Confessions of a Flawed Designer

Comics on some bad habits I’m trying to fix as a creative

1. Being lazy

I have been guilty of using dumb excuses to avoid pushing the pixels. Gotta design, export, document, and communicate 🏋🏽‍

2. Lacking empathy

Finding inclusive solutions can be hard. Edge cases are the perfect scheme to avoid the difficult work of keeping in mind all the people around us. I must develop my empathy and learn to consider other people 👓

3. Avoiding difficult conversations

Difficult conversations are… difficult. I need to face them even if they make me uncomfortable 💬

4. Hearing without listening

Listening and really understanding is not easy. Have to be better at focusing and paying attention to what people need. It’s better to ask silly questions than having an illusion of knowledge. 👀

5. Lacking confidence

I have never been able to shake the feeling of being lost. Gotta manage my fears and believe in myself. 🎃

6. Being self-centered

Thinking every user is like me is narrow-minded. Gotta check my apathy. 👂

7. Can’t say “No”

It’s difficult for me to say no to people, even when I lack the bandwidth to help them. I’m too afraid to let people down. Maybe there's also a bit of FOMO. The problem is that I miscalculate my time and don’t set clear expectations—ultimately letting people down. What I was trying to avoid in the first place, lol.
I’m always grateful of people trusting me and involving me on their endeavors—I love it. I’m a servant at heart. But I have to be able to say no when I’m unable to help them or when I would be putting their needs above my self-care.

8. Inability to disconnect from work

Sometimes I don’t know when to unplug from my design world. I need to balance life and appreciate the things and people around me. Not everything is work, Pablo. 🗂

9. Being a Jerky McJerk Face

I can use introversion as an excuse to avoid talking to people. Need to be more open; remember to smile and connect 🙃

10. Doing everything at the last minute

It’s easy to think that working under pressure brings out your best work. Sometimes it works, but it's not the best way of doing things. I need to work on my procrastination. 👟

11. Impatience

Patience requires self-confidence. I need to work on not needing validation all the time ⏱

12. Seeking solitude

Staying at home all day can feel safer. I need to subdue my dread of being outside—take a walk, Pablito ☀️

13. Allowing bad thoughts to take over

Saying what you’re really thinking is scary. Gotta learn how to be more open — be kinder to myself. And I might need to learn how to lower the volume of those voices in my cabeza! 🙉

This was an exercise to help me deal with my inner demons.
If you identify with any of these, hopefully, this helps you feel less alone.
Also hoping these confessions don’t get me fired. Lol.

What about you? What are you working on?

I’m Pablo Stanley. I’m on Twitter and YouTube.