What surfing taught me about being a designer

I’ve never gone surfing before. Swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and Slip ‘n Sliding–but never surfing. Welcome to California. With just a few weeks of my internship left at RockMelt, I’ve been thinking about what I learned this summer. A new friend took surfing near Pacifica to ride some waves. While tumbling around in the Ocean, I spent some time thinking about design.

Let the waves knock you over
Swallow lots of water, burn your eyes with salt, chase after your board and do it again. and again. and again. and again. This is part of the fun. But soon, you’ll learn to hold your breath. You’ll listen for the wave, you’ll close your eyes and hang onto your board just a little bit tighter. Everything you design won’t get developed. Most ideas won’t even make it past a sketch. But you ride it out as far as it takes you. Don’t paddle to the shore and go home, get back on that board.

Point your board beyond the wave
The waves keep coming, especially when you first get started. There are lots of waves, roadblocks, problems to solve. As soon as you can get through them, you can hop up on the board and ride it out. But you would never set your goal so low that you’re project is guaranteed to flounder (though sometimes it happens anyway). So the trick is to the point the nose of the board beyond the wave. Float on top of wave; let it flow beneath you–past you. Aim for where you want to be, what you want to accomplish. But, you know, if the ocean eats you alive, you’ll be ok. Hold your breath, protect your head, let the waves spit you out and get back on that board.

Listen to your environment
Most of the time, the signs are there. Listen to your customers, your colleagues, your managers. Look for their body language, their tone of voice and the frequency of feedback. Sometimes, there is salt water burning in your eyes. That doesn’t mean you all your senses are dead. Open your ears and listen for the wave rushing up behind you. Either duck for cover or be ready to take it head on.

Pick your battles
You can’t ride every wave. Even if you could, you wouldn’t want to. Catch your breath, check out your surroundings and brace yourself. Face the a friendly wave or the surging tide that will give you either the best ride of your life or the biggest smackdown of the day. Though, if you keep taking the easy ones, you won’t get very good at surfing, or make a very good product, nor will you have very much fun. But sometimes, the best approach is to slip under the current, wait out the rumble, poke your head above water, look for the clear and get back on that board. You can’t do everything. So figure out what you can do and go with it full force.

Be uncomfortable
Frigid saltwater and cloudy skies do not feel nice. Neither does sitting inside at a desk all day. So compromise. Make it work; accept a little discomfort. You’re doing something great. Instead of complaining, get up, go for a walk outside and enjoy the sunshine.

Someone will always be better than you
That’s okay. Let them be. Sometimes, you can learn from them. All you probably need to do is just practice more.

Live in the moment
This one’s easy. Be where you are. Focus on one thing at a time and do your best.