There have been so many times that I have been tempted to quit this little web design caper.
For those that don’t already know, I am not just a web designer, but I also had a previous life in the drudgerous grey cubefarm known as the public service. I thought that that was what I wanted to do, until I realised very early on in my career that it wasn’t for me. Policy was a passion, it still is in varying degrees, and the temptation to quit has hit me on at least… I dunno 70,000 occasions in the 3.5 years I have been working as a designer.
I have been going through a bit of a rut lately, working through things, pondering the direction of the business so that I don’t suddenly hit 40, realise that I am still working 14 hour days, and realise that I have wasted my life…
So, browsing today, I found this. It applies to production, but it still resonates:
“It takes a while, its going to take you a while, and that’s normal… you just have to fight your your way through it…"
“It takes a while, its going to take you a while, and that’s normal… you just have to fight your your way through it… "
And again, just for posterity:
“It takes a while, its going to take you a while, and that’s normal… you just have to fight your your way through it… "
It is always so tempting to quit when things get hard. But I watched this video, and I have to admit that I got choked up hearing those words… at just the right time.
Nothing worth doing is going to be easy. It is a series of lessons, practise, constant mistakes and errors in judgement that get us to the point where we feel like an artist, rather than a Policy Officer pretending to be a designer… or a Mum with a hobby that earns her some cash "on the side" (that’s my favourite, given that I am the main income earner :)).
But, knowing that I am not alone, when there are SO many times when it feels that way, gives me comfort.
And hopefully, it helps to inspire me to keep going with this "little web design thing", and get better at it, so that when I am 40, I look back with pride and accomplishment.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Good luck Téa. Having tried my hand at the freelance web design caper - and having sucked miserably - I know how much is involved in your career of choice and how hard it can be. I bailed out and went back to steady 9-to-5 work. If you can make it happen, I envy you.
July 14th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Hi Tea
How profound. I think we can all relate! My husband thinks I’m a nutcase because I overanalyse and strive for perfection a little too much. It has to be worth it in the long run. I know that teaching high school was slowly killing me and I love that I can now have a creative outlet. It is worth the self-doubt.
I wish you all the best - may it be only a phase. You are uber-talented.
July 19th, 2008 at 4:39 am
Hi Téa,
I love that you have a video of my hero Ira Glass, talking about fighting your way through the creative process. I’ve been doing this for 16 years and work through the suck everyday. Eventually you learn to enjoy the process, YOUR process (good bad or otherwise), which is why we work for ourselves in the first place. It’s comforting to know that I have such good company trudging through and forging our own way.
Plus, I think your totally awesome!
-e