Learn how to mine your subconscious for creative solutions and ideas to help you get unstuck. — My best ideas kept happening when I was half-awake. On a typical morning, I’d lie in bed, barely awake. My cloudy mind would start to wander, and all kinds of strange ideas and disconnected thoughts would appear. Then suddenly, a concept for a design problem I was working on would…

Craft a compelling story about your work, and if that fails, you better know how to wing it. — Learning to speak about your work with eloquence while engaging the audience is one of the essential skills designers can learn. They should be able to craft a compelling story that incorporates your rationale and meets the criteria of the project brief. Wax poetically To succeed in selling your design work during…

Your battle scars were hard-earned, and your experiences go a long way towards fitting in. — I had been building this day up for a while. Finally, I would be honest with my coworkers. I had been considering telling them for the past few years, and I decided to finally let everyone know the truth. I was going to let all the 20 and 30-year-olds at…

Searching for meaning in the forest leads to a divine discovery — I moved to Vancouver, BC, seven years ago. I’ve been a hiker and rock climber for a long time. I love being outdoors, and I’m particularly drawn to big trees. We live in Burnaby now, a suburb of Vancouver. We’re lucky to live where we do because the Trans-Canada trail…

We’re living in unusual times; here are some ideas to help you stop drifting and keep moving forward — Like everyone else, I’m stuck at home, feeling anxious and feeling like I’m in a perpetual state of limbo. I have zero plans scheduled. For someone who is trying to maximize daily output, this is a weird state to be in, just drifting along. I want to refocus away from…

Do these four simple things to start your day with intent. — Morning routine articles always pull me in with catchy titles like 17 Things You Didn’t Know Successful People Do Before Breakfast or 32 Actions You Must Complete Before 7:00 a.m. I want to be a successful person, I gave that new list a try. One morning, I tried to do…

The lesson I learned from abruptly ending a promising hockey career and channeling all my energy into rock climbing. — I will always remember the day, walking into Steele Hall. I had a sinking feeling. My teammates wouldn’t make eye contact with me. I guessed why but had to check for myself. On the list posted outside the new coach’s office, I couldn’t find my name. …