They said I was SH*T at it, and it happened to be the best thing for me.
Being open to hearing what you’re not made for — according to me, is way more important than the toxic positivity behind ‘you can do whatever you want’.
I know I could get a lot for this opinion, but bear with me when I explain and elaborate -
I have a Masters in Graphic Branding and Identity from LCC and the best part about my course was how you choose the direction you want to take — design, research, strategy, communication planning, account management. We worked through it all.
With a background in Interior Design, I could do graphic design fairly well, I understood all the tools, I knew how to work on them all and was extremely comfortable in producing design as an output. I was equally interested in managing things — I would volunteer to host and plan, to take charge of events, to see projects to fruition.
Once I finished my masters, job hunting was the obvious next step. As an international student, you can imagine how daunting this was going to be. I applied for jobs for over 6 months. Tailored my CV to fit the different companies I wanted to be a part of. Worked on my portfolio and built it to fit each of these specific roles. Wrote specific cover letters and went all out to prove why I would be a good candidate.
However, there was always something short — I didn’t have the visa, I didn’t have enough design experience, I didn’t perform too well in a design assignment, I didn’t show enough potential in design.
6 months of job applications as a designer and I was nowhere. I had no job, I didn’t know how to land myself a job and I didnt know why I sucked so much. I was depressed, afraid of not making it in the industry that I loved and questioned all my decisions until then (insert dramatic crying).
One day, I sat down to rationally figure out why I wasnt getting a job as a designer though I passed out of one of the world’s best design universities. I walked up to my mentors and asked them what was wrong with me.
Both my mentors were speechless. They didn’t know how to tell me.
One of my mentors then said, “Pavs, don’t mind me, but you’re a shit designer. Why are you not trying to get into strategy or managing the brand?”
Nobody told me that I was a shit designer, except one person.
Yes, I understood Design. Yes, I knew how to Design. That didn’t mean I thought through Design. That definitely didn’t mean I was a Visual Designer. And that has not hit me until that conversation.
With some introspection, I figured that I liked planning more, I liked the idea of drawing out everything to make sure it fits. I liked ideating, conceptualising, helping a designer with a route they need and possibly jamming on ideas with them. And I was skilled at it.
I was good at breaking down the steps — seeing a bigger bigger picture — thinking through words that begin painting the picture.
I understood and enjoyed finding solutions that built an idea or a message.
I wrote stories through my briefs.
It’s been 3.5 years of working in #branding, #advertising and #marketing and there has only been gratitude for the one person who showed me the direction to what I couldn’t see myself — something that has been my passion and my driving force to do better everyday. Sometimes, a good mentor can do just that to you — show you a direction that has been right under your nose.
This ‘No’ has been more important than all the ‘Yes’ I have gotten in my career and has been life changing.
Has anyone impacted your career in a path breaking manner?
