved, well-rounded, and socially competent. Clubs, having a life, and charisma will get you a long way.
Yonael Berhe
Next, I spoke with Yonael Berhe, a junior designer at Wray Ward in Charlotte, NC. Yonael got his start in design unconventionally, studying engineering at NCSU, then transferring to Central Piedmont Community College to study graphic design. On why he made the switch, Yonael commented, “I made this Instagram page, and I made one of those grid things. I spent like, eight hours in one day on Photoshop and it just flew by in a second. I was like, what just happened? I haven't had that kind of clarity and purpose and excitement for to work on something in a while. I was like, huh, maybe this is what I should be doing.” (A real testimonial of “step one: find your gems”)
Yonael also shared a story that illustrates perfectly how much taking initiative and “right time, right place” play into the job search. He explains, “For our last semester, we do a portfolio show. So I actually got to do creative direction for the portfolio show, which is really cool. I'd say that was, like, my first big boy design project. It was a lot of fun. But through that, we do a portfolio review, where we meet some industry professionals. And one of the people I met was this guy named James Ward that was a creative director at Wray Ward.” (As I am writing this, I am designing and planning my own class of 2025 GD senior show, inspired by Yonael’s testimony)
More than any of his stories and advice, what I learned from Yonael is that networking is about friendship.
Let’s be real: knowing a junior designer at a mid-size ad agency isn’t going to get me any jobs. (I actually got rejected from Wray Ward after we spoke…) But that isn’t the point.
Ah Instagram DM
Yonael and I immediately bonded over our love for electronic music and techno, both being DJs at WKNC. We gather inspiration from similar sources (Are.na fan club members), he has become a regular story liker for my design instagram, and from time to time we chat over DM and share podcasts, favorite designers, and design books we want.
I hope one day we meet IRL and get to know each other better, both as designers and as friends.
Ridge Chin
After Yonael, I spoke with Ridge Chin, a graphic designer at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Speaking about Nick Massarelli, designer at Actual Source, Ridge recounted, “He didn't let the professors dissuade him from doing the art and design that he likes to do. And he told me about this job, so that's how I got into museum stuff and environmental design.” This remark both supports my advice on being a “boldest creator” type and also the thesis of “On Perpetual Stew”, that who you know (meaning friendships and genine bonds) will be the key to finding your dream job.
I would consider Ridge to share my love for “The New Ugly” and we joked about our respective universities, agreeing that,
“There are design schools that are Wix/Pinterest schools, and then there are design schools that are Cargo.site/Are.na schools.”
If this doesn’t make sense to you, ignore this, but if it does, you will see exactly what I mean by my next point. Even if NCSU is a Wix/Pinterest school, that doesn’t mean that people can’t push the boundaries and experiment with their projects. Your school doesn’t matter. It is you that matters.
Here is a more practical point for you all. Poor Ridge had to deal with some major technology difficulties on my end. From a disorganized, type B person: please remember to charge your computer, check your audio, and do calls in private. As well, make sure to get their number or email before calling, in case they forget to check LinkedIn. This is basic etiquette and shows that you respect the other person’s time.
Katherine Ter Kuile
I’ll wrap this up on the most recent chat I did, with Katherine ter Kuile, an exhibitions graphic designer at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This call was my sort of “a-ha!” moment, proving that exhibitions graphic design is most definitely my niche within the field. In asking for her advice on portfolios, Katherine noted, “When someone clicks on your portfolio, the question to ask is: are they going to be able to find your work quickly, in a way that is accessible and easy to navigate? (Whether that's a website or a PDF) My portfolio was as good as it could have been at the time having done it myself, but I definitely think I included too many projects in it, and I think that I included a lot of typed out explanations, which I didn't necessarily need. I’d recommend including small bio images, process, and sometimes even inspiration photos are interesting to include.”
I haven’t discussed portfolios yet, but they are key. Your portfolio should explain your work for you, in a streamlined, accessible, and bite-sized manner. (This is the one occasion where I comply with modernism)
“Properly cared for, your pot-au-feu will last forever… After all, you can't spend all your time in the kitchen.”
- Arthur Prager, From a Pot-Au-Feu, Many Happy Returns
TL;DR: If you cultivate a genuine community of designers, you can avoid the volatile ebbs and flows of our industry.
- Do research on where the person works. Know that they rebranded recently, a new director was just hired, or an award they recently won. This shows tact and respect.
- Prepare a list of personalized questions, and ask them about the most fulfilling part of the job. This is the marrow of the conversation.
- End the conversation with this line. “Based on our conversation today, is there anyone else you think I should speak with?” This is a polite way to ask to speak with their boss and it is quite indirect, so if the person feels uncomfortable, they can easily deflect.
- Vibe-check them. Within a couple minutes, you can probably tell the niche of design they are in, so you can suit your references and questions to their interests to get the most out of the conversation.
- Introduce yourself and partake in a bit of small talk. Ask them to introduce themself. Even over zoom, these social niceties are essential to be polite and not seem like a LinkedIn social climber.
- Set a time limit when you schedule the call. This will avoid awkward rambling, respect everyone’s time, and determine a clear start and end time for the chat. I recommend 30 minutes, but use your best judgment.
- When reaching out, try to mention a commonality between you and the stranger (common interest, alma mater, shared connection). This will make you seem less like a bot and make them more comfortable to respond.