Advice to Myself: Past, Present, and Future
In our current state, many have found more free time in their days; time to learn a new skill, time to read a book that’s been collecting dust, or time to simply reflect on the journey that has led them to where they are.
We asked our group of panelists to reflect on their lives and experiences and write a letter to their past, present, or future self-based on what they’ve learned. Their advice represents nothing short of the beautiful and exciting lives they live and we hope you learn something from their experiences. Maybe you’ll even be inspired to write a letter to yourself.
Tati is currently pursuing her MFA, Master’s of Industrial Design at Rochester Institute of Technology, RIT while working as an Industrial Design Intern for GE Appliances.
A heartfelt letter to her younger self. Written by Tati Ferrucio
To my old self, I know you're starting your Industrial Design degree in the next months, and I also know how anxious you are. You are not sure about the course. It's a new program, new faculty. Public school. I understand all your concerns and I am here to say that you will be alright.
It's gonna be a crazy ride, for sure. You will find yourself in situations where you think it might be the end. It's not. You're gonna figure out along the way that there are so many amazing and strong women around you, willing to help on each step of your journey. They will be inside your house, in between your friends. These women are there to support your growth, not to compete with you. They will be your safe shelter many times, and you will be theirs.
Together, you will see how these bridges are gonna help you to build your self confidence and the woman you want to be.
Your journey is gonna take you way further than you can ever imagine. I know that sounds scary now, but it's gonna be the best decision you have ever made. You will have to adapt yourself to different realities, and say yes to challenges you never thought you could accomplish. This journey will also bring professors, colleagues, advisors, and mentors who will become friends. They will be honest enough to tell you where to improve, but also kind to know when you need a hug. They will be mostly men and this will help you understand that male allies are important to your professional growth as well. Keep them as close as you can.
You are gonna fight so bad for what you want. Sometimes it's gonna be exhausting. Sometimes people won't care. Sexism will try to put you down many times and I need you to be focus. While they spend their time saying what you should be or not, you will build your own victories. I just need you to aim for the goal and be kind to yourself when your thoughts are out of place. Your work will pay off, believe me. And more important than anything else, this crazy ride will bring so many good memories alongside people you love and care. They will be worth any effort.
There's a phrase you will hear during your life that will stick with you forever. This amazing woman will say “by the way you speak about design, I can see a brilliant future for you. You just have to believe that opportunities will come.” We are still on the way, but don't worry. I will make sure we will get there.
P.S. Thanks, Patty.
-Tati
Mercedes is a Design Application Lead with Techmer PM where she translates between the languages of engineering and design to inspire both sides to achieve greater heights.
The path to success looks different for everyone by Mercedes Landázuri
Don’t look at your strengths or skillsets and try to pair them up with the traditional career that comes to mind. You can bring a massive amount of innovation into a role when your experience and area of expertise is the polar opposite of those around you.
I loved my previous career paths in the humanities, but I didn’t truly thrive until I began working in STEM. I never took a single day of math or science in school and I was nervous going into it, but it was quickly evident that what I had to offer had value for my industry and my peers.
My background in a different field also helped me by humbling me. I’ve succeeded by being excited to be the dumbest person in the room and learning from everyone else. When you value what they say, they start to listen to you.
-Mercedes
Lea is a Senior Manager at Newell Brands, Baby Division, where she leads a team of industrial designers to create car seats, strollers, bottles, and other products to bring sanity, safety, and joy to families.
Lessons learned over 18 years as a design professional that apply to life. Written by Lea Stewart
1. Try hard to know that not everyone operates or understands things the same way that you do. Be adaptable for different working styles. Treat people as individuals.
2. Be careful not to have too many monkeys on your back. This idea of the “monkey” is something I’ve borrowed from a great Harvard Business Review article that points out why you should be careful not to take certain challenges for another team member. For example, if you rework a colleague’s design, instead of coaching a team member to improve that design on their own.
Although you may have positive intent to think that owning the rework is the most efficient, in the long run it is better to coach them. Another bad practice would be something like offering to call a cross-functional team member on behalf of someone on my team to talk through an issue, instead of encouraging them to build that relationship themselves. I’m not saying that servant leadership is not important, but not when it takes away someone else’s opportunity to grow.
3. Know that semantics are important, especially for design. Describing aesthetics, and the emotions they convey, can be difficult. Take extra time in critique to be descriptive and to ask follow-up questions if you don’t understand feedback. Give all team members common language to use. For example, when you use terms like “value blocking” let everyone know what you mean and then the group can continue to have that collective understanding. Bonus tip: If you work with teams in different geographies, or that use different first languages, have empathy and break down complex descriptions in ways that are easier to understand.
