I really love this story. Optimism has always helped me in my path as a designer. As English is my second language, I often didn’t understand design critiques. I often felt undervalued or underappreciated.

But at the end of the day, I would tell myself “oh well, at least I learnt a few more words in English, so chin up, tomorrow is another day. “

That said, after many years in the industry, I also feel that designers have to absorb a lot of criticism. I always felt, and still do, that a buddy system or mentoring system is a much more natural way for designers to excel.