Everything Needs Effort

A big push. A heave. A dig-in-your-heals-and-muster-your-will effort to move the idea up the mountain. The execution. There is no shortage of ideas. No shortage of good ideas even. There is, however, a shortage of people putting in the time needed to make good ideas happen. This has been said before. I just want to say it again here. 

To go further, ideas need collaborators. Rarely do great ideas become reality by the force of one person alone. And sometimes you need a way to prioritize what you’re working on. I know I use this method. It goes as follows:

Of the array of projects moving forward, there are always potentials on the backburner. The things that could get worked on. To help prioritize which ones do get worked on, when there’s a lack of collaborators, that can be a signal that says your time is better spent elsewhere. A project where others are involved and on it gets the love. A project that’s alone in the wilderness, starts and then stalls, or goes through periods of radio silence does not. Don’t sweat it and keep the focus on the things that stand the best chance of becoming reality. 

This isn’t a 100% black and white approach to execution. Few things are. But it can be a helpful guide.

It’s not you, it’s me. I just don’t like your ideas.

In the to and fro of constant collaboration, you will not always mesh well with others. You shouldn’t. If you did, you’re probably a little too weak in the knees. But you work through it. You listen, speak, compromise, switch things up, go down different paths, and arrive at something everyone can get behind. After all, this is no place for ideologues. They’re the worst.

When the Internet doesn’t follow you into the restroom

Upon landing in Anchorage, it became clear that my phone couldn’t handle it. Too far north. Too surrounded by big beautiful mountains. When I go into a restroom to pee, while using the urinal, I often check social media or email. I mean, why not? Businesses put ads in that space your face stares at for a reason. But now, not having Internet on my phone, I was forced to pee in peace. Probably a good thing.

We Review Student Portfolios Very Well

We get in there. We mix it up. We make it happen. We tell you what you need to know. We tell you what we think. We tell it like it is. We tell you what’s working. We tell you what isn’t good. We tell you what you need to focus on. We assume you want to keep learning. We assume you want feedback. We assume you will keep pushing things. We know what’s good. We know what can be better. We know what isn’t going to fly. We review with the notion that you want to live and work as a designer today. We act accordingly. We expect you, young student, to do so as well. For More on the We »

What I know now vs. what I knew then

This may seemed contrived. I do think I’m far too young to have this sort of wishy-washy BS of a post come through my blogroll as something I’d put out there into the professional design world. If I only knew then what I know now as an idea has always annoyed me. It seems over-used and not all that compelling.

However, something keeps coming up in how I think about design that’s different to how I used to think about it. Now, versus then, I know how to get things done. That’s big. Without that, you need more time, more help, account service, more money, salesmen, more options, project management, and so on. Without knowing how to get things done you are lost in a wilderness of either endless creativity or endless revision. 

I know how to get things done. And I’m confident in that. Probably the biggest difference from young Justin to older Justin. Having gotten better at getting things done over the years has meant the difference between just carrying on and actually completing something. Once complete, it’s then on to the next.

How to be a good designer

I think this could potentially be a longer post for Medium. (Like this one.) But for the time being, a short blog will do.

This might have originated from a late night conversation with Joe Sparano about how there just aren’t that many 45-year-old designers. Lots in their 20s and 30s, but 40s, hmmm. Design is a young person’s game. Seemingly. So how do we design our careers for effective longevity? I think a lot of it goes into these 4 points that have made me a decent designer currently:

1. Every single bit of feedback and critique is helpful. 
2. If you aren’t wrong now, you will be.
3. Learn, adjust, adapt, and do NOT stand still.
4. Know what you want the world to look like in 5 years.

I think these 4 points are what make you a good designer. Not talent or location. Not your personality or the clients you have. Perhaps I’ll add to this list or think more deeply about each point. But for now, if you want to be a good designer, get familiar with these.

When the turn time is just so fast...

...you have no idea even if the thing you just designed is any good at all. You just pull your wits together and get it done. You execute. Something out of nothing. For a purpose. For a cause. And you send it out into the world so quickly you are unsettled. Sometimes this is good. In these situations, you simply aren’t allowed to get in your own way. Sometimes this is bad. You just don’t allow the design to be refined and perfected so what gets released is subpar. This is common in activist design. It’s certainly a rush. Sometimes it can get tiring. But it does keep you coming back for more. Get ready, get set, go!