Musing

Design Flow

So, I’ve been doing this job for over 10 years now, that means I’ve spent a ton of time honing my craft and creative thinking process. It’s become second nature for me, and sometimes I forget just how zoned in I can get until someone watches me work. My husband loves to watch me do my thing, he says it’s not just program proficiency, it’s my mind that’s become fast.

When I first started my career journey, I remember having this recurring nightmare/dream. In this dream, I’m working on a project in Indesign or Illustrator. Sometimes it’s something creatively intense, like a logo or illustration, other times it’s more layout based, like a booklet or flyer, I guess it doesn’t matter what the project is because the action of the dream is always the same. I have a small goal, like move something, change a font or color. I know there are other things I need to do, but that one small action takes up my entire dream. I have to repeat it, over and over and over again, never fully finishing my singular task, never continuing on to the other steps I know I need to do to complete my project. 

Other designers I’ve talked to have had similar dreams, and I think I know what it means. Designers are constantly making small judgements that add up to create the pieces we know and love. One flyer could be made up of hundreds of small decisions, all carrying significant weight. Now take all those small decisions and multiply it by thousands of projects, a designer can get really good at making snap decisions that way. I feel like to truly love being a designer, you need to accept that the way you process information will change dramatically, and this thinking will bleed into every inch of your life. 

I feel that the recurring dream I would have was symbolic of my brain changing. I think the moment I stopped having that dream was when I accepted this new mental processing power. That acceptance is why I’m able to work so quickly without sacrificing my work’s quality. All the small decisions are working in the background, freeing up the rest of my brain to work through big picture stuff, and consider each project’s context and usability. 

I’m forever grateful that I picked the profession I did. I love the constant flow of problem solving I get to do every day, and I truly think my brain works better because of it!

Post Views: 20
Musing
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Musing

Design Flow

So, I’ve been doing this job for over 10 years now, that means I’ve spent a ton of time honing my craft and creative thinking process. It’s become second nature for me, and sometimes I forget just how zoned in I can get until someone watches me work. My husband loves to watch me do my thing, he says it’s not just program proficiency, it’s my mind that’s become fast.

When I first started my career journey, I remember having this recurring nightmare/dream. In this dream, I’m working on a project in Indesign or Illustrator. Sometimes it’s something creatively intense, like a logo or illustration, other times it’s more layout based, like a booklet or flyer, I guess it doesn’t matter what the project is because the action of the dream is always the same. I have a small goal, like move something, change a font or color. I know there are other things I need to do, but that one small action takes up my entire dream. I have to repeat it, over and over and over again, never fully finishing my singular task, never continuing on to the other steps I know I need to do to complete my project. 

Other designers I’ve talked to have had similar dreams, and I think I know what it means. Designers are constantly making small judgements that add up to create the pieces we know and love. One flyer could be made up of hundreds of small decisions, all carrying significant weight. Now take all those small decisions and multiply it by thousands of projects, a designer can get really good at making snap decisions that way. I feel like to truly love being a designer, you need to accept that the way you process information will change dramatically, and this thinking will bleed into every inch of your life. 

I feel that the recurring dream I would have was symbolic of my brain changing. I think the moment I stopped having that dream was when I accepted this new mental processing power. That acceptance is why I’m able to work so quickly without sacrificing my work’s quality. All the small decisions are working in the background, freeing up the rest of my brain to work through big picture stuff, and consider each project’s context and usability. 

I’m forever grateful that I picked the profession I did. I love the constant flow of problem solving I get to do every day, and I truly think my brain works better because of it!

Post Views: 20
Musing