Trashing the ‘i’ for ‘us’

I hate starting sentences with ‘I’. I do it far too often.

As a freelance designer, I felt as if there was little choice — it was difficult to communicate one-on-one with clients without saying “I’ve done that” or “I think this…” Personal pronouns made me narrow-minded and egocentric. Everything I created became in some way about me — I’d describe myself as ‘self employed’ and everything became about ‘self promotion’.

It isn’t always a bad thing, however. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been asked for “a clean, simple, flat design, like the ones on your website.” A clear handle on oneself as an individual lets you carve out your own unique style. Clients drawn to a freelancer’s portfolio usually want something created in the same vein.

But there are still limitations. I’ve experienced several shifts in the way I work as a designer, but none have been so liberating as letting go of the idea of operating in isolation. Back when I was studying design at college I imagined I’d end up as some sort of lone pioneer, pushing frontiers alone. I now see this as incredibly naïve.

Agencies

Working alone can only take you so far. In the years since college, I’ve been employed by several design agencies. In these environments, you’d think the old adage about there being no ‘I’ in ‘team’ would have exerted itself, forcing me to adapt and become a team-player.

And yet being in a state of constant competition — to get a raise, to get noticed — made me more self-centred, more self-orientated… more selfish. The truth is, working in-house pushed me the other way completely, encouraging my primal instinct to succeed.

“Man is the rival of other men;
he delights in competition, and this leads to ambition
which passes too easily into selfishness.”
— Charles Darwin

Bottom line, agency culture wasn’t a good fit for me. Sure there was stability, but the restrictive budgets led to a disproportionate focus on time tracking. The downward pressure of the hierarchical system suffocated me, restricting my growth. It only took me so far.

Freelancing

So I leapt into freelancing full time. I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve had a lucky run.

Half way there:
My first experience was a kind of bridge between Agency City and Freelanceville. I was a contractor within an agency working solely on a particular project alongside five project managers. (Yes, you read correctly, five whole PM’s. I can hear the one liners now — how many PM’s does it take to sign off one project…?)

As you can imagine, it was a case of ‘design by committee’ turned up to eleven. But it taught me a valuable lesson: undefined roles and a lack of collaborative discussion results in contradictory visions.

All the way:
Once across the bridge, freelancing from the comfort of my home office was great. Flexibility to pick up work at whatever time of day, select projects to dip in and out of and even walk the dog whenever I wished. Compared to a desk job, it was liberating.

However, when you start conversing with your pet about baseline margins, you know something isn’t quite right. ‘I’ was truly on my own now. And I realised just how much I missed sharing my achievements. My self-development hit a plateau. Above all, I longed to discuss concepts, to advise, be advised, listen, learn, share and problem-solve. I wanted interaction with like-minded individuals.

Gravita:

Dawning of a collaborative era

Cut to the present. Collaborating with other designers gives me freedom.

“People create better things together.” — Ev Williams

I’m now part of a creative collective called ‘Gravita’, delivering platforms and products through shared thought. This collaborative method offers knowledge, enlightenment and freedom. For me, this strikes the perfect balance between autonomy and working with others.

Working alongside awesome people with complimentary skill-sets enables ‘us’ to focus our energies. We create more value and as a result enhance our overall design solutions.

We’ve just signed off our first collaborative project and in the words of our client “…the results have been amazing…” This outcome reflects the team dynamic and also the partnership between us and our client — after all, clients are collaborative partners too.

Honest and open communication enables mutual respect. By adopting holacracy, the distribution of leadership empowered us. Our roles have evolved; we share ownership and responsibilities.

Why collaborating this way is successful:

1. There’s no ego. We’re all striving towards a common goal, so we share projects and workloads equally.
2. Problem solving is easier. Good ideas come from the collision of hunches. You don’t have to figure everything out alone.
3. It’s a shared experience. You’re on a journey together, but without a singular leader. And celebrating wins with others is much better than partying alone!

“No man is an island,
Entire of itself,
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.”
— John Donne