Workflow

Part 1

1. What parts of your practice make you feel most engaged and creative?

Being able to work in relation to a topic that interests me. Usually, this is something around storytelling. Being able to communicate a story illustratively, through visuals. It gives me just the right amount of creative freedom to explore my artistic nature, but tied solely to a specific topic. E.g. film posters, various cover types.
I find that ideas flow easily when I get to incorporate art and illustration into designs, and I usually finish a project very quickly once I start. It's what brings me the most excitement.

2. When do you ‘actually’ feel like you’re designing?

Usually, I start a project off with a mental checklist of what I'm required to complete for it. I think of what I HAVE to do, and I find a way to put a spin on it into what I LIKE to do. Kind of how every artist has their own style, but I do it whilst designing as well. Depending on the subject and within limitations, I usually find something that interests me and decide to pursue that part more than others, as long as it allows me to do so. This makes research and decision-making much easier, and it helps me get immersed in what I do.

3. What pain points do you identify in your own workflow?

I'm already a very anxious individual. And this doesn't help me through my practice at all. Every time I'm working on something with very high limitations, I can't help but feel suffocated. Like one step in any direction can send me over the edge, and every step I do take does exactly that. It doesn't feel like I do anything right, especially when it's regarding coursework, and I think of how lowly tutors must think of me. 
My workflow does get rather rocky when I'm given too many restrictions or rules, especially when it's a topic I'm not very familiar with. I'd rather be given a chance to experiment artistically to really connect with it. My brain finds it hard to keep track, and it quickly becomes draining.

4. What tasks or steps feel like obstacles to designing?

My phone, for one. I try to keep it farther than arm's length so I can't reach it when I'm sitting at my desk. It really helps me forget about it and not check it. But mostly, I'd say it's anxiety, again. I think of my lack of experience in comparison to others, and I begin to question the quality of my work, or the purpose of me even trying. I start to dissociate randomly during work. This lack of self-confidence has calibrated my brain into laziness. So, most of the time, if I get distracted once, my first thought about getting back to work is 'I've done a bit, if I do more it won't be any better, so what's the point?' 

Part 2

What tools, techniques, or strategies did you find in your research, and how can they be integrated into your practice? 

I tend to struggle with severe dips in confidence and motivation, which often come hand in hand with keeping my attention focused and overall mental chaos. I took a look at Motion, which appears to offer an AI daily task planner, which would help me clear my head a lot.
Alfred would help enormously with decision fatigue and workload friction as it’d make it easier to remain focused, keeping track of everything in one place.
I like the idea of separating writing from formatting. iA Writer caught my attention as, even though I consider myself a decent writer and actively enjoy it, I struggle with structuring my ideas effectively and finding my train of thought. This one feels like it would be great fun to use as well.

Part 3

How do emerging tools (including AI) challenge or change what it means to be a designer, and how might your workflow need to adapt?

In my opinion, the role of the designer is rapidly shifting from maker to director. Due to AI being able to generate visuals, layouts, colour palettes, and so much more that used to take days or even weeks in the past, designing has become more about creative direction rather than production. Where we used to create, now we have to curate our options. It's a great tool that helps work move along faster and pushes designers to develop serious evaluation skills and to communicate visuals through words more effectively, in order to generate a number of ideas at once. I think it's important to set boundaries and aim for responsible use, remembering not to use AI for delivery but for things like organisation, wireframing and idea exploration, which otherwise would be one of the most meticulous and time-consuming steps in the design process.