One of the most rewarding aspects of building a creative career is the endless room for growth. However, any creative professional knows that growth doesn’t happen overnight. Building your career takes time, effort, and commitment on your part if you ever dream of reaching new creative heights.
In this article, we’ll share three simple, yet powerful ways you can start investing in your creative career today. Plus, we’ll share some useful resources to help you continue evolving as a professional designer. Let’s go!
✏️ A big thanks to Acer’s ConceptD for sponsoring this blog post!
1. Make time for passion projects
Investing time in passion projects outside of your daily responsibilities is key to developing your strengths and nurturing your creativity. In fact, many designers have found great success through making time for their side-projects and sharing them with the world.
“There’s a lot of benefits that come from having side projects. Creativity is one, potential future jobs could be another. I actually got my job at Uber through my side projects.” — Femke van Schoonhoven, Product Designer @Uber
Not sure where to start? Try finding creative projects that truly excite you and challenge you to expand your skills. You can check out a list of creative passion project ideas to get inspired by here.
Remember that with a broader, more eclectic skillset under your belt, you can become a more atypical and adaptable asset when it comes to finding your next role.
2. Invest in the right tools
It’s important to note that digital creatives have specific computing requirements that go beyond those of everyday computing—which is why it’s crucial you invest in the right setup. Great hardware is the foundation for any good design work, and your arsenal of tools should serve to empower you, not limit you.
Take the time to research what type of hardware is best suited for your specific creative discipline. As a general rule of thumb, color accuracy and CPU power are the most important specs to look out for as a designer. A fast and powerful CPU will allow you to run complex design software without a hitch, and a color-accurate display will ensure that the colors in your designs are reproduced on the screen as intended.
For graphic designers, Acer’s ConceptD Ezel series laptops are an excellent choice. Doubling as a drawing tablet, The ConceptD 7 Ezel’s PANTONE® Validated 4K UHD display and multiple display modes are ideal for professional graphics artists who want to be able to sketch, finalize, and present their work on one device.
For a more portable alternative, The ConceptD 3 Ezel is an extremely versatile laptop designed for creators on the go.
3. Actively build community
If you’re serious about investing in your creative career, now is the time to break out of your shell and build your network.
Building relationships with your peers not only opens up a world of new opportunities, but also becomes a trusted resource for you to get career advice, feedback on your work, or any technical design help you might need. Plus, the people you connect with are more likely to refer you to people they know in the future or even recommend you for a job.
“As someone who transitioned to design later in my career, I found by reaching out to other designers who I admired was the best way that I could learn.” — Gabe Becker, Freelance Product Designer
Joining online communities like the Acer community is a great place to start. Communities like these are an excellent space for creatives like you to ask for tech help, stay up to date on the latest news in your industry, and so much more.
Start investing in your creative career today
Consistently growing your skillset, investing in your workspace, and building meaningful connections will not only make you a more competitive candidate in the hiring pool, but will also enrich your life, both personally and professionally.
As you navigate your career, Acer’s ConceptD brand of products is here to support creative professionals like you. Check out their line of ConceptD products that specifically meet the needs of graphic artists. Start investing in your design career and explore ConceptD on Acer today. We can’t wait to see what you create! ■
Illustration by Irina Molchanova from Ouch!
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