I wish I could wax poetic about the amount of exhaustion that I currently find myself carrying. If I could do that, maybe I could find a better way to tote it around with me.
I was done in around the middle of March. Here I find myself almost in June, and I am still carrying some heavy things. I am taking on some new projects and as I work I find the constant in the Graphic Design industry is that we are asked to pull time out of boxes. So you sit there listening and think:
" I promise you, I would if I could, but at this time the only way I can do that is to have years of experience, and be able to produce the print job, multi-media layout and web coding in my sleep."
That is where you find time, in spending time on producing it.
As always, the clients mean well, and as organized and structured as you would like it to be, as much of a time Nazi you become, it still takes longer than you would like. Whether it is solving minor problems: how to get the product from A to B, or major problems like the file size is too large, the client doesn't like it.
So I am learning. Learning by bashing my knees into things, stubbing my toes and bumping my head on the ceiling of reality. There are moments when my thoughts are far too grand, but watching as the client's face drops as you deliver the news that their beautiful "project child" will have to come with less features to be done in the time frame you are working with.
"It may not have the same looks you were hoping for, but it will have the basic bone structure of your dream."
That tends to let all the air out of the room.
Designer growing pains are just part of the package. Life some how squeezes through the cracks. When you are tired out, it sneaks up and grabs you by the throat and screams:
"WORRY ABOUT ME! Worry about all the things you cannot control...Worry about money, worry about your career, worry about relationships, worry about your best friends moving away..."
This tends to put a damper on creativity, energy or focus. It also has a tendency to manifest itself in the form of locking horns with your loved ones.
So I pick up my guitar to forget. To run away when I cannot leave, and to replace the pain with a melody. I look forward to, with fleeting hope that this time will be over soon.
I was done in around the middle of March. Here I find myself almost in June, and I am still carrying some heavy things. I am taking on some new projects and as I work I find the constant in the Graphic Design industry is that we are asked to pull time out of boxes. So you sit there listening and think:
" I promise you, I would if I could, but at this time the only way I can do that is to have years of experience, and be able to produce the print job, multi-media layout and web coding in my sleep."
That is where you find time, in spending time on producing it.
As always, the clients mean well, and as organized and structured as you would like it to be, as much of a time Nazi you become, it still takes longer than you would like. Whether it is solving minor problems: how to get the product from A to B, or major problems like the file size is too large, the client doesn't like it.
So I am learning. Learning by bashing my knees into things, stubbing my toes and bumping my head on the ceiling of reality. There are moments when my thoughts are far too grand, but watching as the client's face drops as you deliver the news that their beautiful "project child" will have to come with less features to be done in the time frame you are working with.
"It may not have the same looks you were hoping for, but it will have the basic bone structure of your dream."
That tends to let all the air out of the room.
Designer growing pains are just part of the package. Life some how squeezes through the cracks. When you are tired out, it sneaks up and grabs you by the throat and screams:
"WORRY ABOUT ME! Worry about all the things you cannot control...Worry about money, worry about your career, worry about relationships, worry about your best friends moving away..."
This tends to put a damper on creativity, energy or focus. It also has a tendency to manifest itself in the form of locking horns with your loved ones.
So I pick up my guitar to forget. To run away when I cannot leave, and to replace the pain with a melody. I look forward to, with fleeting hope that this time will be over soon.
Comments
I hope the music is able to soothe you, and you will be in my prayers. Love.