Near Future Laboratory Newsletter
Join nearly 21,000 members connecting art, product, design, technology, and futures.

Date: March 26, 2026

Summary: Are you contemplating your next big project or a career shift? This workshop led by Carl DiSalvo, Lisa Hair Konishi, and Julian is designed to help you connect with your vision and bring it to life. With a hands-on approach, participants will engage in practical exercises to develop a clear focus and create a 30-day plan for prototyping a community that fosters feedback and accountability. The workshop is ideal for anyone looking to start or restart something meaningful, whether it's a side project, a creative practice, or enhancing a portfolio. Join us on April 17th for Pitch, Picture, Prototype, and take the first step toward realizing your aspirations.

Essentially: This workshop offers a practical framework for individuals seeking to initiate or rejuvenate creative projects, emphasizing hands-on work and community engagement.

But why? Engaging in this workshop will empower participants to transform their ideas into actionable plans, fostering a supportive environment for creativity and accountability.

Pitch, Picture, Prototype
Pitch, Picture, Prototype
Pitch, Picture, Prototype

Where are you going next?

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Modern indoor staircase with metal railings and natural light from above.

Are you wondering about what your next great thing is?

Are you pondering a fun side project? Perhaps a career shift?

This workshop that Carl DiSalvo, Lisa Hair Konishi and I are teaching in April may be for you — so I want to share with you some things that have motivated us to create this workshop, and what we hope you will get out of it.

So, I’ve reinvented myself multiple times: engineer in ‘big tech’, creative technologist, designer, 1st dot-com server engineer, professional skateboard photographer, multiple book author, commissioned artist, university film school professor, product designer, podcast guy, community builder — I was even a cybercafe owner in Ft. Greene Brooklyn, back when internet in a cafe was still weird.

So you can believe that this workshop isn't about theory. It's hands-on. We'll be doing the work to help you connect to your vision and get that vision out in the world.

This workshop is for people who want to start or restart something meaningful, fun, practical, creative, or just different. For you, that might mean:

• a career shift — or just preparing for one
• a fun side project you've been wanting to get off the ground
• developing or reinvigorating a creative practice
• maybe you want to punch-up your portfolio site, or build a new one
• or you're looking for a new way to talk about the work you do and the value you bring to the world

Six hours and you’ll leave with one clear focus, a practical 30-day plan to develop and prototype a community for feedback and accountability, and a simple system to keep momentum going.

Join me, Carl and Lisa on April 17th for Pitch, Picture, Prototype. We’d love to have you there. RSVP here.

Got questions? Reply to this email — it'll go straight to me — and I'll be happy to chat with you about it or arrange a time to talk if you want to discuss whether this is right for you.

Or, check out the info session we held last week, where we talked about the workshop and answered questions. Watch the info session here.

_Julian_