Friends. I hope you have not forgotten me entirely! I have been occupying myself with design fully the last months - working with everything from good ol' graphic design all the way into the rather unfamiliar fields of filming and animation.
I realize that this blog will have to become a little more "designy" after all, becuase I do have so many thoughts on the process and so many words of wisdom that I have found from different designers - and I really want to share them with you.
I have been, in many ways, extremely lucky with my job, although graphic design is still just a fraction of what I actually do. I formally hold a position as an interaction designer. In addition I do a lot of analysis, copy writing, filming, motion graphics, branding and on top of that illustration and graphic design.
Being a jack-of-all-trades makes me realize that becoming good at them will take me a lot of time. Also there are a couple of skills I want to dive deep into and simply master. I have focused a lot on learning animation last year, but I really do feel like I need more practice with the core principles of graphic design and illustration.
In 2015 I do need to believe more in the value of the work that I do. Still there are many people that think creative professions are "these fun little hobbies" that we eventually turn into a profession, so all we do is have fun at work. Working in a tech business (or any business for that matter) a lot of your job as a graphic designer is justifying why aesthetic decisions matter - why it's worth for a graphic designer to take the time to do a lot of research and focus on perfecting the details. And why the production takes time. Research, development of ideas and finding "it" - the design that will knock people off their socks.
Another lesson from last year was that I want to be become a better communicator. I also want to be better at saying no to jobs. It's a little hard coming in to projects with a "design-course" background and when all you want to do is prove yourself. But my work-life balance has suffered from taking on more work than I can handle, and consequentially so has my productivity at work. I am not saying "no" as a way of going easy on myself - I am saying "No" because I simply have to regain my balance.
Friends. Have you had any lessons from last year that you have turned into resolutions for this year?
(Photo from a trip to Budapest I did with Sigurd last fall + the light along Akerselva in Oslo. Isn't it gorgeous?)
