I am still learning. And so is my dad.

When I was growing up, my father was a lawyer. He’s now a professional Santa, but that’s a topic for another day. I knew as a kid that he had to take a certain amount of continuing education classes every year, and I thought that sounded like a total drag…all those years of school and college and you still had to take classes just to keep your job? No thank you!

I realize many adults are glad to have school behind them, somewhat in part because they didn’t always enjoy the experience. But even if our professions don’t require continuing education, I think we can all agree that there’s value in keeping up with what’s happening in our fields and learning about new things.

For me, as a designer, the principles of good design haven’t really changed. But technology keeps moving forward at a rapid pace. I recall with amusement now a college professor who told us how important it was to take care of our Zip disks, because that’s how our work would be stored and transferred in the future and if you lost one you could lose your life’s work. If you don’t remember Zip disks, you’re not alone…I haven’t used a disk of any kind for my work in years! In fact, the computer I remember fondly from my younger years is now available as a historical accessory for American Girl dolls.

So yes - continuing education is important to me. I’ve learned new software and equipment as well as techniques, and I will continue to do so. But I think most importantly, it’s learning (and unlearning) cultural information as our society progresses that is key to my success as a designer - and as a human being.

I approach my work with curiosity and humility, and am eager to learn new things from folks who know something different than me. I don’t believe that this in any way diminishes my experience and expertise - I think it enhances it! And I think we can all benefit from approaching things with a wide open mind, ready to learn and grow.

You know what? Let’s return to my father…the now professional Santa. He went to Santa School. SANTA SCHOOL. Until he did, I wouldn’t have imagined that such a thing existed! But it does, and he really enjoyed it. Because he was learning about something that interested him and provided a path forward to what he wanted. And I think that by focusing on the path forward, that leads us where we want to go, we can embrace learning about things that interest us with a childlike sense of wonder!