This week’s podcast is content from an original blog post I wrote. A little pick-me-up for this week until Michelle and I are back next week!
Takeaways from this episode:
http://www.brandisea.com/2913-2/
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TRANSCRIPTION
Brandi Sea: 00:06 Hey guys, I’m Brandi Sea. I am back from Europe. I’ve been home for two weeks now, but, um, the first week with basically me recovering from jet lag and it appears that this week I have contracted some sort of a airplane bug. I think my husband got it first and now I have it. So um Michelle and I didn’t record this week, but I still wanted to get on here and talk to you a little bit. Um, so Michelle and I will be back next week with your regularly scheduled banter. Um, so this week I decided to bring you some content from a blog post. I wrote a while back called 12 habits of a happy designer.
Brandi Sea: 00:47 So a lot of times as designers it’s really hard work. Um, I try to really be encouraging, uh, of that hard work of creativity here on this podcast. So I thought this might be a good pick me up for, um, for a little filler week for us. So, um, how can we be more content designers? Um, there’s at least a hundred things I can think of that are things that we can do to be happier and more content with what we do. But I decided to kind of break down the list into 12 habits.
Brandi Sea: 01:24 Um, so the first one that I, I talk about a lot is read, read stuff, read everything you can read magazines, read obviously books, read newspapers, read blogs. Um, when I say read, it’s not just designed books, it’s everything. Read poetry, read history, read fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, magazines, blogs, newsletters, graphic novels, coffee table books. Literally read anything. It’s, it’s a good way to diversify your inspiration and make you feel, um, kind of more full so you have more to pour out into what it is that you do. Um, being well read gives you a wider view the world. Um, having all these things to pull from your own mind will help make you happier because you’ll always have some idea just lurking, just waiting to be discovered that you don’t realize is there.
Brandi Sea: 02:21 Uh, number two is use physical tools. And I think that I’ve talked about this before. Um, the importance of sketching and using paper because I know from personal experience that this makes me happy. Um, I feel like it could probably help a lot of people out there that are kind of getting burned out on just using their mouse. Um, when you use physical tools like a pencil and a paper to come up with ideas, you actually come up with more and more ideas equals better ideas. Um, when you sketch, believe it or not, you can actually come up with sometimes 100% more ideas on paper than you have if you just did it on the computer. So, uh, obviously better ideas make everybody happy. So that’s number two.
Brandi Sea: 03:08 Um, number three has learned to say no. For some of us it’s hard to say no, but when we always say yes, we usually end up regretting each and every time we did. Um, when we don’t want to, um, saying yes when you mean no is one of the things that can make you unhappy really fast. Um, this, this can be something I struggle with. Um, sometimes I say yes because I feel obligated or I say yes because it’s for a friend or a family member or even for a really good cause, pro bono client. It’s hard for me to say no. Um, sometimes I say yes to too many things cause they all sound like fun and I love being a part of things and bringing value to people. Um, as a three on the Enneagram you guys know by now, um, but when all you do is say yes, you have to say no to some level of your quality or you have to say no to things that you might have been able to do had you said no to some of those other things that are taking up your time. Eventually you’ll spread yourself thin. Um, you’ll spread your creativity thin and, uh, when you can learn to say no, you’ll be happier by not being over committed. And as a result under creative, which is never good.
New Speaker: 04:25 Um, number four is diversify your creative and inspiration. So this is very much related to number one. So number one is more about reading, but, um, think about where your inspiration comes from. Um, if it’s all coming from just your own mind from one source, um, then you’re not going to have a lot of originality. Originality comes from the combination of a lot of different ins, inspirations, um, and sources of inspiration. Um, very much like you need to continuously drink water every day to keep your body hydrated. You need to constantly be refreshing your mind with new and interesting things and places. Um, so you can pull from, you want to be able to go back to it again and again. Kind of like a water well except the idea well can run dry and it’s your job to keep it filled. This is when you collect inspiration from diverse things. Um, so also think about collecting from nature, from movies, from fine art, street art, photography, architecture. There is literally no limit on where your ideas can manifest. So use your inspirations individually and combine them. Um, though there’s technically nothing new under the sun, the possibilities of what you can do are endless because you can never combine the same two things the same way twice if, uh, if you’re constantly collecting inspiration from different areas, um, possibility, all that possibility for me makes me really happy.
