Printable View
Some designers aspire to be like brendan dawes with their name splashed across design magazines and spending most of their time giving speeches at exhibitions and conferences.
But what would tell you that you'd really made it as a great designer?
Earning a certain amount a year?
Being your own boss?
Turning down huge contracts coz you don't have the time?
Being able to name your price?
What about you then, how'd you know when you've made it?
You know waht Razor?? I cant answer to this question...100% since unfortunately I havent made it ...YET ;)Quote:
Originally posted by RazoRmedia
Some designers aspire to be like brendan dawes with their name splashed across design magazines and spending most of their time giving speeches at exhibitions and conferences.
But what would tell you that you'd really made it as a great designer?
Earning a certain amount a year?
Being your own boss?
Turning down huge contracts coz you don't have the time?
Being able to name your price?
What about you then, how'd you know when you've made it?
But if you have satisfied custumers who refer you to their freinds or other companies andyour are swimming in work you know you are good. From there, you dont need to much to say that YOU MADE IT. this is my theory...
ANyone else??
J
Good topic, Bruce.
My aspirations have really been driven, not by the desire to "make it" as a designer/developer, but to make it more as a husband/father/provider. For me to look back on my business and decide whether it has been successful or not, I would have to take a closer look at my family. Are they being provided for? are they lacking anything they need? are they happy with our living conditions? am I enjoying what I am doing?
These have been some of the questions I ponder. So far, I definitely feel like a success... whether or not anyone knows who I am. I have successfully launched and sold two prosperous business in the last 7 years, as well as launching and running my third currently. This is one I think I'll keep. It is totally what I want to do, the income allows me to work full-time in ministry, and provides well for my family... all while helping others out along the way.
I think I've already made it, in a way.
BTW, I'm speaking at another conference this weekend in Lansing, Michigan as the main presenter for a "Digital Marketing" seminar. I'm pretty pumped about it!
Congrats man... I hope one day I can say the same thing.Quote:
Originally posted by JabezStone
Good topic, Bruce.
My aspirations have really been driven, not by the desire to "make it" as a designer/developer, but to make it more as a husband/father/provider. For me to look back on my business and decide whether it has been successful or not, I would have to take a closer look at my family. Are they being provided for? are they lacking anything they need? are they happy with our living conditions? am I enjoying what I am doing?
These have been some of the questions I ponder. So far, I definitely feel like a success... whether or not anyone knows who I am. I have successfully launched and sold two prosperous business in the last 7 years, as well as launching and running my third currently. This is one I think I'll keep. It is totally what I want to do, the income allows me to work full-time in ministry, and provides well for my family... all while helping others out along the way.
I think I've already made it, in a way.
BTW, I'm speaking at another conference this weekend in Lansing, Michigan as the main presenter for a "Digital Marketing" seminar. I'm pretty pumped about it!
J
I would say if you accomplish YOUR personal goals a designer, you have made it.
For me, it is to be recognized for doing something worthwhile and having money to do the things I enjoy doing in life.
For me it's all about being on MTV cribs, since of course, that's one of my personal goals.
k
This is good to hear. Refreshing in fact, as that's how I hope to measure my success. A nice family, a comfortable place to live in with food on the table, a job I enjoy, and a cabin in the northwoods of Minnesota. That's my idea of heaven (sorry rubyStud :D).Quote:
Originally posted by JabezStone
Good topic, Bruce.
My aspirations have really been driven, not by the desire to "make it" as a designer/developer, but to make it more as a husband/father/provider. For me to look back on my business and decide whether it has been successful or not, I would have to take a closer look at my family. Are they being provided for? are they lacking anything they need? are they happy with our living conditions? am I enjoying what I am doing?
These have been some of the questions I ponder. So far, I definitely feel like a success... whether or not anyone knows who I am. I have successfully launched and sold two prosperous business in the last 7 years, as well as launching and running my third currently. This is one I think I'll keep. It is totally what I want to do, the income allows me to work full-time in ministry, and provides well for my family... all while helping others out along the way.
I think I've already made it, in a way.
BTW, I'm speaking at another conference this weekend in Lansing, Michigan as the main presenter for a "Digital Marketing" seminar. I'm pretty pumped about it!
Funny how 2 main moderators here seem to be interested in the Church. Not funny in a bad way, just interesting, eh?
not religious but i really liked what Jabez had to say.
as a family man myself i identify totally with what u have said.
BRAVO
but, take away the family and lifecycle.
what in your work life would make you feel successful???
Bruce
the little things.
a client who does really like what you have done.
me liking the end result
making an economic living from it
getting the chance to do bigger more important projects
I used to work in the bond markets and what i really like in this job is that i MAKE something tangible and i am proud of that.
(that is if you consider www tangible, but hey phantomflanflinger can tell me if i am being pedantic again or not :) :) :)).
I think its hard not to say something along the lines of "I will have made it when I'm a millionaire and I am the guy with the most fame in the industry!" That's just what success has been equated with.
