Confidence: One of The Many Crucial Things I Learned as a Designer
While cliche, it is true. Every designer struggles with that fine balance between sticking to the safe options and indulging in that crazy design risk. Most have not found that yet and likely never will. Unfortunately (and fortunately), it comes down to trial and error. Being too careless will end in confusion or rejection, but being unsure about your work is arguably worse.
However, it always remains important to have a sense of the basics. For instance, you should pay attention to readability, accessibility, balance, contrast, and everything your professor drilled into you since day one of class. But this doesn’t mean you can’t, or shouldn’t, try out new ideas. The biggest limit to anyone’s creativity is themselves.
There are two aspects to being confident as a designer. One, not being afraid of critique even when you are not the most confident in your first draft. And two, being too afraid to try new things and step out of the box. Something that a designer must pick up quickly is the ability to understand that your first draft will never be the best draft. So, being able to take critiques as help rather than an attack will strengthen your work and your confidence. With that being said, never be afraid to try an angle that may feel foreign, the first attempt may not be perfect but with the help of critiques and trial and error, it will eventually become something amazing as long as you put the work into it. If nobody took creative risks, we would never evolve.
Now that you know this, you need to think about the aspect of “selling yourself” to your viewers. And no, this does not mean pitching to your client or professor about why their critique is wrong, it is about putting your all into your projects without hesitation. When you are not confident in yourself, it shows in your work, whether that means it is generic or just not up to your standard, it will be apparent to those who see it.
If you are a beginner designer, this is not uncommon, and like most things, it is a matter of time and practice that can work out the nerves. In other words, it’s all in your head! And that’s good because you have complete and utter control over how you fix that. In Pyschologs’ blog The Psychology Behind Confidence, it discusses how you can alter your perceived self-efficacy, the belief in yourself and your capacity to complete tasks, with simple tasks.
1. Set Realistic Goals
This seems to be self-explanatory but when you are starting out as a designer the only way to learn is by attempting and failing. So, set mini goals to allow yourself to achieve to build your toolset of knowledge.
2. Be Self Compassionate
This can be a hard one for anyone of a creative mindset to accomplish, but it is a must. You have to understand that if you are trying your best, that is all you can do. Instead of comparing, remember that you create differently than others.
3. Foster a Growth Mindset
This is essential to exposing yourself. All you have to do is set yourself up for success by putting yourself in positions to learn. This isn’t measured by success; it’s measured by your ability to grow, and with that will come the confidence.
4. Surround Yourself With Good Company
You will only advance if you have good people to help lift you up. These people won’t coddle you or bring you down. They will be able to critique your work and point out your successes so you can put your best foot forward.
While these are just a few, they are the most important ones when concerning a designer. We work in a competitive world, and our mental state can be easily swayed when things don’t go our way. Being self-aware and realizing that you are human first before a designer can go a long way in your career.