- Less is more — simplify until you can’t anymore.
- Spend less time thinking, and more time doing — things don’t get done by themselves, have the discipline to practice and stop overthinking it.
- Create more than you consume — put your reps in, 10,000 hours. Starting now. Go.
- Get outside — Spend as much time as you can away from screens , it’ll give you the blank slate you need to get back into creative mode.
- Be ruthless with the details — every little piece matters, and attention to detail will speak volumes to your clients, don’t get lazy.
- Master the art of focus — we live in the economy of attention, so more than ever do you need to focus on a few priorities every day, master this and you will get far.
- Have friends in other fields of work — the perspectives of these people, whether it be your friends, family members, or connections can massively help you improve your designing for humans and the way their insight could help you.
- Practice humility — I can’t tell you how many times, having a humble disposition has got me into rooms I only could’ve dreamed of.
- Rise above your feelings — sometimes our feelings can lead us to some rash decisions that we later regret down the line and possibly burn bridges with potential clients. Don’t do that.
- Specialize then generalize — have a strong suit you go to (branding, ui/ux, web, mobile, 3d) but then after you’ve mastered that learn a few other skills that could round you out and make yourself more useful.
- Good enough is better than perfect — you will never cross the 99% threshold for work in this life. Accept that and then go and make your current work better than your last one.
- 1% daily changes — find those ways to practice every day (put in those hours) and in a year’s time, look back and see how far you’ve come.
- Every “yes” is a thousand “no’s” — this will be a struggle until your last breath. Learning how to say no to things so you can focus on the things you are passionate and dedicated to is a super power. The earlier you learn it, the earlier you will achieve your goals.
- Your portfolio will always be in progress — be okay with your “portfolio” be an ever-evolving expression of the work you love and want to continue doing.
- Use contracts — write it all down, every part of the job, everything that is required. Clearly. This will save you in the long run with any client.
- Find a mentor, and a mentee — could be for anything: business, design, cooking, but get used to taking feedback and criticism, and providing feedback to someone to teach and help out. Teaching is the ultimate form of learning.
- Reframe failing as learning — get used to failing, in a positive way. As if failing is the doorway to learning and coming out the other end a better designer.
- Listening is more important than talking — have empathy for your client or user or research group by asking questions, and then listen actively. Show you care by making eye contact, writing in a notepad, or getting off your phone.
- Get going, then get good — Always take that first step, once the ball is rolling its harder to get it to stop. With enough time you’ll see how much experience you’ve collected which will make you a seasoned designer.
- Invest in good equipment — your future older self will thank me. A good ergonomic chair and a sit-stand desk will do you wonders, trust me.
- Take time for yourself — do not disregard your mental health and the sanctity of your rest. Your mind, body, and soul needs rest on a regular basis, make it a priority to respect rest in your life.
- Trust your intuition — more often than not, your intuition is right. It’s better to regret trusting and losing, than to never have taken the risk trusting it at all.
- Use filters wherever necessary — choose what you "brainwash" yourself with. Be clinical about what you let it. The same way we user filters for our air to breathe, the same way we should be filtering our minds what we ingest.
- Invest in your mental wealth — there is so much wisdom in always upgrading your knowledge, whether it be through free or paid courses, or taking books out from your local library, or watching tutorials on youtube for free.
- Delay is not denial — just because you get a “no” or “we’ll let you know when the time is right” doesn’t mean all is lost. That same client can always come back around when you least expect it. So even be ready for that.
- Above all, be kind to everyone you come across — you never know when your next connection could turn into your next client or friend.
I hope you enjoyed these tibdits of insight, if you have any you can think of please share in the comments, would love to hear them! :)
🌊 Currents
I love sharing what I’ve been up to lately and this is one way for me to let you in on what’s been happening in my life.
📚 Currently reading: The Chaos Machine - quite a scary read so far, scary in the sense of how crazy society has gotten. Basically, we all understand social media has helped but also hurt humanity as a whole. This book details how we got to this point and how much worse it could get… Maybe don’t get this one? 😅
🌿 Currently inspired: Arcana - You ever feel like you need to escape to nature and disconnect from all media? Yea me too. Arcana is the answer to that in Toronto at least. Escape to a wonderfully and carefully thought out modern cabin that is fully reflective from the outside. You will be sure to leave rejuvenated and well-rested.
😄 Currently excited about: Webflow Conf 2022 - WOW. What eventful couple of days for Webflow! If you haven’t got a chance to see the updates, you can check them out here. Which announcement are you most pumped about? I think it’s gotta be DevLink for me! Leave a comment below! :)
🎄🎁 ICYMI 🎁🎄: 2022 Designer’s Christmas Gift Guide - Gone are the days where designers get forgotten or tossed to the side for Christmas. Here are 50 good gifts to give your designer friend, this holiday season. Check it out, send it to a family member or friend, and you will NOT be disappointed this Christmas. You can thank me later 😉
