“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it.”
— Maya Angelou
Sometimes we all need a good pep talk. They feel good, keep us focused and motivate us to take action when we need it most. This International Women’s Day we spoke to some of the women at IDE about the attitude they bring to work and how they approach the rewarding, yet often challenging, world of design and entrepreneurship.
IDE: What is your professional mantra and what does it mean to you?
Eloise King-Smith (EKS): “If you see a better world, you’re morally obligated to create it.” Professor Genevieve Bell. I’m really driven by amelioration. I’m constantly seeing how things could be better, and rather than get downhearted, the response that gives me the most satisfaction is to try to improve the way things are. Finding out why and how to make better solutions is what drove me into my career.
Vikki Stevens (VS): Today’s goal: Do better than yesterday. It’s a reminder that if yesterday was a bad day, you have the power to make today better. It’s also a reminder not to rest on your laurels – you might have achieved incredible things yesterday, so keep pushing yourself to reach even greater heights today.
Penny Flicker (PF): “If you’re not getting answers, ask better questions” Cartel. This quote is from a song I loved when I was a teenager and it’s always stuck with me. It’s easy to blame the answers you get for halting your progress or losing your inspiration. It’s more difficult to check your questions and approach an issue from a new direction but it’s always more interesting and more rewarding. It reminds me to never accept a roadblock at face value.
Krutika Harale (KH): My dream is to visually spread messages that matter and my goal is to use the power of design for social change. As a Graphic/UX/UI Designer I get to communicate stories and ideas every day. I would love to use that opportunity to spread messages that the world needs to hear, which in turn will prompt change for the greater good.
Barbara van de Sande (BS): “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it.” Maya Angelou. You can achieve whatever you want to achieve, as long as you love what you do. It reminds me to do amazing things, be better and love every day.
IDE: What is a great networking group or community for developing new skills, taking action and connecting with other like-minded professionals?
EKS: Service Design Melbourne, a non-commercial organisation building a friendly community of interest and practice in Service Design in Australia. The Social Innovation Exchange, an organisation whose mission is to help other organisations build capacity to deliver social impact.
VS: I came across a Useful List of Women’s Networking Groups which links to lots of other resources. I’m definitely going to take a closer look at them.
PF: General Assembly is a great resource for meeting like-minded people while learning something new. They offer evening workshops and online courses as well as their full time courses. I like to attend events about topics I know very little about. This provides me with the tools to learn more on my own.
KH: Creative Mornings is a breakfast lecture series for the creative community. Another useful resource is this google document which links to women who work in, through, around and for design: as recommended by their peers and admirers.
BS: Last year I went to an event from Inclusion2, where I was introduced to Rare Birds. Both are great programs to keep an eye out for.
