Most of the difficulties I faced at the beginning of my career were self induced. I had a lot of doubt in my abilities and kept second guessing myself. I think about all the times I got in my own way and truly believe I doubled my workload. Instead of just convincing a client of a solution, you end up having to convince yourself as well.

They should be hesitant to self promote their work.

The importance of confidence. It took me a while to realize that I looked up to certain designers not because they were the best, but because they had a good eye and were not afraid to trust their instincts. Essentially, you have to put a bit of yourself into your work in order to make something original and compelling.

I’m a big believer in free association brain storming. I almost always start my design process by making a list of uncensored, non linear ideas that come to mind when thinking about a project. I then try to make sense of it and find surprising or innovative connections.

The Steve Jobs  biography for how to be a perfectionist and take pride in your work. It’s Not How Good You Are, It’s How Good You Want to Be  for motivation when you’re stuck or in doubt, Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees  for finding value in the process, and Speck by Peter Buchanan-Smith for how to find beauty in anything and everything.