Monday, March 17th, 2014
On June 11, 2013, I made a decision that has changed my life for the better. That is the day when I started running. While this might not seem like it has anything to do with web or graphic design, it does. Running has helped me to find out things about myself that I haven’t known before and that has positively impacted my work.
Like most designers, I am most creative when I am away from the computer. Running helps me to declutter my mind. It takes away all the distractions that I have when I am working on a project, and helps me find solutions to my problems.
New beginnings also don’t seem as scary as they use to. Every “starting line” on my run is a new beginning and now I know enough about the determination and strength that I have that it’s not such a scary thing anymore. In my freelance work, there is always something new that comes along that could possibly shake the boat. Running has helped me to gain the confidence I need to keep it steady.
Failure is something that would be fine if it never appeared in my life again, but it is inevitable that it will make a visit at some point. Running has taught me that failure is not a bad thing. No one is going to be on top forever, and it’s what you do when you fail that shows who you are. It takes a lot of strength to keep pushing along after you have “failed”. I read a quote once that said, “If you have the courage to fail, then you have the courage to succeed.” When I am struggling on a project, I think about that quote. It is also the best feeling when you finally pass the finish line after overcoming a failure.
Running has helped me to live in the moment more. There are a lot of runs that I do where I feel great in mile 8 but then feel terrible in mile 8 1/2. It’s just how it is, and I have to remind myself in those moments to just do what I can in that moment. Don’t think about how bad or good mile 9 will be, just focus on the here and now because everything can change in an instant. This has helped me to stop worrying about things in projects that I do that could never happen. I’m not saying that preparation doesn’t need to be done because it does. I’m saying that worrying about the little things that aren’t even a problem is pointless.
I feel like I have come a long way in just a short amount of time in my running as well as my web and graphic design. I have run a total of 331.26 miles, two 5ks, and one 15k since I have started running, and have a 5k, a half marathon, and a 200 mile relay scheduled for the future so far. As far as my web and graphic design goes, I feel like I have become a stronger, more confident designer and I continue to grow everyday. I will never be done learning, and that excites me.
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