I’m still fairly new to the world of design. I’ve been working professionally since my Freshman year at the California College of the Arts, and I graduated in 2015. In that short amount of time I’ve had a lot of success, and many failures, and looking back I’m seeing a common thread: my best work is work I loved creating.

Since I first built my portfolio site in 2012, it has gone through 4 complete redesigns. The only thing that remains constant is a quote by Canadian designer, artist, illustrator, and writer, Marian Bantjes.

There is something to love about any project. Once I find what it is, I produce something I’m proud of, and I have a happy client. If you are having designer’s block, my advice would be to find something about your assignment that you can genuinely love. You’re going to spend hours staring at your screen, you have to make it worth it.

You have to put a little bit of your heart into everything you do, especially as a creative. Sure, at the end of the day you have to make a living if this is what you do professionally. But too much time and repetitiveness goes into this for us to be throwing things together that we don’t like.