Oliver Bonhomme http://www.olivierbonhomme.com/

Create More, Work Better

Fabio Basile
Jul 20, 2017 · 4 min read

When I was ten, I joined a local martial arts class. I had no idea how much pain awaited me during the following eight years of training, fights, and tournaments. Soon after, I tried to become a graffiti artist, but gradually grew out that desire and wished to learn how to become a musician.

I am sure you went through similar, or likely more extreme, phases during your early life. As a child, there is no such thing as a long-term plan. There is no worrying about whether you’re any good at something before you try it out. Children typically jump headfirst into the unknown and stay there until they grow tired of it.

So why, as adults, do we feel the need to spend so much extra time learning new skills before we even have a go at something? Why do we stop ourselves from exploring and experimenting before we even give ourselves the chance to see if a new opportunity could be great for us? Who cares if you suck at doing something that somebody else is already good at? Why has it taken me ten years to launch a blog? And why can’t you?

It’s incredibly exciting for me to know that I can learn something new today that will help me think differently about tomorrow. Learning is free and addictive. I’ve realised that the more I know, the more I understand how little I know. But the learning circle continues.

Ninja Skills

Every idea comes as a spark of imagination. From there, you only need to commit your time and space to dig down into the inner workings of a project. Imagine getting paid for what was once an idea!

There has never been a better time to learn a new skill. What is it that you’ve always found fascinating? What have you always wondered about achieving? What “ninja skills” would you need to take your project to the next level? If you are a freelancer like me, it’s typical to get requests from clients that require a wide range of skills. After all, the majority of creative disciplines blend into one another. Art direction, graphic design, digital art, web design, typography, lettering, retouching, copywriting, and even a bit of coding are all interconnected skills that, when brought together, result in better quality work.

When you spend years crafting your skills, you realise how little you know about so many other crafts and spend even more time trying to understand everything around you.

I don’t think design is a skill solely for designers; it’s something that rules everything around us. Everything should be designed with people in mind. Think about how many technological brands have designed their products to influence customers to come back time and time again. This is true in fields as wide ranging as neuroscience, performance analytics, and big data.

I’m sure that you’ve heard the following sayings at least once: “do one thing and do it well” or “jack of all trades, master of none.” These maxims encourage us to develop and master a single skill, style, or discipline. Personally, I believe we are capable of more.

Specialists in some creative industries tend to focus on just one skill: illustrators, 3D designers, copywriters, etc. But, as a designer, director, or producer, you cannot just deliver the same type of work again and again. Your career likely wouldn’t last very long and, if it did, it would be incredibly repetitive and boring.

Your ability to be different lies in how much you are able to evolve and how much you’re willing to put yourself out there to deliver outstanding projects. You start with your specialty and add bits of expertise as you go along. Equally, having additional knowledge about things like neuroscience, customer relations, marketing strategies, and selling techniques will give you an additional edge over your rivals.

The more we understand ourselves, the better work we create. The more understanding we show our potential clients, the better we are at influencing their decisions to work with us (even before we have done any work for them). This is all knowledge that goes beyond your job title.

Allow another world influence you and take you to a place you never expected to reach.

Hell is empty and all the devils are here. William Shakespeare

We should follow our instincts. We should have a go at things that make us excited and nervous. You never know, you could turn your curiosity into a passion or even a whole new career. I plan to keep on learning!

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Fabio Basile

Written by

Software & Design. Part of https://medium.com/fortnight

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