I am relatively young in the “design world”. Its hard to believe I have been working in design for about nine years – seven of which have been a full time job. I have been very lucky to work with great designers, companies, and projects. I am very lucky to be leading design on well known projects throughout the country. Luck and hard work sometimes allow you to move quickly up the ladder. But only hard work and good ideas allow you to gain the respect of your collaborators.
I have been reflecting lately on what has happened in the past seven years. What I have done wrong and what I have done right. Mistakes, though dreadful, are never as bad as we first fear, and successes are usually smaller than we expected. But both, mistakes and success, and your actions directly after, define your character to those around you. The following is the first installment of “Mistakes/Successes”.
Mistake – Not Working Hard Enough For My College Professors
I can remember sitting down with my professors. It was portfolio review time. I had joined a social fraternity at my small college. I had not been focusing on my art/design as much as I should of been but I was still performing at a high level compared to the rest of the class – but that was all mostly instinct. I hadn’t been pursuing excellence. I knew it. They knew it. So they confronted me about it. A professor I admired very much asked me why I wasn’t in the Art Department more. I said that I had been “busy with the fraternity.” They knew what that meant. Another professor said “We gave you a scholarship because we thought you would be more involved.” My response… “You gave me a scholarship for what I did – not what I was going to do.” Not smart….
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