Why are you a designer?

My lawn mower / edge trimmer design when I was 10 years old.

Design is a difficult and complex field no matter what your specific industry or title is.

Clients and users won't recognize the effort that goes into your output. Presentations are persuasive and expository, like a sales pitch. You have to prepare for everything you present to be questioned. Frustration and burnout could be easy to come by without a personal North Star.

I love industrial design because it's the intersection of everything in life. People, cultures, business, craft, experiences, thoughtfulness, creativity, language and all the other stuff that exists.

Design school helped me with conceptual frameworks, prioritizing needs, proposing ideas, receiving criticism, understanding design tools and refining my designer's eye. It reinforces what I do. I design solutions. I need to use my brain in a creative way, it's not a choice.

Whether it's Graphic, UI/UX, Product, CMF, Industrial, Systems or any other. You have to like solving puzzles. To be inspired by cutting-edge innovations and be interested in the ever-evolving market. To thrive in the feedback loop.

I design, therefore I am.