6 things that are important qualities of a great design leader.
Be a kind Designer
How to be a kind designer, not just a good designer. Taking my cue from an inspirational conversation between Chris Do and Kathryn Dyer, I discuss being gentle and kind as a designer.
What is an ECD?
Have you ever wondered what it is that I do as an Executive Creative Director? I discuss my role and responsibilities. I also share the mystery around my black T-shirts.
Working Remotely
A lot is said lately of working remotely. 2020 is the year for remote work. Remote is the new black. Working remotely this and remote that.
It all sounds very exciting. Almost romantic. Sell up. Pack everything you own into 2 suitcases. Get a one-way ticket to Bali. Join the nomadic movement. Work when you want, from anywhere in the world.
As someone who has done this, I can tell you it’s pretty great. It’s how I supported myself early on in my career and how I got to work on international brands.
When I went on my own again towards the end of 2018, remote life seemed like my dream too. Especially after a short trip to Bali. Being on workation has been a dream of mine for the past 5 years.
I was super enthusiastic about working remotely, but I have been plagued with two consistent themes no matter who I approached.
Firstly, most remote opportunities still require you to be in the US (I have not found too many opportunities in other countries) as they don’t want to go through the payment and taxation issues with foreigners, despite cheaper rates, flexible work schedules, and an evident strong work ethic.
Secondly, how do you lead a team of designers remotely, when you’re not at the agency?
The first problem, is literally impossible to overcome, over a year later and no one has been willing to extend their remote work internationally, even after hundreds of applications.
The second problem, I am yet to figure out as there are so many complex layers leading from afar. Sure you could fly to meetings, I’d be up for that. But I’m not alone in my reservations. No one seems to even want to entertain it.
I have even been willing to work remotely as purely a designer. Taking a huge step back in my career, in favour of lifestyle. But no one has been willing to bite.
If you have success working remotely, as a designer or a leader, serving the American market, please do get in touch. But despite all the hype, so far I know of very few people who are surfing before heading to their local coffee shop on an island in Indonesia earning top dollar, benefiting from the rise of working remotely.
You’ve got to show up
You certainly can’t lead from behind a desk, and you can’t lead with email. It’s a human enterprise. It’s the same reason you can’t parent through texting. You can’t coach a baseball team with email. You’ve got to show up.
— Simon Sinek
I’ve started vlogging
I’ve started a YouTube channel and have been making these little videos. I guess they’re vlogs. I’m learning as I go. I’ve really made a lot of mistakes, but it’s a lot of fun and challenging me. I needed a new project, something out of my comfort zone and creating content in this way seemed right. I have built enough portfolio sites, my first portfolio was done back in 2000 and I’d written my first blog post by 2004, which I’m also tired of doing. Social networks mostly bore me, so becoming a YouTuber seems like a thing to do, well I guess try.
The hardest part for me is capturing footage to tell my story. I’m not one for sticking to a script, so I’d likely not do very well thought out posts and have the level of storytelling like Casey Neistat, the cinematography of Peter McKinnon and I certainly don’t have the adventures of Fun for Louis. Still, I’m much more of a creative thinker, a design leader and I’m me, which if I look back on my time on this planet, I’ve always managed to attract an interesting bunch of people around me. So let us see where this goes.
I’ll likely not blog often, if at all, but I have no intention of pulling this site down anytime soon. However your support is most welcome and I’d appreciate it if you would subscribe, like, share and leave a comment.
Stay cool!
Transparency
This morning I had the pleasure of giving a pretty open talk titled “10 Things Craig Jamieson” at Creative Mornings in Cape Town on the topic of Transparency. Thank you to everyone who woke up early and was present, you were a great crowd, I truly hope you enjoyed it. Please find my deck below.
[slideshare id=67790389&doc=creativemornings-transparency-161028141849]
Creative Mornings
I will be talking at this month’s Creative Mornings in Cape Town and the topic is Transparency. It will be held at Friends of Design and if nothing else, there’s breakfast! Best of all it’s free, so register now to join me.
50+ Things they won’t teach you at Design School
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This morning I had the pleasure of giving a talk to the world class second semester students of Friends of Design. I gave a brutally honest 50+ point presentation on things I have experienced and thought they ought to know.
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It’s ok to …
say “I don’t know”
ask for more clarity
stay at home when you feel ill
say your don’t understand
ask what acronyms stand for
forget things
introduce yourself
depend on the team
ask for help
not know everything
have quiet days
have loud days, to talk, joke and laugh
put your headphones on
say “No” when you’re too busy
make mistakes
sing
sigh
not check your email out of hours
not check your email constantly during hours
just Slack it
walk over and ask someone face-to-face
go somewhere else to concentrate
offer feedback on other peoples work
challenge things you are not comfortable with
say yes when anyone does a coffee run
prefer tea
snack
have a messy desk
have a tidy desk
work how you like to work
ask the management to fix it
have off-days
have days off
I love this it’s ok to … list, something I not only need to share in a future workplace, but a list I need to follow myself.