What I Wish I Knew When I Started My Career with Debbie Millman

Summary

In this engaging talk, Debbie Millman shares valuable lessons and reflections from her decades-long career in design. She emphasizes the importance of personal philosophy and differentiation in a creative career, and alerts designers to the common missteps of overvaluing natural talent and confidence. With candid anecdotes, she stresses the necessity of preparation, embracing fear, and the courage to take risks. Millman also challenges the current obsession with 'personal branding,' advocating for authenticity and continual growth. Concluding her talk, she leaves the audience with an empowering reminder to embrace imperfection, stay courageous, and keep striving for personal and professional growth.

Highlights

• Debbie emphasizes the transformative power of courage over confidence in taking career steps. 🦁
• She categorically dismisses the notion of 'personal branding' as inauthentic and stifling to personal growth. 🌿
• The idea of 'winning a job' rather than 'getting a job' is crucial, highlighting competitiveness. 💼
• Constructive criticism should be sought actively to address blind spots. 🤔
• Nervousness is natural, but consistent practice builds real confidence. 💪
• Being 'too busy' is often an excuse—prioritize for what you truly desire. 📅

Key Takeaways

• Embrace fear and focus on courage instead of waiting for confidence. 🦁
• Authenticity trumps the illusion of personal branding. Be human, not a brand. 🌿
• Winning a job requires more than a great portfolio; it needs strategic thinking and self-presentation. 💼
• Seek feedback proactively to uncover unknown weaknesses and improve. 🤔
• Consistency and courage in the face of nerves lead to confidence. 💪
• Busy is a choice; prioritize what truly matters to you. 📅

Overview

In a lively and insightful session, Debbie Millman delves into the realities of pursuing a career in design, sharing her hard-earned wisdom. She recounts her own career trajectory, marked by experiences that shaped her philosophy and approach to design. Debbie stresses that talent alone isn't enough; what's pivotal is how one chooses to present and differentiate themselves in the creative field.

She also critiques the modern-day obsession with developing a 'personal brand.' Debbie argues that this trend detracts from the authentic human experience, suggesting that instead of trying to brand oneself, people should focus on authenticity and genuine personal development. Her message is clear: don't strive to become a brand—strive to improve yourself continually.

Ending her talk with personal anecdotes and notable quotes, Debbie motivates her audience to embrace imperfection and acknowledge that life's greatest achievements take time and courage. Her closing thoughts encourage listeners to prioritize their passions and push past fears, making steady progress towards personal goals.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Greeting The chapter begins with a background of musical applause as the speaker walks onto the stage. The speaker reflects on an unplanned moment involving a jacket with a message on the back, sharing their surprise and gratitude for the attendance of James and others.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Fear and Anticipation This chapter opens with the speaker expressing initial anxiety and fear of being overshadowed or unattended at their presentation. They amusingly recount how after the previous amazing presentation, everyone left the room, leading to a moment of dread thinking no one would return for their talk. However, upon returning, the speaker extends gratitude to the audience for coming back, indicating a sense of relief and appreciation. Furthermore, linking to the prior presentation by James, the speaker shows excitement as they consider their lecture a continuation – focusing on the relational dynamics and collaboration aspects in professional environments, which complements the prior discussion. The chapter sets a tone of anticipation and connection between the two parts of the seminar.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Talent and Design The chapter discusses the valuable insights and lessons learned by the speaker after graduating college, drawing from their extensive experience teaching and working with undergraduate and graduate students over four decades. The speaker aims to share this hard-earned knowledge with the audience to provide guidance and understanding that they wish they had known when they initially graduated.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Philosophy in Design The chapter 'Philosophy in Design' begins by emphasizing the inherent talent everyone possesses. It suggests that humans are born as playful and innocent beings, and those who choose design as a career inherently possess talent. The narrative encourages the perception of talent and creativity as fundamental characteristics of individuals entering the design field.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Getting a Job vs Winning a Job The chapter discusses the difference between simply getting a job and truly winning a job. It emphasizes that in the design field, being talented is taken as a given—the bare minimum expected from a designer. However, talent alone is not sufficient. Designers must exhibit what is referred to as 'operational excellence'. This means ensuring that every element of their work functions flawlessly and consistently, such as ensuring a remote control works properly or that a microphone transmits sound effectively. Essentially, operational excellence is about meeting expected professional standards flawlessly.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Importance of Presenting and Selling Yourself The chapter discusses the importance of self-presentation and self-selling in the field of design. It emphasizes that talent alone is not sufficient, and that operational excellence and the ability to effectively present who you are and what you stand for are equally important. Being perceived as talented is inherent when you claim to be a designer, but it's crucial to also focus on personal branding and standing for values alongside showcasing ideas.
