tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120191645600856910.post1348388870526133908..comments2023-10-22T15:09:33.903-05:00Comments on 2BSquared Designs: Confessions of a Dangerously Minted Mind2BSquaredhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14399096948915404868noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6120191645600856910.post-35973949233132003482012-12-01T17:11:03.813-06:002012-12-01T17:11:03.813-06:00Reading this post was a huge relief and reassuranc...Reading this post was a huge relief and reassurance to me. I hope my response will have a similar effect on you. I've been doing the solo design thing for four years now and sometimes it just gets damn lonely, creatively speaking. Since it's just me, myself and I, I serve as my own critic, cheerleader and co-worker. Some days, the critic wins out and I am filled with self-doubts and worry. I look at the big world of design and feel I will never measure up. Those aren't fun days. Then there are the days when I'm "in the zone" and my work just seems to click. And sometimes what I think will really click with others just doesn't. Minted is a fickle, fickle world. I distinctly remember one design that I turned in got an award and I thought they must have been crazy, blind or both. Then I submitted a design more recently that I felt pretty good about, and thought looked very "minted-like" and zip, zero, zilch. <br /><br />And you know what? I think devoting time to studying design, blogs, pinterest, fonts, etc. helps us grow as designers, but I think the most important thing is a real passion for design. You cannot learn that. You either have it or don't. I think most of the rest can be learned, and our passion for design will help us do that in our own time. <br /><br />I have really tried to learn to respect the cycle of my flow and not force too much. Sometimes if I'm feeling blocked, sometimes simply starting a project will open me up. Other times, nothing works and I have to respect that, too. When I'm really feeling something, I try to ride it for as long as I can (something I know is not always possible with kids). For the most part, I've learned to be okay with my dry spells and try to use them expeditiously by focusing on other tasks (such as updating my website, etc.--things I never want to do when I'm on a creative high).<br /><br />So that's a very long way for me to agree with your husband: maybe you should step away from designing for a moment, have a glass of wine, watch something dumb on TV, go on a vacation. But don't give up; you're a great designer! I can't even remember when I started following your blog, but it was after I saw your designs for a minted challenges and found your work inspiring. So there you go! You never know who you might be inspiring. :)<br /><br />Warmly,<br /><br />RachelBenign Objectshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12033737206067045488noreply@blogger.com