Every day, I talk to designers. Designers who want to make a site; to design for a living; to be the best. And for every one, I also meet someone who doesn't. Someone who is happy with their skill level - no matter what it is.

And I don't understand.

My story

As a designer myself, I strive to be the best I can be. I don't want to settle with what I've got.

I've spent years redesigning my own website. I've never taken it entirely seriously - it's always been something for me to practice on, and now I think I'm at the level where I can move on and take it seriously. I'm currently in the process of coding my custom Content Management System, and creating some quality content for it. Then I'll think about the design.

I look around and I see talent everywhere online. Designers who are utilising every ounce of their ability, and pouring it into creating these amazing sites. The look beautiful - they feel beautiful - and they're filled with quality. How do they do it? And how can you do the same?

Don't be afraid of change

It seems that people are afraid of changing. When you've been making things for a long time, you become set in your ways. It's natural that things we don't know can be daunting - we're unsure of the outcome, or the road to the outcome. But you shouldn't be! You should experiment. Don't settle with what you can already do. If you're pleased with what you can currently do, why stop yourself from learning more skills? The more skills you have, and the more experience you get, the better your designing will become.

I am a firm believer that everything in life we do - dating, speaking, designing - is a skill which we must learn. Everything from basic motor functions to social interactions. And unless there is a physical barrier which is stopping you from improving, I see no excuse not to.

I see not learning new techniques - be it learning to code, using layer masks, learning to brush, whatever - as an unnecessary restriction. You shouldn't tie yourself down to one genre either - if you're good at grunge, then start doing vector. Expand, and improve yourself! Expand the range of things you can do, because when you're dealing with clients, they might not want their business site covered with grunge art.

The pro-active way

Improving yourself, though, is not just as simple as saying "I am going to get better". There is a lot of work involved.

Sit down, somewhere you can concentrate, and really take the opportunity. How often do you get to sit down and think? I know for me it's pretty rare, so take advantage. Sit and think about what you can do. Make a list. Then make a list of your goals. Where do you want your designing to go? Do you want to be dealing with clients? Do you want your own flashy website? Do you want to design for the rest of your working life?

Because improvement depends on realistic goals. If you've been using Photoshop for a week, then the difficulties involved in dealing with high-rise clients seem insurmountable. So break it down and don't make the task difficult for yourself. Think about what you've got to do to get where you want to be. I'm not going to provide examples, because a little common sense can work that out for you.

And then start!

The hardest part in self-improvement is getting the attitude right. You can't take a back seat. You are the only person who can help you; nobody is going to do it for you. You have got to get up from your comfy seat (Metaphorically speaking) and work! Look at your list of what you can do, and then add to it things you can't do. Start ticking them off as you learn them.

You'll watch yourself and the range of skills you have to offer to the market, and a client, expand and grow greatly over time. The time it takes depends on you and your dedication to becoming a better designer.

In closing

If you're not sure you're good enough, or if you're frequently unhappy with things that you make, then give what I suggested a try. It's amazing how helpful a visual representation of the things you want to achieve can be.

I'm not saying that all these goals can be accomplished easily or quickly, I'm saying that they can be.