Deciding what conference to attend?
I work with a lot of creatives who are early in their career. You may be given the opportunity to attend one conference to learn and grow from people outside your company. Since you’re just starting out, you don’t necessarily know any topics deep enough, so finding a conference that has one particular focus may give you a sense you may miss out on something you don’t even know about. Even when you find a conference that has a variety of topics, you want to be part of the action and not just listen to a bunch of lectures. Wherever you go, you want to make it count. I highly recommend Adobe MAX. I was able to participate in 14 classes over the course of three days, five of which were hands-on, and a full day bootcamp. I learned a lot about the industry, the people, and myself. It was totally worth my time. While I can’t promise your experience will be the same as mine (and why would you want it to be?), I’d like to share how my first-ever Adobe MAX went and how it might apply to newer creatives.
The newbie
One challenge you face early in your career is that you’re new to almost everything. This is both exciting and nerve-wracking. You want to be a sponge and learn as much as you can, even though you don’t know what to expect or how quickly you’ll pick it all up. At the time of Adobe MAX, I felt this most strongly with Photoshop.
The first time I opened the program was at this conference, and I didn’t know what was on the other side. Most of my time was spent editing written and video content in InDesign and Premiere Pro.
I opened the first project file, saw all the elements, and thought to myself, “this is going to be strange.” The instructor asked us to make an album cover of a woman with a train blended into her head. Not only was I confused about the creative direction of the project, I also didn’t know how to even select an object! As I looked around, everyone seemed to be doing just as the instructor asked. Was I the only one who didn’t get it? Should I have taken a more basic class? I decided to be brave and ask my neighbor for help. She kindly shared some of the basic shortcuts. There were so many shortcuts. I wrote everything down as quickly as I could, then read through the instructions in the booklet. It didn’t make sense the first few times because I was unfamiliar with the terminology. I clicked around, trying to get familiar, and nothing happened. I tried again, same thing. I took a deep breath, read the instructions and shortcuts again, and finally blended the train into the woman’s head. It looked super strange and I didn’t like it, but I completed it.
There’s no [such thing as] failure because as long as you’re out there doing it, you’re succeeding.
- Lilly Singh
Then we had lunch and began a new project. I was refreshed from the break and ready to begin again. We were compositing. This is where you combine two or more images to make a single picture. Our instructor asked us to make a “badass rocker chick” covered in a liquid ink cloud. As I followed the instructions and listened to how to combine different images, I realized I was doing it! I was so excited, and as I looked at it, my confidence grew and I couldn’t stop smiling. Inside, I was jumping for joy. I was so proud of what I created and glad I stuck it out. At that moment felt like I could do anything.
Along the learning journey, things get tough. You feel dumb. You want to kick and scream and just click the easy button. We all go through it. Also along the learning journey, you learn new things and your mind opens up to different possibilities you hadn’t thought of before. That’s such a great feeling, and it’s all totally worth it to keep learning. Take breaks when you need to, realize we’re all new at something, and trust that you will eventually get it. As one of the keynote speakers, Lilly Singh, said, “There’s no [such thing as] failure because as long as you’re out there doing it, you’re succeeding.”
Hi. What do you do?
Another challenge you face early in your career is putting yourself out there to meet new people. There’s always the chance that people are going to look at you funny and there’s going to be that awkward silence. Sometimes it happens, and you simply smile, excuse yourself, and move on to meet someone else. You put yourself out there to find someone like you or learn something unexpected.
I pushed myself to meet as many creatives as I could, while still being genuine and myself. Being part of an in-house creative team, I don’t get the chance to regularly work with creatives outside of that, so I wanted to take advantage of these few days. I introduced myself to people in the cafeteria, in the classes, waiting in line to get snacks, waiting in line to pick up free swag, everywhere. I was curious to find out if everyone had been in the creative field their entire career and what sort of work they did. For me, I’d only been in the creative field since 2017, previously working in HR and IT. There were so many great people: graphic designers, videographers, animators, marketing strategists, teachers, you name it. They were from all parts of the world, different professions, and each had a different journey. I felt more at ease knowing there were people out there like me. Embrace where you are in your journey.
Embrace where you are in your journey.
Impostor syndrome
Finally, I think the biggest challenge you face early in your career is impostor syndrome. You feel you’re not good enough, or you’re a fraud. You doubt yourself and your abilities. This can continue throughout your career, and it’s a good idea to keep it in check. You are good enough. You are not a fraud. You have a unique set of abilities that only you can share, and when you do, it’s going to be awesome.
Let me share one experience. As I walked around the chalkboards and peered over at my neighbors’ work in the labs, it was intimidating to see how quickly and with such ease everyone seemed to be able to create. I had lots of moments where I thought I wasn’t good enough or didn’t know enough. Each time impostor syndrome wanted to seep in and take over, I consciously fought to tell myself there’s so much to learn and this is part of why you’re here. I kept recalling one of the speakers, Ariana Orland, who talked specifically about impostor syndrome: “The antidote for fear is curiosity. The only thing in your way is you.” I stayed curious and kept going. I find when I adopt a curious mindset, the difficult and foreign concepts aren’t scary anymore; they’re exciting!
The only thing in your way is you.
- Arianna Orland
After attending Adobe MAX, I decided to be less timid and go after what excites me. Sometimes I still doubt myself and get overwhelmed with the different possibilities of design. Then I take a step back and recognize how grateful I am for having so many options. Everyone is at a different point in their journey, and everyone has their own unique story to tell. Lilly Singh had another great quote that sums this up perfectly: “Create your own path. Don’t let others dictate your path just because it hasn’t happened.”
Give it all you’ve got. You’ll be inspired, challenged, and leave exhausted. You’ll also leave exhilarated, ready to take on the world, and ready to create something beautiful for those you love. And isn’t that what it’s all about?