• 03:00 - 04:00: The Reptilian Brain and Fear The chapter titled 'The Reptilian Brain and Fear' begins with a discussion on the philosophy of design. It highlights the subjective nature of design, emphasizing that design is highly opinion-based. The chapter notes that when presenting oneself as a designer, especially to those who aren't trained in design, people will often decide if they like a design purely based on personal preference, as they rely on their instinctive reactions and personal taste rather than any formal training. The implication is that the 'reptilian brain', the part of the brain that processes instinctual and fear-based reactions, plays a significant role in how people initially perceive and react to design work.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Handling Criticism and Feedback Handling Criticism and Feedback is a critical part of design where personal biases play a significant role. Decisions in design are often subjective and influenced by individual perspectives, lacking objectivity. What one person loves about a design, another might find outrageous. The key to handling feedback is to clearly embed and communicate your design philosophy and the distinctive approach your design takes.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Knowing What You Know and Don't Know Focusing on unique contributions and differentiation in work is imperative for recognition.
• 06:00 - 08:00: Artificial Harmony and Seeking Feedback The chapter focuses on the misconception that being a 'people person' is a critical component when presenting design ideas or sales pitches. While individuals pride themselves on their charm and interpersonal skills, the narrative suggests a shift in perspective. It argues that being a 'people person' is not as critical as presumed, emphasizing that feedback should be prioritized over charm in design and sales contexts. The chapter likely explores how authentic feedback and creating genuine connections are more valuable than artificial harmony in professional environments.
• 08:00 - 09:30: Courage Over Confidence This chapter delves into the theme of proving oneself through actions rather than words. It contrasts the idea of mere self-description with the genuine demonstration of one's abilities and character. The narrative emphasizes the importance of sharing personal truths and authentic experiences, rather than merely defining oneself with words. The discussion touches on societal perceptions of identity, especially in professional contexts, and how real courage lies in showing one's true self rather than relying on confidence born from self-proclaimed titles.
• 09:30 - 11:00: Branding and Personal Branding This chapter challenges the conventional notion of "getting a job" by equating job acquisition to winning a competition. It asserts that individuals are not just picking jobs off a shelf or trying them on for size, but rather, they are in constant competition with others for the same positions. The chapter suggests approaching job acquisition as an athlete would approach a competition, emphasizing the need for preparedness, strategy, and a winning mindset.
• 11:00 - 12:00: Generating vs Draining Energy This chapter discusses the importance of self-improvement and competitiveness in daily life. It emphasizes the need to constantly enhance one's skills and capabilities to stay ahead of the competition, whether in sports or in job hunting. The chapter encourages thinking about what others might be doing better and finding ways to surpass them in order to achieve personal and professional goals.
• 12:00 - 13:30: Overcoming Fear and Taking Risks The chapter titled 'Overcoming Fear and Taking Risks' emphasizes the importance of standing out in a competitive environment. It conveys that having a strong portfolio is essential but not sufficient on its own, as many people possess impressive portfolios. The chapter encourages readers to consider what additional steps they can take beyond showcasing quality work and being sociable, to make a significant impact in their careers. It suggests that individuals should seek ways to distinguish themselves and take initiatives that go beyond the norm.
• 13:30 - 15:00: Conclusion and Final Story The chapter titled 'Conclusion and Final Story' revolves around the contrasting life experiences of two individuals. One of them, Jessica Hish, found success quickly and has maintained it throughout her career. The narrator, however, has had a different path, having graduated in 1983 and spending the initial decade of their career facing numerous rejections and failures. The narrative seems to be drawing a comparison between the success pathways of different individuals.

