A Roller Coaster Graphic Designer's Life Story

 Assalamualikum.

I'm Mahbubur Rahman.

Today I will share my graphic design carrier life story.

How did my journey begin? It's like a wild dream.

Truth is stranger than fiction. 

I couldn't imagine how many long walks, ups and downs were waiting. 

After completing my honors in Computer Science, I realized it's not my dream subject. 

Programming language is not for my type.

I found my passion in the artistic, creative field. 

I loved drawing from childhood, continuing until my graduation level.

During my graduate level, I discovered Photoshop, the coral draw, and Illustrator. 

From 2012 to 2022, a flashback of a designer's life.

Eleven years a long walk to freedom.

What did I learn?

I spent time on a roller coaster. It was my age of mistakes and achievements as a designer.

You can take your lesson.

Motive?  

Awareness. 

Explore my pitfalls and find a better way to achieve your design dream.

I returned home from Bangalore.

From the beginning, I couldn't focus my mind. 

I am confused about my goal in life, thinking about how to make it meaningful.

Two years passed like a wild storm.

I meet with the stock market.

It's a common trend for a middle-class youngster like me to earn money somehow. 

Family responsibilities were a crucial issue too.

So, I, too, fall into that idea.

I thought my graduation would take time to support me.

Meanwhile, if I can earn fast cash, that would be nice.

I didn't think much and started my journey to the stock market.

In 2006 stock market rise like a KingKong in Bangladesh!

As a beginner, I started to earn handsome money and continued it with joy and dreams.

I pay little attention to designing or my programming graduation knowledge.

The money came to me like a flood.

My earning amount was beyond imagination!

This adventure I continue till 2010.

It helped me to build a solid financial position.

In 2010 to some personal issues, I was out of the market for some time.

The market starts to fall at that time.

It's hard for me to explain that time's desperate condition.

One after another fall, but I continue to buy more shares like a fool. 

Result? Blunder.

I lost a fortune.

Money left me the way it came to me!

I forgot I shouldn't bite more than I can chew!

This trend continued for the next two years till 2012 as a nightmare!

I married in 2012. 

In the meantime, one of my close school friends came.

He met me at my new office location.

Due to hard time our office shifted.

He inspired me to discover my inner creative power.

He told me about graphicriver.net, a reputed online design marketplace.

He encouraged me to join the stream.

He asked me about my passion and so much potential design sense. 

Why are you not developing your skill in this arena?

I wake up. I battled a lot with myself.

I asked myself whether I was walking on the right track.

Or should I go back to my pavilion?

After marriage, starting a new carrier is as challenging as climbing Mount Everest.

We often hear it and turn to 360 degrees but only those faced know and feel its special price like me.

It seems I have to start from scratch.

At the same time, I had to maintain my family all expenses.

Learning Graphic Design. 

As a pro, understanding market demand and developing my skill was like a third world war!

Market-oriented, client-focused material created with innovative ideas was challenging. 

And I accepted the challenge.

Motivated and inspired and start my career walk.

I had no PC. No smartphone.

So, I start to spend 4/5 hours every day after office time.

It was a complete self-made voyage despite struggling with financial issues.

Poverty all-time haunt me like midnight horror movies!

Sometimes I wished to give up as the living cost increased and my income was shrinking!

I had a one-way ticket. 

Learn new skills and develop myself.

After all day of hard work, it was not an easy challenge. 

I utilized every second like an ever-hungry curious learner.

I set up my mind on two crucial strategic decisions.

Eight hours of office work. 

And the rest of the hours for my new dream. 

Gateway builds mission impossible to possible!

I spent almost one and a half years on deep study.

Articles from various sites about Graphic design were my mind food.

YouTube was not very familiar to me. 

And the paid course was beyond my buying power.

I didn't know that YouTube is a Platinum mine of knowledge.

Amuse to remember those old golden days!

Envato was my favorite place where I read many in PDF format about various Graphic Designs.

Those articles were as long as the English Channel!

I had to read, understand and apply every step. 

Many days go this way.

At first, I started to make wallpaper as a beginner and shared my creation with my stock market clients.

They amazed and inspired me, criticizing my creation.

And I love it. Yes, it helped me to improve my Graphic Design like a pro.

My passion for drawing helped me as a close friend from my childhood.

I always tried to create something better and different than others.

One of my cousins came to me who had a travel agency one day.

He was looking for a logo for his business.

But the fun fact is he was unwilling to spend on that purpose with a professional graphic logo designer!

I didn't think about money on that matter.

I knew quality comes. First, profit is its logical sequence.

I was willing to explore my potential power in creative design.

So, I made a logo for him.

It took almost 7/10 days, my life's first logo!

Quality? Watch out!

In today's perspective, it wasn't delightful, but to me, at that time, it was terrific! LOl!

It was a boundless joy as it was my first logo creation on my graphic design journey.

He was also happy a lot and offered me some money!

I refused and told him it was a compliment from myself.

Instead, wish me a bright future!

Life was going in this circle.

Read the article, learn, input, and apply.

Trial and error.

After six/seven months, my friend came to my office again.

He criticized me without hesitation.

He told me what you are making is not on market demand. 

They are not showing any value-added message.

Follow the trend of Grphicriver.net trend. 

Growth hacks and tries to create unique designs better than others.

It inspired me with a curious question.

I was thinking about how to improve like a professional Graphic Designer?

I start my self deep research on Google and YouTube. 

Days, weeks, and months I spent exploring new learning opportunities.

Browsing was my addiction. 

From office hours to any single free moment, I never stopped.

It was my passion with great love for Graphic Design.

I never took any break. Even I got one minute I utilized.

I had no idea about mockups. 

So, at that time, I start deep searching and studying once again.

How to do a perfect mockup?

I found some tutorials. 

I try to learn from those places.

Besides, I give the whole emphasis on doing something with my ideas.

That was the hot cake time for making top-notch business cards.

The idea fascinated me.

I loved to play with a new concepts. 

It increases a business identity value through its business card.

I love to learn and get feedback.

So, I started making business cards for others for free.

I discovered. 

My design sense. 

And experience is increasing with a more aesthetic view with great pleasure.

I spent one and a half years in this transition period. It was from 2011 to 2012 in mid.

My second love of Graphic design started with an infographic.

I started my self-learning through different blogs. 

At that time, I had no idea about the balmy platform where one can get a good idea about the magic of infographics. 

Nowadays, countless sites are available for any curious graphic learner.

I started to create my infographic style with pleasure.

Business cards, logos, and infographics were my weapon. 

Three musketeers were my first gateway to the ever-fascinating Graphic Design world.

In 2014 I bought my dream PC with the help of my that friend. 

It cost around $700, which was a dream for me!

I became more determined and focused. 

I will never stop pursuing excellence in my passionate graphic design dream gateway.

So far, I remember I discovered each hat site for freelancers. 

It was cheap. Offer only $6 to $7 for a flyer and infographic!

They demand a lot. But as I was a beginner learner, I was less efficient. I accept all those hardships with a smile!

So I focused on skill development instead of money.

I start my ever-thirsty self-learning journey. My dream was to build my portfolio from scratch to the next level.

I learned how to make intimacy with an illustrator.

My 2012 to 2014 March went in this footsteps.

Well, let's wrap up here today.

In my next article, I will share my 2014 to ongoing years of visual travel experience.

How did I find my way to being a self-made man in the creative world?

Until next time,

Hasta la vista!