Do epiphanies have to occur in an instant, or is it something that can gradually happen over a period of time? If a gradual understanding can’t be called an epiphany, then what would you call it? Can we give it a singular name? Whatever it is, I’ve felt like I’ve been in the middle of one of “those” for a little while now.
I’ve come to a point in my journey as a creative person, where I’ve realized that I haven’t been the artist that I set out to be in the beginning. At least not fully. Not yet…
Before I go any further, please understand that I don’t claim to be an expert on any of this. These are my own personal opinions, and I’m speaking in generalities, admittedly. I don’t expect anyone to actually read all of this… There are just some things that I need to remind myself of.
Graphic Design is a tough field. Through all of the education I’ve had, the seminars I’ve attended, the articles I’ve read, the other designers I’ve talked to and so on… No one ever really made it a point to communicate this to me. If they did, I wasn’t paying attention. I was probably doodling in the margins of my notebook.
I don’t necessarily mean that the process for Graphic Design is any more difficult than that of any other field. I’m not saying it’s difficult to learn how to brain storm ideas, to sketch out roughs and thumbnails, or to choose colors and fonts that effectively communicate what it is that you’re trying to say. Design principles are not especially difficult to grasp. All of the different software can present challenges at times, but that’s not what I’m talking about either.
What I mean when I say “Graphic Design is a tough field” goes a bit deeper than that.
I would presume that a vast majority of people in the Graphic Design industry are generally the types of people that excelled in art class in elementary school. People that grew up drawing their favorite character from a cartoon or comic book, or sketching the logo of their favorite sports team. Right-brained people who got much more out of looking a photo of a landscape than they did by reading a description of it. Visual learners.
Most designers probably chose the field that they did because they have always loved art on some level, but maybe also had an interest in business, marketing, advertising, branding, etc. Graphic Design isn’t about expressing yourself all the time… It’s about expressing what someone else is thinking; creating what someone else wants. And they’re signing the check, so they’re in control.
Therein lies the problem, I think:
The Artist in you will always be at odds with the nature of Graphic Design.
We’ve all done projects that we’re not proud of. We’ve all been paid to do work that we don’t like. We’ve all spent hours on a piece that we know will never be in our portfolio… And we’ve all had to make changes to a piece that we originally loved until it became something we didn’t even care about anymore.
That’s the nature of the business, I guess. It’s not Fine Art. No one really cares about what a Graphic Designer has to say, so long as he or she has the technical ability to create something that conveys the message that the client is after. It’s not about self-expression, it’s about understanding principles of design and knowing how to use software. Oftentimes… It’s about pushing buttons, clicking a mouse, and collecting a check.
And that’s fine. That’s part of what Graphic Design is. That’s what pays the bills.
But that can’t be the end of it. If I finished this post right here, it would potentially be the most depressing blog entry that a creative person could ever read. But this is also where it gets tricky.
At some point, you have to take the necessary steps towards becoming the artist that you’ve always wanted to be… Even if the artwork is for someone else. How do you do that? I don’t think I fully know yet… But I’d be glad to have you read along as I think out loud.
I think one of the most important things that I’ve come to realize over the last few weeks and months is that:
You don’t need to be a Designer every time you sit down at your computer, workspace, studio, etc… Sometimes you just need to be an Artist.
Not every single project needs to be something that will generate income. For a number of years, I lived as if I believed the exact opposite was true. I would go to work and spend all day creating projects that meant little to nothing to me, and very rarely ever just sat down and created artwork for myself. For the longest time, nothing that I did was creative. Not like it used to be, anyway. I’ve found myself creating artwork for myself again lately. It’s been great. I’ve learned so much more (and felt so much more fulfilled) in those creative moments than I did in months of “design” work. I often have to silence the voice inside my head that’s saying “Get to work.” Sometimes… Work can wait.
The real beauty of this kind of artwork is that it will very likely lead to more design work in the future, and it will be the kind of work that I want to do. If I’m creating pieces that I love, and putting them online and in my portfolio, it could very well attract the attention of someone looking for something similar. And instead of someone dictating exactly how they want the piece to look… I might actually get a client that just tells me to go nuts… To do my own thing. To be an artist!
Things are looking up now.
The other epiphany I’ve had recently is a simple one, but took me a long time to figure out:
You don’t HAVE to accept every job that you’re presented with.
You can say “No, thanks” from time to time. If you know that you’re not comfortable with something, pass on it. If you’re certain that the proposed piece is not something that you’re going to love (or even LIKE, for that matter), there is no shame in declining to work on it. This is isn’t rocket science, but you’d think it was with the way I’ve handled business in the past. There was at least a year (probably longer than that) in my career as a designer that I can’t recall passing on one single project that I was asked to do. And believe me… They weren’t all great projects. If you find yourself cringing every time you get an email from a certain client, or dreading working on or making changes to a certain project… It’s probably not something that you should be working on. Those projects are the ones that draw that thick, black line between Artist and Designer; the projects that form a clear distinction between creativity, and just going through the motions.
I’m a realist, though. I know not every project I do is going to be my new favorite, and that there will be some bad ones… But being slightly selective will at least HELP us to feel more fulfilled by the work we’re doing.
Just remember: If we’re working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week on projects that don’t do much to nurture our creative side… That’s nearly a quarter of your adult life that you’ll most likely feel frustrated by (and unsatisfied with) the career you’ve chosen (even though we thought we’d picked a creative career field).
Which leads to my last point for this entry:
There is potential for creativity with every project.
Even when you’re working on something that you don’t know anything about, or with a client that’s making decisions that go directly against your better judgment… You can always find at least one area in which to stretch your legs creatively. Try new things with typography. Work with color schemes that you’ve never used before. Experiment with asymmetry and balance. Hone your skills in a style of design or illustration that you don’t usually get to work with. Do your best with every project to find the redeeming value. Remember, this isn’t Fine Art. It isn’t all about you. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t find little areas here and there to express yourself in creative ways.
A person’s passion for what they do shines through in the quality of their work 100% of the time. Maybe not 100%… But you know what I’m saying. People know when you’re faking it. So try to find something to be passionate about on every project; you just might start landing more jobs that really allow you to be the artist that you want to be.
