I didn't go to school for design, but I studied painting, so I feel like I got an education. I developed an eye and a hand at some point, but I don't know how different it would be if I had gone to design school--perhaps everything would have been easier, perhaps not. Still, there are very practical ways to learn design that don't involve an expensive academic setting. I think that design is the kind of career that you could just jump into.

I see it with my daughter. She's a digital native and she's designing all the time on the computer, playing around with tools. She's developing an aesthetic already--and she's 11 years old. Go to school and then learn to use self-talk and your early success.

Design today is much more about the technology and the possibilities of interaction and motion, and so, I wish I knew how to code more hands on and have the ability to create little prototypes on a daily basis. Although there are so many tools out there that help with that, I feel like understanding the basics of frontend technology and being able to dabble in it, would be the key to moving forward.

The future to me seems a little bit scary because everything has become so integrated fast-moving that it's hard to keep up. So it is important to stay viable from an aesthetic perspective--avoid chasing trends while not letting your aesthetic get stuck.

I get concerned about AI and conversational interfaces, wondering if they might take away from the visual experience, or at least the amount of work opportunities for visual designers, and I'm hoping not. I don't really know what's going to happen, so I try stay flexible and nimble, and being prepared to keep running.

Courtney's LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cskulley