I call it ‘lockdown languish lunacy’, that feeling we all experienced, for better or worse. You remember the feeling: quarantined, nowhere to go, no one to see, and nothing to do—every day. I felt empty, hollow, and soon had the epiphany that the trajectory I was on—taking marketing classes that I don’t care about to get a marketing job that I probably won’t care about—wasn’t going to take me to a life fulfilled. The pickle was that I didn’t even have a vision or an idea of what I wanted such fulfilled life to look like! It felt like reading a book with no plot—just humdrum events and pedestrian decisions, with no payoff or climax. Needless to say, it was a hard pill to swallow.

I knew something needed to change, so I had taken up reading books on self-development and the human purpose, and from those readings took my own notes, wrote my own conclusions. I felt the need to share these notes with the world; one crucial thing that these books made me realize is that I felt listless in life because not only do I not know what I’m doing, I don’t know what I *want* to do. I freaked out—I had finally cracked the problem. That was it.

But then I was faced with another problem: what *do* I want to do? I racked my brain and broke it. Then, I decided to walk it back, and instead of looking at my future at large, looked at my present today. ‘What do I want to do today?’ I asked myself. ‘Today, I want to share these thoughts with the world.’ I responded. So I did just that. In true 2020 fashion, I made a separate account for my quarantine hobby. Some had baking accounts, fitness accounts, car accounts; I had a notes-on-life account. Unfortunately, I am anchored by the burden of taste; I couldn’t just post a screenshot and call it today. I couldn’t help myself—I had to make it pretty! So I popped open Illustrator, which I hadn’t done since taking a prerequisite course on creative software for my marketing program that I definitely sleepwalked through, and spent the afternoon looking at fonts, exploring colors, figuring out how to add a gradient fill, and so on. It was the most fun I had had since being quarantined, and it was by doing something I didn’t even know how to do! I had very little exposure to graphic design up to that day, never even thought of it is a hobby, never mind a career. But that’s the magic of life. What I wanted to do—share my thoughts to whoever may be—led me to something I didn’t expect I’d *love.*

And now we’re here. Looking back, I can’t say there was a single moment where I thought, ‘Yes, graphic design is it.’ But I will say this: every day I ask myself what I want to do, and since that day, the answer has always been: ‘I want to get creative today.’

Play first. It’s easy, as a professional establishing themself in the industry, to lose their sense of fun and play for the sake of sticking to a brief . But always, always remember that you got hired because of what you already made, not they want you to make.

Release all pressure. More often than not, I go into a blank canvas without a plan. To some, this may make me look like a recluse, but I’d argue to say this is what keeps design fun and freeform for me.

Zero commitment, but all the energy. Not everything will go to plan, and that’s part of the process! As long as every step I take it rooted in authenticity, curiosity, and intentionality, I’ll always land with a result that makes me happy.

Incredibly! Skills and agility won’t amount to much if you lack voice and perspective and personality. You’re a person, not a design machine here to churn out perfectly crafted design exports to make clients happy. Stop thinking that skill will get you places, because it’s good to remember that clients don’t call hollow portfolios; they call ones with something to say, ones that show technical prowess but also a peek at the human behind it. To attract the work you want to make, to work with clients you want to collaborate with—all in the interest of paying your rent and keeping your sanity in this oversaturated, overhustling industry—it’s no longer enough to only be a trained creative professional! You have to have something to say. Figure that out and you’re golden. If you don’t have that, write me a note, and I’ll help you.

So much! Los Angeles is full of vibrance and diversity. In so many ways, my work reflects that.

Mindy Nguyen, Creative Director of ilovecreatives Studio. She’s a wonderful collaborator and an even more wonderful boss. Working with her feels like being at a playground with your friend, but you get to grow as a creative, too, because her style of feedback-giving has consistently pushed me to be a more imaginative, more open, and more intelligent designer.

York Blvd. in Highland Park is full of old and new establishments, and every time I walk about that area, I’m always inundated with inspiration.

Stories in Echo Park is a gem. It’s just a bookstore, but it always sparks something in me. You’ll have to go to see what I mean.