4. It is not the right approach to believe that if non-designers could just understand us then all would be right in the world. I bet many designers dream of “educating” all their cross-functional teams on design. We are the minority, right-brained thinkers and that is ok. We need healthy conflict in teams to have diverse thoughts. Focus less on changing others and more on making sure your design story speaks everyone else’s language.
5. Hard skills will be the bedrock of your career, but to really advance you will need excellent soft skills. Assess your emotional intelligence. Ask others about what your blind spots may be. Get comfortable with being vulnerable. Even though we think it should be table stakes for the job, not all leaders are naturally experts at appreciation, recognition, or empathy. You can only control you, so find ways to build your own self-confidence and model the behaviors you value.
6. A design career requires creating your own thick skin. A lot of what we do is subjective, and you will get a lot of opinions of your work. Be open to listening. You will always learn something. Remember it is your job to filter all the feedback to determine what to act on. Be kind to yourself and remember you are a rock star in your own way.
7. Nine ladies can’t make a baby in a month, even if you gave them each a million dollars. Sometimes you will get a design ask that just appears impossible. I mean what company wouldn’t want a product with a boat load of innovative features, that gives the impression that it is ultra-premium, at a low cost, and developed faster than has ever been known to be done before? (all designers cringing) When you are feeling this way, dig into all of things that you believe to be constraints to work it through. Many times there are three big levers to pull on in a project: money, scope, & time.
-Lea
Advice based on lessons learned being a creative. By Mona Sharma
1. Don't let one project or job define you - be creative in the ways you find opportunities and how you practice. Personal growth in the creative sector isn't always quick, but definitely a rewarding one. (I remind myself this often)
2. Don't ever be afraid to ask for help, it's never too late, and you probably(definitely) need it more than you realize! (This is in response to final project woes at uni...)
3. Make the most of what you have.
4. Push to learn new things/skills - they could help and apply in ways to future situations that you might not be able to imagine right now.
-Mona
Mona is an Industrial Designer currently working at the Færch Grooup, a European market leader of thermoformed food packaging in Cambridge, England, UK.
Miranda is an Industrial Designer and VR Guru at Delve in Madison, WI. + Advanced Design and IDSA Northern Lakes
A letter that encourages strength, courage, and tenacity. Wirtten by Miranda Degg
Hey. It’s You - from the future.
You’re a 20-something-year-old woman, about to graduate college with a degree in Industrial Design. You’re unsure of the future, terrified, excited, and oh so anxious. You’re so anxious, in fact, that you’re tempted to take the first job that’s offered to you. “Wow, I’m so lucky!” you think, “This is going to be great!”. It will not be great.
You don’t have to take the first offer.
You have let your fear of failure, fear of the unknown, get the best of you, and have fallen into a trap that many young professionals often do (or so you’ve heard). You’ve accepted a job that isn’t in your field, isn’t going to pay you what you’re worth, and isn’t going to respect you as a designer, a thinker, or a person.
Your boss will tell you that you’d make “an adorable housewife” and you’ll laugh it off because you think “first jobs are supposed to suck! I shouldn’t take this too seriously”. Come tax season, you find out that you have not been paid your complete, previously-agreed-to salary, and that those months you spent worrying about being able to make rent, pay loans, and afford food were not due to your lack of understanding of basic budgeting, but rather a burden placed onto you by those in a position of power because you were naive and inexperienced.
Don’t give up.
That first job sucked, but don’t give up on your dream of becoming something good. Don’t give up on sketching, on CAD, on reaching out to people who you look up to. Your curiosity and enthusiasm IS going to pay off. Your spontaneous outreach is going to connect you with some incredibly talented and kind people. These people will push you, inspire you, and have your back when you need it most. Don’t forget to thank them. Your first job might not have turned out so well, or have been very good for your professional development, but it will strengthen your resilience and your emotional intelligence. Bad times like this are great for showing us what we do NOT want in life (or from a job), and that’s just as important as knowing what we DO want.
Everything is temporary.
Take those hurt feelings, that damaged self-esteem, and those awful things the managers in your life say to you and turn them into kindling. Light a fire within yourself and use that relentless determination of yours to claw your way out of the pit you think you’re trapped in. You are not trapped, and you can save yourself. Learn how to network, be active on LinkedIn, and take a class or two on interviewing. Hone your design skills, and get really great at presenting not only your portfolio, but your passions. Believe that you are interesting, worthy, and capable of learning the skills required to function in the design industry. You can do it.
Find your ‘power song’ and listen to it on repeat.
I’ll leave you with a line by the song After the Storm by Kali Uchis (a song that eventually becomes your mantra during tough times like these): “Nothing good ever comes easy. I know times are rough, but winners don’t quit, so don’t you give up”.
-Miranda
What lessons have you learned that you’d like to tell your past, present, or future self?
Drop a comment below and share your own advice with the community.