Self-Confidence as a Designer
“I suck!”, “ I’m a terrible designer!”, “I would probably be more relevant at a desk job”… and other similar statements run across my mind from time to time as a Visual Designer. Initially, I used to think it was because I was “Self-taught” and lacked some form of educational structure, meaning I learnt what I needed at that point in time as required by a particular project and that’s pretty much how I still operate,but I’ve come to see that it happens to even the best in the field.
We oftentimes lack Self-Confidence as a result of may things. That feeling of being inadequate and being an impostor outweighs or own self validation and takes an emotional toll on us. I’m not admitting to crying a few times…but it does happen.
Many people in the creative industry often find themselves seeking for validation from others just so they feel better about their work. Writers, Artists, Fashion designers, Interior Decorators and the rest. We’re tasked to create something that the client and their audience would love, I don’t know about you but to me, that’s a lot of pressure.
The journey to self validation is one that takes a conscious effort. Being present right from the beginning of the design process helps us take mental notes of how we are able to stick to the rules and be spontaneous at the same time. Yes, I know, it happens to us as designers. Lets take a logo design for instance. After getting the design brief, Sometimes we scribble out ideas before, during and after reading the brief and then google a few things here and there before narrowing down our options. Because our research isn’t structured, doesn’t mean we didn’t go through it.
Another thing we should do is not to get emotionally attached to our work. I feel this is what distinguishes us from Artists. Artists express their emotions through art and want to immerse the viewer in that same emotion, while we have to create “art ” and watch/listen to it get torn apart. It Hurts, I Know but we just have to grow thicker skins and a good way to do that is prepare your mind that its going to happen. Those feelings are normal, even if you don’t like experiencing them. Never be scared to delete/discard a project and start afresh. A blank canvas (or in our case, Art board) Helps with new perspectives and ideas.
Stop comparing yourself to others! Just because you’re not going down the same path as other designers doesn’t mean it’s the wrong path. You have to realize you are a unique being with a unique style. At this point, you need to be your own hype man( or woman, Feminism 💪). we can validate ourselves through assessing previous projects. We need to go into that old folder that scares us, Yes the folder of your first designs. Seeing your growth is a real confidence booster.
I know this all sounds so easy to do but it takes work my fellow designer, so do not despair. We can only get better.
