Milestone Reflections and Unsolicited Advice for Designers
Over the holiday break, I took a little time to reflect on my journey as an individual contributor (IC) designer in leadership. The career path for IC designers is something near and dear to my heart. Now that I’m closer to retirement than I am to starting out I wanted to share some thoughts and reflections about what it’s like to be an IC in leadership and some tips and ideas for what’s kept me sane and allowed me to keep at it for so long. I’ve collected many great moments, and while my path has not been typical, along the way I think I’ve learned a lot.
Goodbye 2024
I didn’t do any blogging during 2024. This was mainly because I was head-down-focused on the first draft of my first novel. I made some good progress on that, too. Not so much that I’m going to let anyone read it, but enough that I’m very proud of my work and the things I’ve learned along the way.
Off to Canada! And a small reflection.
I’m traveling to Canada today to go snowboarding up in Whistler for a much-needed break.
Responding skillfully
The concept of skillful response resonates well with me. It’s often pitched as a benefit to meditation, and I hear it referenced often in guided sessions.
On game design
Been thinking about that time in my life when I was a game designer and how it would be different were I to be getting into that now.
What Does a Lead Designer Even Do?
So, as tricky as I think this is likely to be, I wanted to try to give you an idea of what I believe a "lead" or "staff" designer does and how that might be different to, say, a senior designer. In my mind, it's that Senior -> Lead jump that signals a fairly significant change in one's career. Probably as much, but in a different way, to someone moving from IC into management.
Cheap Regrets: 2020
Looking back 2020 doesn’t seem as bad as I’m sure it did while in the moment. The biggest feeling I have towards it and believe me, I feel privileged and very lucky to say this—is that I felt bored and trapped. It could have been a hell of a lot worse. I was able to work and work well. My family and I are healthy. The kids probably had it worse than anyone, but they all seem mostly ok. I’m glad it’s over but grateful to have made it through healthy and mostly happy. A lot of the credit for all of that goes to my partner, Kerri. Our wedding was just before all the shit hit the fan, and while it wasn’t always easy, our first year was reassuring and filled with more love, laughter, and good times than I ever would have expected.