How being a Designer has Changed me..for the better
In a word… REJECTION
It is something that happens if not daily, in some form.. at least weekly. To be a designer means you are willing to put your ideas out there and there is a very good chance you will hear “NO, I don’t like it” the first time.
Keep in mind, that I and my team have probably spent 30 plus hours on something that may look SO simple… and that “no” takes about 2 seconds!
It used to hurt for DAYS when I was new to design. Now, it’s more like a quick little pinprick.
Today’s “rejection” was about this master bath redesign… Our client likes the general idea but it needs “something more.. ”
Here is the lesson.
You just can’t take it personally.. Sometimes, if I think the client just isn’t “seeing it” I may go further into explanation. But, if there is a very good reason they don’t like it and I know there is no changing their mind or their aesthetic.. it is up to me to respond gracefully and immediately say…””OK! We will keep working on it!”
You can’t be argumentative as a Designer..lol And if you are, I promise you, your business will suffer. Even if I KNOW, that the design will look great ( in my opinion) I have to be open to the fact that this very idea.. may be ugly to my client.
It is back to the drawing board. Even though, this was the boiling down of Many, Many ideas.. so that alone is daunting…
Even so, my feelings are not hurt and I “acccept the challenge!” Figuring out the puzzle is one of the most enjoyable parts of the work.
Most of the times, our design is better because of it – no matter how much I hate to admit it. Because the old saying is true..Two heads ( or more!) are better than one.
Ask any of the great visionaries and creatives of our time Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Oprah 🙂 And you bet they believe in the collective power of brainstorming.
I haven’t always been able to “share” my design process with my team. I am not naturally a “team player.” I always joke that I don’t belong to any clubs that I am not the President of!
But in regards to design collaboration, I have changed. It makes me very happy now when one of our team members or a client will challenge our idea and by doing so, makes it even better! Sometimes the New idea was just so OBVIOUS I get upset with myself that I didn’t think of it already!
I am not always right. My idea is not always the best. I am willing to listen to others and consider new and unusual ideas.
Has this spilled over into my personal life?..Perhaps you should ask my husband LOL but I think that it has.
And at the end of the project, at the “Big Reveal,” if we have ALL had a part in the process and have ALL created something we all view as beautiful and functional, it feels EVEN BETTER. Stay well and happy at home friends!
