Self reflection
I was asked to self reflect what my strengths and weaknesses are. This is what I’ve learned in the past 2 months.
If you were to ask me before I started this class how I felt towards my field of study, I would tell you something along the lines of technical and competitive jargon. This class has opened my eyes more so about the way that I think and approach the Graphic Design World. After my attaining my AS degree a few years ago, I was thrusted into the world when the recession had just hit. I wasn’t sure exactly where I belonged back then, so when I went back for my Bachelors I swore that I would learn everything it would take to make me an updated professional and get ahead of the game. My experiences though they were hard lessons, pushed me out of my comfort zone to learn things that I once had not had an open mind to, like Web Design and Social Media.
Here I am now, and this class has proven to me more than anything that it’s a creative mind that still rules over any and all technical skills. I fell in love with creating all over again, and the art of letting go has allowed me to make portfolio pieces that are beyond what I would expect of myself. Overthinking Design has been bitter-sweet thing for me, and I feel like the process of creating my Portfolio has started to draw out the necessity to balance myself. All this time, there was no hidden secret about the Industry; it was the spark of pure creative talent that has been refined under the guidance of an education.
I’m closer to my goal of gaining a fulltime career as a Graphic Designer that I thought, I was just lacking the confidence in my abilities. I see now that I always felt that I wasn’t ready because I wasn’t creating pieces that reflected my style in fear that I was crossing the line between being artistic and practical. As I go into my next quarter class, I hope to continue to develop more pieces for my portfolio and keep in mind that a portfolio is meant to change constantly and grow as I grow. My mantra lately has been “I am different from other Designers because _” and I learn to appreciate my adaptability as well as my uniqueness equally. I hope to keep this spirit as I develop more pieces, and build my personal website and Brand Identity. I look forward to this process.
