Growth Paths

I recently came across a post about how there is no one way to grow as a designer. There will always be voices saying you should focus more on one thing over the other - just look at the decade-long discussion over whether designers should learn to code or its current iteration, discussing how to use AI.

Thankfully I had people who gave me the right type of stimuli and opportunities along my way.

There were professors recommending electives or interesting resources, or challenging me to push certain projects further than I thought. There was also a professor who told me "your project violates every single rule for this assignment and now I need to come up with a different rubric", but who kept encouraging my pursuit ion that direction.

I had managers who gave me opportunities for learning, whether it was going broader than my usual scope as part of a startup, or learning and applying different frameworks as a consultant, or assigning me ownership of initiatives I showed interest in or that they thought I would be good at if only I gave it a try.

Equally important were moments of very personal feedback, like being pulled aside after a meeting to get some immediate coaching, a peer who became my manager and a mentor who told me about servant leadership and the effect one can have on others just by how you carry yourself or the energy you project into a room, or opportunities to speak candidly and freely.

When I have been working with other designers in recent years, such as in-house teams where I was brought in as a consultant, third party partners, peers, or frequently mentees of mine, I try to reiterate that there will always be many ways to accomplish things and to grow. I have had certain experiences, certain privileges, and certain mistakes I learned from. I was put in situations where some things worked that may not always work for others.

An important part of sharing experiences is trying to understand why certain things worked. Again, thankfully I have had many people kind enough to offer such feedback. I hope to be able to continue to offer that to others as well.

In closing, a heartfelt thank you to the many, many people who have played such roles in my life, in my career and beyond.