Is it normal to not be able to put emotions into your work?

Truth be told, I'm a very emotional person and just want to express it somehow. I've been doing graphic design for a while now and I'd say I'm pretty average, but I know what I'm doing for the most-part. I can do commissions, create something for someone, create random stuff for myself, but the one thing I really can't do it create work that puts emotion into the screen. I've tried, and have never been satisfied with the outcome. I don't try to compare myself to other people when I attempt to start, but I always come to a blank. This is quite a broad question. Wondering if anyone has any advice/techniques.

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Comments ( 10 )
  • eageali

    Yeah honestly I think you're just gonna set yourself up for disappointment if you set that as your goal before you begin a piece. I personally think that anything you make will be interpreted in an infinite amount of ways by anyone who sees your work, so either way, only you will know exactly how you felt. Work while you're inspired and stop stressing over it ?

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  • Idk if I’ve ever done graphic design work with actually putting emotions into it. Can be hard to put emotions into something fallowing specifics for someone else.

    I feel like the whole time I just pushed
    myself to be who I once was about art.
    My now lack of creative side is what really made me fail at being a designer and become a drop out. When it came to ideas and brainstorming for people I did not have it. You have that and it’s way beyond what I could of done if I stayed in school for it. Like duft said idk if it’s something super emotional of a thing to do. I feel like it’s normal to not always have emotions in everything you do.

    Printing shirts, heat press, cutting out lil designs for the ink was super fun but the designing freemind fucked me. If I had one thing to fallow like a copy I would of had fun doing it.

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    • I totally understand the difficulties of being creative, I still have a lot of blocks with it so I try to teach myself to be creative and it's difficult haha.

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      • I used to have it but it’s like once it’s gone I can’t seem to get it back. I wish I never gave up on it. Being a creative person can be pretty impressive.

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        • Yeah it's quite difficult to do and a lot of people don't realize that. I struggle with it sometimes. Glad to see someone who can relate.

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          • Me too, I always felt like a only failure on it.

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  • mauzi

    Nice how did you get into it? I have the same problem. graphic design is pretty unemotional tbh what about illustration? may be more feelings there. do you see things well in your mind before drawing them?

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    • I got into graphic design with my school and took it for a couple years and took off from there!

      Oddly enough, I'm actually quite terrible at anything related to hand-drawing. Painting, drawing, not my thing I'm awful. Once in a while I'll do a free-handed sketch for something I create but not usually. Maybe I should try it though, see what comes out.

      And sometimes yes I do see "it", but the execution isn't always to it's prime.

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      • mauzi

        Do you work for someone or freelance? What all do you do as a graphic designer?

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        • I don't work or freelance yet, just graduated HS. I usually did work for my school for advertising, logo, or event purposes. I plan to reach out to some companies to shadow though.

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