A Reminder for Every Designer

Growth Doesn’t Always Feel Like Progress

Every designer—no matter their level—hits that wall. The presentation that didn’t land. The stakeholder who didn’t understand. The pixel-pushing that felt more like a production line than creative work. The feeling that you should be further along, more confident, more certain.

But here’s the truth I remind myself, and my team, all the time:

Things don’t get easier. You get better.

You don’t outgrow creative tension — You learn how to move through it.
You don’t eliminate client feedback loops — You get better at managing them.
You don’t remove ambiguity from design — You become more skilled at navigating it.

Every Step Forward Feels Uncomfortable—That’s How You Know It’s Working

Improvement rarely feels like success in the moment.

It feels like:

Second-guessing yourself.
Rewriting copy or reworking a layout one more time.
Asking for feedback even when it’s uncomfortable.
Showing up to a meeting not knowing all the answers—but ready to contribute.

Growth happens when you’re stretched. When you’re uncertain. When you do the thing anyway.

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in the industry for years, that stretch never fully disappears. You just get stronger.

Overcoming Adversity Is Part of the Journey

It’s easy to assume that senior designers or design leaders have everything figured out. But I can tell you firsthand—that’s not the case.

We still:

Hear “no” more than we’d like.
Get hit with unexpected feedback.
Struggle with imposter syndrome on the big stage.

But with time and repetition, you learn:

How to tell your story better.
How to defend your work with confidence.
How to listen, adapt, and still move forward.

Design is not a straight path—and that’s the point. It’s the friction that shapes us.

Resilience Is the Real Skill

In a world of evolving tools, changing org structures, shifting business needs, and increasingly complex user expectations, the skill that will keep you moving forward isn’t mastery of a specific platform or framework—it’s resilience.

Can you take tough feedback and grow from it?
Can you find your creative spark when a project feels heavy?
Can you stay curious even when the work gets hard?

Those are the muscles worth developing.

For Anyone Feeling Stuck: Keep Going

If you’re doubting your abilities, wondering if you’re cut out for this, or feeling like you’re treading water while everyone else is sprinting—know that you're not alone.

Everyone you admire has been there. Probably recently.

And chances are, they just kept showing up.

They asked for help.
They stayed open.
They got better.

Final Thoughts: You’re Not Behind—You’re in Progress

There is no perfect version of yourself as a designer just waiting around the corner. There is only the version you are today—and the version you’re building toward with every new challenge, critique, and project.

Things won’t get easier. But you? You’ll get sharper. Faster. More confident. More creative.

You’ll grow into someone who can handle what once felt impossible.

Keep going.

Things Don’t Get Easier—You Get Better