Since joining the team a little over a year ago I've learned some things about myself.  One thing I realized early on is that I was allowing myself to settle for "good".  It's easy to create "good" design, and it's way too popular these days.  I know this because I see "good" design all over the web:  blogs, portfolios, and galleries.  It's cheap.

When I first joined the team it was difficult to hear Joey (the CLS Creative Director) pick apart my designs, and force me to rethink, redo, and start over.  I would think in the back of my mind, "It's good enough, why is he creating such a fuss about this?".  After far too long I finally began to realize that I was unfortunately right.  It was "good enough".

But should I be satisfied with just being "good enough"?  This was a slap in the face, to say the least.  And although it took some time for me to understand, I finally realized that I didn't want my work to be "good enough", and neither did Joey.  Actually, I couldn't ask for a better environment to grow, learn and stretch myself.  And, luckily, Joey didn't give up on me.  What I've learned from this team will never be forgotten, and I hope that I will continue to apply it to every area of my life, not just design.

I want to be great at what I do, not just good enough.

I challenge you, even if you're not a designer or artist, to look at yourself and ask "Is the effort I'm putting into this just 'good enough', or could I push a little harder?"  Ask yourself this on a daily basis, and be brutally honest with yourself, you won't regret it.

-Jeremy Wells, Lead Artist