ARTS 347: Amber Cox Design Field Trip Reflection

I ended up taking away a multitude of information from this talk, not to say that some of the other discussions weren't as helpful for me growing as a designer but I really enjoyed the way that Amber laid out clear and straightforward tips on things she experienced as she went into the field and some of the things she is still encountering now. I had never heard of anyone doing something even along the lines of what she does with system design, and I found it interesting to see how many different ways she could adapt a degree from the GD+I program here into so many other avenues in terms of UX and UI design from product to system design. Some of her advice, I think, was helpful, such as taking diverse classes that you are passionate about, learning to network, and going to events, and she talked a lot about how important internships are in figuring out what kind of work environment you thrive best in is it remote, or in person? And is it more on the creative or the technical side of design? These were some questions she gave as examples, and it led me to thinking that I, in fact, don't know the answers to those questions, and I think figuring that out by trying different working styles through internships would be beneficial to me.

What I found impacted me the most in her presentation was how she shared so openly about her own experiences with burnout and how to deal with it. How she approached burnout and how to get passionate and motivated back was really thoughtful and really resonated with me, especially at such a busy and burnout-heavy time in the semester and in my own creative career to some degree. This semester has been a lot more than I expected as far as my workload and how I can balance that. It has been especially hard this semester as my classes have become higher level and more involved, in that I have found that I have become less interested in my work and have felt less creative and inspired. With the impending stress of moving into a real career and graduation looming closer than I would like to think, it can be easy for me to forget that I am pursuing something I am passionate about, even during the times when I feel in a creative rut.