This week has been especially great practice in working with some unclear directions and ambiguous tasks at my internship, since ⅗ days were remote and our supervisor was away on a conference all week. Usually, we work one-on-one in the office, and he is always around for questions or more clarification. He has been around on Slack to communicate, but he has been on flights and in meetings, so it’s not nearly the same availability. However, this also gave me the chance to explore some new neighborhoods and work from fun new spots! So let’s start with that. I spent Monday in Ostermalm, a neighborhood I have yet to really spend time in. I went to a cafe called Tossebageriet and had my first cardamom bun! It was very delicious. I also finished the book I brought, so in between tasks, I hopped over to a bookshop called Akademibokhandeln and got a book called Flashlight, which I am very excited to read on the long train ride to Gothenburg this weekend. I also finished my work early on Thursday and finally got to do some museum visits. The Vasa Museum was just as cool as everyone had told me, and the Nordic Museum was a beautiful one I hadn’t even heard about yet! Anyway, back to navigating uncertainty at the internship. 

I have noticed something with this job that I have actually always struggled with, whether it be at school, in the workplace, or even at home with crafts and hobbies. When working on something or creating something from scratch, I have trouble putting time into it if I am not 100% sure I am doing it correctly and it will be used in the end. I think this comes from a need for efficiency and not wanting to waste my time on something that doesn’t amount to a worthwhile project. For example, if our supervisor wants me to create a new floor plan or an updated brand book, he will just tell me that and have me go for it. I can ask for more clarification, but since I feel new to the company, it may result in me asking for his feedback every step of the way, which isn’t always realistic since he has his own work to focus on. Then, I find myself worried that I will spend multiple hours of the shift on a project that will be useless to my supervisor, and I will just have to start over. At home, this would prevent me from even starting until I am completely sure that I am working towards the correct product. At Pitt, I am so busy with assignments that I don’t have time to restart. On my own time, I don’t really allow myself to do something that feels arbitrary. But with this job, I am meant to be developing my skills and learning. And I am lucky enough to work for a supervisor who gives us ample time on projects. We don’t have quick tasks with immediate deadlines, and we are working on goals for the end of the summer. I have felt myself ease up on my need for efficiency and fear of wasting time. 

So when my supervisor gives me unclear directions and a vague task, I am working on not panicking and scrambling for more information. I do what feels right from my experience in design, and when I have a good first draft, I give it to my supervisor for feedback. Occasionally, he will redirect me, and I have to make major revisions. But often he is satisfied with what I made and just wants me to make a few tweaks, which won’t take much time at all. Now, I feel alright with either outcome, since with this experience, there is no major consequence either way. I am encouraged to take my own direction with my tasks, even if it is not what my supervisor originally imagined. I wonder if this impulse to do things correctly comes from a university mindset. The goal is to get the best grade possible based on the guidelines a professor sets. I am also swamped with so many different classes at once that I can’t always afford to waste time doing the wrong thing. 

All of that to say, I have learned to trust my gut even if I do not have every single piece of information about the task at hand. This has also helped me relax a bit, knowing I have time to make corrections and even take something in a completely different direction. Either way, the time I am taking is still to my own benefit because I am working on my eye for graphic design.