Learning to explore
I spent over a decade at one company. I started as an intern and didn’t think I would leave. I stopped practicing telling the story of my work and collecting the elements to tell the story. Design school was about building a narrative - explaining who you are as a designer and why. But in corporate settings, that muscle atrophies without regular exercise.
You sign onto a company, quickly sign an NDA, and can’t share any of your work. I learned how to sell the company, not market myself.
My life at an agency was fast-paced, and always to the next project. I speak about my work daily, walking clients through ideas and concepts and collaborating with engineers, product owners, and the design team. I make a difference daily, but I don’t talk about making a difference. I stopped the process of sharing with a broader audience.
I am now searching for my next role and realize how out of practice I am at selling myself. I have that Midwest mentality to keep my head down and do good work; however, in the corporate world and in trying to get a job, that is not the goal.
This outlines the goal of this old-school blog. To force me to think about the more significant design story. To share my thought process and further refine the story I am telling.
So, I leave you as Debbie Millman always ends her podcast:
“Remember, we can talk about making a difference, we can make a difference, or we can do both.”