We recently connected with CJ Hernandez and have shared our conversation below.

CJ, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We love asking folks what they would do differently if they were starting today – how they would speed up the process, etc. We’d love to hear how you would set everything up if you were to start from step 1 today.

I did! Around three years go around COVID, I saw an opportunity in all the chaos, not so much as to start over but to find a new opportunity to use the skills I’ve acquired for 14 years as a Graphic Designer to make a move to another profession. At the time because of COVID I was hardly working and thought I finally had the time to use my time and focus on something different, learn a different skill, or even change my career path. My excuse always was that I didn’t have enough time to do so, I couldn’t use that excuse any longer and needed to take advantage of the free time I finally had.

It was time to move to greener pastures and rechallenge myself. For a few years, I knew an opportunity in UI/UX Design would be a great fit for me and I always had the encouragement that I would do great from one of my close friend that is in the same field as a very successful Developer. He too started as a Graphic Designer and made the switch to Tech; I always saw his success and knew I could do the same with the time I had on my hands. This time I needed to do things differently, stop hesitating, stop with the excuses, and just go for it. I do believe in life you have to take chances and make things happen for yourself and I’ve been the only one that has stopped that from happening.

I had to be realistic, I needed to make it happen quickly and after a lot of research I found that doing a boot camp would be a great way to get into UX/UI Design, it was only 9 months long and it looked like something that would challenge me and also change my financial situation drastically. Living in Austin, Tx it seems like a no-brainer to start working in tech, and most importantly my skills as a graphic designer would make me stand out.

A boot camp isn’t cheap, and as work started ramping up again, I knew it was going to be very hard to balance my freelance and full-time job. Nevertheless, I knew if I wanted this, I was going to have to make that sacrifice. It wasn’t easy but I found the money to enroll in a UI/UX boot camp to get certified. I was excited, I didn’t overthink the decision and quickly enrolled.

After just a few months into the boot camp, I found myself juggling so many things at once that during my weeks I was working from 8:00 am till past midnight. But I knew it was going to be worth it, and as I approached the end, I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I never worked so hard in my life, but it did pay off. I finished my boot camp, and in less than two months, I got hired at a fantastic company, starting a new career and being in a professional and financial position I never thought I deserved or could accomplish for that matter

Why would I have done differently? I wouldn’t take as long as I did to take a chance on myself and make things happen. That’s how you get where you want to faster, by taking your shot. There always going to be obstacles, either time or money, but I learn that there are always way around that if you really want it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Graphic Designer based in Austin, TX born and raised in Puerto Rico. I started drawing at an early age, and I guess that’s where it all began for me. I remember always being complimented on my handwriting from a very early age and finding myself doodling, even though I didn’t know what I was doing most of the time. I was too young but knew there was something there to be explored. Unfortunately, I have a horrible memory. I don’t recall what I started drawing, but I remember drawing NBA mascots in first grade. My friends loved them and wanted me to draw mascots of their favorite teams. I guess you can say those were my first clients in a way.

My first love was drawing, and painting started to become my mistress. Painting gave me a new kind of excitement, a new creative outlet that let me play around with colors, and all sorts of ways to be creative. My mother always supported me and helped me grow my creativity. I was enrolled in drawing and painting classes, and my mother even set up her work computer with Microsoft Paint so I could use it. I spent hours glued to that monitor. Many years later, I’m still doing it.

As I grew older, my interest started to go elsewhere, but my love for design grew. Fast forward to my last year of high school; I started contemplating what my future might look like. I wanted a fancy job, get a fancy title attached to my name. I wanted to be an Architect, and maybe that’s what I should have pursued, but I think I always knew that wouldn’t make me happy. I started looking into Graphic Design, and lo and behold, I enrolled in Painting, Visual Arts/Graphic Design. That was something I knew I could be good at and most importantly, enjoy. I always find this saying cheesy but accurate, “Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life,” and that was always my goal. I ultimately finished my bachelors in Both Painting and Visual Arts/Graphic Design.

For the past 16 years, give or take, I’ve always had a blast designing things that people love while also connecting with and understanding them in the process. I love solving problems with delicate and engaging designs. I have experience in brand identities, digital design, illustration, product & marketing design, and art direction. I’ve worked on a wide range of projects, collaborating with different scales of clientele, from big companies to small ones. I’m more known for my logo design skills and brand development.

My first job as a Graphic Designer was at a Print Shop in Puerto Rico. After moving to Austin, TX, I worked at a licensing company where I made designs for all kinds of products, and before switching to UX/UI Design my last job was at a large-scale printing company/Creative Studio, where I started as a Lead Designer and later a Creative Director for around 4 years.

However, as a UI/UX designer, I’ve learned to bring strategic thinking into every project I get my hands on. My focus has been on making users the center of my design process while simultaneously ensuring the outcome is compelling to clients and consumers. Currently, I’m working in ZenBusiness as a Product Designer. My focus is to create user interfaces for websites and app screens, to facilitate user interaction. I still do Graphic Design work, as my side hustle. Designing logos and Brand Identity is always something I will continue doing.

I believe what sets me apart from others is the range of what I can do because of my background in Graphic Design, and now in UX/UI Design, and other skills like drawing, and painting.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being creative has always been getting to see my work in the real world. As a Graphic Designer, I get to design so many different things that people interact with and I believe the key to a successful business starts with a great designed logo and a creative Brand Identity. I feel overcome with joy, when I see that what I created helped a company and/or business success, When a successful business is thriving using my work, it’s definitely a lot of pride in what I do.

Also, I always find it very rewarding to see my client’s reactions when I help them bring their ideas to life or help them decipher what they truly want and need.

I’m passionate about working with clients directly in a collaborative way, to come up with powerful visual ideas that amplify both their brand and their user experience. As a UI/UX designer, I’ve learned to bring strategic thinking into every project I get my hands on. My focus has been on making users the center of my design process, while simultaneously making sure the outcome is both compelling to clients and consumers.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Working as a Graphic Designer for around 16 years, later I decided to pivot into UX/UI Design and take a 9-month boot camp. That journey definitely tested my resilience, how it never had before.

When I started the boot camp I had also a full-time job as a Designer/Creative Director and was working as a freelancer. Juggling everything all at once was certainly very difficult. The boot camp lasted close to a year and for all that time I had to drive to my nine to five, and get back home to take care of design projects from my freelance while trying not to fall behind in the boot camp.

For close to a year my weeks consisted of working hours from 8 am to way past midnight almost every day. Trying to be creative with so many different projects all at the same time was very overwhelming. I always thought of myself as a very organized person and able to handle a lot of different projects at the same time, but this definitely took me to the extreme in the process, I learned so much. To put into perspective a after a normal day of work that consists of multiple creative briefings, multiple design projects, I had to come home to work on logo and branding work for my client and then studing for my boot camp or finishing research or design interface so I can be able to keep making progress and not fall behind.

I learned how to juggle overwhelming odds, by taking every project one at a time, being mindful of time constrait, setting up work plans and laying out plans on what I was going to be working on every day. Sticking to schedule but always understanding my limits and knowing that creativity can’t be forced. I was able to overcome so many obstacles that now I feel that whatever I get thrown into I can handle and knowing not to get discouraged.

I feel lucky to have had to go through that, and being able to test my resilience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://designercj.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/its.designercj/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/designer.CJ
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/designercj/

Image Credits
All right to the images uploaded belong to me.