I'm an Instagram addict. What should I do?The solution - Obvious. Delete the app, set screen time limits, maybe develop some self-control. But instead, I told myself a different story: "I’m curating my feed for inspiration." Inspiration for what? For the life I was too busy watching other people live? We do this all the time. We take behaviors that sabotage us and wrap them in justifications that make them easier to live with. "I work better under pressure" is just a poetic way of saying "I procrastinate until I have no choice." "I’ll …
When Instinct Takes Over
When I switched from being a designer to design recruitment, I had no idea what I was doing. I’d spend hours analyzing portfolios, second-guessing every hiring decision, and overthinking feedback. It felt like a game where everyone knew the rules except me. Now? I can glance at a portfolio and know—almost instantly—whether the designer is a fit. It’s not magic. It’s time. Experience stacks up, layer by layer, until what once required conscious effort becomes automatic. Like how a chef doesn’t need to measure spices, or a musician can …
How I Lost a Great Designer Over $2,000
I still remember the email. Short. To the point. "Hey, I really wanted to work with you, but I’ve decided to take another offer. They matched my expectation." Just like that, a designer I’d been wooing for weeks slipped away. Over $2,000. The Setup It was a perfect match. The designer was exactly what my client needed—sharp thinker, strong portfolio, great cultural fit. The company was equally great—a fantastic team, a product that excited the designer, and solid long-term career growth. The offer was fair. Good, even. But the …
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The Real Job of a Designer: Solving Problems, Not Just Providing Solutions
As a designer, I’ve learned the hard way that your first job isn’t to jump straight into a solution. It’s to understand the problem—inside out. And I mean, really understand it. We’re not here to just throw ideas at the wall and hope something sticks. Anyone can scribble a concept on a whiteboard. Hell, I've done it. But the real value lies in the ability to grasp the heart of the issue. That’s what makes you different. You’re hired for your skills to comprehend—to dig deeper than the surface-level problem and communicate it in ways that …
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The Thing No One Tells You About Humility
For the longest time, I thought humility meant downplaying myself. Shrinking. Avoiding compliments. Acting like my wins weren’t a big deal. Turns out, that’s not humility—that’s insecurity with a polite name. Real humility isn’t lowering yourself. It’s lifting others. Everywhere I’ve been, everything I’ve done—none of it happened in isolation. Someone, somewhere, made it easier. A mentor gave advice. A friend showed up at the right time. A stranger’s kindness nudged me forward. Forgetting that is easy. Standing on a mountain and …
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Untangling the Mess in My Head, One Word at a Time
My brain is a noisy place. Thoughts zoom around like kids on a sugar high, bumping into each other, making a mess, and refusing to sit still. If I don't do something about it, I end up drowning in half-finished ideas, unresolved feelings, and to-do lists that haunt me at 3 AM. So, I write things down. Not because I’m poetic. Not because I have profound thoughts. But because if I don’t, my mind feels like a browser with 72 tabs open—half of them frozen, the other half blaring unwanted ads. The moment I put words on paper (or a screen), …
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