One of my biggest passions outside of design is education. I wouldn't be where I am today without the great mentors who've invested in me on my path to becoming a design and user experience leader. I consider myself very fortunate to have had some top notch teachers. They've inspired me, challenged me and taken my skills to a place I never could have by myself. Today I seek to pay it forward to the younger designers on my team.
Recently I've had the pleasure to mentor a very talented group of seniors at the University of Tennessee School of Design. I got to teach the same cohort interaction design when they were sophomores so it was great to return to the group to help them with their capstone projects. It was my job to help them with their personal branding, portfolios, resumes and help them plan their capstone event, The Senior Show.
The poster and concept ‘Am I Your Type’ the students designed for their senior show
Sharing what you know with others is one of the best ways to continue to learn yourself. One of my favorite professors told me that in order to teach, one must become a lifelong student. This quote has always stuck with me. When I'm mentoring a junior designer at work it forces me to reaffirm the skills I'm trying to teach. This sharing of ideas can also help you see things in a new light. Interacting with an engaged student can help inject new energy and life into ideas that may have previously grown stale.
My favorite qualities in a designer are work ethic, enthusiasm and passion to learn as much as they can about the craft. I've always found these qualities much more important that so called 'natural design talent'. I've found that talent is something that is cultivated through hard work rather than an innate gift. When I look back at how rough much of my early design work was I'm always grateful for all the mentors I've had on my design journey.
The School of Design Senior Show at the Maker City Curio in Downtown Knoxville, Tennessee
We we’re fortunate enough to be able to hire two seniors at Designsensory who are gonna make a great addition to our team. I couldn't be happier to play a part in their success. This is just the beginning for them. Teaching them has given me a great chance to reflect on my craft. It's important that we never grow content as creatives. I know that 14 years into my career that there is still much more for me to learn as well. Here's to learning together!