2023.
It is the lies we sometimes tell ourselves that got me here today. The last time I documented anything was September 2022, and I kept telling myself I would write something tomorrow. The tomorrow never came till today 😂 I genuinely felt I needed an exciting win to share with you - something like, “My experience working at a big tech company” or “How I 20x-ed my income in two years”.
However, I started documenting my journey because I wanted people (particularly if you are new to product design) to feel seen and be gentle to themselves. It might take a while, but consistency pays off. I should definitely be consistent here too.
Life update.
Designing at Ricive
In September, I got a new role and started designing at Ricive. It was my first time working in a design team, but it was pretty exciting. We redesigned the website, and I documented the process in my portfolio here. We also designed the website application, which should launch soon. And oh, Ricive provides African businesses with an end-to-end operations software to manage their finances, customers teams and shipping.
Sadly, I am no longer a part of the team today. The founders had to lay off a number of us because of financial constraints. Despite this unfortunate incident, I am rooting for them because I had a good experience working in the team, and its solution is very efficient for small and medium businesses.
Freelancing
I have been working on exciting side projects, pending the time I get an offer from a company I would enjoy working at. One of my goals for this year was to work on more than four projects, and I am excited because it is getting achieved. I can’t wait to share them soon.
Documenting on LinkedIn
In all fairness, despite my inconsistency here, I have been showing up a lot on LinkedIn. I even got 5000 followers the other day, and it was exciting. It felt really good to know that 5000 people enjoy my content. I even designed a poster using Canva to celebrate it 🙈 You should definitely connect with me if you haven’t.
Upskilling
To become a world-class designer, it is imperative to evolve continuously. To achieve this, I have been consistent in reading at least one book every month. In January, I read “Steal like an artist” by Austin Kleon and shared my learnings. Last month, I started reading “Atomic habits” by James Clear, and I am almost done. I will be reading a design book this March and will share it when I decide on which.
Visiting Google Office
I did follow-follow and visited the Google Office in Lagos, Nigeria. It was a beautiful sight, and I enjoyed my short time there. It boosted my motivation to work harder and reminded me that my big dreams are valid.
Portfolio revamp
I revamped my portfolio on Notion and tried to include more of my personality. I didn’t put much pressure on myself because it would be continuously updated, which is why I opted to use Notion. You can check it out here and leave me one or two helpful feedback. Muchas gracias!
Learning Spanish
I started learning Spanish on Duolingo in 2019, but I wasn’t all that consistent. However, I have been consistent for almost a year, and I am proud!
That should be enough to keep you updated on everything you missed during my time away, and you should expect me real soon. A quote from James Clear that has been pushing me lately is, “The most effective form of motivation is progress”. This is it, see you soon! 2023 is going to be awesome, and I am just getting started!
