Designer Needs Friends

Back when I started my journey to become a photographer, it was a little lonely. I’d meet seasoned photographers, but they had no interest in taking a total newbie like me under their wing. They were only friends with other highly successful photographers. It was sad for me. Eventually I found other photographers who wanted to create an actual community of artists that supported each other. Then I started attending photographer conferences and workshops where I met wonderful people I learned so much from and who inspired me. Little by little I found my people. Even though I’m not involved in the photography world as much as I used to be, I still keep up with my photographer buddies and all the great things they do.

So now I kind of find myself in that lonely place again, but now it’s in the graphic design world. It’s hard when I find myself stuck on something or have questions, I don’t really have anyone to turn to. For most workplaces, having a graphic designer is a little bit of a luxury item, so they might only employ one. At my workplace, we really don’t have a marketing department. It’s mostly just me. I’m the graphic designer/creative/social media person. The closest I have are my boss who runs all things web and tech, and a couple of really good writers. I appreciate this group because we’re all the creatives around here and we get along really well!

I love what I do, but it’s lonely sometimes. Locally, I’ve met other designers, but so far the people I’ve met are more of the corporate climber types that remind me of the snooty photographers that didn’t play nice. Most of the people I went to school with haven’t really been able to get into the industry. Graphic designer jobs around here are very scarce. The few that are available usually don’t pay much. So most designers find themselves bouncing around to different jobs in order to make more money.

Next month I’ll be attending Adobe MAX. I’m a little scared to not know anyone there, but I’m hoping I’ll get to meet people I can relate to. I’m looking forward to making industry friends and finding people who inspire me. I’m still fairly new to the graphic design world. I want to keep growing and do my part to spread creative awesomeness into the world!