John: Hey Calin! How are you?
Me: Hey John! Thanks for calling! Great!
John: I want to become a designer. Where should I start?
Me: That's great! Why do you want to become a designer? What type of work would you like to do? What are you curious about? What activities do you enjoy?
Well, you get it. That's about how a typical conversation starts when an aspiring creative calls.
These are not easy questions to answer. In truth, I keep asking myself these questions to this day. Here are some thoughts that I hope you find helpful, as I always seem to come back to these:
Draw, sketch, write. As long as you create, you are making progress.
Emulate the work of creatives you admire. When I was in art school, my teacher would always ask us to copy the artist. We noticed patterns. Then we would add our spin to the acquired technique. Did you know that Picasso did this?
There is no such thing as original work. But you can still make it your own. The fact that something has been done before means that you can do it too! Isn't that a liberating thought?
And what has been done will be done again; There is nothing new under the sun.
- Ecclesiastes 1:9
Reading feeds your mind and imagination like nothing else. As you read and ponder, you will realize that you cannot contain your acquired knowledge. The urge to create will overtake you.
Talk with people, listen to them, and learn from them. Talk with people of all walks of life. We have so much to learn from each other.
Learn how to speak to teachers, business people, artists, and musicians. The better you can communicate with a variety of people, the better you will be able to create work that touches people of all kinds. Communicate with other creatives. You will soon realize that others face the same issues that you do. Talk about life and work. That will inspire you.
Everything that we consume has an impact on our creativity: music, movies, and people. If our climate is immoral or toxic it will show in our work and thinking.
Are you feeling stuck? There is more happiness in giving. Helping others fills you up with the joy of giving. In time you will not be able to contain this received joy other than expressing it on your canvas.
Make your work public. Show your work. (Austin Kleon). Now I do not have the right to say this as I rarely share my work — I went without updating my portfolio for four years. I still haven't shared my art in over ten years. This is my biggest challenge. Sorry for being a creative hypocrite ). Ok, back to the point: Show your work! If you share your work, the rest will follow.
As soon as you do, you lose creativity. Shut off the internet and explore. Allow yourself to get lost in play and discovery.
If you have an idea, put it on paper immediately. Or add a note on your phone; paper and pencil are recommended.
Never. Compare with who you were a month, a year ago. To do so, keep all your early notes and sketches. Never delete your sketches or notes. You will look back and be encouraged by the progress and become inspired.
Traveling will allow you to experience different people, cultures, ways of thinking, smells, environments, climates, music, dress, and color. You will reference these later.
The themes and subjects we choose, the way we present ourselves - everything we do impact others. This is a beautiful responsibility we all have because it drives change.
The purer your motivations, the more satisfaction you will have in your work.
Never think that you are better than someone else’s work. Neither do not consider yourself inferior. Consult. Ask for feedback from people you admire. Listen. Apply what you here.
Get outside for a nice, long walk! The best design we have is in Nature. No wonder the best creatives took long walks: Einstein, Asimov, Beethoven, Freud, Faulkner, Kafka, Hobbes, Descartes, Tolstoy, Hawthorne, Tchaikovsky, and Dickens (Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason).
If you do design work - detach yourself from your work (Art is a bit different). I had a product manager who always reminded me when I got too "enthusiastic" about design decisions: You are not your work - see point 18.
Remember who you are desigining for. We design for others. Design is adaptable to its cause, to its people. What is beautiful for some may not be for others.
"A leaf has the form it has because it belongs to a certain tree and fulfils a certain function. . . But if we saw a fig leaf on a weeping-willow we would have the feeling that all was not well . . . a designer tries to make an object as naturally as a tree puts forth a leaf" — Bruno Munari, Design as Art 1966