Just Post it

Done is better than perfect

Apr 14, 2024

Hey friends

Hope you are all living well. It rained this weekend but other than those few days I have been loving the sunny warm weather season starting up again.

I recently did a portfolio review session with some of the students at my old college CSU Chico. One of them asked me :
“Is it worth putting your work out there when you are first starting”

This got me thinking and I wanted to chat about that today.

Putting yourself out there

When you first start as a designer it can be intimidating to post your client work, concept work, or any other types of personal projects out into the world.

Especially if you use social media as a normal account, you may worry
“what will my friends and family think?”

These concerns are valid but the regret you will feel from not trying is way worse than anything someone may say or think of you.

Once you start practicing your craft day after day and putting those results out into the world the effects will compound.

No one is good at something when they first start but it’s admirable to see someone put themself out there and fail/lean in public.

I used to post the most awful design work up on IG and some people even liked it (or they told me that at least lol)

Regardless of how I feel about it looking back now, I would not be anywhere close to where I am today without getting over that fear and in general also using social media to my advantage.

Also becoming a better designer does not especially require you to post that progress on social media.

However

Like it or not getting new design work and posting out was a bit driving factor for me in college and during Covid to create more work.

It can be hard to stay disciplined and create every day inside an echo chamber. It feels good to hear your art/design work with the world and get feedback, comments, and if we’re being honest “validation”

There is a sense of community that comes with posting your creations online as well. You are not a part of a club of other people who have similar interests as you.

No matter what skill level you are at in your design or art career, just go for it.

Keep creating, iterating, and posting

Lastly, if it encourages you or makes you feel any better here is some of my old shitty design work I’ve posted