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Do creative professionals get tired of working on the computer?

I am a very artistic student and I've been considering career paths in architecture, graphic design, and interior design but for all three, much time is spent on the computer. Does it ever get old? #college #career #graphic-design #design #art

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Darryl’s Answer

Hi Elizabeth,


Great question! I'm glad you understand that being a creative professional means more than just expressing your artistic nature. As a working creative with over 30 years of experience, I've spent the majority of my career using a computer. Personally, I enjoy it very much. Every person is different, however, so other creatives may consider computers cumbersome or an impediment to their workflow. If you can think of the computer as another tool at your disposal, it may help you deal with the fact that it's probably not going to go away any time soon.


You don't specify what your artistic endeavors entail, but you may be pleasantly surprised to discover that computers can help you harness that talent in ways you might not have considered. A great aspect of computers is that they are constantly evolving and changing (so you can, too!). New developments in software and in the machines themselves help keep me from getting bored or complacent with the work that I do.


If you have the opportunity, try to secure an internship with an architectural firm, ad agency, or interior design shop to get a better idea of how computers are utilized in those industries. If that's not an option, see if you could at least get a tour of one of those businesses and talk with some of the people who might be your peers one day.


I hope you won't let computers discourage you from pursuing a career using your artistic talents. The world needs more creative people! Good luck with your discovery process. I wish you all the best for your future!

Darryl recommends the following next steps:

If you're not terribly computer-literate, try taking some online courses or at least Google those things that are mysterious and/or intimidating to you.
Check out the myriad of ways you can use computers and tablets to mimic traditional media such as charcoal, pastels, watercolors, acrylics, etching, etc. One of the best things about computers is that you can quickly generate nearly endless variations (and revisions are a snap)!
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Zaara’s Answer

HI Elizabeth,


yes, sometimes often creatives can get tired of sitting at a desk working on a computer. Excellent ergonomic setup of your workstation is super important (good chair, keeping your arms and legs at a proper angle, keeping your monitor the right height) and so are taking breaks. However I know that is not what you meant when you asked your question :) Most creative work has a variety of projects so that keeps the process fresh, you are always solving new problems and it is fun. Computers and software are constantly evolving, keeping up with technology is part of the field. I personally do all my brainstorming, sketching with traditional media on paper, I ink my illustrations with a nib and ink (even tho I could do it all in Photoshop and sometime I do that too). For illustration I use all sorts of paints and markers then later I might scan that in and work it more digitally.

You will see that there is a lot of ways to incorporate traditional media into your creative work. What kind of art supplies do you like to use? All creatives sketch on paper, Interior designers work with all sort of floor and wall samples, color chips, architects build mockups. So even though there is a lot of computer work, there are lots of ways to incorporate non digital creativity into the work flow. Be adventurous, have fun expressing your ideas, experiment with anything that inspires you. Follow your own instincts, enjoy your creative work. The world is looking forward to see what you create! Enjoy!
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Ken’s Answer

The most important thing that you can do to assure that you will enjoy doing your work every day is to get to know yourself and possible suitable career areas to allow you to see from the inside what it is like to be involved in that career.


Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Matt’s Answer

Hi Elizabeth,

Darryl and Zaara gave you some great points already. Depends on type of design you do, I see computer is a tool, just like a pencil or marker. You can use different tools at different stage of your design process. Also, you might want to think about how you can take advantage of computer programs like Adobe. Sometime it's a lot faster to iterate your designs using computer than by hand - such as designing a print and pattern.

And also, if you are tired of one media, just feel free to switch up and keep your creative thoughts flow.
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