Debbie Millman’s ongoing project “What Matters,” an effort to understand the interior life of artists, designers, and creative thinkers, is now in its third year. Each respondent is invited to answer ten identical questions and submit a nonprofessional photograph.
Marie Gosal is executive design director at Engine Digital, where she leads the agency’s design team with a focus on elevating creative output and strengthening the agency’s position as a top-tier design partner. She brings over 20 years of experience across brand, product, and digital design, with a background that includes leadership roles at Critical Mass, Blast Radius, and lululemon, and most recently as head of design at Metalab.
What is the thing you like doing most in the world?
People-watching, preferably somewhere new, ideally with good company. Traveling with family or friends and just soaking it all in—strangers’ conversations, the way a place moves—is the best. That, or wandering through the rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, which never gets old.
What is the first memory you have of being creative?
My dad is an artist, so I had unlimited access to his art supplies as a kid, which was pretty great. But my first real creative impulses were all about arranging things—what I now realize was staging. I’d meticulously set up shelves, tables, little vignettes of stuffed animals, arrangements of stones, etc. I still see that obsession over the presentation of things in my work now.
What is your biggest regret?
I try to approach regret like a journalist—study it, learn from it, but don’t let it spiral into self-punishment. If I had to pick one, I sometimes wish I had gone to a bigger art or design school instead of a small regional college. But honestly, that experience forced me to be scrappy and create my own opportunities, so I can’t be too mad about it.
How have you gotten over heartbreak?
I don’t know if we ever fully get over heartbreak—it just rearranges itself into something we learn to carry. Losing my nephew a few years ago was a heartbreak that still cracks me open. But time does create space for other things, even if the cracks never fully close.
What makes you cry?
So many things. Lately, I’ve noticed I get surprisingly weepy when I see people express sincere gratitude to each other. Like, that deep, raw appreciation? Gets me every time.
How long does the pride and joy of accomplishing something last for you?
Not long enough. I’m working on that, though—trying to quiet the part of me that wants to immediately downplay it or move on to the next thing. Still a work in progress.
Do you believe in an afterlife, and if so, what does that look like to you?
Not in the traditional sense, but I love Carl Sagan’s idea that we are “star-stuff,” a way for the universe to know itself. I think we leave behind echoes—memories, impact, the energy we put into the world. Add that to the list of things that make me cry.
What do you hate most about yourself?
People-pleasing, overthinking every decision, and getting so caught up in making things perfect that I forget how much progress I’ve actually made.
What do you love most about yourself?
My ability to figure things out on the fly. I also love how much I care about people, about making things better, about showing up for the people in my life. That instinct fuels me.
What is your absolute favorite meal?
Not exactly a meal, but I recently jumped on the (very late) sourdough baking bandwagon, and I love everything about it—the process, the patience, the magic of it. And honestly, sharing a fresh loaf with people I love might be my new favorite food experience.
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