In the past month I’ve been fighting to balance the roles of  husband, father, provider, & designer.  When I was a college student I wanted to be extremely proficient at computer animation, video, photography, graphic design, and music.  I was above average at each but it was tedious trying to stand apart in each discipline.  They were all too much to master and eventually I learned to focus on one and let the others be a secondary form of creativity in my life.

Similar to college, marriage and fatherhood have been filled with many things to choose from and prioritize. Quality time with my wife and daughter are number one.  My job is obviously a top priority as well.  As a designer and creative individual I’m really lucky to be able to hold a position in a creative field. However, If I’m honest with myself I have struggled keeping up and feeling relevant as a designer outside of my corporate job. Working for a brand or company that is not your own is obviously limiting. You’re rarely at the forefront of design and technology.  Mostly its about maintaining the look of the brand you are working for each season.  Every once in a while you get a gem to work on but mostly you are confined to brand guidelines and a single style within it.  It’s something that I have elected for myself and family with hopes I can still live out the creative outlets I love in my free time.  So it’s been hard seeing great work, having good conversations, and keeping up on technology with only a few hours a week take it in and inject it into design.

So after really thinking about this topic and re-writing this post several times I’ve decided I need to relax when it comes to my design.  I need to enjoy my time to design and just create, instead of stressing out and beating myself up.  The few hours I have a week don’t compare to the multiple days worth of research, conversation, and work that others are able to complete.  I don’t have the time I once did where I can work 10 hours straight on a project every night.  The balance of my exciting family life and successful body of design work  is family first and not taking myself too seriously.  Just create and have fun.