[I HAD A LOT OF FUN TYPING THIS, AS IT REALLY HELPED ME TO REVISE THE REASONS WHY I CHOSE DESIGN AS A PASSION TO STICK TO IT EVERY SINGLE DAY. RECENTLY I'VE BEEN DOWN AF AND USUALLY THOUGHT OF QUITTING IT]
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2017, I started off in design with the P in Powerpoint rather than that of Photoshop.
To be honest, I wouldn't call it design at all, it was just my first time using Powerpoint for a project that I and my teammate (Linda) have received at ILA. At this stage, I had no idea what design is, but I still include this in my progress since I personally think it's just great how little things then can really lighten the spark of passion in me.
I wasn't great at it.
I didn't know how to delete the blank text box, no, I didn't even bother to delete it, as it turns transparent during presentation. I didn't know how to set the background either, I paste a very low-resolution photo into my slide, as I didn't really wait it to reach its full resolution from Google.
But the fun thing is I loved doing so (I still love it until now), I don't know why and how, it's a brand new world for me where you can grab things from here to there, put a bunch of effect on it (yes you can people, if you was patient enough to discover it). So, have a glance at our first project (we made it in Powerpoint but later converted it into Google slides, as I didn't have the originally version so this is the best I can have):
It was cringy, I agree.
But, the thing is I kept on making bad designs like that and I thought that was cool.
It was until one day that my classmate (sis Kate) went up to me and told me that my color choices, the typefaces and slides full of text in 12 size, looked quite crappy.
She was right, but I was conservative af back then.
She then gave me this thing, probably the first professional Powerpoint slides that I've seen in my entire life: https://www.slidescarnival.com/ (I don't mean to sponsor this or shit but just have a look tho)
So that's when I really wrap my mind around the importance of good designs.
I learnt a lot, and as I got better, I started to notice shitty slides that my teachers and my classmates made, and the sad truth is that they thought that was cool too (like me back then). I got annoyed during classes like that:
So the really first step that I took to save the world was by doing the slides everytime our team have projects.
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Nah I lied in fact none of my teammates know how to use Powerpoint so I had to do those.
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2018, during my eight-grade, I met Ms.D, probably the first client I've ever had.
You can't understand her at times. She usually inform me that I have this task to do just the night before deadline. I also host the quote section for my class since I was hi-tech af. For some reasons, I did all of her tasks, unlike my friends who turned a blind eye over those.
I'm happy that I did that, since it really helped me to realise my further ambitions that were yet to be discovered.
I later learnt that in the past it was my being naive that I was being exploited. I also learnt that being a designer is not only about technical skills, but about the social skills which help you not to fall into traps.
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2019 was a quite busy year for me, so all great things I did was surfing Behance and read this great book that I randomly picked at the bookstore: "Em muốn học thiết kế nhưng mẹ không cho" (I want to be a designer but my mom doesn't let me) by Leo Dinh.
For the first time, I realise that what I've been doing "for fun" can actually turn out to be something, something which is interesting, intriguing but yet to be discovered. I found the world that I belong to.
A wise man one said that "Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life", but I don't think this concept is that of a dream. Choosing a job you love will reduce the frustruation that you have by doing what is well-paid, but it takes time and a ton of training, failure to be perfect. A job, even if it's your passion, can be frustruated at times. Working means living with deadline for sure, but what's more important is working, but also having fun in life.
Working is good, but it's not great if all you do is work.
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2020, thanks to COVID-19, I had more time that I spent learning Photoshop and Illustrator basics. My dad saw me doing that so he sorta asked what I want to be in the future, I answered without a doubt that I wanted to be a designer. His face was then filled with disappointment since he wanted me to become somewhat of the "Asian-dream-starter-pack": a doctor.
I don't really blame him, it's normal to have your parents wanting you to have a job that is well-paid, has high status in the society and is looked up to. Design to my dad is as simple as creating those ugly banners for shops that pays you $10 or less for that. But in fact, it's something, which may not save our world, but in some ways make it better. I want to be someone like that.
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A few notes on lessons that I've learned:
"The only difference between an amateur and a professional is consistency among their works" - Eldur Ta, DAS.
"Mood is expensive" - Eldur Ta, DAS.
"Learn to take breaks. Burn-outs ain't jokes." - Someone in the comment section of this video.
"Everyone is a noob at the beginning, they're just great at hiding it." - Me after stalking a handful of excellent graphic designers.
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Thanks for reading!
Lyss of 02/08/2020.
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