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The Career of the Modern Designer
“I’d rather be exhausted striving for excellence than churning out work that succeeds merely because it offends the least amount of people. The cost? The fear of financial uncertainty. But I willingly accept this cost because it allows me to follow my path and craft the type of career and lifestyle that I want and need.” - James Victore
Is there a false dichotomy between ‘an awesome life’ and ‘an easy one’? I think so.
I wondered where the average 9-5 designer would fit on that scale. If you get paid lots of money, is your work inherently boring?
For the chart I drew an x and y axis. I replaced ‘easy’ with salary, and awesome with ‘creative freedom’, meaning the ability to do whatever the fuck you want. To decide on the average ‘careers’, I combined three workplaces: The agency, the boutique shop and the in-house team.
Yes, I know what you’re thinking. This is wrong! This makes no sense! This doesn’t apply to my life! I’m different!
Almost. That’s why I’ve included the .AI file, so you can make your own.
Move the dots around. Think about where you’ve been, where you are now and where you’d like to be. I hope it’s helpful.