In the competitive world of Graphic and Web Design, one of the most important things to learn is when to divorce onseself from the craft. Artists by nature can become very attached to their work so this is probably one of the toughest things to accept when working professionally.

What you have to realize is the difference between working for an individual and working for oneself is the ownership of the craft. Take for example an instance where a painting is being done for a family. While doing said painting you want to do it to the best of your abilities since you were hired based on what was shown as your quality work. During the painting, a family member may ask you to leave off his/her acne or make his/her nose a tad different. It is their painting so you oblige. This is different however if you were doing the painting as a portfolio piece and the family are paid models that are at your service.

The same can be said when designing a logo, business card, postcard, poster or even a website. The person paying you calls the shots and therefore you cannot be married to your work. There are times when I have had a logo or website replaced with something I consider less quality than what I had initially created. Upon surfing to a known site of old, I bump into a redesign that isn’t an upgrade but quite the latter but it is no longer any of my business. This is due to my being a professional and keeping my work as a simple date, and not a spouse (metaphorically speaking.) Now in cases where a client asks my professional opinion, I give it without issue because I know that I am doing a service. When a job is complete, it is complete, I would love repeat business but I am no longer attached to that creation.

As an Art Director in the past, I remember this was always the toughest area in dealing with new hires. The fresh “out of school” designer is normally so proud of their work that when a client asks for a change it is devastating to their ego. If you want to do well in the creative field, you must learn to detach without sacrificing quality, as hard as it may seem to do. You will do better for it, your clients will be happier for it (no-one likes a creative screaming bloody murder over an edit) and you will succeed in your given field.