Truthfully, I don't think anyone will ever "make it". Because no matter how old you are or how much you've done in this business, someone will always top you... eventually.
So I've tried to move away from the idea of "making it" to the idea of "doing it". “Doing it” would equate to doing what you want done in your life.
I've got a long list of things (milestones) I want to do in life. But they all equate to what I value - Family, learning, and teaching.
Family
Like Jabez and others, my family is very important to me. So I try to make sure everything I'm doing is somehow going to benefit my family and bring them closer to me. Sometimes those results can't be seen immediately, but I have to keep that in mind.
Learning
I do want to learn everything there is to know out there, but that's impossible. So instead I try to learn as much as I can. :) There's always new languages, styles, techniques that are being developed that I can learn from and improve myself from.
Teaching
Once I've learned something I try to teach it to someone else. Whether its dealing with clients or its a new way to do websites, I try to pass on any useful knowledge I get to others.
Anyway, if I can die having put those three things as first priority in life, then I would say that I made it.
-scott
http://scottmanning.com
Aww, man! how could I forget that?!Quote:
Originally posted by nocrapchurch
Teaching
...I try to pass on any useful knowledge I get to others.
Rule #1: A man is not a success until he has a successor.
Yes, I could tell you whether or not you're being pedantic.
If you have to ask "how do you know when you've made it", you'll never know. In the guidelines for posting on this board it says "if you don't know whether or not you should post here, you shouldn't" - quite.
As the Web expands, there'll be ore and ore household-name designers and more and more acclaim, money etc.. The prizes will grow and grow.
Hey, Phantom.. lighten up! :)Quote:
Originally posted by phantomflanflinger
If you have to ask "how do you know when you've made it", you'll never know. In the guidelines for posting on this board it says "if you don't know whether or not you should post here, you shouldn't" - quite.
As the Web expands, there'll be ore and ore household-name designers and more and more acclaim, money etc.. The prizes will grow and grow.
The question was posed to get a response from other developers, as to what their ambitions are. I think it's a very healthy topic to discuss, as the answers could help steer somone in the right direction; even leading misguided developers to a new way of thinking. To say, "If you have to ask "how do you know when you've made it", you'll never know." is ridiculous.
Do you ever think you'll achieve a level of comfort as a designer? I'm not talking about a utopia-type comfort... I'm talking about a sense of accomplishment.
10.000 hits each dayQuote:
Originally posted by RazoRmedia
but, take away the family and lifecycle.
what in your work life would make you feel successful???
Bruce
:D
+ a sense of accomplishment; and actual accomplishmentQuote:
Originally posted by RazoRmedia
but, take away the family and lifecycle.
what in your work life would make you feel successful???
Bruce
+ knowing i do something that i would love doing for the
rest of my life, and making a good living at it, only as
an extra bonus
+ being happy, attaining happiness in life, the motivation
of everyone's pursuit
+ knowing that your client is more than satisified with
your work
+ knowing that your client really appreciates you
+ knowing that your client knows about all the hard work,
dedication, and that extra touch that you put into the
project
+ knowing that you have in some way affected someone
else's life or company in a positive way
what about 10,000 hits per day yet no business because of them?Quote:
Originally posted by PixelAddict
10.000 hits each dayQuote:
Originally posted by RazoRmedia
but, take away the family and lifecycle.
what in your work life would make you feel successful???
Bruce
:D
100 valuable, well navigated hits would be much better than 100,000 hits from a misplaced banner on a porn site!!!
good point though
I am a senior member. That is not only cause I have posted enough to have been given that title by Flash Kit.
I have also been around long enough to know that 'making it' is not a permanent thing (been there done that). Many highs are accompanied by lows. What goes up must come down...
So it's important to remember your roots. Remember those that had faith in you and assisted you in reaching your goals. As a friend of mine puts it when refering to financial success: "It won't be any fun being able to spend your days on a tropical beach if your friends can't be there with you." So when you can offer a leg up to those who make up your network of friends and colleagues. You never know when they might be able to reciprocate.
And remember this thing called life is not a movie and there will be no re-run.
Cheers everyone.
So true, Geoff...
As always, refreshing words of wisdom.
Good to hear from you!
Jay
a man of wisdom, good call mr edwards!
Geoff,
I, like other members in the Boardroom, really appreciate your input into things. I'd love to hear more from you in the future.
-scott
http://scottmanning.com
Great topic, and Geoff hit the nail on the head really, so I'm going to change the tone of things with my opinion :-P
Personally, I'm a shallow ****er, and although money is good, having my name splashed across magazines and being interviewed would be even better.
It hasn't happened yet, just in case you're interested..
When your vocation is to present things in a noticable and eyecatching way, it's difficult not to become a bit of an attention seeker, and some would say it's natural.
And while I'm on the subject, it has to be said that there aren't yet any real web-design celebrities. Sure there are people we've all heard of being in the business, but nobody has reached household-name status yet. I think that's still to come.....