Brandi Sea: 05:57 A number five is have a personal project. There’s something special that happens when you have a project to work on that you’re not being paid to do. Um, everything kind of changes when you have that freedom for yourself. A lot of people have brilliant ideas that pop into their heads, but, um, for me those ideas come in forms of things I’m already interested in or care about. Um, like book covers or posters or music related designs. Um, the passion project is all about doing something that just makes you happy. No one else you do it for you and pour out your soul into it so you can just enjoy being creative now and then instead of doing it for a paycheck or doing it for somebody else that needs something from you. Um, I also paint. Um, I don’t think I’m very good at it, but I, uh, I definitely do it on my iPad. I do it with real acrylics on canvases. And that time that I do that really just makes me feel so refreshed. Um, personal projects really satiate those cravings for something truly exciting in our work that sometimes paid clients don’t give us the freedom to do. Um, you don’t have to think so much about all the things, all the rules, you just make stuff. Um, you’ll always feel good and be better at your other work when you give yourself the opportunity to just do what you want for a change. Doing something for ourselves is always a little bit or a lot of happy.
Brandi Sea: 07:29 Um, number six is find beauty. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say it is all around us. Um, so why should we try to find beauty or see beauty? Because beauty awakened something in us. Beauty requires a response and that response is often our creations. Um, we respond to seeing things that we see that are beautiful, um, with awe. And in turn, we hopefully can go back and create something awe inspiring. Um, there’s a reason artists throughout history have had a muse, um, because beauty ignites our desires for love and for some a desire to create. Um, it doesn’t have to be the obvious things. Beauty is whatever inspires you. It doesn’t have to be flowers or a sunset or things that maybe people think are classically beautiful. It could be a West Anderson film or it could be the sounds of a coffee shop or, um, I don’t know. It can be anything. For me, I find beauty in, uh, things that are falling apart. I follow a few Instagram accounts that are abandoned places and I really think that they are just so beautiful to see the decay next to the new growth of like vines and, um, flowers and trees and things growing up through the middle of the house. I dunno, it sounds strange, but that’s something that I definitely find beautiful, very, um, inspiring to me. So just be aware of the unusual and beautiful things around you. Um, find your own muses or you will eventually realize that your work is missing that little something and that something is beauty. So beauty makes us feel satisfied and often happy. So that’s number six.
Brandi Sea: 09:17 Number seven is write things down. As creatives, a lot of us struggle with focus. Um, I know I do, I feel like I’m focused, but I’m almost always quote, focused, on more than three things at once, which is sort of the antithesis of focus. You can’t really focus on three things at once, but um, there’s nothing wrong with that. So, but what tends to happen is our ideas, um, and flow sort of get jumbled. But when we come up with ideas or need to remember things, we often don’t have a cohesive system to track it all. Uh, for all our crazy scattered creative minds to focus. I suggest you write things down. Um, and write can be any way that you decide. It could be a whiteboard, it can be a notebook, um, a planner or an app. I prefer to use a planner or a, um, legal pad to write down just the things that I want to focus on that day. Stopping for five seconds to write your distractions down also can take them off your plate for the immediate future. So if you write down the things that maybe are also on your list, besides the things you’re supposed to be focusing on, it will help you not feel like you’re going to forget those things. And so you can focus on the things that you actually need to, um, and that you can decide which things you actually need to address right now, which things can wait. So knowing you won’t forget something and at the same time, maintaining focus definitely will make you a happier designer cause there’s less pressure to do it all and to do it all right now.
