In my middle age I have surprised myself to discover that I fundamentally enjoy the process of helping clients by making them feel heard and understood, almost as much as the enjoyment I derive from drawing and creating, which has been with me for as long as I’ve been alive.
This awakening was described to me, slightly breathlessly perhaps, as my having become someone akin to a Bodhisattva, someone who helps others out of suffering using their compassion.
I think the root of this compassion that motivates me are my young children, whose experiences are so immediate and total, and who don’t have the benefit of a larger worldview yet, whom I constantly helping to interpret the world for. I realize that I need to bring peace and order to them.
And similarly, I realize that my career is fundamentally about caring for my clients by internalizing their needs, remembering what they tell me, and establishing trust between us. I manifest those client needs into visual designs and verbal concepts that they feel comfortable with, bringing them peace and order. The better I listen, the clearer the pathways of communication, the better the project turns out. It makes sense.
-Edgar Papazian, 2017
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