Sarah Gibson

So, first of all, congratulations. Wooooooo! I feel like a lot of people got woohoos and not everyone, so good on you. Well done on making it through the course, and thanks, friends and family, for coming along today.

I’d like to start by acknowledging the esteemed members on stage – the Pro Chancellor, presiding Vice Chancellor, Dean of the Faculty, presiding Director, Chair of Academic Board, members of the University Executive, and staff. Welcome to you all and thanks for having me here today. I’d also like to acknowledge and thank the traditional custodians of the land, the Gadigal people of the Eora nation, on which the UTS campus now sits upon.

So, it’s been about 13 years since I’ve been in this hall. Looks a little different – some cladding, modernistic cladding going on here. Reflecting back, UTS has been a tremendous support for me since graduating, more so than I thought, I have to say. I’ve taught here for several years, which was truly fantastic, but there’ve been much more than that that we’ve been involved in.

As a business, we’ve been involved in research projects – I can’t even keep up with the amount of centre that UTS has started in the last couple of years. And, not to mention the competitions we get involved in and student projects. We even have designers in our range that are staff at UTS, and in fact, half our workforce comes from UTS. So, there you go – they didn’t even pay me to say that and I’m not even part of the alumni. Well, I am, but I’m not paid. So, there you go. I urge you to stay in touch with UTS. It really is a great community and supports people that have graduated. 

So, whether you end up starting your own business or working for a big company, the good thing is, creatives are very sought after these days. People love creatives. We’re future problem solvers, so well done on you and well done on your family and friends for supporting you in this creative endeavour.

Creative business has taught me a lot over the last 12 years. That’s right – apparently I’m old and wise. So, I’ve got 10 pearls of wisdom to share with you today. They’re both inspirational but always with a healthy dose of scepticism. That’s what designers are best at, right? Being sceptics. But I truly believe you need both of these things – inspiration and scepticism – if you’re to succeed at finding your dream job and be happy in your life and your career.

Okay, so here we go: Keep trying things. Number one. You may think that once you’ve graduated, you’ve got it all figured out, but truth be told, what you lacked at uni might be very different to what you lack in practice. I, for one, hated 3D modelling before I started uni and during uni, but now I absolutely love it. Be open to this when exploring your field. Things you don’t like at uni you might like in practice because you come to appreciate them in the real world.

You also need to give things time before you can appreciate them as well. Give things – give different things a go until you find what you love and what you are good at. In fact, always keep trying new things and never assume that you won’t like anything.

Number two: Have fun. See the joy in things. Remember: the career that you’ve chosen and worked hard for is an interesting one. There are so many people out there with really boring jobs. Sure, there are freaks who actually enjoy being lawyers – sorry for anyone who’s a lawyer out there – but for the most part, lawyers don’t love their jobs. Appreciate the opportunity you have given yourself to find a job you love. And, once you find your dream job, don’t forget how lucky you are.

Number three: Stick at it. The creative industries can be tough, but if you stick it out, you’ll get the best of both worlds, an interesting job that is also – hopefully – well paid and, for both of those to work, you need to be patient and stick it out for quite a while. Just remember, your career is potentially 40, 50, 60 years of your life, so give yourself a chance to figure it out.

Number four: Find your tribe. Try and immerse yourself in a company with a great culture. If you’re planning on starting a business, make sure you nurture a culture that’s enjoyable for people to work in. Immersing yourself in good company will make you happy and give you the energy to persevere things with gusto. And, if you find yourself unhappy in a job, ask yourself why and consider whether changing work culture would make your job more enjoyable. I’m not saying to give up on a job quickly, but always be mindful of what it is about your job you don’t like and consider a change in job before a change in career.

Number five: Embrace the non-creative tasks. Be prepared to do uncreative stuff and revel I the balance this gives you. Especially if you’re planning on starting a business, you’ll need to be prepared for this. And if you’re working for someone else, don’t be too precious about the tasks you do. Everyone has to do non-creative stuff, including your boss. And who knows, you might even like Excel if you give it a go. Also, consider applying your creativity to what seem like non-creative tasks. You guys are problem solvers, so use that in which way you can and take pride in everything you do.

Number six: Don’t take yourself too seriously. Designers are famous for this. If you take yourself too seriously, first of all, no one will like you – that’s a fact – but most importantly, you won’t be able to laugh at the dumb stuff you do, and that’s really important. Nor will anyone be brave enough to give you any constructive criticism and this is really dangerous. One thing more mortifying than being bad at something is being bad at something for five years and no one ever telling you.

So, embrace the motto ‘always learning’. We use this in our business a lot; it’s often with funny connotations. There are some things you’re never going to know until you try them –that’s fair enough, but other mistakes can  be avoided if you seek feedback early on. If you do this, it will make you a better designer.

Number seven: Exercise. Yep, that’s right. There are studies that prove that exercise makes you a better problem solver, and some of the best ideas I’ve had are when exercising. It doesn’t mean you have to go on a really fast run; it could just be a walk, but just give yourself that chance to help your mind expand away from a screen. I truly believe these breaks allow you to come at things with a fresh perspective.

Number eight: Making ideas happen. Read this book – it’s called Making Ideas Happen and it’s by a guy called Scott Belsky and it was one of the best books I’ve read when starting a business and getting into the creative world. You can have all the creativity in the world but if you don’t get your ideas out there, what’s the point? Perfection is indeed paralysing and I’ve come to realise this over the past five years. It could be a small part of a design or the finished product, but you’ve just got to commit to the end point. You can sit on an idea for years but if you don’t commit to its end point, it will never get out there and you will never know if it was a good idea or not.

Number nine: Observe and obsess. As a designer, you need to be in tune with what people like and what I mean by this is not what’s the latest trend, but what really resonates with people deep down. If you haven’t started already, observe everything around you. Pull things apart, ask why things are popular and liked by so many people. I believe understanding people’s intuition and what they desire is key to becoming a successful designer. You need to become obsessed with this.

I also think being obsessed with people – and I don’t mean in a weird, creepy way – can be deeply motivating. Find mentors. Observe and admire people in your field. I think it can be truly motivating and help you paint a clear picture and very motivating picture about the person you want to become. Sure, you can set goals of what task you want to achieve and by when, but I find it’s far more motivating and fluid to think about the person you want to become, and the rest will follow.

And number ten: Always say thank you. Always remember to say thank you and appreciate the people you work with. Don’t be a snob just because you’re a creative and they’re not. Sure, your ideas are important, but so too are all the people involved in making them happen. Our business involves so many people – delivery drivers, printers, factory craftsmen, all of which are integral to us delivering a great design, and the best conversations I’ve had have been when I’ve admitted to knowing nothing, and then that’s when they impart their knowledge on you. And this applies to any industry. You’ll enjoy your work more if you respect the skills of the people around you. 

Okay. So, that’s it from me. Now it’s your time to get inspired and get sceptical. You’ve got a great adventure ahead, but thank God you’ve chosen a fun one. Well done. Thank you.