We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Abbey Fitzgerald. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Abbey below.

Hi Abbey, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I work as a product designer (digital products) in the Fintech space and as a fine artist. How did I learn about design and fine art? In the beginning, I learned by exploring many avenues: – College
– Post-college continuing education courses
– On-the-job learning
– Local meetups
– Online learning
– Freelance projects
– Conferences
– A whole lot of trial and error
I went to design school and studied graphic design, and I was fortunate to have an opportunity to explore fine art as well. It’s all about trying new things, and I’m constantly learning from my coworkers and the art and design community. The great thing is that learning never stops, and I’m continuously improving my craft.

That’s a good question about speeding up the learning process. When looking back at the time when I was new in my career, I remember that there was less educational information out there online than we have now. We’re so lucky there is much more online content, and it’s often free or at a minimal cost. There are online universities, general courses, and YouTube and social media where you can learn and upskill. Thinking about the new opportunities in the current information age, we live in a great time, and access to knowledge is open to a broader audience. Finding relevant information from creators you resonate with will speed up learning. We can find resources to gain the skills we want. If we can’t track down the answer, it’s an excellent opportunity to knowledge-share what you know with those in your industry.

I could have learned faster and designed and painted more, but it’s also important to have a balanced life (as I look back, there were times when I did not). It shouldn’t be all work; taking care of yourself and stepping out of the office and studio is essential. I’m more mindful of that as I get older, and the Covid years put that into perspective.

So many essential tactical skills are needed as a product designer. When we hear “designer,” we often think of the visual design. That is very important, but there are also things like wireframing, prototyping, conducting user research, testing product features, etc. There are also many critical soft skills needed. Working collaboratively with your team, strong communication skills, delivering feedback, negotiation, active listening, time management, and many others are required in order to succeed in design. Product design is very numbers-driven, and measuring design impact is important. Were improvements made? Did customers find value or find an improvement in the experience?

From an art perspective, it’s all about deliberate practice, and skills overlap when we compare fine art to design. Art requires skill and persistence, just like design. There’s no magic formula secret to improving. It requires a lot of painting and learning from your mistakes. Connecting with like-minded artists and attending workshops will make a huge difference. Like product design, as fine artists, we are creating a product and need to keep improving our skills to create an even better product. We need to market ourselves, connect with our collectors, understand market fit, find opportunities to put our art out there, and most of all, provide a fine art product that is well received.

Few obstacles stood in the way of learning more. I find myself going through phases of not getting as much done as I want; naturally, some guilt comes along with that. The world is full of so many distractions, and I have a lot of different interests, which can be an “interesting” combination. One thing that works for me is knowing once I get to work, I will get into the learning zone, and then I find that things fall into place. Working in blocks of uninterrupted time has positively impacted my workflow.

Abbey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I started my career in traditional graphic design and found my first job in publishing after design school. Many resumes were sent, freelance projects completed, and things evolved from there. I’ve been in design for over 15 years and have seen great growth and change in the industry. I started in more traditional graphic design (print) and shifted to working on digital products like websites and mobile applications. I moved into web design and development for a while and then into UX and product design. I currently work in the Fintech (finance and technology) space and have worked in several industries over the years.

I have explored fine art quite a bit in college and throughout my working years. You’ll find me painting outdoors on location, taking landscape studies I did on site, and creating larger studio works from them. Art is a good “side hustle” and mindset shift as it gets me outdoors after spending my workday in front of a computer. I typically paint in oil because I like the long drying time.

In addition to fine art, I’ve been focused on designing experiences around credit cards for the past few years. It’s been fun to learn more about this niche. I’ve worked on building a credit card rewards experience, installment lending, virtual card experiences, etc. Product design requires a lot of problem-solving and investigative work. Before anything is designed, the problem needs to be fully understood, which involves a lot of customer research to learn about their issues and uncover any unmet needs. We’re continuously designing and refining by talking to and studying how customers interact with the experience.

I don’t know if there’s one thing that I’m most proud of. I’m always proud when I hear positive customer feedback about their experience using the product because it helps them work more efficiently. Seeing the team succeed as they launch a project for the customer is rewarding. So much goes into it! When there’s positive customer feedback, it’s all worth it. Also, It never gets old opening up an app and seeing something you designed out in the world being used by millions of users. From a financial perspective, product design is there to make money for the company/client. It’s rewarding to know that you contributed to solid earnings, helped the customer, and contributed to their success.

The most rewarding thing as a fine artist is knowing that your painting is going to a good home and is appreciated. I always enjoy connecting with collectors and love hearing that one of my paintings reminded them of a special place or moment. We’re the sum of our experiences, and it’s the highest compliment when artwork builds a connection and changes ownership.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

It can be hard to break into the product design field, and this is often still the case for new designers. Some industries are easier than others, and I’m sure some “non-creatives” (everybody is creative) also experience this as they start in their career or career shift. It’s worth discussing this as we think about career journeys in product design. It’s an in-demand industry, so you’d think it would be more straightforward to land a role. I advise new designers to try for an internship early on (while you’re in school is great, but doesn’t have to be) and find a mentor if you can. Most importantly, keep going in the job search or starting your own freelance business (or both!). Whatever your plan is, keep going. Digital products need you! We all know there are plenty of experiences out there that could use improvement.

I think we often see people’s “highlight reels” on social media, and in most cases, it takes a lot of job applications and resumes sent to land that job. We don’t see the unglamorous side of things. I know for sure I applied to hundreds of jobs as I was getting started. Rejection is no fun, but I’m here to tell you it happened to me a lot as I was getting started. As you gain more experience in the industry, things will get easier.

This may or may not be interesting to people working in other industries, but product designers can certainly relate. It’s important to understand that every project is different, and there’s no magic formula to come up with the right solution out of the gate. When you have an idea, be open to change and the idea of being “wrong” as you test it with customers and learn more through research. As long as you’re learning and improving, you are on the right track and doing your best with your skills and the knowledge you have at that moment.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There is never a dull moment in design. If you enjoy constantly learning and looking for new challenges, art and design is an excellent way to do that. It is so rewarding to push yourself out of your comfort zone. I made it this far because art and design were challenging since I always want to learn more and keep improving. Things are constantly changing, and technology is always evolving, so there are always opportunities to learn and improve. Who knows, AI might be designing and painting for me in the next few years.

I touched on it above, but the most rewarding aspect of design is the problem-solving aspect and creating a better product for customers. It takes a village to launch software, and often, designers take on multiple roles during that process. I talk to people in all industries, and teams need to do more with less, and each team member is doing the work of multiple people, so this is pretty standard these days. This can be both exciting, challenging, and rewarding.

On the fine art side, there’s no better feeling than having a painting come together and being happy with the results. It’s a bonus when it leaves the studio for a new home.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @artbyabbeyfitzgerald
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abbeyfitzgerald/
• Twitter: @AbbeyFitzgerald