Brandi Sea: 10:56 Um, number eight is surround yourself with honest and encouraging people. We’ve all known people who like to blow smoke, um, false encouragement, um, telling us everything we want to hear. And even if we ask them their opinion about our work, they’ll either give vague comments like, Oh, it’s cool or it’s nice or they don’t have anything good or constructive to say. It’s important to find people you can go to who can actually give you honest feedback, not just the people who will be jerks about it, but give you constructive criticism and encourage you specifically in certain ways that you know, you can actually, um, act upon. Um, I tend to lean towards being sarcastic and critical when I surround myself with negative people that are sarcastic or critical. Um, but you don’t want the people who will only tell you everything you do as amazing either. Because no way do I believe that every single thing I create is the best thing ever. Um, I love what I do. I think I do great work. I don’t think I always do great work. Um, and even with this, this, uh, podcasts and with the blogs that I write, I often ask a handful of really reliable friends and colleagues, um, peers to give me honest feedback about what I’m creating. Um, because I want to know if it’s good. I want to know if it’s improving. I want to know that it’s, um, relatable and that’s really valuable. So, um, not everything you do either will be amazing, but you will be a happier designer if you can get better by listening to the people around you who genuinely care and genuinely know what they’re talking about. Um, when they give you feedback.
Brandi Sea: 12:40 Number nine is do something new. Um, we all knew the feeling of being stuck, right? We stare at the blank page wondering and hoping for some idea to come to us, but an idea doesn’t come. There’s something exciting about newness, but sometimes it can also be overwhelming. Um, whether it’s a relationship or a new car or a set of brand new Pantone books, ah, Sigh. Excitement equals stimulation of the mind and of our senses. And newness can be really, really motivating. Um, so what do I mean by something new? Um, I mean, step out of your norm when it comes to your idea seeking process or even your creative process. Um, trying out somebody else’s process sometimes or inserting an element of somebody else’s, um, workflow into our own is sometimes a way to kind of wake us up to the fact, um, that we maybe don’t know everything and there’s something new and something exciting that we can incorporate into our own, um, process. If you always sketch with a pencil then try maybe using the computer to sketch. Um, try lettering. Try working someplace other than your desk. Um, work outside or work in a coffee shop. Go to an art gallery where you can just sit and take in the art and design on your iPad. Um, just putting yourself someplace new is sometimes all it takes to really get, um, get a little jolt. Um, everyone loves a new car smell and a new idea smell? I don’t know. Do ideas smell? I dunno, but, um, new ideas. Make a happy designer. Um, I know that I’m always happy with new ideas.
Brandi Sea: 14:38 So, uh, number 10 is create an awesome workspace. Um, I know that a lot of us work on laptops while we’re sitting on the couch or at our kitchen table. Um, I know that when, especially today when I’m not feeling quite up to climbing the stairs, um, to my office, it’s easier to sit around on the couch, um, and half watch a show while I work. But, um, oftentimes we don’t find those places inspiring. And I can speak from experience that even the smallest space that you can make your very own can really help you be happier and a more productive designer. Um, in the previous house that I lived in, um, I didn’t have room for an office and so I created a space in a small corner of my living room. Um, I put art on the walls that I could face when I was looking at my computer. I had all the tools that I would need at my disposal. I kept my design books close by and, um, kind of coordinated it to a certain color scheme just in that small space. And I made it mine. And no matter how small it was, it was a place that I went and I knew when I went there that it was time to work. Um, the environments that we live in have the potential to really inspire us or distract us and discourage our creativity. Um, I think that if we can really, um, finish well, it is often when we are in a space that allows us to want to finish, that wants us to be there, to start and to finish. When we enjoy the space that we work in, um, it really allows us to get into that, that flow of creativity and productivity even faster. Um, when you feel like it’s all yours and it’s made for you, sitting down to work can actually be a time where you can take a deep breath and kind of think, Oh, this is where I belong. That feeling of belonging can really help you lose the feeling that we all get about being an imposter. Sometimes imposter syndrome is real guys. Um, so really making your space a beautiful, calm, happy, inspiring place, um, and feed your creativity, um, makes you happier.