What I Wish I Knew When I Started My Career with Debbie Millman Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 [Music] [Applause] as I was walking up the stage I  thought "Oh my god I have that jacket on with the   message on the back that wasn't planned um thank  you so much for coming i was watching James's
• 00:30 - 01:00 amazing presentation and afterward everybody  walked out and I was like "Nobody's going to stay   for my talk." And then I was told that you all  had to leave to come back so thank you for coming   back thank you for coming back um I'm I'm really  glad that James made the presentation that he did   um because in many ways I feel like this is  part two he was talking all about the relational   aspects of working with people and in many ways I  think that this is um a big part of what I'm going
• 01:00 - 01:30 to talk about today so what I'm going to talk  about today is what I wish I knew when I graduated   college which was a really really long time  ago but I teach I teach quite a lot and I work   with a lot of undergraduate students and a lot of  graduate students and this is a lot of information   that I'm going to share with you today um that  I learned the hard way um over four decades of
• 01:30 - 02:00 of working in design so here we go the first thing  that I want to share is that everyone is talented   we all come on this planet very much as  playful innocent beings if we're lucky   and I think everybody here is lucky in that  realm and if you choose design as a career   there's an assumption that you're talented so  when you talk to people about your work when
• 02:00 - 02:30 you're pitching work when you're doing the work  there is this sort of given that you're talented   that's not enough talent now for a designer is  sort of like what I call operational excellence   operational excellence means that when I click  this clicker it works the slide goes forward when   I put this microphone next to my mouth you can  hear me that's operational excellence we expect
• 02:30 - 03:00 these things from the things we engage with and so  for designers if you are hoping that talent is all   it's going to take you kind of have to see your  talent as operational excellence people are going   to hire you because you're a designer if you say  you're a designer there is this sense that you're   talented so I really feel that who you are and  what you stand for is as important as your ideas
• 03:00 - 03:30 what is your philosophy about design how can you  share how you approach design when you're selling   yourself because that is going to be what most  people are really really interested in people's   work is design is very subjective it's one of the  few disciplines that is entirely opinion-based   for those that aren't trained designers people  are going to look at design and think without   training they either like it or they don't and  they have lots and lots of personal reasons and
• 03:30 - 04:00 personal biases that they bring to that work  so that when they see something they'll make a   decision that's purely based on their own sense  of what works there is no objectivity in design   the very things that some people love and are  surprised and delighted about as James talked   about are the very things that other people  are absolutely outraged about and so the more   you can embed your philosophy the way that you  approach design why you do design differently
• 04:00 - 04:30 what benefit you bring to the work what you  can do differently that maybe nobody else can   do the more likely people are going to be able  to see that work as differentiated and as good i think this is a fairly self um it's self-explanatory um quite a lot of  people especially the young people that I
• 04:30 - 05:00 I work with and teach um are very proud of  the fact that when I ask them what they're   going to bring to any design crit any design  type of sale if they're pitching that they're   really a people person that they're charming  that they know how to speak and I often and   now always say no one cares cares if you're a  people person because people people are are a
• 05:00 - 05:30 dime a dozen and anybody can say that they're  one thing but that's just an opinion about   who you think you are so what you want to be  able to do is prove what you are as opposed   to tell what you are and share who you are as  opposed to just explain or define who you are you know it's really interesting how we talk  about getting jobs the whole notion the whole
• 05:30 - 06:00 vernacular of getting a job I think is really  a misnomer we don't go to a supermarket and   take a job off a shelf we don't go to a department  store and try on different jobs to see which fits   the best what we really do is win a job we are  constantly competing with others for the same work   so you you in some ways you have to approach  winning work as an athlete where you're working
• 06:00 - 06:30 every day to get better at what you do when  you're competing you have to think what would   somebody else be doing that might be better than  what I'm doing so that I can be more competitive   so I can be as an athlete might want to be faster  or stronger how can you bring those attributes to   what you do so that when you're trying to get a  job you're actually thinking about how you can   win it over anybody else that you are competing  with it's very rare that a job opportunity goes
• 06:30 - 07:00 out and only one person tries to get it one  person applies so how can you be better than   everybody else and again it's going to be more  than your portfolio because lots and lots and   lots and lots of people have good portfolios the  fact of the matter is with everything we saw today   everyone should be like having a pretty kick-ass  portfolio so what can you do above and beyond good   work above and beyond being a people person  in order to make a difference in your career
