The Heart of Design
Pre-order your copy of The Heart of Design and help us launch a global movement to empower a new wave of design-led, spiritually-grounded creatives & entrepreneurs.
BOOK OVERVIEW
What is The Heart of Design?
The Heart of Design: Spirituality, Creativity & Entrepreneurship is a unique and timely guide to aligning professional and spiritual aspirations by designing for remembrance, not for distraction.
With the intention to inspire a positive movement across our global community, the book re-imagines contemporary design processes and strategies to include spiritually-grounded principles and perspectives; helping to empower a new wave of creatively confident, talented leaders, and equipping them with the tools they need to launch holistic ideas that can rise up to meet our emerging challenges.
SAMPLE CONTENT
Book Preview
INTRODUCTION
Peter’s Story
Discover the intention and inspiration behind The Heart of Design, and how Peter aims to empower a new wave of creatively confident and talented leaders.
CHAPTER PREVIEW
Arrival
Before starting out on your journey towards the Heart of Design, take a few moments to centre yourself, revisit your intentions, and enter into a state of presence.
Pre-Order The Heart of Design
Pre-Order The Heart of Design
A NOTE FROM PETER GOULD
How it all started...
For more than 20 years I have worked at the intersection of design and spirituality – learning how to align my professional journey as a designer and entrepreneur with my spiritual aspirations.
This journey led me to seek out dozens of inspiring scholars, attend programs with incredible design leaders, and work alongside diverse creative pioneers from around the world.
These interactions, studies and projects have helped me to lead, develop and launch hundreds of creative projects that have inspired millions of hearts across the globe, alhamdulillah, and helped me develop heart-centered design – a spiritually-grounded approach to entrepreneurship, creative practice and life that can help us define and achieve our goals sustainably, while serving the global Ummah, inshaAllah.
This journey led me to seek out dozens of inspiring scholars, attend programs with incredible design leaders, and work alongside diverse creative pioneers from around the world.
These interactions, studies and projects have helped me to lead, develop and launch hundreds of creative projects that have inspired millions of hearts across the globe, alhamdulillah, and helped me develop heart-centered design – a spiritually-grounded approach to entrepreneurship, creative practice and life that can help us define and achieve our goals sustainably, while serving the global Ummah, inshaAllah.
To share the knowledge and experience I had acquired, I launched an online course – The Heart of Design – in 2020, and have since taken hundreds of people through the program live, witnessing some wonderful outcomes along the way.
Attendees have come from many different backgrounds and seasons of life — not just designers or creatives, but all kinds of professionals, students and individuals. And feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Many students said that the program has helped them find more balance and purpose in their work, and discover new tools and processes to make real progress with their ideas.
With this encouragement, I made the intention to turn heart-centered design into a global movement that will encourage creatively confident, talented leaders to develop and launch their own ideas, and positively embrace a designer mindset that can help us transform communities, and meet pressing challenges together.
Attendees have come from many different backgrounds and seasons of life — not just designers or creatives, but all kinds of professionals, students and individuals. And feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Many students said that the program has helped them find more balance and purpose in their work, and discover new tools and processes to make real progress with their ideas.
With this encouragement, I made the intention to turn heart-centered design into a global movement that will encourage creatively confident, talented leaders to develop and launch their own ideas, and positively embrace a designer mindset that can help us transform communities, and meet pressing challenges together.
So after three years of feedback and iteration – distilling ideas and expanding the course’s content – I started work on my new book: The Heart of Design: Spirituality, Creativity & Entrepreneurship. Insha’Allah we can bring this next chapter to life together, and bring huge benefit to the Ummah.
Sincerely,
Sincerely,
PETER GOULD
HEART OF DESIGN ALUMNI
Testimonials
The past few weeks have changed how I feel about the road ahead, alhamdulillah, despite not knowing what the future holds. If you’re just embarking on your journey as a creative or entrepreneur, or are a seasoned professional, I highly recommend this course.
Noor Al Masawi
Canada
I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in the Heart of Design program offered by the Gould Studio in January 2023. As a health sector worker, I have been on a journey of recovery from burnout in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The course, with its heart-centred approach, provided me with a beautiful path by which to explore creativity and spiritual grounding.
Abeer Majeed
Canada
I just want to let you know that just after this short time in the course I start to see the seeds of a life-changing path, some early internal prototypes. I want to thank you for putting this course together. The material is more than amazing. May Allah reward you.
Sharif Shawky
UAE
Thank you Heart of Design team and Peter Gould for creating this beautiful space. I'm grateful to have been part of the July 2023 program, and one of my main takeaways from this life-changing experience is to reframe my mindset to do transformative work instead of it being transactional as a designer.
