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November 30, 2006

Row! Row! Row!

I had the privilege of attending Cameron Moll's fantastic presentation at Velencia Community College a couple weeks ago. He spoke about what separates good designers from great. I love the concept. Living in a world where all you can think about is the next deadline, it's nice to sit back and think/contemplate about where one might stand in the grand scheme of things. Has nothing to do with competition. It's about respecting the profession and being great at it.

Cameron's synopsis can be found on his own blog, so I won't regergitate his presentation, but I've been pondering the question: "What makes a great designer?" While he did a great job explaining some great points, I think it comes down to one thing.

Hard work.

Life is a series of choices. Every single instance we have a choice as to our next step. Same goes in design. Our choices define who we are and how successful we become. I claim to me neither successful or amazingly talented, so you'll have to take my thoughts with a grain of salt. It's very easy to get lackidasical in our every day lives.

Since I was roughly nineteen, I've been an avid gym rat. While I always cringed while doing hours of cardio, I always craved lifting weights. I instantly fell in love with the discipline involved with training. In the process, I became good friends with a couple bodybuilders. Their work ethic never ceased to astound me. Bodybuilders have the strongest will and work ethic I've ever seen. Why? You can see the results. No matter what "enhancing" drugs they take, the very best have to put insane amounts of hard work and effort in their daily lives. What separates the very best of their sport from all the rest is their dedication and willing to go the extra inch, no matter how painful.

There is a difference to be made between the person that shows up to the gym "to do a few sets" and the person that shows up to push their bodies to places they wouldn't usually want to go. The whole trick to working out successfully is reaching these places. The extra 2 reps at the end of a set makes all the difference in the world. It's that added inch at the end that seperates us all. I find the gym to be a great escape; a great way to let the mind rest. In the process, I always try to put as much effort into my training as possible. Likewise, I try to carry that work ethic to design.

I've noticed one constant in every design presentation I've been to: the presenters work their asses off. There is a reason they're up on stage. They've earned it. Dedication and hard work. There are many other factors involved, but I think it all stems from this one constant. Anything taken into account, changed, learned, studied, altered, and accepted, has been done so through time and effort.

I do not find myself gifted or talented in art or design. I've never felt comfortable in a crowd of artists. And yet the talented designers in the world seem to be everywhere. I'm always blown away by the sheer amount of brilliance I find in designers I meet. I wish I could have a pinky-finger of that kind of talent. Yet, I remember a statement a former professor gave me: "Talent is shit. Keep working and don't ever stop." That always rang true. Don't ever, ever think talent amounts to much in this world. Every successful designer I've met say the same thing: "It was in the time I put into it, not the amount of talent I had going into it." They can't all be wrong. Talent isn't a good excuse for an ego. An ounce of humility and a whole lot of hard work is key.

And don't think for a second I claim to be anything special. I'll be the first guy in the audience to raise his hand with stupid questions.

The extra couple hours spent on a spread can make all the difference in the world. The extra hour in the morning to organize the day makes all the difference. The extra nights spent at design socials to talk up other creatives make all the difference. It all adds up.

Luckily, in our field, the extra work shouldn't be too terribly grueling. In fact, we're supposed to enjoy this kind of stuff. It's easy to get caught up in the bullshit of the business (like anything else in life), but for the most part it should hopefully stay a fun ride.

Clamoring






    
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