NEXT BIG DESIGNER: December 2014

Taking the time to talk people is a good. Taking the time to talk to the right people is great. Taking the time to talk to the right folks AND connecting to them AND making a sensational impression is critical.

Long story short, networking is important if you want to become a designer. In fact, you can count on never making it if you make no connections. (no one can discover you if you don't show anyone). So there, I could just stop writing this blog post now. Right there, on a golden plated platter is your recipe to success: Network!

But wait.... How do you network? What is networking? Is it just talking to people? Stranger Danger?! What do I even have to offer? What if they don't like me? They're so much better, why would they answer? What if they never answer back? On No! What if! What if! What if!

*pulls hair out and screams from fear of talking to strangers who are much better than me*

Such a simple concept of networking can raise a lot of anxiety. There is a lot of self pride put on the line the first few times you try and make connections with those who have already started their careers within your desired field. I'll be the first to shamefully admit there has been many times where I have made connections with incredible designers and then failed to reply out of fear of rejection. EVEN AFTER THEY CONTACTED ME FIRST! It's really sad when I look back and realize how many opportunities I may have missed because of it.

When I first began networking, not many people replied. By not many people, I mean I sent out 100+ emails and had zero replies. I don't mean to scare you by saying this. This is the reality of first starting out. You'll make a lot of mistakes. But hold on, there is a good part of this: I've already made the mistakes for you to learn from!

So, to continue on my story, after feeling completely defeated and like the worst designer on the planet, I was procrastinating at work (shh...) and decided to talk to my co-worker about my aspirations for after college and a crazy thing happened! His brother just happened to be working within my desired field. So when I messaged his brother another crazy thing happened! I was referred to a friend of his that had done work for HGTV! I was swooning! Here was someone who had done exactly what I wanted and they were taking the time to talk to me! I couldn't believe my luck!

To wrap up the story, there were many lessons to be learned from my mistakes of starting out and beginners luck I stumbled upon soon after.

To make it easy, here's a nice list to sum up these networking lessons.

Lesson 1.) Tell everyone you know about what you want to do.

My best contacts have come from friends, teachers, or colleagues who happened to know someone in my desired field. Once I started sharing with the world my passions, it was much easier to find others who shared similar goals.

Lesson 2.) Out-right emailing strangers isn't the best way to network

Every once in a while, this method works. You'll find a really great human who took time out of their day to talk to you. Most of these connections do not last unless you take the time to keep up the relationship. In essence, you are a complete stranger besides a few emails here and there. A word of caution comes with this method of networking. it can leave you feeling very rejected.

Lesson 3.) Attend Events

Some great opportunities have presented themselves from attending events. For example, while at a Career Fair for my university, I was called that following night to come back to the event for an interview! Although the job wasn't what I was looking for, I was able to make an impression and connect with another professional in the design world. So don't be lazy and make sure you go to events, conventions, or even smaller events that your school/ community offers. You never know who you may meet!

Lesson 4.) Connections lead to more connections

The easiest way to network is when someone refers you. Every time I have had a referral, I have received a response. These are the connections that are easiest to keep because they can become good, personal connections. However, I throw a bit of caution out with this one. Make sure you act professional, even more so than normal. The person who referred you has put their own reputation on the line. If you act poorly it will reflect back to them. Also, make sure to THANK the person who gave you the connection. They took a huge risk and trust you deeply to pass along your name to another professional. They are a great person to have in your life. Make sure they know that!

Lesson 5.) Accept rejection

Finally, This is the one I struggle with most. It's a hard blow to the ego when someone doesn't answer or if they do answer, its with a "no." Try not to take it personally. Keep pushing forwards and keep working towards being the next big designer. Believe in the people that believe in you and keep them close. Hold onto the dream that one day those who rejected you may be the ones emailing you for advice and keep pushing forward!

My final advice is to be creative with how you go about networking and be confident in yourself. There is no one right way on how to make lasting connections with people around you. Learn from your mistakes and keep doing what you love. Soon enough you'll be the next big designer that the world has been waiting for.

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