The Designer Catch 22: Experience to get Experience

I once had to read Catch 22 by Joseph Heller for English class in high school. It was a good book, and the term “Catch 22″ has become a bit of cultural literacy. If you don’t know what it is already, a Catch 22 is when your stuck in a situation because “A” needs to happen for “B” to happen, but conversely “B” cannot happen without “A” happening. It’s basically a paradox in logic, check Wikipedia for a better explanation.

Earlier this year I decided to leave the motion graphics job I had in search for something else. The position I held somehow was both aggravating and comfortable to me. It was aggravating because I had no opportunity for a promotion or to climb any ladders. I stuck was creating the same crap over and over again, so my reel had no diversity and nothing that I was making was good enough to be put on it. And also my salary wasn’t very high to begin with, and that got cut and started heading backwards. So there were plenty of reasons to be unsatisfied. But it also had its comforts, since I had established myself there, it was close to home, and I was never in over my head work wise, I simply felt adequate on a daily basis. It was “meh.” I don’t like feeling meh.

I got greedy/ambitious and wanted more, for various reasons beyond just my design work. I was having a quarter-life crisis, basically wondering why being smart, educated, funny, dependable, and talented was not worth more (wow modesty would help I guess). I had to make a move at this point in my life, before I let an opportunity (ok fine, there was this girl too who had me wrapped around her finger…) slip away. I felt my job had served its purpose and I wasn’t going to get any better doing the same thing I have already done so many times. I’d learn no new styles, techniques, and my reel would remain stagnant. If I wasn’t going to change it up now, when would be a better time to do so?

So I set out towards New York, which has a thousand times more job opportunities than the golf courses and nursing homes of my home state of Florida. I figured I could work my way in the door somewhere, take my lumps and start a career instead of just simply having a job. I will admit I underestimated the weakness of the economy, since I really didn’t personally feel it on a daily basis. I can use that as an excuse, but I’m not going to sit around twiddling my thumbs while my youth rots away while the government tries to fix this fiscal mess we are all in.

So far I’ve had a couple interviews at some legit places. I was particularly high on a position that I was plenty qualified for and would be an ideal place to start building my career. I really wanted the position, especially when it hit me after the interview of what a perfect place that would be to start. It took forever for them to get back to me with the bad news, I didn’t get the position. They said my interview was good, my work was too, but they hired someone who had more experience than I did.

So herein lies the problem: How exactly do I get not only more, but also better experience if I need that very experience to obtain it? Good question. I obviously took a gamble leaving my position when I didn’t have anything to immediately fill that void. So that was dumb in hindsight. My freelance work is picking up, but it’s been sporadic and I banked on it to hold me over until I got a full-time position. I can do quality work if I just get the chance, but if I never get the chance I’ll never be able to prove it. Catch 22.

So how do you get experience without experience? Basically I would think you need to draw attention to work you created yourself, for no other purpose than to showcase your skills. Basically that’s what I try to do with this site. This is harder than it sounds; it’s the equivalent of asking a painter to sit down and just paint something. Anything. More often we need inspiration or guidelines to jump-start our brains and create something great. Design work is often problem solving, it’s how to start at point A and get to point B with as much style and effectiveness as possible along the way.

Another way is to freelance and build connections. You’re at least making money and you meet a guy who knows a guy who needs a guy to jump on a big project that leads to bigger things. This hasn’t happened to me yet, so I’m basically trying to get any work I can in hopes of opening a door that leads to somewhere more promising.

So ultimately I did something brash and less-calculated, which usually isn’t my style. I’ve kind of dug myself into a hole with my back against the wall in the corner. Exactly. I have no idea what’s going to happen next, but I’ve got to get some more experience, so that I’ll ultimately be able to get… more experience.