Seldon Yuan created the drawings in The Rational Mind as an investigation into failure. The works are part of a personal experiment designed for him to force himself to break old habits and creep forward. In order to not feel inhibited, Yuan internally pledged that no one had to see these works but him. They were not to be precious; the project was to have no defined style, no expectations of conclusion, and he would not subject them to his own judgement while being made. He gave himself the permission to just draw whatever came to him, no matter how odd or personal or inappropriate. Yuan did eventually share the drawings via social media and has continued this body of work. Meantime Co. seized the opportunity of Yuan’s disclosure and invited him to make a selection of the recent drawings as the inaugural book of the series.