“The unexamined life is not worth living.” socrates
Socrates also implores each of us to “know thyself.” The Apostle Paul exhorts us to “examine yourselves.” Several years ago, to better understand myself, I took the VIEW assessment to determine my approach to creativity and problem-solving. By evaluating the answers to 34 questions, VIEW provides information about personal preferences in three areas: orientation to change (Explorer or Developer style), manner of processing (External or Internal style) and ways of deciding (Personal or Task style).
Because I believe it’s important for clients to understand a graphic designer’s creative disposition and problem-solving approach, I’d like to share an abbreviated synopsis of my results.
My styles were assessed as Explorer, Internal and Personal. A few implications of each are:
Explorer
• Works well without structure and authority
• Maintains energy by working on a wide array of tasks
• Gains energy from envisioning the big picture
Internal
• Prefers working in quiet environments
• Learns and works best when alone (prefers solitude)
• Learns and takes in information visually (observing and reading)
Personal
• Sets priorities based more on a personal and caring kind of judgment
• Prefers dim or darker environments
• Prefers communicating strong points about options
More than anything else, the VIEW assessment confirmed my decision years ago to pursue a career as a freelance graphic designer. And my clients reaffirm it every day.