Big Horizons Little Steps

It’s really awesome to step into one stage of my life and then into another. I remember my sister telling me, that from age 23-25 I will grow a lot, and rapidly. I can say from experience, she is spot on. I feel as if I am in another life growth spurt. I can feel myself falling out of old habits and replacing them with healthier ones. My eyes have really been opened up in the past two months in an extremely good way. I sense that I have stepped into another wave of my life. It’s a refreshing one that I have been waiting for. It’s the realization that clothes, really don’t matter that much – as far as appearance goes, (It’s important we do wear them though!). That’s its more about the people in my life than the things I have that matter. It’s all going to burn up or melt away someday when I am long gone. What I want to leave is a memory and a story behind. That is something that cannot be purchased with money or held in your hands.

Being a designer has been fantastic for my career. It’s interesting how applying the attention to detail skill that I use for work, to my own life. I feel like my life is a big Illustrator file, and I am just putting the points together one by one; creating a vector of my life. I feel that life is kind of like design, you have all these pieces, opportunities, and options and I have to choose which one is the best.

Sometimes life is just sheer luck, other times I know it’s something greater than myself guiding the way for me. It also has to do with the choices I make using the wisdom that is given to me. It’s exciting to see where my life is going, and what will be happening in the next year. I love new seasons in my life and know this will be a good one. There will be rough ones, there always are. But life is an adventure and one I am willing to partake in.

Designing With Challenge

One of the best projects you can take is one that you feel like you cannot complete. That overwhelming, complicated and aesthetically hard to please design. But these projects are only for the brave of heart. Although in the end, can be the most rewarding.

Being challenged in your everyday design life should be taken as gold. Because as you become challenged and pushed to your limits your talent expands and you become more valuable. I believe that as long as someone has a vision for a product, design or idea that they can make it happen.

Designers should never look at a challenge as a setback, but as an opportunity to grow. If you clearly believe that a project is too far out of your expertise be honest with yourself. If you believe it is something you can learn during the process in a specific amount of time, then shoot for it. But with everything, weigh it and find if it is truly worth it for you.

Try not to overwhelm yourself with a challenge. Many times I have gotten so overwhelmed and worked up about a project that I couldn’t focus on anything. Frustration can be such a weapon against us. But going for a walk, clearing the mind, or talking to another designer about your frustrations can really help.

Taking breaks is important too. Give your mind time to rest and process information. Sometimes when you keep working on a design and move things around, everything starts to look the same. Do your best, stand back, and look at your work. Think to yourself on how it can be improved, and if not, then its time for a break. Or maybe you’ve come to a stopping point.

Being under challenged can just be as dangerous if not worse than getting frustrated with a current design challenge. When a designer becomes under challenged, they seem to lose interest in their work, don’t feel used, appreciated, or seen. They know they have talent yet their project isn’t pulling that out. Creative people can feel those creative streams flowing out of them. It’s like water flowing from a steam. But when the challenge becomes stale the water starts to trickle and designers start to feel uninterested in their projects. It’s a dangerous predicament and harder to get out of than being over challenged.

If you’re caught in a drought with design, take breaks, take it by stride and just finish it and move on. It may not be your best work, but put all that you can into it. There will be many projects that you may not want to put in your portfolio. Or even recall again. With every project, hides a lesson and a new learning process.

To avoid becoming stale in your design projects, choose ones that challenge you, are interesting and can see yourself growing. If it’s something you’ve done before, or over and over again, move away from it. If you have too, use those redundant projects as quick ones that don’t take up a lot of your time and you can move away from quickly.

Never shy away from a challenge but stand boldly at the gate. Requesting and wanting a challenge in your everyday work is one of the best things you can do for yourself and for your career. People don’t become great by sitting back and watching people pass them by. They become great by taking challenges that shape them into greatness.

Designers Fairytale

I am so glad I took a week to get used to the city (San Francisco, CA) and that I didn’t jump into work right away. I highly recommend that for anyone that is relocating for a job (If you can afford to do it).

My flights went great and the man next to me on the plane worked for Flixster. The new movie app for Android and iPhone. I thought that was pretty cool! It was a great networking opportunity and he also gave me two movie tickets.

The apartment I am living in is beautiful and two blocks from the bay. I feel so spoiled waking up and going for my run along the water. I have to watch out for the crazy tourists on their bikes. I almost got run over a few times.

It’s exciting and a bit shocking to move across the country for my career. It’s something I have always dreamed of. But, for it to finally start happening is a dream come true. One of many in my life.

I really want to improve peoples lives and help people get jobs. Mainly creative people that need a booster seat for their dreams. My one day Designer Coffee Shop and my used clothing store with proceeds going towards charity. I am going to continue to dream. Because who ever said that once we reach one of our dreams, that we should stop dreaming?

The world is truly my oyster, your oyster. I won’t lie, it’s hard work, early mornings and late nights. Blood and sweat, tears and pain. But it’s worth it. I am known for being a designer, that’s great. But I want people to know me for so much more than that, I want them to know the God in me that makes all my dreams come true.

Fairytale you say?
Well, fairytales had to come from some place didn’t they?