114
Lessons I learned working as a young Graphic Designer.
In our amazing PMC community there are a lot of talented developers, builders, story tellers, and much, much more. A quick glance will tell you more then I could say about our wonderful abilities.
But most of us are young and still in school and although our future is full of potential, being a young talented person can be very challenging in the working world. For a while, I was one of the young miners on PMC that had potential as an artist, but it wasn't without difficulty.
I'm going to share with you some of experiences working for a company as a graphic designer and a tell you a few lessons I learned which apply to young talented individuals.
Quick Introduction
"woof...?" "Hi I'm SellyBack, part of a Minecraft Let's Play youtube channel"
During my first year of A-Level studies I received a D for a art project I believed was good, but that didn't discourage me and the next year I had gotten an A (which pulled up my D to a solid B).
At 17, I had moved to London in hopes of learning more and eventually going to one of the many universities that offer an amazing art curriculum. I started working as a waitress, quit the horrible job, and eventually found a job as a graphic designer.
Now I'm 18 years old and still working in the amazing company, which before I came had hired a "professional freelance designer" to do work which half of us here can do. To be frank, this lady's work was amateur a best and resembled a 13 year old girl's Myspace page.
Yes, I said Myspace.
That's how bad and cheesy it was.
Anyways, after a few days I had proven myself, sort to speak, to my employer and managers and began redesigning all publications this company had. I was filled with joy at this opportunity and my ego had been stroked (to say the least). But this didn't last because in the end, despite my abilities and talents I was still younger and less experienced then my colleagues (which brings us to lesson 1).
Lesson 1: Be Humble
"Thanks bro!"
As a young talented person, you run the chance of being patronized by people 'older and wiser' than you. But that doesn't mean they're actually any better than you are so be confident in your abilities.
However, never be egotistic. There's a fine line between that you shouldn't cross with anyone (especially if they have the power to fire you).
Instead, be humble and occasionally ask for your elder's opinion (you never know, they might have some good insights) but don't bow to any pressure they may give you to change your work unless you want to and agree with them.
By taking their ideas into consideration, you're showing them that you're "hardworking and therefore talented" instead of "naturally talented and therefore acts entitled". Plus, it's also very respectful.
Lesson 2: Be Confident
"Walk into the club, like what up I'm a big c-"
Never undersell your abilities to anyone (no matter who they are and what they can do). Your attitude should always say, "Hey, I'm not the best yet, but I'm getting there! And this is the best of my abilities right now".
The biggest mistake young people can make (which I still make occasionally) is underselling your own talents. This may seem like a humble thing to do, but in fact it's a very insecure gesture to make. If you want people to treat you like a professional, act like one, never say anything like this:
"Oh thanks! The server's not that great though.... other people do cooler stuff...you know like the pro people."
Instead, thank them for their support and leave it at that.
Lesson 3: It's okay to get frustrated (But do stand down)
For a while an egotistic colleague and I used to go back and forth in a bit of a verbal dual (until Colleague wrote a huge essay about me to someone above me and I got told up like I was in high schooler again).
We never actually fought or swore at each other, but I think having someone two times younger than them debate certain things that they spent years learning was frustrating (as it was for me).
Unfortunately for the colleague, I had research to back my points up and Colleague only had the "I'm more experienced and better" argument, though that didn't make a difference. In the end, neither of us really won anything, we both lost (Colleague lost the respect of some our colleagues for not being open minded to backed up reasoning, and I lost respect from some colleagues for not backing down to begin with).
In lots of areas of life, you'll find yourself getting frustrated with other people, whether they're your age, younger or older. And that's okay, we're bound to have differences. But a sign of maturity is agreeing to disagree, that way you both keep your opinions and no one has to "lose" the debate.
Never start a fight with others, be nice, make friends: you never know when you'll need them and you never know what kind of people they're friends with (they might be able to make you a mod in a cool server!).
Lesson 4: Be proud
"Ain't nobody gonna bring me down!"
Most importantly of all though: always be proud of your work and who you are!
No matter how much you know and how many diamonds your work gets, remember that you will always get better and eventually you'll be surrounded with more and more people admiring your work. Your talents is part of your persona and you should never forget it.
Even if you're work is similar to other people's online, it isn't the same and it doesn't mean they have the same drive you might have to become the very best.
Like Dr Seuss said "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
In summary:
"Err... I might have missed everything you just said there...can't see"
Basically, be confident in your abilities (despite how young, or inexperienced you may or may not be) but also stay humble. Make lots of friends by being mature enough to stay away from arguments but never let anyone get you down. You're work is worth being proud about, so ignore all the haters and remember that you're work will keep getting better and better.
Seems nice and simple right? Plus it's applicable everywhere and I promise you that.
Authors Note:
I hope you enjoyed and maybe even got something out of my blog. This is the first time (yay!) I've ever written one for this community and I look forward to writing more :)
I'll be sharing some more of my experiences and POVs either online or on my youtube channel.
As always, please leave a diamond or subscribe if you liked what you read!
Stay awesome! x
"Look at the rendering... whoa"
In our amazing PMC community there are a lot of talented developers, builders, story tellers, and much, much more. A quick glance will tell you more then I could say about our wonderful abilities.
