You may be familiar with Romanian designer and illustrator Razvan Vezeteu—he’s been sharing illustrations daily on Dribbble for nearly two years now. If you’ve ever tried a daily design challenge you probably know that’s quite a big endeavor! But according to Razvan, it’s been totally worth it.
It’s been incredible to see Razvan’s illustration style develop and adapt over time. Read about his experience since starting out and hear what tips he has to share. Who knows? You might be inspired to take on a daily design challenge yourself!
Tell us a bit about yourself and your background.
My name is Razvan Vezeteu and I am a self-taught illustrator. I started my journey as an illustrator about five years ago after I graduated from college and got my Bachelor’s Degree in physical therapy. That didn’t work out, so I was forced to pick up a new skill in order to support myself and my girlfriend at the time. I’ve never considered myself a talented person when it comes to design, but I’ve always pushed myself to work harder than anyone around me. I am a strong believer that hard work overcomes talent.
Why did you decide to start designing and sharing daily?
Well, it was about three years ago, when I wasn’t really going anywhere with design and I felt like I was being a burden to everyone around me. So I decided to bet it all in and start a daily design challenge to help myself get better and to make myself seen by people.
What kinds of challenges have you encountered and how do you stay motivated?
There are loads of challenges you face when doing a daily design challenge. Everything from staring at a blank piece of paper or a screen to having to go to funerals in other towns and still make sure your design is being posted on social media that day. There have been challenges around every corner but I managed to push through them because, at the end of the day, I wasn’t doing daily designs just to become better, but to also be able to provide for my family.
Do you have any tips for keeping yourself accountable and pushing through creative block?
I think that once you start something like this, you just have to suck it up and push through it. I see this as a TV show that I put on for people who follow my work. If I miss a day it will create an imbalance—it’s a simple supply and demand type of thing because it’s 365 days, not 365 days and two weeks off once every three months. When it comes to creative block, I just play around with shapes in Illustrator until I go: “Hey! That looks like a cool idea. I’ll do that. Yay me!”
Tell us what the biggest outcomes have been from this process.
I’ve become insanely fast at working in Adobe Illustrator and also more confident at decision making when it comes to design. I’ve also been able to focus on work for much longer periods of time. Do I consider myself a master at this? No, I still make plenty of mistakes that I embrace and learn from. Doing this challenge has also improved my life overall because now I am more confident in myself in regards to other aspects of my life.
Would you recommend all creatives try out a daily design challenge?
Yes, it is something most of us should try out at least once. Start small—do a week or a month of daily designs. Once you find your footing and feel confident, you can push yourself for a whole year and just jump on it. I assure you it’s going to improve your work and also help you to be more active on social media sites.
Want to keep up with Razvan? Find him on Dribbble, Twitter, and on Instagram.
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