Behind the cover (Patreon)

A couple of weeks ago, I had a photoshoot with Wired. One of their journalists, Lauren Goode, had been writing a profile on me, and we needed photos for the article.

They had asked me to bring two different outfits, and I showed them a beige trench coat that I had planned on wearing. Their creative director looked hesitant.

- I don't think we can go with the trench coat because the last person that was on the cover wore beige too.

And apparently, that's how you find out that you're about to be on the cover of one of your favorite magazines.

I might look as calm as a pebble on a beach, but the day this photo was taken was truly one of the most hectic days of my life.

Allow me to set the scene. Lights please.

💡💡💡💡💡💡💡💡💡💡💡💡💡💡

Scheduling the photoshoot, we quickly realized that there was really just one possible date. Unfortunately, that was the day before I was heading to LA, Sweden and then Belgium for work.

Double-unfortunately, it also happened to be the EXACT SAME DAY that we were scheduled to film the Driving my car around is... weird || TRUCKLA UPDATE + CYBERTRUCK video.

Points to anyone who thought "huh, I wonder why Simone is wearing full makeup for a video. I wonder if she had a photoshoot the same day." Nobody? Ok.

I was really excited to shoot with Joe Pugliese. He has photographed Obama, Elon, Oprah - all the one-name power vowels. There's this weird thing where really successful photographers are either the nicest people, or complete assholes. Fortunately, Joe was the former.

I had an idea wearing overalls with a white button down shirt, as a play on being both a builder and a business woman. But I don't have any white button down shirts, so I was going to borrow one from Scott. But I instead ended up wearing one from my friend Rose Kang who directed the video, because...

Side note: I promise I don't borrow team mate's clothes on a regular basis.

It was a long day of running back and forth between the photo shoot and the video shoot. One moment I was sitting on top of Truckla getting touch-ups by a makeup artist...

... then trying to change outfits as discreetly as possible in a parking lot...

... and the next moment we drove off with Truckla, trying to film as many people's reactions as possible while the photo team were setting up the next shot.

... and then back at the shop, pushing around boxes of flawed Every Day Calendars to try to get a clear-ish frame.

Nothing like a pair of giant scissors to make you look tiny and intimidating at the same time.

When I went to advertising school in 2013, one of our first projects was making a fake magazine cover of where we wanted to be in five years. This was before I had built a single hardware project, and before knowing shitty robots was even a thing.

Every decision I have made since 2013 has felt very random. And looking back, it might look like a squiggly line, but somehow it took me straight where I wanted to go. Still waiting for that great on-the-toilet idea though.

I don't think I've ever been so nervous to read an article. Lauren and I had spent so much time together, and I kept on forgetting that I was a subject and she was a journalist. Interviews are often just a 20 minute call, answering the same questions you always get asked. For this article, it was less answering questions and more her just being there. At the workshop. In the office, the day before we posted Truckla, scrambling to get all our files in order. At the hospital, making sure that my right optical nerve is hanging in there and that I'm not losing vision. 

Here's her article. I might be biased, but I really loved it. My life sometimes feels like a mess and reading this somehow made it make more sense, even for me.

It also means so much work wise. It's really hard to get taken seriously as a YouTuber, no matter how much stuff you do outside of the platform. Especially in boardrooms filled with older men. And I need a lot of boardrooms to take me seriously to go to space. 

Speaking of which...

You know how people tend to say "I can die happy now?" 

That expression has never really made sense to me. Why go and die happy, when you can live happy instead?

Coming to a motivational poster near you soon.

XOXO
Simone