How not to get pigeon-holed

Hey all,

I primarily work in blender and do projects for clients this:

Not that I’m complaining, but with a portfolio of commercial construction product renderings, what steps would be good to do something more creative? I originally got into design with the intention to eventually get into game design (as a spry young’n) but I’m not feeling that direction as much these days. I know there isn’t any one formula but any thoughts/ideas on next steps appreciated.

Give us a bit more background on yourself. How to break into design is always a complicated question to answer.

J

A few quick thoughts:

  1. Keep learning. For most of my career, I’ve given myself something to learn every year and I’ve found creative ways to practice it at work. One year, I read everything I could on user interface design and I did a mini user test of thermostats. Last year, I studied mechanical failure of plastics after a small project at work.

  2. I always found it hard, even before having kids, but try to do side projects. For awhile, I had some hockey equipment renders and furniture in my portfolio that I did on my own.

  3. Think of how your work applies to other fields. I find that if you have enough experience, you will get interviews. It’s showing the interviewer how your work applies to their problems that gets you a job.

What are you inspired by? What skills would you like to learn? What objects or experiences would you like to design? Asking yourself questions like these can help narrow down what your “next steps” are in this creative journey.

Participate in design challenges and sign up for creative classes. I’ve done these both online and offline. Always be curious, always be learning! :slight_smile: