6 Reasons Why a Designer Should Not Work Alone?

When we talk about creative people such as web designers or graphic designers, the concept which is popular among people is that creative people are at their best when they are working alone. You will find a lot of freelancers working all by themselves. A person who has recently started an advertising agency will be handling everything on his own. Same goes for the ones who run a website development company, as there are plenty of such people who are running a complete website all by themselves. As I have mentioned earlier, creative people are perceived to be at their best while working alone. Although, there will be a lot of good things about working alone however, there are a lot of negative points as well and the biggest one is professional isolation. A lot of people don’t understand this but as a web or graphic designer, working alone can be counter-productive. Everything has its pros and cons and same goes for working alone. Benefits such as more working hours and less distractions are there; however, these benefits can be outweighed by negative points.

The biggest issue in working alone is that there comes a point when a person starts to feel isolated. Later on, it also becomes almost next to impossible for him to work within a team as he is not used to working with a group of people. Since he has been working according to himself all the way, taking orders to doing things according to others might be impossible for him and this can result into a lot of professional difficulties. Such people might never be able to work with multi-national companies which mean they will never get the best of opportunities because of their isolated behavior. Following are a few reasons due to which one should not work alone as a designer:

1. Isolation :

One of the biggest reasons why a designer should not work alone is isolation. Isolation is not good for any human being, in fact, human beings are social animals and isolation can prove to be very harmful for any individual or professional. It can not only affect you as a professional but it can be very harmful for your mental health and your personal life as well. Once you get used to isolation, you will feel isolated even when working with a group of people and this can affect your productivity a lot.

Nowadays, with prevailing trend of freelancing and home-based business, you will find a lot of freelance web and graphic designers. Initially, talking care of everything yourself and working all alone can be very exciting. Obviously, you do not have any boss to report to, you do not have any working hours and you can work freely all on your own and according to your rules. In the beginning, it sounds very nice but with the passage of time, it can become really hectic for you. You will not only be a graphic designer, you will be working as a customer support representative, as a sales person and what not. In the end, you will find yourself over burdened and less productive. Plus, you will realize the fact that you are no longer comfortable with people around you. As a result, you will become an isolated person which can be very harmful for you in the long run. So, to start off, it is okay to work all alone due to lack of resources but make sure you do not make it a habit.

2. Less Creativity :

You will hear people saying that creative people can be at the best of their creativity if they are all alone. Yes, this can be true to some extent; however, being creative on your own is not a consistent thing. We all know that creativity is born from things around us and also from interaction with other people. As a designer, you can always make things better if you discuss them with a group of people. Brainstorming with a group of people is a great idea and this can lead to some exceptionally great ideas. A person cannot work alone throughout his life. It is very important to have inputs from people around. So, if you really want to be creative, do not isolate yourself.

3. Lack of Confidence :

Working alone as a designer can have a lot of negative effects. It results in lack of confidence and by the time we realize it, it is too late. Since you will be working alone, your interaction with people would be very less and due to this, with the passage of time, you will lose confidence. You won’t be able to attend big gatherings, you won’t be confident enough in group of people to discuss your ideas and this can affect your entire personality. You will not only suffer professionally but also personally. It is very important to have people around you to encourage you and to appreciate you otherwise you will end up questioning your creativity which can be very harmful.

4. Over Confidence :

While some people might suffer from lack of confidence, there are a lot of people who might suffer from over confidence. Since you will be working alone, there are chances that you end up becoming a little extreme because you have no on to keep you grounded. You do need people who can question your ideas or who can tell you that you are wrong if you really are. Hitting off well in the beginning of your career and that too alone, can pretty much affect your personality and make you over confident. Without people around, chances of moving into wrong direction are quite high. So, as designer, always keep yourself around a team of professionals and be open to suggestions. Remember, no one is perfect and there is always a room for learning and improving.

5. Multi-tasking :

When it comes to designing and creativity, multi-tasking is considered a plus point; however, multi-tasking for the sake of individuality is wrong. To put it more simply, being able to do many tasks at one time is a good thing; however, doing everything yourself can lead you to a number of problems. You won’t be an expert at everything and there will be quite often when you will need help of another professional. Web and graphic designing requires a broad range of skills and you might be good at a lot of them but still you too will have your weak points. Multi-tasking beyond your comfort zone can be very problematic if you do not have people around you. So, make sure you have a dependable team which can help you in handling problems.

6. Importance of Second Opinion :

There is no one in this world that can live without having second opinions. You might be confident decision maker, but there will be various times when you are confused too. If you have been working alone, you may want to consider a fellow designer to become a part of your team who can help you with taking decisions and even help you with your projects. Also, handling everything on your own can be make you feel over burdened at times. Share your burden with people you trust and work in a healthy environment.

Remember, human is a social animal and we are meant to work with a group of people. We were never meant to handle things all alone. As a designer, it is very important for you to find reliable people and work with them. You can do wonders while working in a group so why work alone?

About The Author

Arfa Mirza

EuroPakistani and Media Studies graduate, Arfa Mirza is a whiz writer and self-taught designer, where creativity is her blood and bones. After successfully co-creating Dzineblog360 and Webblog360, she has launched her sole blog CreatiWittyBlog to claim her share in the virtual realm.

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