152 - Michael Riddering

Michael Riddering is the founding designer at Maven where he spends his days thinking about the future of online learning. He's also the creator of Figma Academy—an advanced design course taught directly inside of Figma. On the side, he tinkers with all kinds of fun internet things including a new Talent Network for designers.For the most part, he struggles to write in the third person and would love to be friends on the Twitter bird.

What's in his studio:

• Apex Desk Elite Series 71" standing desk
• Acoustic panels from Output
• BenQ UHD Monitor
• Shure SM7B mic
• Herman Miller Mirra chair
• GVM 80W LED Studio key light
• Elgato mounted key light
• Arrow Universal Audio interface
• AirPod pros + max + M1 Macbook Air
• Topo comfort standing mat by ergodriven
• AverMedia webcam
• Way more colored smart lights than he needs
• Wilson GST football always

What's in his stack:

• Notion (note-taking, personal task management)
• Loom (asynchronous collaboration and presenting of ideas)
• Slack (synchronous collaboration)
• Linear (task management for Maven)
• Figma (my one true love)
• Reflect (notes for days)
• Lemon Squeezy (powers Figma Academy)

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases on some of the Amazon links that may be attached to the products above.

Q/A ☕️

What is your favorite item in your workspace?

The Topo comfort standing mat by ergodriven is quite possibly the best $100 I've spent in the last two years. I stand a lot while working and being able to massage the balls of my feet and stretch my calves throughout the day is a game-changer.

How do you spark creativity?

I dance. It's not pretty, but it's spirited for sure. Whenever I'm gearing up for a focused sprint I throw my headphones on and start moving my body. You'll most likely find me jamming to artists like Pretty Lights, Emancipator, and if I'm really going for it... Opiuo.

How do you keep the work-life balance?

Honestly... I don't. But I think that's ok :) There's so much overlap between my day job (Maven) and my business as a creator and right now it all kind of feels like playtime. I consider myself immensely blessed to be able to make a living doing what I love.