Why Designers Leave(medium.com)

almost 10 years ago from J A, Design Lead at Gametime

  • Julian LloydJulian Lloyd, almost 10 years ago (edited almost 10 years ago )

    I believe this is something shared by all creatives.

    My brother is a musician, producer and musical director—he struggles to find the balance between supporting his family, and soulful fulfillment with his creative expression.

    I personally—along with (I presume) every designer on this forum—can relate to this. It’s our yin and yang, the nagging fantasy of, "What if I could just make things for the sake of their existence, instead of making things to make money—or worse yet—for people who don’t care about what’s made."

    I understand though, people have families and financial obligations, plus, not every project even has the available resources and potentiality to be that fulfilling creative expression.

    What’s more, I think as creatives we’re naturally our own harshest critique. My experience has been, that even on projects where I’ve had carte blanche, I still find areas I’m not proud of; areas I know I could do better… and so begins the infinite chase of perfection.

    I think realistically, designers—or creatives as a whole—need a healthy balance of creative freedom and pride in their work, but within the bounds of business and real-world constraints. One can’t thrive in any extreme.

    1 point