One of the most difficult aspects of attending design school and working in a design internship is balancing work and not getting burned out. Designers face challenges such as imposter syndrome, which occurs when you don’t feel good enough about your job and believe that other designers’ work is superior to yours. Being in a new setting and presenting my design work to a new group of people can be intimidating because I begin to worry that people will not like my work or that I am not good enough to work as a designer with them.
During my midterm week, I began to feel a little burned out because I have two classes that require a lot of writing and design, and all of the deadlines are at different times of the week. I needed to make sure I was delivering work quickly for the client while still having time to do my classwork. I believe the shift from online to in-person classes has slowed my ability to complete my schoolwork on time. I was used to a class ending online and being able to get straight to work because I already was using a computer. Being in person, it’s a 45-minute journey back home, then I have to eat and get back to work, so I’m exhausted by the time I get home. My second client had a deadline, and I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to finish it on time. I had some doubts about myself because the assignment was a poster design, which is not my strongest ability.
Finally, I finished a poster that the customer enjoyed. One challenge I faced with this project was that the client or my internship mentor did not respond to my email with feedback over the weekend before the deadline, so I was concerned that I would not have a finished revision by the deadline. At the end of the day, I have to remind myself that I sent in the work ahead of schedule and that the client and my mentor may not be able to get back to me right away.
Overall, it’s important to remind yourself to breathe, plan out your week, and seek assistance or deadline extensions if necessary. When I feel like I have too much on my plate and I start to have imposter syndrome, I start to worry that my work will not be what the client desires. I keep myself organized by using a planner and planning out my week’s tasks at the beginning of each week.