• 07:00 - 07:30 you know not as much as I love and adore her and  consider her my little sister not everyone is   Jessica Hish jessica came out of the gate hit  the big time really quickly and has now been   successful ever since i'm the opposite of that  i graduated in 1983 and spent the first 10 years   of my career in what I call um experiments in  rejection and failure and it really wasn't until
• 07:30 - 08:00 my late 30s that I sort of found my path and it  wasn't until I was 44 years old actually 43 years   old 20 years ago that I started the podcast that  I'm probably now most known for doing so I'll talk   a little bit about timing but it takes work to  get work you love most people it becomes a bit   of a street fight you're working really really  hard every day to make a difference knowing how
• 08:00 - 08:30 to sell yourself is the single most important  skill to have as a designer you must learn how   to present you must learn how to talk about your  work that is beyond what is good about it or what   you love most about it i can't tell you how many  students I work with that when they're showing me
• 08:30 - 09:00 their portfolio they'll say things like "What I  love most about this project." Nobody cares what   you love most no one what they want to hear is why  it was effective in the marketplace did it change   the way people think about their product did it  move things off the shelf so when you're showing   your work you must talk about what the strategic  meaning of this work is and not that you love as   much as we love good kerning especially now that  we have Jess as our kernother godmother I think it
• 09:00 - 09:30 was something like that we must talk about what  it is that makes this different from everything   else and in a way that's really persuasive and so  one of the things that I really recommend that all   designers do is take presentation training you  know some people talk about oh I don't like to   present i don't I get really I get really nervous  my best friend Dee is here and she was like what   is wrong with you i just get nervous before I talk  to people that's just the way it is but everybody
• 09:30 - 10:00 gets nervous everybody gets nervous we are our  our humanity is defined by a triune brain and   the brain we have is in three parts the limbic  brain the reptilian brain and the neoortex the   neoortex is all about abstract thinking it's  all about poetry and music and design and the   ways in which we make things in the world the  liyic brain is all about connection and love
• 10:00 - 10:30 but the reptilian brain the reptilian brain is  in control of all of our involuntary behavior   our eyelinking our heartbeat we don't will our  heart to beat our digestion our metabolism and   that is where fear lies you can't control being  afraid of anything any way any any way better   than you could control your heartbeat or your  digestion if I were to walk across the street
• 10:30 - 11:00 get hit by a bicycle the immediate feeling that  I would have would be adrenaline you can't will   adrenaline so you have to learn to go beyond what  you're afraid of and make a decision about what's   more important is it more important that I am able  to speak in the way that I want to and present in   the way that I want to or is it more important for  me to retreat from that because I'm scared to do   it you're never going to get over being scared  you're just going to get more comfortable being
• 11:00 - 11:30 scared part of I think what makes any  presentation good what makes any type   of work that you're showing in communicate if it  you communicate it in a way that is meaningful is   to prepare prepare for everything when you're  presenting your work now when I say prepare I   don't just mean know what you're talking about  which I'll talk about in a moment it's really
• 11:30 - 12:00 about anticipating the unanticipated what would  happen if they don't like this this piece that   I'm showing what if they ask me why I made those  decisions that I did you know it's generally not   a good thing when somebody says "So tell me why  you decided to use purple." It's not about being   pessimistic if you think about anything that  could potentially go wrong it's actually about   being realistic it's about knowing so much about  what you're presenting and how you're presenting
• 12:00 - 12:30 that you could be ready to understand and be able  to react to any type of scenario years and years   and years ago I was presenting to um I was doing  a presentation at Lucas Films we were working on   the merchandising for a Star Wars movie and  the fact that we were even there was somewhat   miraculous to all of us and we were high-fiving in  the parking lot because we were so excited about
• 12:30 - 13:00 the work that we were presenting and when we got  to the presentation they hated everything i mean   really hated everything i want you to think about  what you would do if you were presenting your work   and the client hated everything most designers  did what my designers were doing that day which   was defending the work you could go into a  department store put on something come out   of the dressing room know that you look a little  bit sort of lumpy and if the salesperson tells you
• 13:00 - 13:30 that you look good you're not going to believe  them same with selling design and if you try to   persuade your client that that work is better  than they think it is not only are they going   to not like it more but they're going to trust you  even less and so what I found to do in those types   of situations is to just pause hear what they have  to say let them know that that's heard as they say
