Just Say Yes!
Lately, I feel like the there’s lots of talk about saying no. Say no to create boundaries, to protect personal peace, to rest. This list goes on. Often, these are important and valid points, but what do we do with the space created when we say no? What happens when we start to say yes?
We open doors for possibility, we enter spaces that perhaps scare us, or do things we don’t think we can or should be doing with our time. We give ourselves permission to break routine and do something different.
Over the last couple of years, I have found myself saying yes more and more. In 2021, I said yes to teaching a 300-level class at American University— a class I took as a student. Last fall I said yes to a two-week trip to the Dominican Republic to volunteer my design services. I have repeatedly said yes to leading student workshops about the importance of design despite not knowing what I'd even say. Most recently I said yes to a family trip to Hawaii this summer (despite my typical eagerness to travel, I was hesitant to commit). And I said yes to exhibiting at the upcoming Amplify conference in DC this June even though the introvert in me is already exhausted thinking about it.
With each of these, my first instinct was to say no because {Insert any and all reasons here}. But I allowed and encouraged myself to say yes pushing myself out of my comfort zone. To welcome opportunity and challenge. Yes to growth, experience, and change.
And I'm happy to say, I haven't looked back once. For my summer experiences yet to come, I'll have to let you know how they turn out. But I'm confident I won't be disappointed that I said yes.
Say yes to design partnership.
Oftentimes, design is seen as the last phase of a process to beautify and polish. But what happens when you say yes to design as a part of the process and not just the final task?
You invite an outside perspective to the table, an expert who is skilled at quickly learning about a new industry or sector and making information accessible and engaging for your audience. You say yes to someone who is invested in reaching your organization’s goals and can even make your job easier. A design partner can share ideas and contribute to an overall strategy for success.
And yes, it will certainly look good in the end too.
Ready to say yes to design partnership? Email me and let me know. It’s never too early to discuss a project.