An Artsy Fairy Godmother’s Check-up and check in: Some life hacks for Design Students

Illustrated by Annick Harvey (she/her)

This week I want to have a check-in with my design friends – you need help, (everyone does sometimes). So, before this semester gets too crazy, I’m here to pass on some guidance, some shining pearls of wisdom if you will. Think of me as your artsy fairy godmother this week. Now, you won’t find a definitive list of tricks and tips on this page (unfortunately, I’m not that magical.) I can only offer you some of the things I’ve learned as a young creative and as a student like you. A bit of a disclaimer before I begin; I’m no expert. I speak only from my personal experience as a design student (Concept) and this might be a bit niche, but I hope you can find something interesting or, dare I say, helpful.  

Et voilà, let’s begin… 

Step Outside the Box. 

Despite popular belief: you don’t have to be consumed by your project all the time, taking a minute to step outside (not always literally – unless that helps) is okay. 

Take a Day. 

Rest Days. A follow on from point one. But it needs to be said twice, don’t forget time out to just exist.  

Don’t Break the Bank. 

Having top of the range supplies doesn’t mean everything. You can find some things on the cheap. Some of my personal faves include paintbrushes from the dollar shop and old notebooks/paper you can pick up at the thrift. Same goes for fabric, op shops are overflowing with old fabric off-cuts and bedsheets. You’d be surprised by the stuff people throw away. Plus, recycled materials make for some interesting designs.  

Branch Out. 

Hobbies. Just try a new one out. I’m partial to chess and curating silly little playlists.  

You’re not a machine.  

TRY and look after yourself. Now I get it, you have a lot of work to do. Drawings, mock ups, presentations, and the general stress of life is understandable. I have found (the hard way) that when I eat right and sleep my work improves exponentially. I know it sounds obvious but eating random things from the fridge, sleeping irregularly, and working too much started to affect the work I produced. Then you might find yourself thinking why do I suck at this? Trust me it’s not you. It’s because caffeine isn’t a suitable substitute for sleep. To quote Isabella Rossellini in the classic film Death Becomes Her; “Take care of yourself. You and your body are going to be together a long time, be good to it.” Or you might be quoting her other famous line; “and continue to watch yourself rot” (Yikes). 

Social Media 

You don’t have to have socials for your art if you don’t want to, but it can be helpful. Connect with your classmates and find inspiration from the designers on your feed.  

Socials (Part II) 

Don’t feel pressured to post on your account every day. Honestly, I worry I don’t post enough. It’s just not on my radar all the time, I am at peace with that now. If you do, that’s great, if you don’t, that’s also perfectly fine.   

Set those Dates. 

Use a calendar. Or a planner. Seriously, my calendar has saved my ass countless times.  

Scribbles. 

Write notes. They don’t have to be neat or complete. Just some thoughts. 

Expand those Elective Horizons. 

If you are feeling burnt out creatively in your field, try some electives outside your major. Honestly, this little hack has really changed my perspective on what I practice and how I design. Don’t feel like you need to be designing your major all the time, I found refreshment in writing, fine art, and film courses. Sometimes a fresh perspective and an unfamiliar medium can be what you need to fight that burnout.  

Don’t Worry About Getting Everything Right First Try. 

You’re still learning. Chill. 

Colour Code Your Photoshop. 

You can colour code your Photoshop layers. This might be obvious to some of you but when I found this out my whole world changed. Oh, plus folders for your layers – it’s a game changer. 

Two Man Rule. 

Save your files to two locations. I don’t trust my laptop and you shouldn’t either (crashes happen). Upload your photoshop files to the cloud as well (Google Drive works well). You could also use a USB or hard drive, but that can just be another thing to remember.  

SHOES.  

Okay this has been an issue of mine for the longest time, only now have I finally cracked it. Invest in some good shoes. Just do it. If you’re walking in pain you’re probably not going to walk into uni. Also bonus trick; If you want to wear those cute shoes around the studio for the look, just bring them with you and swap them out. It’s very The Devil Wears Prada (Très chic).