Get clarity

Defining what kind of designer you want to be and the kind of work you want to do will clear the way for you to becoming exactly that.

When Brenē Brown was asked who she thinks of when she hears the word ‘successful’, she replied;

“I don’t picture anybody. I picture the word ‘redefine’. The word ‘successful’ or ‘success’ has been such a dangerous word in my research. My answer is: Be clear that your ladder is leaning against the right building.”

– Brenē Brown ('Tools of Titans' by Tim Ferriss)

Once you have clarity, stay curious

When we’re new designers, we mainly focus on ‘making it’ as a designer. But the tools we use as designers are constantly evolving and changing, so it’s important to stay curious and try new things.

“I think the most important thing is to have a curiosity to try things out. If something excites you, then just attempt it. Many people (myself included) fail to try new ideas, especially in the beginning. To help me get started, I used to copy other icons, because I wanted to know how to create similar works of art.”

– Yannick Lung, Icon Designer