TJ Pitre’s Post

My name is TJ Pitre and I have a confession to make: I LOVE small talk. I'm sorry, I do. I live for those pre-meeting Zoom chats while waiting for others to join. I love striking up conversations with strangers in elevators and love when others do the same. I love the brief exchanges with passersby on the street. I regularly strike up conversations with the cashiers at my local grocery store while they check out my groceries - and now they know me and now they often engage in conversation first! I'm a sucker for old-school hospitality. I don't mind talking about the weather, or how exhausted you are, or what your kids have been up to, or what your vacation plans are, or what you had for breakfast, or what your latest non-work-related hobby is. I love to find things to relate to and I want to get to know you better, whoever you are. I truly believe small talk is the gateway to deeper, more meaningful conversations. It's how we find common ground, relate to one another, and build genuine connections in a world that increasingly feels more disconnected. So, if you've ever felt awkward during one of my attempts at small talk, don't worry - it's not you, it's me! I'm just trying to make the world a little friendlier, one (potentially awkward) chat at a time.

Airports should have tattoo shops

Shaving cream is a sham, just lather up some soap. Trust me.

To my fellow design system advocates: Next time you’re pitching, consider this little insightful nugget from James Clear’s Atomic Habits: “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” … meaning, if the goal is to build and quickly launch a solid, scalable, and successful application then a comprehensive design system is the engine that accelerates development and ultimately drives that revenue growth. 🤑

When I say ‘Pump it up,’ what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? I think I can guess your age/generation based on your answer.