Transforming Negativity Into Creative Fuel - Episode 184

Hey there, fellow designers and creatives! It's BrandiSea, and I'm here to challenge you to step outside of your comfort zone when it comes to finding inspiration. We all know that Pinterest is a great resource, but let's be real - everyone else is using it too. That's why I'm encouraging you to seek out "uncommon inspiration" in the world around you.

Take a walk in nature, explore your city, or even just look at everyday objects in a new way. You never know what unique textures, colors, and shapes you might come across that could inspire your next project.

I recently used a photo I took while on a walk with my son as inspiration for an album cover design, and it turned out amazing! So trust me when I say that inspiration is everywhere - you just have to be open to it.

Let's break free from our reliance on online platforms and create work that truly stands out and reflects our individuality. Are you up for the challenge? Let's go!

Transcript

00:00:00:00 - 00:00:32:13
Speaker 1
Let's talk about why I'm here, not just in this room, but why I'm here talking to you. I'm Randy. See, I am a creative director and design strategist. I really love to inspire designers and businesses with powerful design strategies and frameworks to level up their careers or their business goals. But how do they get here? A somewhat negative, jealous designer to I of my own little network for designers and creatives.

00:00:32:14 - 00:00:55:25
Speaker 1
I want to share with you how to change your mindset, to think about the things that are bothering you, and maybe how to use those things to help others. In 2015, I was frustrated. I was annoyed at the designers around me getting work that I perceived was work I should have been getting. And I knew that their design was not as good.

00:00:55:26 - 00:01:18:05
Speaker 1
I didn't know how to resolve this issue. I could see that they were ripping off other designs that they probably just found online and were packaging them and selling them as their own, which to me felt really sneaky and unethical. And it is I was also feeling like they were taking something away from me. They were taking the clients and doing bad work.

00:01:18:05 - 00:01:39:05
Speaker 1
And I was filled with this righteous design anger. But what can I actually do about it? Really? Nothing. Right? They're going to do their thing and I'm going to do my thing. And it doesn't really matter. Focus on my own stuff. Right. But I couldn't. It bothered me. Like deep down in my design heart. It really bothered me.

00:01:39:05 - 00:02:00:14
Speaker 1
And in talking it over with my husband, I don't remember if it came to me on my own or if this was something that he said to me. I realized that I could use this righteous indignation and do something with it. Maybe I could give those designers the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they didn't know that what they were doing was wrong.

00:02:00:15 - 00:02:27:15
Speaker 1
That taking a design off of Google or grabbing something off of Pinterest and slightly tweaking it and packaging it up as their own was actually not okay. So in 2015, I decided to start writing a blog because everybody at that time wrote blogs. I wanted to talk about why design matters. Why real good design ethics matter. The blog was called No Surprise Here Design Matters.

00:02:27:18 - 00:02:55:18
Speaker 1
The idea behind it was, I wanted to educate people. I wanted to put some information out there that wasn't being talked about at the time. How to have a good method for finding your ideas. Lots of things that I felt were missing. And in doing that, I found these people weren't taking something from me. They had actually given something to me because now I had found something useful to do with this idea that I had.

00:02:55:19 - 00:03:19:17
Speaker 1
Now I have the opportunity to share with people, to show them that there is a better way to design, that there's a better way to find inspiration, that people don't have to feel stuck. I was writing about how to be a better designer, how to find a better process, how to find inspiration. All these things started to occur to me that were missing in the world of design at that time.

00:03:19:18 - 00:03:50:27
Speaker 1
Well, blogging led to someone asking if I would ever consider doing a YouTube channel. So I started doing design tip Tuesdays in 2017, I started Design Speaks podcast. I have a course videos all over. I've been asked to be a keynote speaker. This is not to toot my own horn. I was able to take that negative feeling about these designers that I felt were doing bad work and stealing clients from me and take that and turn it into something good.

00:03:51:01 - 00:04:15:10
Speaker 1
Now I have the opportunity to sit here with you and tell you about the things that I learned best practices, how I find inspiration, but more importantly, how you can find inspiration in the world around you. How you can create work that speaks to your visual voice, and how you can implement strategies and frameworks into your everyday as a designer.

00:04:15:10 - 00:04:42:16
Speaker 1
So you stop feeling stuck and that is really where my heart is. I love working with design clients and people that value what I have to offer as a creative director and a designer. My ultimate goal why I am here in this room on this video talking to you is because I have a passion for helping designers see that the way that they have always done things, even if it works, that it can be so much better.

00:04:42:16 - 00:05:02:22
Speaker 1
And I am here to encourage you and show you ways that you can do that. Look at your circumstances a little bit differently. Stop viewing the world negatively and see how you might be able to turn those experiences into something great for you and for your business. Like unsubscribe if you appreciate this video. See you next time.