To sum up 2014 in one word interesting. Designers never really stop working … Even when we entirely disconnect ourselves it’s always a subconscious process … Some designers do fairly well with letting go of past projects and disconnecting themselves with current work. While others, myself included, can dwell on them until we are literally sick.
There was a time during 2014 when I seriously questioned about what I was doing, where I was at and what I was really getting out of it. Recently I finished Debbie Millman’s “How to think like a great graphic designer” and confirmed to myself that quite a bit of my thoughts, feelings and actions are pretty normal, which is good because many people are perfectly content doing a job that they absolutely hate, with people that they absolutely hate, and do it every day for their entire lives … I’m not one of those people … and I don’t think I ever will be. I have a relatively fulfilling job and I honestly love it … even if currently there is no opportunity for growth.
One of the good parts about my job is that once it’s done … It’s done. There’s no going back, no adjusting the size or weight of this or that, no adjusting this color or the contrast. Nothing. There’s work to be done and a limited (sometimes extremely limited) amount of time to do it in, and I think I’ve learned a great deal from that. Sometimes I have to kick myself and carry on. This wasn’t really a terrible mistake but, an oversight none the less and I got a small earful for it. Our Holiday greeting photo ran right through the fold, making it difficult to see some of the faces (With our printing it’s not like you can see them anyway 😉 )
Lately, I’ve been struggling with motivation and ambition. (This is my first post in like a month, and I love to write) I’ve got a couple projects that I’ve procrastinated until I’m running right up to THEY NEED DONE NOW. I think one of the big reasons that I’ve been doing this is that they’re outside of my current ability, and require me to do research, plan and follow through while learning and doing something that isn’t entirely new but, outside of my comfort area.
When I get like this it reveals quite a bit about myself, not only can I be lazy but, I scare myself into not doing anything. I’ve literally been thinking about one of the projects none stop for two months, nearly all day every day. This project in particular requires quite a degree of infrastructure, planning and execution … while putting off that project another one sprung right up on me and I didn’t even see it coming.
One of the projects is the Reaper Best of the Best online ballot. While, I could just clear the database and make the required change, I really want to make something. Something that will last beyond this years contest. Now I’ve only got a couple weeks to make that happen, and here I am procrastinating … writing about procrastinating … 😉
Anyhow, I knew that I needed to write something since it’s been a while but, I really had no idea what to write. If you enjoyed this post please follow me on any of the social media channels or subscribe by e-mail on the right sidebar.