It drives me nuts when I do things against my better judgement. When I follow a direction I’m not really feeling down the rabbit hole. It can be a tough call on when to push back and when to roll with an unsure direction. I’ll be the first to say I do NOT have all the answers, can be wrong on the best way to something unexpected, and love when something I wasn’t sure of becomes magical. Love that. But the fine line between following the unsure path and just nipping it in the bud, well it’s very fine. And when it comes back to bite me, I give a friendly slap in my own face because I know I should’ve known better. When in doubt, trust yourself. Now on to the next.
Who gets in our way the most?
A simple question. One that when properly answered opens up the flood gates of possibility. I’ve noticed with myself and other folks who work in creative fields, there’s a barrier that can exist when it comes to executing ideas. This barrier has been defined, in my experience, as the budget, the client, the timeline, or the brand standards. Even the general feeling of drabness that may come with a particular project. It may just not be all that fun, and therefore the resulting work created is, for lack of a better phrase, not all that fun.
This thinking, that some outside person, or some outside force, is getting in the way at some level is complete and utter bullshit. What’s really getting in the way is us. We get in our way the most. We make the excuses, we drop the ball, we determine the resulting lack of creativity in a project. Every single thing that is approached with an open mind, a stubborn attitude to not let something be inadequate, and a fierce understanding that whatever we are working on can be really, really great can indeed be really, really great.
Remember to get out of our own way and let’s make something beautiful together, always.
What sort of designer do you want to be?
A question I ponder from time to time. I was a graphic designer initially, hired to do print and branding at an agency. Then I expanded my skill set to include web design. Outside of my day job, I saw myself as an artistic or collaborative designer and eventually a community activist designer. I wanted to take those professional skills and use them to move people to action to make the world better. Now an independent designer still using all that expertise but perhaps more concerned with tone. Lately my goal is this: I want to design like Tom Waits sings wild. Or like The Clash plays rebellious. Public service announcements. With guitar. A lifelong goal to be sure, but one that feels worthy of striving for.
I’m going to write my bio in the third person now
Everyone should probably have one. A third-person bio that’s comprehensive, concise, and up-to-date. And because it’s in the third person you can really lay it on thick. You are this, you have done this, you are doing this, boom badda bing, yadda yadda zing. It really sings praises. Nothing too short, nothing that doesn’t lay it on thick, and nothing that doesn’t wow some folks. I’m pleased to report that I do, in fact, have a third-person bio now. It’s pretty great. But I’m curious how it stacks up. Let’s compare. Send me yours, I’ll send you mine, and we’ll go from there. It’ll be good times, all around.
What are we waiting for?
Being impulsive all the time just isn’t practical. Sometimes you can’t do something because there are too many things standing in the way—time, commitments, money, etc. But lately I’ve been asking myself more and more What are we waiting for? When it comes to the things we really want to do and we’re saying to ourselves we’ll do them someday, why is that? There may be good reasons, but there may also be made up reasons. Ones that are needlessly holding us back.
I wanted for so long to work as an independent designer. It took me seven years of working professionally before I finally did it. Maybe the timing was just right, but maybe it could’ve happened sooner. I remember lots of barriers I put up around the decision that stood in the way that were just made up reasons not to do it. When it came down to it I was afraid. Of that thing I really wanted not being something I would be able to do. And now it’s five years later. Looking at the next five, what else am I waiting for? We don’t have all the time in the world. The years seem to only be speeding up and if we want to make something happen, to really get after it, then we better get to it.
How do you make any money?
Went to the bank the other day to make some deposits. The teller asked me what I did. I said design. He asked who for. I said a lot of non-profits. He asked how I make any money. I said good question. Everybody has a budget. And to make that budget possible, how I approach potential work includes this very important point: Most of my projects exist within the delicate balance between professional rates and nonprofit budgets. I do what I can to make the process as efficient as possible to ensure expert design is accessible to clients with limited resources. I don’t do things for free but I am accommodating. The work I want to do requires that. But it also needs clients who don’t act like they’re operating with endless funds. It may seem like it would be limiting to function in that type of relationship but honestly, it’s quite liberating. It leads to good work for people who appreciate the end result. And I can still make the money needed to run an independent design business.
Oh what a year so far
A few weeks back there was a surprise visit from one of my dearest friends back in town from San Francisco. An epic pop-in to Round and Round to be sure. And that same day I had one of the best client calls about a new brand ever. They were so into the ideas and very excited to move forward. Those are two things that a person needs to stop and take note of. Looking back at this year so far, there has been so much really great stuff that’s happened it’s hard not to be excited about what’s to come. But there has also been intense challenges, frustrating projects, and a general amount of shittines. You know, duality. The older you get I think that’s just how it is. Life offering up great and lousy things all at once. It can be exhausting but as you move through it, the good will usually win the day, you just gotta keep on keepin’ on.