• 13:30 - 14:00 on the bear and then go back and listen to what  they've said and incorporate in that into the work   sometimes it has absolutely nothing to do with  the work sometimes it has to do with the meeting   that they were at before your meeting so  chances are when you come back with work   that might be ever so slightly a variation  on what you showed they'll have a very very   different impression of it so plan and visualize  every potential scenario so that you are always prepared i really really suggest that you try  and know what you're talking about years ago
• 14:00 - 14:30 my goddaughter when she was in elementary school  was trying to explain to me how she was learning   on the computer she was very excited about this  because she knew that I spent my whole day on a   computer and she was explaining to me what she was  learning but she didn't she wasn't quite sure what   she was learning yet she just knew that she was  in the process of learning and so she tried to
• 14:30 - 15:00 explain what it was that she was doing and got  really flustered and was stumbling over words   and then she stopped and looked at me plaintively  and said something that I've never forgotten and   is one of the most important things that she's  ever said and that anyone has ever said to me   she looked at me and she said "Debbie life is so  difficult when you don't know what you're talking about." And I think that it's so rare these days  where people are just like "I don't know." Well
• 15:00 - 15:30 the wonderful thing about saying "I don't  know," is that somebody that does know will   feel really good about themselves telling  you what they know and let them have that   so know what you're talking about and try as  best as you can to not fake it you know this   whole fake it till you make it thing i  don't believe that i think people know   when you're faking i'd rather do more  of a make it till you make it kind of
• 15:30 - 16:00 attitude um there are three ways of knowing number  one you know what you know i know I'm a woman i   know I'm left-handed i know I'm a Scorpio and then  the second category is I know what I don't know   i know I can't read music i know that I don't  understand astrophysics and I know despite how   much I try that I cannot work the remote in  my living room but what c catches people up
• 16:00 - 16:30 is not what they know or what they don't know  it's what they don't know that they don't know   so before I got on stage I my best friend Dee as I  mentioned is here and I said "How are my teeth any   boogers?" And she was like "No no you're good."  The only way that you find out what you don't know   that you don't know is by asking people to inform  you asking people to share asking people to teach
• 16:30 - 17:00 you and so if you can learn what you don't know  that you don't know most of the time you'll be   better prepared to be in those situations again  back to the preparing where you can visualize any   scenario common vocabulary does not equate with  common behavior should be a t-shirt that every   designer wears under their clothes when they go  and present to a client mostly because we have our
• 17:00 - 17:30 own language most of what our clients are talking  about isn't a creative language it's the language   of business and so I've gone into meetings and  I've met with CEOs that have said "We really   want to make a revolutionary change here we want  to put a stake in the ground a flag down we want   to make something that everybody is going to look  at and notice." And we come back with work that's   very revolutionary and then when they see it  they say something like "H now that we see it
• 17:30 - 18:00 ellipsies." You know that nothing good ever  comes after the words now that we've seen it   now that we've seen it what we really meant  by revolutionary was going from light blue to   dark blue like that's not revolutionary that's  evolutionary in the same way that there are so   many different definitions of love there's  so many different definitions of change and
• 18:00 - 18:30 revolution this sort of fits under the category  of begin to try and know what you don't know and   that is to seek out criticism and when you seek  out criticism what you're really asking for is   feedback one of the things that I always recommend  that young designers do it doesn't even have to be   entry- levelvel designers is when you're showing  your portfolio at the very end of the presentation
• 18:30 - 19:00 always ask "What would be one thing that you  would recommend that I take out?" You might hear   different things from different people and then  you could make your own assessment as to whether   or not it's valid but you might also hear the same  thing from everyone and then you should either   decide to take it out of the portfolio or find a  better way of presenting what it was that you did
• 19:00 - 19:30 the more that you can understand how people view  your work the better you are going to do one other   thing that I really recommend in developing a  portfolio is only have work in your portfolio that   you really really love i mean really love and can  defend and can describe and tell stories about and   show interim sketches and so forth a lot of times  and I'm very very guilty of this when I was sort
• 19:30 - 20:00 of coming up and developing my portfolio i'd have  things in it that I didn't think were that great   but I wanted to have them in there so people would  know that I could do that kind of thing like I'm   gonna p I'm going to put this book cover in but  it was a terrible book cover so nobody is going   to hire me to design a book cover just because  there's a book cover in my portfolio and the   thing about having something in your portfolio  that you don't love is chances are no one else