Amera Ibrahim
Philippines
This was a great course. I listened to each episode like a podcast (didn't have time to watch!) and it worked really well. I enjoyed not being pressured to do anything. I found the frameworks really valuable. The strangest thing is that I feel like the course brought me closer to Islam than any Imam has done over the past few years. Truly a growth moment for me
Shahyan Ahmad
USA
ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
Inspiring Stories
Peter Gould explores topics with creative leaders, spiritual teachers and startup founders from around the world.
INSIDE THE BOOK
Exclusive Insights
The book will also feature exclusive insights from Peter’s journey, and excerpts from his conversations with scholars, entrepreneurs, academics and creative professionals who have implemented heart-centered design.
“
As artists it’s beautiful to make art, but the real goal of the artist on the spiritual path is that you make your life a work of art.
As artists it’s beautiful to make art, but the real goal of the artist on the spiritual path is that you make your life a work of art.
“
When a person is not grounded and doesn’t have the right compass, intention, focus and priority, you can really lose your way.
When a person is not grounded and doesn’t have the right compass, intention, focus and priority, you can really lose your way.
“
I’ve seen how people transform when they start to do something they love.
I’ve seen how people transform when they start to do something they love.
“
We’re trying to ensure that there is Ihsan (excellence) in everything we do. Whether it’s the product, how we interact with our customers, the website, our social media, our blog, everything.
We’re trying to ensure that there is Ihsan (excellence) in everything we do. Whether it’s the product, how we interact with our customers, the website, our social media, our blog, everything.
“
That's what spirituality is. Spirituality is connecting into the essence of something.
That's what spirituality is. Spirituality is connecting into the essence of something.
“
There can be Barakah in anything – especially if that thing brings you back closer to the divine in some way. If it puts you into a spiritual mode, there’s Barakah there.
There can be Barakah in anything – especially if that thing brings you back closer to the divine in some way. If it puts you into a spiritual mode, there’s Barakah there.
“
That's kind of what spirituality is. It's another level of information to connect you to your purpose of life, through the lens of design.
That's kind of what spirituality is. It's another level of information to connect you to your purpose of life, through the lens of design.
“
You have to combine a kind of sanguinity in business with a deep faith that your provision is not coming from the business - it’s coming from God.
You have to combine a kind of sanguinity in business with a deep faith that your provision is not coming from the business - it’s coming from God.
“
If we don't recognize the speed of society and don't design for the place people are … we'll lose them.
If we don't recognize the speed of society and don't design for the place people are … we'll lose them.
“
Young people especially should ask themselves what kind of business do they want to do that can bless as many people as possible? What does that look like?
Young people especially should ask themselves what kind of business do they want to do that can bless as many people as possible? What does that look like?
“
We, as human beings, are designed for Haq. We’re designed for truth, and we’re designed for coherence.
We, as human beings, are designed for Haq. We’re designed for truth, and we’re designed for coherence.
“
As artists it’s beautiful to make art, but the real goal of the artist on the spiritual path is that you make your life a work of art.
As artists it’s beautiful to make art, but the real goal of the artist on the spiritual path is that you make your life a work of art.
“
When a person is not grounded and doesn’t have the right compass, intention, focus and priority, you can really lose your way.
When a person is not grounded and doesn’t have the right compass, intention, focus and priority, you can really lose your way.
“
I’ve seen how people transform when they start to do something they love.
I’ve seen how people transform when they start to do something they love.
“
We’re trying to ensure that there is Ihsan (excellence) in everything we do. Whether it’s the product, how we interact with our customers, the website, our social media, our blog, everything.
We’re trying to ensure that there is Ihsan (excellence) in everything we do. Whether it’s the product, how we interact with our customers, the website, our social media, our blog, everything.
“
That's what spirituality is. Spirituality is connecting into the essence of something.
That's what spirituality is. Spirituality is connecting into the essence of something.
“
There can be Barakah in anything – especially if that thing brings you back closer to the divine in some way. If it puts you into a spiritual mode, there’s Barakah there.
There can be Barakah in anything – especially if that thing brings you back closer to the divine in some way. If it puts you into a spiritual mode, there’s Barakah there.
“
That's kind of what spirituality is. It's another level of information to connect you to your purpose of life, through the lens of design.
That's kind of what spirituality is. It's another level of information to connect you to your purpose of life, through the lens of design.
“
You have to combine a kind of sanguinity in business with a deep faith that your provision is not coming from the business - it’s coming from God.
You have to combine a kind of sanguinity in business with a deep faith that your provision is not coming from the business - it’s coming from God.
“
If we don't recognize the speed of society and don't design for the place people are … we'll lose them.
If we don't recognize the speed of society and don't design for the place people are … we'll lose them.
“
Young people especially should ask themselves what kind of business do they want to do that can bless as many people as possible? What does that look like?
Young people especially should ask themselves what kind of business do they want to do that can bless as many people as possible? What does that look like?
“
We, as human beings, are designed for Haq. We’re designed for truth, and we’re designed for coherence.
We, as human beings, are designed for Haq. We’re designed for truth, and we’re designed for coherence.
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