As a child living in Panama, I knew about Disney from the classic animated films, the World of Color on television, and when Disney on Parade or Disney on Ice would come to visit Panama City. My first exposure to the Disney parks took place in 1976 at the age of 12. I was so captivated by the creativity and storytelling, I often wondered what it would feel like to work for Disney, but living in a completely different country, it was only a very distant and unlikely fantasy.
In 1994, that dream became a reality when I got hired at Disney as a Resort Sales Agent. Shortly thereafter, I transitioned to the creative area where I have spent most of my career. On November 20, 2024, I will be celebrating my 30th work anniversary with The Walt Disney Company. This long journey has taken me to jobs in both Florida and California, working for feature animation, ESPN, Partners FCU, Sales, WDI, DCL, and my present job at Publishing.
During all these years, I have learned many lessons about creativity, life, and about people. As this milestone anniversary approaches, I would like to share some personal lessons that helped me become the person and professional that I am today.
Feedback is a gift. I have met many artists/designers that cannot or do not know how to detach feedback from the emotions they put into their work. I was one of them. One should feel lucky to work with people that give feedback and know how to deliver it. They are doing you a favor, even though you may not think of it that way at that very moment. It helps to analyze the essence of the feedback, not the words or the way it is presented. While it is easier said than done, not taking design feedback personally will help you in the end. Be proactive and ask for feedback if you are not getting it.
Build Trusting Relationships. This is such an important trait. Building trust encompasses repeated positive and authentic experiences with anyone you encounter. Build a network of people that support and guide you and pass it on to others as well. Be proactive to connect with your contacts all the time even if you don’t work with them any longer.
Never forget the ethical rules of design. I don’t think I need to explain this one. Don’t steal and always work with an objective mind. Remember and use all the elements and devices of design. This should be part of your innate creative DNA.
Nothing is permanent. While we say that we have a permanent job, it’s only a moment in time. You have sure seen the news about so many people getting laid off due to many companies cutbacks. These days it is more important than ever to keep your two feet on the ground to this reality and to have a plan B, just in case.
Change is inevitable. If you work or have worked at Disney or many other forward thinking companies, you know well that they are always ever-changing. After all, life is about change as it is necessary to evolve. Embracing the mindset that things will be different, hopefully for the best, will make it easier for you to welcome that change.
Make mistakes. Don't feel bad when you make a mistake. You cannot evolve if you do not make them. Don’t make the same mistakes twice, learn from them. Each mistake is a learning prospect to become better at who you are and what you do.
Take risks. I will never forget a conversation I had with my grandmother many years ago. She told me to follow my dreams even if there are risks involved. Of course, she was talking about making calculated and smart risks because she didn’t want me to get to her age and wonder why I didn’t follow my dreams.
Never stop learning or finding ways to get inspired. For designers or artists alike, being exposed to other areas of the creative world is an important asset to build your inspiration boards when working on different projects. I look at what fashion, architecture, and interior design are doing so that I can help evolve design. Check out what other artists and colleagues are doing, especially on social media. Visit museums and art galleries to expose yourself to new creative directions and incorporate them in your work.
Update your portfolio regularly. This is important for anyone looking to grow in their design careers. I like to update sections of my portfolio at a time instead of doing an overall update which can be time consuming. Small updates keep the work fresh on your book or website. Be sensible when choosing what to show (Don't show everything or repetitive work). Writing a blog is also quite helpful to show your skills as storyteller.
Keep your resume updated. Your resume shouldn’t be more than one page. It needs to be concise and to the point. For designers, a good layout in your resume is incredibly important to show as part of your design skills.
The workplace is not a playground. I am a friendly person at work but the reality is that not everyone is. Regardless of the reasons, remember that at work you are hired to do a job first. While it is true we can make incredible friendships at work, not everyone wants to make friends at work.
Don’t let anyone underestimate your talent or self-worth. Never let toxic so called 'leaders' or anyone else influence negatively how you feel about yourself or your work. They do this because they lack your talent in addition to other issues I won't get into here. I believe it is true that people don’t leave their jobs, they leave their bosses. I experienced this first-hand. It does not feel very good working for someone that belittles others so they can feel better about themselves. My approach is to document everything and never sink to their level by always acting professionally. Regardless of the situation you might be in, always show up to work and do your best work because not doing so will only jeopardize your reputation, which is what narcissists, egotistical, and megalomaniac leaders hope for, so they can have an excuse to get rid of you.
Don’t be an A--hole. A so called 'manager' I was unfortunate to work for once told me that I smiled too much, and people thought I was too nice. Of course, he wasn’t very nice to anyone who wasn’t kissing his behind and he was too full of himself to notice that he wasn’t liked by anyone either. After all he had the title and thought he could treat others any way he wanted. He thought to succeed in life people needed to be just like him. I told him that I smiled because I truly loved working with people and doing my job. I always smiled at him as well, because I knew deep inside, he was a miserable person. He was eventually let go. This also goes for those leaders of leaders that endorse the behavior or look the other way. They are as guilty and in my book they don't belong leading people or organizations.
Mentor others. There is no greater satisfaction than sharing your talent and lessons learned in life with others. During my career at Disney, I have had the opportunity to mentor work colleagues and college students starting their creative journeys. Sign up for your local AIGA or check in with the company diversity teams since many also support mentorship programs. Mentoring to me also means helping your work colleagues when they need your advice or need someone to listen.
Don't give up. During my career, I found myself feeling down when I didn't get a job offer. This is a normal feeling and know it is not personal. Take the time after to assess what you need to work on to get the job you want. If you can, ask the hiring leader what you could have done or missing in your portfolio to get hired. Be proactive and look at it as a learning opportunity. And more importantly, don't give up, I was turned down many times before I was hired for the right job.
Great design requires time. There is a perception among many people that it is easy to design. If design was so easy, more people would do it. Design/creative time needs to be part of any strategy, it should never be rushed. I’ve met teams where their leadership refuse or avoid this important aspect of successful design causing an unhealthy environment where everything is a last-minute request. This is not conducive to good design and adds to low morale in the creative studio. There is no excuse about it. Showing the appropriate respect to creatives by thoughtful planning creates a healthy work environment where everyone wins. And as I always say, marketers can have great ideas, but without design, those are just ideas. Designers make those ideas a reality; give them the time they need to make that magic happen.
Be a voice, not an echo. I saw this inspirational message on Instagram the other day and it stuck with me. This is something I always keep in mind when I am designing. While we must work within budgets and brand limitations, we can always expand the horizons of design by coming up with new and unexpected ways to communicate visually. An inventive designer does this by breaking the mold and trying new things. That is a way we can create our own individual voices and move design forward.
If you have read through the whole list, thank you for staying with me until the end. I would love to hear your feedback or if you have other traits you can think of, feel free to leave a response.