Overcoming Discouragement as a Creative 2
So, in my previous post, I wrote about overcoming discouragement as a creative. I know you know that being discouraged is not a bad nor a new thing. Therefore, I want you to know that overcoming discouragement is a great achievement. I spoke to some friends who are creatives recently and they shared their experiences and challenges in our creative world. I am sharing it because I believe it will help someone going through the same thing, even if it’s just to know that you are not alone. So, let’s move.
Chris
Chris is one of the very good graphic designers I know. He is also involved in Digital painting. We met on a Facebook group and we got talking, you can imagine. Talking with him has always been very insightful. Chris partners with studios in Anambra and Lagos. He also teaches graphic design during his free time in secondary schools. He is also an employer and he shared some of the challenges he has been facing/has faced as a Creative.
His major challenge is getting clients and making them clients that stay. I know that may be a challenge for a lot of us too. You know, unlike doctors, we most times can’t sit in one place and expect clients to come find us. We have to keep marketing. That explains why getting returns from marketing could be a challenge. One lesson to learn is that to bring your clients back means you have to give them a good job at first contact, so they don’t slam the door in your face after that first time.
‘So, I got a job 3 weeks ago, and though I was writing my exams, was very occupied but I took the job. The person is a designer but I considered him a client because he paid me for the job. Despite my very tight schedule, I took the job because of who the person was, I didn’t want to let hm down. Funny enough, I didn’t even remember someone gave me something to do for him. the deadline for submission came and passed, two weeks into the deadline, three weeks into the deadline, I didn’t deliver. That was pretty challenging because I had pressing matters at hand.’ Chris.
Wow…when you do some things so as not to disappoint and you still end up disappointing. So, lesson learnt, no matter who a job is from, if you know you can’t deliver, turn down the job so as to avoid disappointing your client.
Feranmi
Feranmi and I met in a printing agency which was not far from where I once worked. Feranmi is good, very good. He shared his challenges as a creative with me and I would love to share them with you too.
His major challenge has been in learning the use of design softwares. I know you will have experienced this too. You are not getting it, not because you are lazy, but because a lot of times, the spark might have evaporated but you still have to keep on learning and learning until you get it. Terms might even be a challenge. And then you just get confused and discouraged. So, he proposes the best way to learn - going from theory to practical. Understanding the theory of design, understanding terminologies, the process and then now moving to the practical aspect of learning softwares. You sure have given yourself a good foundation, learning will definitely be easy.
Samuel
The way Samuel and I met, I don’t know, I just realised that I started getting mails from him regularly. It must have been one of the things that I registered for and forgot totally about. Samuel is a very good designer and he runs a business.
And he shared his major challenge with me. ‘So, one issue I had then was mentorship, like having a senior figure around you, someone that can guide your process. Figuring out design alone especially as a self-taught designer can be very difficult because there is a standard and a journey. You need someone that has navigated the industry (at least beyond where you are). Design resources and learning was not my issue because I had access to YouTube and the likes.’
How did Samuel overcome this challenge? He leveraged on the relationship he had. One of his friends introduced him to a club for designers from where he started to know more people and be introduced. Uhmmm…relationships, very important in our industry.
So, we have heard from Chris, Feranmi and Samuel. Chris learnt from the challenges he has gone through to learn to say no to jobs. And also, that if he does a job, then he must do it very well so that the client can come back. Feranmi. realised that to experience learning all the design software better, you have to have a good foundation in the theory of design. Likewise, Samuel learnt to leverage on relationships.
Wow! That was an awesome session of insight. I trust we are able to get one thing or the other as a take home today. Don’t forget to subscribe, don’t forget to reach out and share your challenges with us as a creative, and don’t forget to invite someone to the corner.
See ya!!
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