Creating Uphill: A Case Study
For a few weeks, upon beginning my daily design practice, my creativity was flowing. I had many great ideas and no trouble executing them to make pieces I was proud to share. Then, suddenly, I hit the inevitable wall. I couldn’t think of a single idea I was motivated to work on. I felt spent, as if I had exhausted all my creative fuel and had nothing left in the tank to propel me forward.
If I hadn’t committed to my daily design practice, I would have chalked it up as a low-energy day and let myself be uninspired, maybe for a day but more than likely for days or weeks, thanks to inertia.
Instead, I went to my idea database and chose something I thought would be easiest to create: a flyer for a haunted attraction. Unfortunately, this “easy” design was anything but. I was blocked. Nothing was coming. The blank page taunted and tormented me.
Finally, I had an initial concept. It wasn’t great; I innately sensed that. It wasn’t awful, but something wasn’t right. I showed my draft to a fellow designer for input and advice on how to get myself over the hump. He was wonderfully candid (a designer needs someone like that) and said simply, “I don’t like it AT ALL.” Ouch.
I asked, “Do you have any suggestions for what I could tweak or improve on to make it better?” He said, “I’d scrap it and start over.” Double ouch.
I wanted to scrap it more than anything, but I was determined to make this work. If this were a real assignment, I’d have to find a way, and we designers don’t always have the luxury of waiting to make magic until we are fully inspired.
So, I worked, and I worked, probably longer than I should have for a practice assignment.
Everything I tried made it worse and worse. I was convinced I’d have to throw in the towel and admit defeat. Then, at my lowest point, a lightbulb moment.
Let me just try something. Oh, that’s interesting. That has potential. Let me see where I can take this… Eureka!
When it was all said and done, I had created something I was proud of, something representative of an attraction I’d be intrigued enough to visit.
It was an exhaustive workout, but it reinforced the important notion that failure is only the beginning, not the end and that I could do anything I put my mind to — even if my brain tries to convince me otherwise.
It may not have been the best work I’ve ever done, and it may not be what I’d produce if I had more time and a real client to produce results for. However, it’s not the end product that matters as much with these daily design challenges; it’s the act of creating — even when (especially when) it’s not easy to create. Ultimately, I started with a feeling of defeat and ending feeling accomplished.
It reminded me that I could rise to any challenge. That confidence is paramount for any successful creative, especially if you plan to work freelance, where you’ll find yourself constantly selling yourself and communicating your value.
When I have a real client challenge, I often have the luxury of stepping away and returning to the piece with fresh eyes or a new direction. I can dedicate the time and attention needed to make something extraordinary. When it’s a design practice, I must be more judicious and find a way to create something as good as possible as fast as possible.
While this type of pressure isn’t always conducive to the best design in real-world situations, it’s great practice for any designer — because, inevitably, you’ll have less time than you really want and plenty of tough projects with tight deadlines.
