A couple of days ago I had lunch with Eric Chimenti, one of my design professors from Chapman University. We chatted about the school’s graphic design program and how it has evolved since I graduated in 2004. He asked me what top ten things I had learned when I was in school. Here’s the list of things that I would have loved to have shared with my college-aged self, especially when times felt frustrating or hopeless.

Last November I was invited to participate in an article for HOW Magazine that took a very hands-on approach to creativity. Author Jim Krause curated four exercises from his new book, D:30: Exercises for Designers, and four creative professionals—including myself—took a swing at them.