Yesterday 12.00pm,
I went at the French restaurant L’Usine.

It was my second meeting with my “Tinder date” Ngoc.
*Pronounced “Gnop” in Vietnamese with a bit inflated cheeks like a pouting baby.

I was very excited to meet her again because we are very different​,
but have essential things in common.

I felt I could learn a lot from her.
​
I admire her determination.
And how much she helps kids through education by teaching foreign languages. She basically opens a wide range of new possibilities for them in the future.

(+ I also appreciated her because she watched the full episode I hosted on TV for Discovery Vietnam. :P)
​
She asked me an interesting question I wanna share with you my answer:

Is it hard to create for a designer?

1- Any designer beginner start to underrate his potential (And that’s great!).

Remember that if you are passionnate,
your chance of succeess never depend on how hard it is to be a great designer.

But how much passion that burn inside: “Your frustation is equal your potential”

If you assimilate that,
you’ll dedicate yourself to bring your skills to the highest level
to do exceptional work.

To succeed, being “average” living in your comfort zone is not enough.

No matter how beginner you are now,
you wanna achieve big and feel exceptional.

Ask yourself:
What is the latest exceptional thing you did the last 6 months?

That’s how this quote I’ve just discovered today on
Netflix from the drama ELITE, inspired me.

Oscar Wilde — “Never love anyone who treats you like you’re ordinary.”

Why do I like that quote that much?

Even though it is a bit farfetch,
your love for being a Designer makes you extraordinary.

You aim to create extraordinary things for people.
And bring them something special to their daily life.

You look for a meaningful life creating for others.
If you feel that excitement, I am tempted to tell you:

“Never love a job that makes you feel ordinary.”

If you dedicate 150% of your energy and courage,
you’ll go beyong your limits.

Why?

Because you’ll meet obstacles that life may send you.
And you’ll keep up and keep learning.

“Your expectation of yourself will grow
at the same time as your skills.”

That’s magic!

You will realise you can do more and more awesome stuff.
One day you realise you get even better than the design sketcher you admire today.

Be humble and ambitious. The road can be bumpy sometime.
“Trust yourself blindly” and you will achieve great things.

Like how my friend Product designer Vincent Vedie said: Never give up!

2- Create for people.

To go back on: Is it hard to create?

I say: Yes and No

Yes it is hard.

If you think that great design fall from the sky
or great ideas come from sudden genius moments.

That is all wrong.
To create, there is a creative method.

If you don’t use any method and believe in the miracle moment, the idea may never come.

If your brain has no landmark,
your brain won’t know how to start looking for ideas,
and may search in random directions.

It might get lost in a plethora of random ideas…

The good news is that to be creative,
there is a professional method.

Same as sketching. It is not an innate talent.
You can learn to be creative.

So, if you learn the method, my answer is No.

No, it is not hard to create.

Let me tell you some more about it.

When you start a project,
your client will need your help to create a product for someone.

Start there, by knowing more about this someone.

Get to know the people you create for more than your client does.

Identify the user’s needs, their social behaviour. Be specific.

Example: Instead of creating for Blind people.
Think of: Blind kids living in a crowded city without dogs.

Be specific.

So u can be TRULY CREATIVE
and provide TRUE ANSWER that solve real problems.

1. Do not look for answers only on Google.
   Everyone will get the same answers among the top 10 results.
   Make your own research so you build your own vision. (Not Google one)
2. Do not look for answers only from your imagination.
   You may fall in the Cliché. And it may be “dangerous”…
3. Stop guessing.

Discover real data, meet the real personn.

1. Don’t be shy.
   Talk to people. People will love helping you in your project.
2. Don’t do a “market survey” asking what they want.
   *If you would have asked people how to better circulate,
   they would answer faster horses. Never they would answer cars.
3. Don’t rely too much on statistics.
   Stay connected with humans, their feelings. Identidy their values.
   *Most of our human decisions are emotional. 
4. Create for people like if you do for your family members. (Philippe Starck)
   Care about people you create for.

The CEO of Procter and Gamble has a billion dollards company.
But he still visit people’s houses to learn and keep creating products for them.

No matter how talented you are, how succesful you are in your career.
Meet, observe people without judging. Be kind. Listen.

So your heart will be opened to receive precious
and relevant information for your design project.

See you for tomorow for our next TIP-A-DAY!

Cheers,
Chou_Tac