And It Will Make All the Difference
Reviewing portfolios in 2021 looks very different.
A few weekends ago, I hopped on Zoom to review design portfolios as part of a local student conference, and like everything else these days, it was anything but normal.
Network issues aside, the biggest difference was everyone’s comfort level. Maybe it was because we were all sitting at home on our computers (and probably in sweatpants), but every student I met shared their work with a certain nonchalance instead of the nervousness that usually comes when meeting in-person.
Personally, I thought it was great. I’m a fan of anything that lowers pressure…
More than just words on a wall
Have you ever wondered why companies create vision statements?
After all, many of these lofty words live on walls or websites, never making their way into the day-to-day lives of real people.
These companies are made of humans (at least for now) and as we all know, humans crave purpose and direction.
Most of us want to know the thing we’re doing will eventually make a difference. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Vision statements are meant to be the north stars of business, guiding us towards something bigger than ourselves.
Unfortunately, many managers struggle with turning those north stars into next…
Don’t Count Yourself Out — Let Someone Else Do It
If you’ve ever looked for a job, then there’s a good chance you’ve seen the same qualification we all have:
3–5 years of experience required
It’s easy to see this, roll your eyes, and move onto the next job post.
After all, there’s a good chance you haven’t worked 3–5 years in the industry and you would feel guilty about lying to a potential employer.
I’m here to peel back the curtain and let you in on a (not so) little secret:
They couldn’t care less if you have 3–5 years of experience.
Do you know what they care about?
…
Stop Me If You’ve Heard These
Life is crazy right now.
Forests have been burning, hurricanes are still popping up left and right, and we can’t decide if it’s safer to stay inside or outside.
2020 felt like one big game of The Sims being played by a ten-year-old sadist who just wants to watch the (digital) world burn and we’re still doing our best to get by one day at a time.
If you’re like me, then you’ve found yourself answering the same questions in a Groundhog Day-esque loop for most of the year:
How are you?
You would think after almost a year, we would all have…
How I’m Using My Privilege to Help Others
As a straight, cis-gendered white guy (with a beard and glasses) who works in the creative industry, I can’t help but admit privilege has played a huge part in my life (and the lives of others who identify similarly, whether or not they have glasses and a beard…but let’s be honest — they probably do).
After college, this privilege allowed me take a much less traditional path:
I decided to freelance full-time.
Over the past decade, I’ve made a living illustrating posters and prints, building brands, laying out websites, designing apps, writing articles, facilitating workshops, throwing summer camps, starting companies…
Trust Me On This One
Conflict sucks.
Anyone who tells you otherwise is either a masochist or someone who enjoys romanticizing struggle.
Conflict is especially hard when it’s out of your hands.
Take your parents getting divorced for example.
One of the hardest parts is how helpless you feel. After all, it’s not happening to you — it’s happening to your parents and there is (almost) absolutely nothing you can do about it.
The worst part? What happens after.
Whether you like it or not, once your parents get divorced, you have to balance the wants, needs, motivations, and expectations of two completely separate parties…
Navigating All of the Funny Business
A few years ago, I plunged head first into Corporate America after a decade of working for myself, and honestly, there are still some days I feel like I’m a spy behind enemy lines.
A huge reason why I worked for myself for so long (and still do in some capacity) is because deep down inside, part of me is anti-authority.
You’ll never find me yelling, “Fuck the system! Burn everything down!” while standing on a desk at the office (mainly because I don’t currently have a desk at the office…or an office).
My flavor is a little more subtle…
My Journey from Billy to William and Back
Whether or not you realize it, you’re a brand. We all are.
Shortly after the moment we come kicking and screaming into the world, we’re given a (brand) name that will stay with us for the rest of our lives, unless you decide to legally change it.
In my case, my parents named me William Robert Frazier.
I’ve always had a love-hate relationship with this name, especially when I graduated college and decided to freelance full-time.
Like many misguided creatives fumbling into the world of freelancing, my first step was to choose whether or not I wanted to brand myself…
It’s only a matter of time.
In case you haven’t noticed, more and more people are getting into UX design.
If you ask me, this is a smart choice for a ton of reasons.
With any industry boom, some practitioners will see this as a bad thing (mainly because they feel threatened) and others will welcome newbies with opens arms (I say the more, the merrier).
If I had to guess, when people who aren’t as familiar think of UX design, they conjure up images of black turtleneck-clad designers adjusting their trendy glasses as they design apps and smartphones for famous tech companies.
As cool as…
The First Question You Should Ask Yourself
There are so many obvious reasons why UX design is appealing:
- A higher ceiling and more earning potential than other industries
- A smaller learning curve into the tech industry
- Its interdisciplinary nature and how it plugs into any other field
- The natural progression from other fields of design
- The ability to focus on people while still working within the tech industry
- The wide range of activities from which to choose
The list goes on and on.
These are all huge advantages that don’t apply to every job, but at the end of the day, no single one of these will…
