I think about this a lot. Some paths are not easy.. I choose to be a designer because my heart told me this is what I am meant to do.
Where It All Began
I started designing when I was in college. I did not have a plan. I just wanted to create something for myself. No one told me what to do. I was alone with my laptop and the internet. I decided to learn by myself. It was really hard.
Learning online is very different from learning in a classroom.
The Struggle Nobody Talks About
People say you can find everything on YouTube.. When you are alone and something does not make sense there is no one to ask. That is what I missed when I was learning online. I missed having someone to talk to.Sometimes it took me an afternoon to figure something out. It was frustrating.. I did not give up.Every time I struggled I learned something. Every mistake made me better.. Slowly things that seemed impossible became easy.
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
I think about this when I am designing.
Lessons That Improved My Design Skills
Looking I think it was not just practicing that made me better. It was practicing the way and having the right mindset. Here are some things that helped me:
1. Of copying designs I tried to understand them.
At first I would recreate designs I liked.. Then I started asking myself why the designers made certain choices. That is when I started to learn.
2. I stopped watching many videos and started creating more.
I used to watch hours of tutorials and feel like I was doing something.. I was not really learning. When I started using the design tools myself that is when I started to learn.
3. I learned to see feedback as a thing.
At first criticism was hard to hear.. Then I realized that feedback is like free education. So I started asking for feedback of avoiding it.
4. Showing up every day is more important than being talented.
I was not the talented person.. I worked every day.. Slowly I got better.
5. I looked at design, in the world.
I would look at packaging, buildings and signs. Design is everywhere. I tried to see it and learn from it.
“Every Expert Was Once a Beginner”
Where I Am Today
Honestly? I’m still figuring things out and I think that’s okay.
Right now I design digital products, social media posts, eBooks, and a lot more. Every project is different, every client is different, and I genuinely enjoy that. At the same time, I’m also working a full-time job at a company so yes, most days are busy, a little chaotic, and honestly exhausting sometimes.
But here’s the thing I’m still learning. Actively. Every single day. Because I think if you stop learning in this field you start to fall.. I do not want to do that.
I started this journey as an undergrad, with no guidance and just a laptop. I have skills now I have clients I have a job. I still have a lot to learn. That feels like something I should share.
Conclusion
This journey was not always pretty. There were days when I questioned my skills and my choices and my direction.. I kept going. Not because it was easy. Because giving up felt worse than struggling forward to my goal.
If you are at the beginning of your journey right now I want you to know this:
The confusion you feel is not a sign that you’re in the wrong place. It is a sign that you are growing.
You should start messy, with your journey. You should learn loudly from your mistakes. You should fail forward with your journey.
Because one day you will look back at where you started with your journey.. You will not believe how far your journey has come.
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
A designer who started out of pure joy and found that joy became her work.