WIP/ Work In Progress - My Self Branding Campaign

WIP/ Work In Progress - My Self Branding Campaign

Self Branding Campaign - Let's talk: being a new designer, job searching, mental health and imposter syndrome.

After a therapy session where I discussed at length my wavering self esteem, I decided I wanted to express how I was feeling in a design campaign and start a dialogue online. As a conceptual photographer when I have waves of intense emotions, I find it therapeutic to create a self portrait and post it on social media. This is what I have done for over 12 years, so now maybe it’s time to combine graphic design into the mix.


3 self portraits, eyes overlaid on top of each other in a kaleidoscope effect, same girl 3 times in a blended circle, girl behind steamy glass looking straight at the camera. Anna Roberts self poraits.

Looking for a job is exhausting. You have to have self motivation, a positive attitude in the face of rejection and a strong shell when ghosted after sending in job applications. It's no fun and it’s only natural that after some time you will start to feel your resilience being chipped away at. You start to wonder: “Are there enough jobs to go around?” "Is it even possible in the pandemic?" “Am I good enough?” and “What if it never happens?” I’m here to tell you, you are not alone. 

Imposter Syndrome is Real

What is Imposter Syndrome? It can be defined as a collection of feelings of inadequacy that persist despite evidence of success. Guessing if you are really good enough as a designer is what every designer goes through at some stage. I guarantee you if you sat down with one of your design idols that you aspire to be like, they would tell you they have been through it too. 

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Self-Promotion

Another daunting thing is putting your work on social media for the world to see and judge. You start to hesitate whether you should put it on, is it ready? I don’t think this is always a bad thing, it’s your gut’s way of saying let’s do some last minute design checks. Is the alignment right? Does the text have enough contrast? Is my message really getting across correctly? This is a good time to have another person look it over. If you are a student or a graduate buddy up with someone from your course and do last minute checks for each other. If you are freelance, befriend someone through social media.

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Seeing Designs and Wishing You Had Thought of It or Could Do It

I’m changing the way I look at other people’s work. Now when I see a design and get designer envy, I do 3 things:

  1. Use it as an exercise to improve my skills.

I try and recreate it but I don't post it as my own work (not trying to plagiarise anyone here) just so I can figure out how it was done.

or

2. I save the work for future inspiration.

Use Pinterest Chrome save button or take advantage of the save folder feature on Instagram.

or

3. I take a break from social media.

Sometimes social media can become overwhelming with the amount of designs you see. It can be good to switch off and clear your head.


stickers that say design still loading, a star that says you tried , a loading wheel, a battery that says low design energy and a browser window that says error 404 inspiration not found
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I want to open up a dialogue, if you are a designer that can relate to the feeling of Imposter Syndrome or anything else in this article, please share your story in the comments to help other designers. I would love to hear your thoughts on this.

Find me on instagram: Photography and Graphic Design . You can view my graphic design portfolio here. Currently seeking freelance projects and other graphic design positions.

Lili Cox

Graphic Designer at Waterfall

3y

Love this Anna, very relatable and very real! Think it's important now more than ever to open up this dialogue to help each other so thank you!

Tanya Ces Maneiro

Career Coach working with Individuals & Organisations | Job Search | CV Development | Interview Skills | LinkedIn Audit | Onboarding Coaching | Career Development | Outplacement | DISC Profiling | Strengthscope

3y

Great article Anna. Like Sara. I appreciate your honesty as it is tough to stay motivated when searching for a role and I think talking about mental health issues is also very important. Thanks so much for sharing.

Sara Benaissa

Freelance Bid Writer | Copywriter | Content Marketing Specialist

3y

Great article Anna. Love how honest you were here. I feel like Tanya Ces Maneiro would like to read this!

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