Christine Her spoke first on ArtForce Iowa and their yes to kindness campaign. They educate people on the benefits of compassion and empathy while cultivating self-expression thru the arts. They focus on refugees and post-incarceration job training in the arts. I’m not sure how the GIADC feels about forming a relationship with ArtForce, however, people who were recently incarcerated are unlikely to re-offend when they are given opportunities to move on with their lives. ArtForce Iowa does train people in graphic design..
Antionette Carrol was the second speaker. She spoke about the Creative Reaction Lab. The Creative Reaction Lab challenges communities and cities to design racially equitable solutions to community issues. She said something that really struck a chord with me. “Failure is a privilege.” Not everyone has the luxury of being able to take a chance and have it not work out. She challenges all of us as designers to be stewards of equity and work towards not being susceptible to bias.
Also, she challenges all of us to make a personal mission statement. I’m still working on mine.
Pushing Boundaries: Strategies to move your Career Forward
They encouraged us all to be at the front end of the change in the design field. “Be the water not the rock”. Keep up with new trends and when there is a shift in technology or programs be at the front end of that shift. As women, statistically, we are less likely to take chances. In many ways, I thought this related back to Antionette, “Failure is a luxury.” They did imply that we have to rely on our own grit and moxie. It made me think about the book, GRIT. The most successful people aren’t the smartest or most popular, they are the ones who keep getting up when knocked down or see lessons in mistakes.
Also, they encourage us to develop relationships with our manager’s manager. If you feel like you aren’t being heard call your own meeting. When you are speaking, stand.
A specific note was “Understand the coder’s dilemma when it comes to design. Get good at pulling resources and identifying others that have skills that complement yours.” I feel the shorthand of this is, understand the struggles of your team and understand their skill set. I’ve always been a big proponent of understanding the talent in your team, but I forgot about understanding their limitations in their actual job duties. Studies show that teams need introverts and extroverts to have balance so don’t be afraid to push your career forward when you are an introvert.
Continue reading “[WO]MAN Up! A Creative Conference for Women hosted by AIGA Iowa”
Jacqueline Hudson 