Your first idea is rarely your best. This is what my professor from design school used to say to use all the time. At first I found it rather frustrating when I had worked on what I thought was a great concept or design, and he’d tell me to re-evaluate my initial idea, and come up with some new concepts. I still have this tendency to want to rush through the conceptual phase and brainstorming so that I can get to the final design. I also make this mistake on smaller scales, when I’m drawing a new cartoon. Plus I hate re-doing work! I feel like it’s time lost, but I’ve come to realise that that is not the best perspective. Now I actually find it rather reassuring to know that my first stab at a design is not going to be my best. As long as I get my first thoughts down, that’s what counts, because I’m bound to come up with better ideas next. It takes the pressure off getting it right from the start. It reminds me that this is a process and that’s ok. Actually, it’s rather the point: developing my growth mindset!
Developing a Growth Mindset and not being married to your First Idea
