2 things I aim to learn during my 3-week holiday
Always be learning.
During this 3-week Caribbean break I plan to not only relax (and of course spend quality time with daughter and partner) but also learn.
There are many things I’d like to learn or become better at. But I must choose where to dedicate my focus during this break. Our opportunities are unlimited but our time is not. Therefore, with the limited time I have available I have decided to acquire skills in areas that I’m very curious about, and which I deem are critical for the future success of my enterprises. These areas are copywriting and UX design via Figma.
Copywriting
First, let’s talk about copywriting. According to the Oxford dictionary, copywriting is the activity or occupation of writing the text of advertisements or publicity material. In my own terms, I define copywriting as the art of writing text that sells a product or service.
Copywriting a vital skill for a company to have, since if you can’t convince prospects about the benefits of your offering, you will find it hard to grow your business. I feel it is important for someone in the founding team to exhibit these skills. Moreover, since I plan to go solo (more on this in a future post) in my founder journey, I must become better at copywriting.
In any case, I’m relishing learning about copywriting. I like words. In fact I marvel at individuals who are able to string together letters of the alphabet to conjure memorable stories, ads, or speeches that leave a lasting and compelling imprint in people’s minds.
UX Design + Figma
Next, let’s talk about UX design and Figma. I suck at designing and I don’t want to suck at it. I also feel I could build better products if I had better UX design skills. By better I mean that the resulting product should be more useful and provide a more pleasing experience.
Granted, there are companies out there making loads of money with products that don’t have great UX. That’s great for them. But that’s not what I want. So I’m going to follow my heart and apply it to the things it directs me toward. Besides, I want to have fun while building products, and I want to channel this attitude in my creations so that I may delight my customers along the way too.
Over the years, I’ve come to really appreciate and admire the importance of design. I don’t claim I will become the pre-eminent UX designer of the century, but I want to be able to be dangerous enough to create something that can be good. Then from there I will aim to associate myself with individuals that can take this good design to insanely great.
Finally, the reason why I mention Figma is because I feel it is the tool par excellence in design circles these days. I therefore cannot skimp on learning how to use it well. Thankfully I already use it for EnVsion, but I know that I have a lot to learn on how to better use it.
Dealing with reality
I know realistically that 3 weeks is not enough to become proficient in these 2 areas. For me, these 3 weeks will just mark the start of my journey in learning these lifelong skills that I believe will not only help me become more successful in business, but will also enrich my life.
Never stop learning my friends.