• 20:00 - 20:30 is going to love it nobody else is going to think  "Wow that's so much better than you think it is."   And the weakest thing in your portfolio will be  the thing that takes your portfolio down even if   it means having five things in your portfolio  or three things in your portfolio or just one   kick-ass amazing project if that is something  that you feel proud of and can talk with passion   about and can talk about the strategic reason  that you did things that you did then people
• 20:30 - 21:00 are going to have a much stronger reaction  to what you show them even if it's just one thing i read um a book by Patrick Lencion  called the five dysfunctions of a team and   he talked about one of the dysfunctions that has  stayed with me for decades now he talked about   artificial harmony artificial harmony is the thing  that humans do to avoid conflict at all costs
• 21:00 - 21:30 so if you're in a meeting and you're showing  your work and you're not really sensing that   the person that you're showing to really likes  what they see if they don't say that they don't   like what they see it when what they're seeing  you kind of make up a story in your own head   well they didn't say they didn't like it i could  always tell if the work didn't go over well when   I asked the people that I was working with if I  didn't go on the meeting how did the meeting go   and if they said "Oh we we think it went okay."  Yeah it was great i always know we're not going
• 21:30 - 22:00 to hear from them we're not going to get the  project artificial harmony is when you know   that I know that you know that I know that this  is not going any further it could be in a client   meeting it could be in a pitch it could be on  a date and you both know that this is not jing   the only thing that I can tell you in a moment  like that is to say to your potential client   pitch paramore I'm sensing this is not going  that well i'm sensing that you're not really
• 22:00 - 22:30 liking what you're seeing is there anything  else that I can do or talk to you about that   might showcase some of my other ideas now they  might say no because you might have just blown   it so bad that they have no hope in ever thinking  about hiring you or they could think "Wow that's   an interesting way of approaching this this  person is open to feedback." Either way as   James said you're creating more of a re of of a  relational experience as opposed to one that's
• 22:30 - 23:00 transactional everybody is waiting for  confidence so many people I say "When   are you going to do that thing that you want to  do?" I say the same thing to myself all the time   and people are always like "Oh  I'll I'll do that when I feel more confident." Confidence doesn't just come upon  us we don't go into a supermarket anymore than   we would to get a job than to find confidence  you're not going to find confidence on the beach
• 23:00 - 23:30 or on the sidewalk confidence is overrated you  don't need confidence to start anything what you   actually need is courage courage to take that  first step into the unknown courage to take   that step into the uncertain you know another  thing that our reptilian brains don't like is   uncertainty our reptilian brains would like us to  know every single day what we're doing how we're
• 23:30 - 24:00 doing it when we're getting up who we're working  with when we're going to sleep and so forth that's   what our reptilian brains love so anytime we are  approaching anything that we haven't done before   we will feel not confident the only way the  only way to build confidence is to actually   do it over and over again confidence comes  from the successful repetition of any endeavor
• 24:00 - 24:30 very few people maybe aside from Jessica Hish do  things right away that are phenomenal everyone   else has to learn and grow and make mistakes and  do it over think about athletes as well there   might be some natural ability there but they're  not going to make it to the Olympics unless they   practice over and over and over and they're  still nervous when they go to the Olympics so
• 24:30 - 25:00 there's not a lot of hope for us if we think we're  going to somehow outsmart that fear the successful   repetition of any endeavor that's confidence i  want to talk for a moment about branding because   I feel that that's something that people are  spending a lot of time thinking about now when   it comes to how they position themselves in the  marketplace first of all branding is not a journey
• 25:00 - 25:30 the journey is actually sound strategic  positioning that allow you to create and   then result in a brand that you make brands don't  grow on trees you can brand something that's on   a tree but it doesn't start out as a brand you  can brand an orange you can brand a banana but   they don't come out of the earth as Tropicana or  Chaita brands don't do anything without humans
• 25:30 - 26:00 directing them same with AI and so when you're  thinking about working on a brand think about the   way in which you get there as the real creative  process and then the result ends up being a brand   and I can talk about this for hours especially  this next slide about people not being brands   there's nothing that breaks my heart more  than the idea of somebody trying to work
• 26:00 - 26:30 on their personal brand there's no such thing as  a personal brand a personal brand is actually an   oxymoron like jumbo shrimp people are people and  brands are brands brands are manufactured meaning   as I said we have to direct brands brands don't  just pop out of the earth the idea that we would
