Long time no chat! Let's be honest 2021 has been off to a rough start. Rough mentally which I will discuss later, and rough physically... so let us begin with a laugh... or a crunch.
Rewind to February 18th, three weeks ago today I was snowboarding in Jasper on an icy day. I took a rough spill lining up a simple jump, about to drop over a ledge and into a bowl. I caught my edge while accelerating and flipped ass over tea kettle, landing on my ribs and spine. I landing directly on that same ledge I was planning to launch off of. Crunch... I knocked the wind right out of myself. Ever experience that feeling when you lose awareness of time and where you are sitting in your surroundings, almost as if in a concussed daze? It's a quick moment where time kind-of stops and you catch yourself in slow motion as the adrenalin kicks in.
I let out an agonizing grunt and get up onto my knees, hoping I'm not seriously injured. The pain is intense and significant, I am praying I did not break a rib or worse have a spinal injury. I get mobility from the adrenaline and pop back up to my feet. I see Laureen (my wonderful girlfriend)200 meters down the hill and suck-it-up through the pain to catch up. We manage to get to the vehicle and eventually home. I get examined and x-rayed, soon realizing there is no real cure for a rib injury other than time... and lots of loud grunts getting up from the couch! It's funny how that green run at the end of the day is the one that does the body in.
I am glad I can look back and laugh at myself for I am a fool, and there will be many more injuries in my lifetime.
The physical pain aside, 2021 has been rough mentally. You always hear about artists and designers succumbing to burnout in their creative pursuits. Let me tell you that I have never been hit by it harder than this year. After a mildly successful 2020 year business-wise, I was in the dumps mentally. I spent all of January and February unable to function as a creative, not knowing what to do for my business. A year out of design school, a year unsure of my direction, a year forcing myself creativity, a year of hard work, and yet not gaining any real traction or any real direction in my business.
At this point, I thought design clients would be knocking at my door, begging me to design their brand identities. I have had great success with clients in the past, my website looks professionally designed, my social media game is on point, my pitch deck looks beyond professional... hell I was even published in the world's largest logo competition, and yet still struggling to get regular design clients. Not only that, every day I would sit at my computer and get flooded with anxiety. Not knowing what to do next I was paralyzed, Too anxious to think.
It was the day before we left on our snowboarding adventure that I realized it was all my fault. All the paralyzing anxiety, all the feeling like a failure, all the doubt not knowing what to create, and all feeling lost in the midst of what to do next. I was tired of the lack of direction in my life and not knowing where I was going or how to get there. I was tired of over-consuming information on social media, each guru or coach trying to sell you a plan that seems too good to be true. I was tired of feeling sorry for myself and tired of playing the victim in my head.
So, I wrote down exactly what I want, who I want to be, and how I can get there. Although there is no step-by-step solution in this endeavor, this will serve me as an overarching roadmap for this journey. I can only point my compass North and know that good things come to those who are patient and persistent.
I am taking action:
For the next six months, I will be creating and posting personal work focused on custom typography. The typography that I seem to obsess over, wasting precious hours ingesting in my social media feed. I will be creating work that I connect with personally and admire visually. I am doing this so that I can reach that next level in my design career. Instead of wishing that it was my work, I will be creating that work. My passions and talents lie just over that hill ahead, but I need to work on them daily. I can no longer think that another project is going to take me where I need to be. The work I want to create is within myself yet to be untapped and true to my calling.
If you are a creative struggling in your career or looking for an accountability partner, reach out to me. I am looking for people to connect with and that I can share my experiences and knowledge. I am looking for people who will hold me accountable, as well as people who are willing to be challenged and push each other creatively. I am looking for partners and like-minded creatives who are ready to make their next moves.
Are you a business owner and wondering what branding can do for you? Please reach out and let us have a real discussion regarding your business. I am not here to sell you a magical potion or that a logo will be the solution to any of your problems. I am here to listen and be open, an unbiased opinion that can give you a real perspective on your actual problems. My promise to only take on mutually beneficial projects, knowing that I might not be the right solution for your project. I want you to get the right help you need to reach your goals in your business.
I am looking forward to this season of creating and sharing more with you regarding my growth and journey. I will be dropping new and fresh creative work, as well as, resources for businesses and for creatives along the way.
Sincerely,
Max