Photo by Robin Jonathan Deutsch on Unsplash

Finding Center: Reconnection and Career Evolution

“Once an interdimensional shapeshifter, always an interdimensional shapeshifter” — My favorite Inspirobot meme

After years of running the race to establish myself as a UX Designer / Researcher, and more recently as a Product Manager, I’ve made the decision to take some time away and create space for reflection.

OK, just kidding. The decision was made for me, via a trend many of us know all too well: the Dreaded Layoff. 🫠

To be honest, the news came as somewhat of a relief. As the ‘last (wo)man standing’ from our once flush design team, I feel confident that the work I’ve accomplished is something I can be proud of. I was ready to move on, and the timing was right for change. That little extra push out the door was a gift, providing me with time to focus and figure out what’s next.

This isn’t my first professional reinvention. Some years ago, I made the leap from landscape architecture to UX design — a feat I look back at with both incredulity and pride. But with each transition comes an opportunity to realign with what truly matters. This time I am not re-starting a whole new career from scratch — I am starting from experience, and bringing all my varied and myriad talents with me.

I am fortunate to be in a position where I can afford myself some time to reflect, and I know this is a luxury not everyone has. Still, too often, I think we rush from one role to the next without pausing to reconnect with our core values and passions. This is a trap I’ve fallen into before, and more than once it’s landed me in a place that wasn’t a good fit. Yet I’ve stuck it out, afraid to not gain that all too valuable experience, afraid of what my bank account would look like if I didn’t stay. Beyond time to break those old patterns.

This time I am choosing to intentionally take the time to rediscover what energizes me before deciding where to direct my professional energy, trusting that if I am following the right path for me, the universe will reward my efforts with the right role at the right time.

Reconnecting with Community

One of my first actions after the layoff was reaching out to my local design community. It’s felt amazing to reconnect with friends and colleagues from across my varied experience: UX designers, but also graphic designers, landscape architects, learning experience designers, and content creators. There’s something powerful about connecting with fellow creatives who speak your language, and I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed being part of a design community. At a recent Ladies That UX Meetup, the conversations flowed about design challenges, career paths, and industry trends. I felt, for the first time in a long time, like these were my people! These discussions helped me remember why I was drawn to design in the first place: the blending of problem-solving and creativity is my jam.

Ladies That UX — Phoenix quarterly Meetup!

Rekindling Creativity

Designing online is not the same as genuine hands-on creation. With my newfound freedom from the work laptop, I made it a priority to reconnect with tactile creative projects. I dragged out a old mid-century era dresser I’ve been meaning to refinish for years now, and got to work. The satisfaction of transforming something with my hands reactivated a different part of my brain, reminding me of the joy found in creating our physical environments, of sustainable practices, and of regeneration and reuse — just a few of the values that originally led me into landscape architecture oh so many years ago.

Taking this further, I’ve been learning macramé — a completely new creative outlet for me. The repetitive motion of tying cords in decorative knotted patterns has a meditative quality, and has become a mindfulness practice. Starting as a beginner has also been humbling and refreshing, a reminder that growth comes from embracing the unfamiliar.

My first creation!

Rebuilding the Foundation

For several weeks leading up to the layoff, I’d spent entirely too much time in front of my computer, neglecting my physical needs in pursuit of balancing multiple projects while intaking a firehose of new information, all moving at lightning fast speeds. Sometimes you just have to dig in, you know?

But of course, once my projects wrapped up, the lack of additional work and resulting layoff jarringly reminded of the importance — the necessity — of taking care of yourself first. Realigning my nutrition and exercise routines has provided the energy and clarity needed to rebalance my priorities. Getting out into nature with daily hikes up Tucson’s Tumamoc Hill have become my thinking time, and making sure my body and my mind have the fuel they need has brought a restored a sense of intention that had slipped in the hustle of the last few weeks.

These foundational habits create the container for everything else. When our physical well-being is attended to, our mind clears, our creative thinking expands, and our entire lives become more balanced. This is even more important during challenging times.

Tucson sunset from Tumamoc Hill

Evaluating Joy

Perhaps the most revealing exercise has been systematically evaluating my work across different domains and projects. I created a simple but effective framework:

1. Which projects put me in a flow state, losing track of time?
2. Which problems did I feel compelled to keep exploring, even after hours?
3. What aspects of my work do I love sharing with others?
4. Which accomplishments still bring a sense of pride?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the projects that drained me often featured artificial urgency, lack of exploration, disconnection from end users, or values misalignment.

My favorite projects (and my best work) involve both the strategic elements of product ownership and the creativity of design. They also involve connection with others. I am in my element when I have the opportunity to hold and execute on a vision, be creative, collaborate across teams, build trust with clients, and understand the goals and challenges of end users.

A core characteristic of my best work is that it has purpose. I am motivated by projects that deliver value through helping others improve their lives. Examples include previous projects in the education space, such as when my team and I created a course to give high school students an in-depth look at potential leadership careers in healthcare. Other examples, from my landscape architecture days, include the many tree plantings I’ve led in schools and underserved communities, proctoring the annual Tucson Urban Foresters classes, and of course designing beautiful low water desert landscapes.

By identifying these characteristics, I can gain clarity on where to focus moving forward, and which opportunities will align with my strengths and values.

Photo by Med Badr Chemmaoui on Unsplash

Creating Space

I’m becoming more and more comfortable with the idea that my professional identity doesn’t need to be forced or manufactured. I am at my best when I am being myself, and contributing to work I care about. I add value, perspective, and I work to be a great teammate.

My non-linear career path has sometimes made it a challenge to define myself professionally, but I am learning that my multi-modality and ability to reinvent is one of my greatest strengths. By alternating between community connection, creative exploration, physical well-being, and reflective evaluation, I’m allowing my professional reinvention to unfold rather than forcing it into existence.

For anyone considering a career transition, by choice or otherwise, I encourage you to resist the immediate leap. Take some time to rest, breathe, and reconnect with what is important to you. The insights gained will inform not just your next role, but potentially your entire life.

I don’t yet know exactly where this path leads, but I’m approaching the journey with curiosity rather than certainty. And that itself feels like success.

What activities help you reconnect with your core values during times of transition? I’d love to hear your experiences in the comments below.