From slide 113 on Johan Ronsse’s presentation:

“In the old days, when someone started to learn a craft, they would start off as an apprentice and go to different masters to educate themselves in their craft.

Ideally every master was a bit different so the apprentice could learn from varied points of view and form their own. Eventually the apprentice would become a master of their domain.

Applying this to modern UI design I believe a good UI designer should dip their toes in other jobs and fields like copywriting, backend development, photography, print design, business, marketing, front-end development and so much more.”

A master is often considered a specialist, not a generalist — but I disagree. They are defined by a specific perspective, which they have hone through weaving together many threads of experience and craft.

The richer their experiences, the richer their perspective.

Japanese chefs are now cooking almost every cuisine imaginable, combining fidelity to the original with locally sourced products that complement or replace imports. When they prepare foreign foods, they’re no longer asking themselves how they can make a dish more Japanese—or even more Italian, French or American. Instead they’ve moved on to a more profound and difficult challenge: how to make the whole dining experience better.

(via this WSJ story on Japanese cuisine)

To know what’s better is to choose where you stand.