Campfire 22: One thing that will help you boost your design career
One thing that led me to some of the most exciting things and experiences of my life. I made many mistakes and failed a lot along the way in my career. But, in the end, everything worked out well.
What is the one thing that will help me boost my design career?
If we’re talking about only one thing, I would say you need to become comfortable with discomfort.
Taking risks is hard, especially emotionally. You’re stepping into the unknown and have to figure it out on the go. But from my own experience and the experience of my students, I can say that it’s the best way to grow most of the time.
By becoming comfortable with discomfort, you remove the heavy stress pressure and start using it as a growth amplifier.
100% risk gives you 1000% motivation
— Alex Dovhyi 🇺🇦 (@dovhyi) May 12, 2022
Think about it this way:
Moving to a new place is uncomfortable, but it opens up space for new great opportunities
Meeting new people is uncomfortable, but it gives you access to their ideas, thoughts, and experiences
Doing something new is uncomfortable, but it will put you in the top 1% of people who are constantly just thinking about doing it
Speaking up is uncomfortable, but raising your voice will help you get attention much faster
It can sometimes be overwhelming, but it all will make sense as you reflect on your life in 1-3 years.
For example, I had no idea what would happen if I drop the university at 18. But this helped me figure out what I genuinely love doing and do it.
I was scared to quit a safe full-time job right when my wife gave birth to our first child. But that opened the world of remote work for me.
I didn’t speak English when I started working only with international clients. But doing so allowed me to level up my skills and ability to communicate.
Realizing that being uncomfortable by doing new things is how a designer grows. We can find solutions to various problems and push the limits of what everyone thinks is possible.
It’s risk-taking that allows designers to challenge assumptions and ask questions with an open mind regardless of how uncomfortable it may seem at first.