We recently connected with Jon Ritt and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Jon, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
I’ve never concentrated developing my confidence, just building my skill.
I’m currently teaching The History of Graphic Design and after three months of studying some of the best creators throughout time, several students began lamenting about lacking confidence in their own work. One bright-eyed student said he spent all of his holiday break exploring variation after variation unsure of which was best. It seemed all the other’s heads were nodding along in support and agreement, suggesting that they do the same. I may have alarmed them when I said the path to greatness in design comes from exploring thousands of paths. My advice?: Keep exploring. Every variation builds creative muscle. Every iteration an opportunity to articulate a new visual language. And in about ten years or so, you’ll start to understand how to focus. How to visualize and actualize with clarity and consistency. And then in about twenty years you’ll be good. I’m thirty years in now and really ready to get after it.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I help people distinguish their brand from all others by Design. I encourage them to tell the truth and use creativity as a power tool to educate, entertain and inspire. I embrace all the sights, sounds, channels, technology, and poetry around us. I consider growth the most important measure of success, and at the same time value imagination more than ever because it’s a competitive advantage and it brings art to the everyday experience – which is no trivial matter.
My business partner Rob Bertolina and I have just launched a new agency based on the fact that everything we do is a team effort where everyone’s talent plays a vital role.
It’s called Us.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Curiosity / Imagination / Execution
I whole heartedly agree with Einstein’s quote “the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination”.
That said, I believe concept without execution is just daydreaming. So I might dream all day long, find the idea, then aim for flawless execution in everything we do.
And, I’ll add a fourth:
Accountability. It’s a important ability to have.
How would you describe your ideal client?
I’ve always asserted that great work comes from great clients.
But what makes a great client? Many things. But most importantly – trust. If you’re savvy enough to hire great talent, you should be savvy enough to trust them. Trust in the process. Trust in the value of beauty and intelligence. Trust that your audience is bright. Trust that your investment is worth it even when you can’t always track it with data. Much of brand building needs to be truly artful to provide surprise and delight. Great clients embrace that. Amazing clients demand it, delight in it and get rewarded for it.
And the ideal client is a partner who brings the gift of their expertise to each project and humbly accepts the gift of other’s expertise in return.
Contact Info:
- Website: weareus.agency
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonritt/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-ritt-25078829/
