Sunday, April 1, 2007

You think you're having a tough day?

As if the pantone swatchbook causing acid flashbacks wasn't enough ... my computer became self-aware around eleven this morning and doesn't like my design concepts.

And with my parole officer not letting me handle pencils, I'm forced to visualise by drawing shapes in the air in front of scared colleagues.

This career can be tough.

Which brings me to a more serious discussion. Presenting to clients can be daunting but presenting internally is at times just as nerve wrecking. I've done it so many times yet I still run the gamut of emotions when a critique session comes up.

It's hard not to let it get to you personally. You've put a little of yourself into the concept and to have it questioned, critiqued and pulled off the board for something else you swear was put up by mistake gets to most people. When it appears permanently a few weeks later in the studio portfolio, you feel you've failed designers everywhere who were looking for their own inspiration. Worse still, the design gods get angry and take away your ability to select good typefaces and colour combinations. Cursed, you roam the streets in search of booze and street art, hoping the old feelings will return. But I digress...

It's just business, yeah, but when you live this career twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, it's gonna hurt at times. You just gotta get excited about the next project, let go of the bad times and just remember those sweet summer days you and your concept shared together. The way I try to look at it, is that I have enough confidence in my abilities that those good concepts are gonna come again for the next project, and the project after that and the one after that as well. I can let a few slip between the cracks.

Maybe you'll be able to rehash it down the line for another job anyway, haha.

I'll leave you with a quote I read recently that really made me laugh. Not sure if it was the original source or not, but it was used by someone talking about the creative advertising industry:

'If you're not part of the solution, there's good money to be made prolonging the problem'.

Anyway, time to head to the bar. One or two drinks after a long day never hurt anyone (it's the ones after those that really do the damage).