Design Rebels: Crafting Careers Beyond The Rulebook
When Josh McWhorter, who hosts a Talks With J podcast spotlighting professionals across Los Angeles, invited me to share my story, I knew this was a special interview. It was an opportunity to break down the many aspects of design for a broad audience. Drawing from my experience as the founder of Venus Veil and my decade-long journey as VP of Design at Zonda Home, what emerged was a masterclass in breaking rules, empowering designers, and creating space for creativity that doesn't fit into neat little boxes. Take a glance at the highlights below, click the link to listen to the full video.
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In Fall 2022, I joined Toastmasters, an international organization for public speaking that connects professionals across trades. Alongside Josh McWhorter who is a Senior Scrum Master at Blue Shield Of California and other officers, we led the Pasadena Club 6—a 94-year-old community brimming with stories and ambition during the 2023/2024 term.
Mentorship: The Secret Sauce of Design Careers
Design isn't just about making things look pretty. It's about creating pathways for talent that doesn't conform to the traditional "tech prodigy" narrative. As someone who started as an artist and a fashion designer who transitioned to user experience and interaction design after grad school at California College of the Arts, I've learned that creativity knows no bounds. My advice? Start small, have fun, and suspend the rules till you get going. Here are some prompts to try:
Experiment with design artifacts that inspire you. Start with what feels comfortable first, it can be email, web, posters, books, social platforms, presentations or else.
Build up skills and fluency in different aspects of design: color, typography, illustration, photography, interaction design, design research or content strategy. There is so much to explore, take small bites and apply what you learn.
Try small paid projects on Upwork to build confidence and understand what kind of managers you work best with: creatives, marketers, business or technology.
Follow your curiosity, you’ll naturally explore new terrains as well as feel safe to innovate. When something feels too big, we naturally will feel scared and overwhelmed. So size it right and listen to your body.
Connect with people and ask for help, network vertically and horizontally to get support. Most people today with remote work environment have underinvested in social peer circles. That’s where we learn the most. Make sure to have several spaces.
The Design Career Roadmap (No, Not What You Think)
Forget linear career paths. I see design careers as an adventure. Where you have gaps in your portfolio, projects or samples of work, get creative:
“Start where it feels right and follow the yarn into the forest.”
Start a pet projects → for a small brand
Design a social media designs → for a non-profit
Create a website → for your friend’s band
The magic? There's no single "right" way. Your path is yours to design. Find the balance between stability and adventure—too much of either leads to boredom or burnout.
Design Is Broad With Room For Everyone
The industry keeps expanding. We all struggle with shame and not being enough. Don't let anxiety consume you! There's enough work for everyone.
You belong. Step into play: We need people from different backgrounds and skill levels, each person brings special insights to the table.
Start small. Focus yourself: create boundaries for what will learn this year vs next. Narrow down what kind of design to start with now: brand designer, logo designer, social media designer, entertainment designers, print designers, motion designers, product design, design systems and so on.
Non-designing designer: not all roles in tech require deep design skills where you work in the file, study a broad set of roles in tech like support, content strategy, marketing, or strategy where you can excel, be creative and participate in a growing industry.
Healing Tech: The Human Side of Design
Design is a deeply human practice. It's not just about pixels and prototypes—it's about understanding people, their experiences, and their potential traumas. As the field matures, designers hold more responsibility towards design ethics, accessibility. I am incorporating a lot from the "trauma-informed design" work documented by Trauma Informed Design Discussion Group —a radical approach that considers how technology can support—not stress—human experiences. A lot of us are really disrupted by the speed of change, we need tech’s help to tune to our biology and emotions.
As we understand collectively the human experience better, we can fold into design work better frameworks to publish kind spaces and work towards a soft world. Where can we turn to for inspiration? Indigenous traditions of many cultures have eternal wisdom to offer. Understanding what makes us better humans first feeds our souls to be better workers (designers).
Where to Find Me (Because You'll Want To)
I’d love to hear from you so don’t be shy to say hi:
Design "parties" for every career stage are listed on ADP List
Venus Veil design studio is where I publish news for the creative community
Folk Lounge textile, illustration, craft and art community hosts events remote and in LA