Note from Elise: I clawed my way to the finish line with this essay. I have published every week for the last four weeks and I was not going to let my streak end. Expect another essay from me next Wednesday, on my regular publishing schedule. Thank you for reading my work and supporting through sharing and commenting.
My friend Maya is a product designer who noticed her team had a visibility problem. Maya works with cryptographers and developers in a blockchain ecosystem. Her team does research and creates tools for other developers to use and build upon, but these tools are hard to see. They are mostly code and don’t have interfaces the way other digital products do.
She saw the need to create a visual brand for the work her team was doing, so more people could experience the fruits of the team’s labor.
The problem was that some of the developers on her team expressed hesitation and even annoyance about a “brand.” These developers are so passionate about their work, that they didn’t want to take time away from it (oh, to have that kind of ruthless focus). They did not see the use of a brand, much less a branding workshop.
Some designers may have written them off, or tried to work around them to prove them wrong. But Maya is thoughtful and perceptive, so she brainstormed with other designers on her team about fresh ways to communicate the vision.
Instead of trying to convince the team to invest in a brand, she focused on the pain of their visibility problem and offered the solution: an identity kit.
The language of a reusable system mirrored what developers tend to value in their own work. As she described to her teammates how they could strategically use and re-use an identity kit, a feeling of excitement built within the team. She got her teammates’ buy-in and used that momentum to create the brand.
Instead of struggling against resistance, Maya experienced ease. Her story highlights what is true for many situations: we can change minds with a little bit of humility and an intentional shift in framing.
The key to effective reframing is our language. So much of our created reality is based on the way we label and describe our experience. Humans use words to compress complexity so that we can communicate quickly and succinctly, but sometimes our choice of words is habitual and cuts off the fullness of what actually is.
For example, I told my mom, I am frustrated with my job. I began to notice how often I was saying that to her and to my husband. I noticed each time I expressed that frustration, I felt stuck and even more frustrated. I journaled about it:
I feel frustrated. But what is frustration? Frustration is a signal that something needs adjustment. What is in my power to adjust?
The answer didn’t come overnight, but through more reflection and conversation, I realized I was burnt out working on projects that had me mired in details and follow-up instead of leveraging my generative, conceptual strengths.
I had the power to adjust the situation by communicating my needs. I scheduled a meeting with my manager and he responded well. I was quickly moved on to projects that were better suited to my skills. But this outcome was generated from my ability to reframe my frustration from something that I felt, to a signal that needed interpretation and had a resolution.
We can orient our mind into problem-solving by avoiding our usual, cliché descriptions of life. We can wrinkle the fabric of our perception in a good way, and see possibilities and solutions where we once saw none.
Consider for yourself: were you rejected from that job or were you redirected to a more fulfilling path? Are you trying to convince your coworkers that your project is worthwhile or are you offering much-needed relief to a shared problem? Are you lonely or are you in a season of solitude preparing for what’s next? Are you worn out from everything you have to do or is your life abundant with opportunity and choice?
Is there something bothering you or is it an opportunity for exploration?