CREATIVELIVE
DEBBIE MILLMAN – “A BRAND CALLED YOU.”

Over the course of years, Debbie Millman has taught at the School of Visual Arts and has become quite obsessed with asking young adults the question – “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Some have answered : a fireman, a baseball player, or even wanting to be famous.
Until a couple years ago, she asked the same question to a young woman whose reply blew her away. The young woman replied that she wanted to be “Everything.”

This response was a shock to Millman, considering that when she was a college student the thought of becoming “Everything” seemed so foreign.

When Debbie Millman graduated college, she felt unqualified to do anything. She thought she wasn’t pretty enough, skilled enough or even smart enough. After graduating she just wanted to make a living and the thought of actually doing something she loved never entered her mind. She chose the safe and secure path. Throughout the years to follow, she encountered a lot of rejection and failure, which was very disappointing. After learning from her mistakes and through her experience, she started teaching.

Students need to know early on that talent is not everything. Being able to explain the approach and knowing what you are talking about is very important. When going on interviews and you don’t know something, perhaps a software or skill -ADMIT IT!
People will want to teach you if you admit to not knowing something. However, don’t be desperate for the job and lie.

Confidence is based on repetition of doing things in order to feel comfortable. This leads to  courage, where you will then take that leap and the confidence will follow naturally. Being scared is not an excuse. There are two categories of people:

GENERATORS  vs  DRAINS

Generators will bring energy, enthusiasm, inspiration, curiosity, they will do more and always strive to be better.

Drains are people that complain, who address their faults, who think they’re not good enough.

Employers want to hire others that they like, based on personality and attitude.
It takes time to get the things that you want. It takes practice and the right attitude.
Ability is not enough.