Led by a recovering perfectionist, this workshop is an invitation to rethink creativity, because 'the perfect design' isn’t just a designer’s responsibility; it’s a team effort, maybe even a community effort.

Through hands-on activities and insightful discussions, participants will explore strategies to embrace imperfection, foster collaboration, and create more freely—with a touch of fun.

Drawing from her own journey as a recovering perfectionist, Cigdem Demir will share practical strategies to break free from the perfection trap—easing the pressure, embracing imperfection, and fostering a more playful, collaborative approach to design.

Cigdem is a cartoonist who creates illustrations about body issues. When she is not drawing about body issues—particularly boobs, which she frequently illustrates—she works as a Senior Product Designer for the Size & Fit team at Zalando, Europe's largest e-commerce fashion platform. Her job involves helping users find their perfect fit online using AI and innovative technology.

She considers herself a recovering perfectionist. To combat this, she deliberately embraces failure—headfirst, whenever possible. One of her favorite failures is her rejected comic book. Initially, she was anxious about whether it would be accepted—having been telling stories through cartoons since the age of three, she felt the need for perfection.

Fueled by black tea rather than coffee, she brought only her teapot as a kitchen essential when she moved to Berlin in 2022.

At one point, she found herself at MIT—in Boston, of course—but only as a visitor. Her application was rejected, which she considers one of her most prestigious failures. However, she went on to write her funded social impact project, Seamless Patterns, as a fellow at Artists for Humanity, a social enterprise in Boston.