CMD Z…

Undoing. Something I do a lot of as a designer. From picking the wrong font to placing the wrong point, we use it a lot! Something that we also do a lot of is revisiting. When we get frustrated with a project, we step back. Recently, I had to take a pretty big step back.

In the fall, I was taking a visual communication design class. We had a project in which we had to create a pattern for an industry of our choice. I chose craft beer and wanted to put a feminine twist on it. From the start, I was having trouble with inspiration. Designing a pattern just wasn’t clicking in my head. I sort of gave up on the project half way through because I felt so uninspired.

When the final critique came around, I was not confident or happy with the final product. I took the criticism and knew I wanted to return to the project eventually. When I finally did, I was feeling better about the project momentum. I was able to build off of my original ideations and use pieces of the previous product.

When I first restarted this, it felt weird. I was upset with my past self for not just persevering in the first place, but then I came to realize that it didn’t matter. At the time, maybe that was my best. Feeling uninspired and unimpressed with yourself is human. Returning when you have the strength to is just as okay. Practice patience, friends!