Brandi Sea: 17:02 Um, two more left. Huh Sorry. I know it’s, it’s been a a long while since you guys have heard from me. And I’m sorry that, uh, this is kind of how I’m coming back, but I still think that it’s really valuable for you guys to, to hopefully be encouraged. And, uh, honestly I’m here to kind of encourage myself with these things a little bit too. Cause being down for two weeks after being gone for two weeks has been, uh, a bit of a, a downer. So this is for you, but this is also for me. So, um, here’s number 11. Um, know your own process. So I talked at length, um, on my, my blog and obviously on this podcast about the importance of having a process, um, but how can it actually make you a happier designer, um, and why? So having a process really creates a place of reference and security and stability for how you work. Um, when we’re not questioning ourselves, um, the doubt isn’t there. And when we don’t have doubt, self doubt, we really do feel happier. Um, the process is really critical to keeping you on track and making sure that steps aren’t skipped. Um, knowing the process really contributes to your happiness. I would say it’s one of the most important factors, um, because it also eliminates the stress and anxiety of losing your concentration or losing your way. Um, not knowing why an idea didn’t work and having to go back to the drawing board is really discouraging since there’s a large part of any good process that requires discovery. Um, by the time you get to your design, it should all be the pleasure of creating instead of troubleshooting your design. And when you have a process like the one that I’ve talked about on past episodes really in depth here, um, it allows you to really feel happier because you’re at ease about the decisions you’re making and you really understand where your design is headed.
Brandi Sea: 19:08 Um, and last but certainly not least, number 12. And I’ve also talked about this more at length, but I wanted this podcast to just be a real, um, a one episode, uh, sort of thing for a lot of the stuff that we’ve talked about on this podcast and, uh, on my blog. So, uh, number 12 is don’t do spec work. Um, spec work is anytime you’re expected to do work for free. Um, I feel like it’s important to stress when it comes to the habits of a happy designer. Uh, I’ve yet to meet a designer who’s thrilled about what they do everyday, creating spec work, um, or just being in contest and getting taken advantage of, which is basically what that is. No one likes that and it makes us feel undervalued. Um, the only people that I have found that quote unquote enjoy spec work are the ones that don’t understand that they are being taken advantage of. Um, we’re happy when we know that people value what we do. Um, what we’ve worked so hard to learn and we get paid fairly for not when we compete with others for the business. Um, don’t do spec work, it will just make you want to gouge out your own eye and nobody wants to work with one eyed, cranky designer. And that’s how you will feel if you do more spec work. Um, a happy designer is a valued designer.
Brandi Sea: 20:30 Um, so there’s a lot of other things I could write about that will contribute to being a satisfied and happy designer. There’s a lot of things that we have talked about on the podcast and a lot of other things I have written about on the blog. Um, but you can make up your own list from the things that you’ve talked about. I hope at this point over a hundred episodes. Um, so until next time I really encourage you to take to heart each of these and consider where you might be lacking if you’re not happy doing what you do. Um, even though all of these things can’t guarantee your happiness, I know that. Um, and I do also know that happiness is not the goal of life. Um, that joy and happiness are different things. But sometimes it is nice to just be happy doing what you do. Um, these are good way to start. Um, it’s a good start is to choose to be happy and try these 12 things out. And I would love to hear what you think here, if you have tried any of these things that we’ve talked about. Um, so thank you guys again for being patient while we, uh, get the podcast back up and running. Um, the past month or so has been a little bit rough, but, um, I’m excited to be back on here next week with Michelle and have a brand new episode for you. And until then, I guess that’s it.