• 26:30 - 27:00 want to be like a brand takes all of the humanity  that we have out of the experience of being human   humans are messy we sometimes fail we sometimes  succeed we grow we evolve if you think back to   who you were 10 years ago and think that you'd be  really really fine with who that person was then   compared to who that person is now then chances  are you agree with me that people are people
• 27:00 - 27:30 let's leave branding to the brands and the brand  consultants and living to the people that are living um a couple of more slides i have about  a minute left so I'm going to do this quickly   um one of my old partners told me that there were  two kinds of people in the world generators and   drains generators were people that made things  better just by the sheer virtue of being in a room   they brought excitement and passion and energy  and then there's another type of person and I
• 27:30 - 28:00 think we all know people like this and maybe  we're even sometimes people like this i know   I am that nothing is ever right temperature's  wrong food's too cold weather is not great   i feel bloated we then once we share all of  those things with others we kind of infect   the energy of a room try and be generators think  about what happens when you start complaining it
• 28:00 - 28:30 might make you feel better but if somebody else  doesn't have the same opinion that you have all   it's going to do is drain the energy out of them  they're going to then begin to wonder "Oh should   I not like it also?" because that's the way  humans are we're always comparing ourselves   to others and we want to be in sync as much  as we can i mentioned this before about the   reptilian brain scared is human if you're  not scared you're probably a psychopath
• 28:30 - 29:00 when you're thinking about being scared and  using that fear as something to hold you back   and I'm talking to myself now as much as I'm  talking to you all because I'm scared every   single day think about what you want more do  you want to stay in a safe little bubble or   do you want to do something that is going to  make your heart sing but is scared to do i'm   still working on that one i'll report back when  I have more results make the things you want to
• 29:00 - 29:30 make if you're not getting the kinds of work  that you get from that you want to get from   your clients stefan Sagmeister once said this  to me i was complaining about my clients being   a drain and he was like make the work you want  to make put the kind of work you want in your   portfolio that you want to make and that's  ultimately what inspired me to start Design   Matters which was sort of my self-generated  project and if you think you're too busy to
• 29:30 - 30:00 do that remember that busy is a decision busy  is a way of organizing your priorities if you   think you're too busy to do something chances  are you don't really want to do it and you're   using busy as a badge to prevent yourselves  from actually taking that first step into the courage i want to leave you with with this quote  and and then I'm going to share a little story   that results in another quote if you're not making  any mistakes you're not taking enough risks and
• 30:00 - 30:30 you're keeping yourselves in a safe little cocoon  which might feel good really really good today but   when you look back on it you'll maybe think that  wasn't the best thing you wanted to do with your   life mistakes aren't going to kill you the things  that are going to keep you from sort of living   your full life is keeping yourself from making  those mistakes expect anything to take a long   time i'm talking to you for the first time on the  Canva Create stage and I'm 63 years old everything
• 30:30 - 31:00 worthwhile takes time now I want to share this  last little story i'm out of time and I know that   the people in the corner are like "She has to shut  up." Okay who here knows who Van Halen is okay   years ago several years ago right before COVID I  interviewed David Lee Roth the front the the lead   singer of Van Halen now I told you my age so in  1984 when their album 1984 came out Van Halen was
• 31:00 - 31:30 the biggest act on the planet alongside Michael  Jackson and David Bowie they had the biggest tour   they had the biggest album they had the biggest  video remember videos he was the coolest dude   on the planet and I interviewed him on Design  Matters a couple of years ago and I asked him   I couldn't he was he was now he has a tattoo ink  company doing lots of really creative things but
• 31:30 - 32:00 I asked him I couldn't help myself i asked him  "How did it feel to be the biggest most popular   person on the planet in 1984?" Now for those of  you who know Van Halen you know he's a bit of a   jester and makes lots of jokes in his very body  but he got very introspective he stopped no more   jokes and he looked at me and he said "You have  to be really really careful when you get to the
• 32:00 - 32:30 top of the tallest mountain that exists because  when you get to the top you're most often alone   you're always cold and there's only one direction  to go and it changed my life when he said that to   me i've been rushing up that mountain rushing up  falling back rushing up falling back for my entire   life and I suddenly realized I don't want the best  work of my life ever to be behind me i want to
• 32:30 - 33:00 keep growing i want to keep making better work and  so I realized that I didn't really want to peak   before I died so maybe that's the way we should  think about slow steps up the mountain doing the   best work every day of our lives and with that  I want to say thank you i'm sorry I went over