I’m sure this has happened to you when it comes to reconsidering putting yourself out there again after a bad experience with a project. Doesn’t matter if it was the client’s fault, or the lack of time for everything, or even the lack of profit that project generated. It has definitely happened to me and today I want to talk about confronting your projects the best way possible. We all learn from our mistakes and this is a great opportunity to understand what happened and what we can do about it.
Interior design as well as any other artistic project can be so beautiful and enjoyable until we have a bad experience. Suddenly you’re so afraid of getting another job and thinking that you’ll have the same terrible experience as the first one and now you’re reconsidering what you’ll do for a living. Don’t get me wrong, this life ‘major decisions’ are worth considering, but consider them not after one mistake you made without trying out a way to fix it.
So why are we feeling like this? The first answer you’re gonna think of, is that you just don’t want to go through that again. The thing is, you do need to know what triggers that emotion and once you recognize it you can do something about it. The most common fears that people experience in these situations are:
Fear of being judged: Feeling anxious all the time with any decision you make because of what other people think. You need to know that you will never be able to satisfy every single one with what you do or decide. Stay true to yourself and do what feels best.
Feeling not capable or fear of Failure: It’s normal to have this fear when you don’t have a lot of experience, and sometimes this feeling takes longer to go away, but as long as you do it, go for it, and take the leap, you will never know if you were capable or not.
Feeling too much pressure: Coming from a place of full achievers or even being the only one capable can put you in a lot of pressure. I get it, and I also get that it can jeopardize the entire design if you let it.
Just too much work: Although this is not a fear, it can be a deal breaker if you have so much on your plate. Ending up exhausted at the end of the day may indicate that you need to optimize your work.
And I’m sure there could be more reasons for you to be doubtful whether you go on the rollercoaster or not, so What can we do about it?
Well, first of all, once you identify what is going on, you should Give yourself time to overcome your fears. This will help you sleep on it every single night and later in days it will be just an obstacle you just passed. Sometimes our emotions betray us and make us do impulsive actions.
Second, Establish some ground rules for yourself and/or for your client. You can establish a contract for every job you do, some work hours, quantity of changes you’re willing to do, anything that gets your mind in a peaceful place with everyone.
Third is Establish a standard procedure. An agenda if you like. How to start, where to continue and how to finish your project. Imagine all possible scenarios and try to cover all those loose ends.
And last, Don’t be afraid of confrontation when it needs one. You can be more firm with your decisions to achieve what you design or think is best.
Being able to confront what is troubling you is an ability everyone can develop if you want, the important thing is that you feel comfortable with yourself and your decisions. I know a bad experience can traumatize what you once loved, but I’m sure you can always get something good about it. Let’s learn from our mistakes and put yourself out there again, I’m sure you’ll make it.
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- Written by: Arch. Glenton
- Category: Designer Diaries
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