But most of us are young and still in school and although our future is full of potential, being a young talented person can be very challenging in the working world. For a while, I was one of the young miners on PMC that had potential as an artist, but it wasn't without difficulty.
I'm going to share with you some of experiences working for a company as a graphic designer and a tell you a few lessons I learned which apply to young talented individuals.
Quick Introduction
"woof...?" "Hi I'm SellyBack, part of a Minecraft Let's Play youtube channel"
During my first year of A-Level studies I received a D for a art project I believed was good, but that didn't discourage me and the next year I had gotten an A (which pulled up my D to a solid B).
At 17, I had moved to London in hopes of learning more and eventually going to one of the many universities that offer an amazing art curriculum. I started working as a waitress, quit the horrible job, and eventually found a job as a graphic designer.
Now I'm 18 years old and still working in the amazing company, which before I came had hired a "professional freelance designer" to do work which half of us here can do. To be frank, this lady's work was amateur a best and resembled a 13 year old girl's Myspace page.
Yes, I said Myspace.
That's how bad and cheesy it was.
Anyways, after a few days I had proven myself, sort to speak, to my employer and managers and began redesigning all publications this company had. I was filled with joy at this opportunity and my ego had been stroked (to say the least). But this didn't last because in the end, despite my abilities and talents I was still younger and less experienced then my colleagues (which brings us to lesson 1).
Lesson 1: Be Humble
"Thanks bro!"
As a young talented person, you run the chance of being patronized by people 'older and wiser' than you. But that doesn't mean they're actually any better than you are so be confident in your abilities.
However, never be egotistic. There's a fine line between that you shouldn't cross with anyone (especially if they have the power to fire you).
Instead, be humble and occasionally ask for your elder's opinion (you never know, they might have some good insights) but don't bow to any pressure they may give you to change your work unless you want to and agree with them.
By taking their ideas into consideration, you're showing them that you're "hardworking and therefore talented" instead of "naturally talented and therefore acts entitled". Plus, it's also very respectful.
Lesson 2: Be Confident
"Walk into the club, like what up I'm a big c-"
Never undersell your abilities to anyone (no matter who they are and what they can do). Your attitude should always say, "Hey, I'm not the best yet, but I'm getting there! And this is the best of my abilities right now".
The biggest mistake young people can make (which I still make occasionally) is underselling your own talents. This may seem like a humble thing to do, but in fact it's a very insecure gesture to make. If you want people to treat you like a professional, act like one, never say anything like this:
"Oh thanks! The server's not that great though.... other people do cooler stuff...you know like the pro people."
Instead, thank them for their support and leave it at that.
Lesson 3: It's okay to get frustrated (But do stand down)
"No selly! Don't drop the creepers!"
For a while an egotistic colleague and I used to go back and forth in a bit of a verbal dual (until Colleague wrote a huge essay about me to someone above me and I got told up like I was in high schooler again).
We never actually fought or swore at each other, but I think having someone two times younger than them debate certain things that they spent years learning was frustrating (as it was for me).
Unfortunately for the colleague, I had research to back my points up and Colleague only had the "I'm more experienced and better" argument, though that didn't make a difference. In the end, neither of us really won anything, we both lost (Colleague lost the respect of some our colleagues for not being open minded to backed up reasoning, and I lost respect from some colleagues for not backing down to begin with).
In lots of areas of life, you'll find yourself getting frustrated with other people, whether they're your age, younger or older. And that's okay, we're bound to have differences. But a sign of maturity is agreeing to disagree, that way you both keep your opinions and no one has to "lose" the debate.
Never start a fight with others, be nice, make friends: you never know when you'll need them and you never know what kind of people they're friends with (they might be able to make you a mod in a cool server!).
Lesson 4: Be proud
"Ain't nobody gonna bring me down!"
Most importantly of all though: always be proud of your work and who you are!
No matter how much you know and how many diamonds your work gets, remember that you will always get better and eventually you'll be surrounded with more and more people admiring your work. Your talents is part of your persona and you should never forget it.
Even if you're work is similar to other people's online, it isn't the same and it doesn't mean they have the same drive you might have to become the very best.
Like Dr Seuss said "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
In summary:
"Err... I might have missed everything you just said there...can't see"
Basically, be confident in your abilities (despite how young, or inexperienced you may or may not be) but also stay humble. Make lots of friends by being mature enough to stay away from arguments but never let anyone get you down. You're work is worth being proud about, so ignore all the haters and remember that you're work will keep getting better and better.
Seems nice and simple right? Plus it's applicable everywhere and I promise you that.
Authors Note:
I hope you enjoyed and maybe even got something out of my blog. This is the first time (yay!) I've ever written one for this community and I look forward to writing more :)
I'll be sharing some more of my experiences and POVs either online or on my youtube channel.
As always, please leave a diamond or subscribe if you liked what you read!
Stay awesome! x
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Its my dream to become a graphics artist and deseign for games like borderlands and stuff.
Also, I'm glad you liked it! :)
I'm not sure where you got the assumption that I make digital doodles, but I can assure you that I'm not just designer by aspiration or hobby, I'm a designer by profession :)
Thank you for your compliment though.