2025: The year I (finally) said yes to training courses
📚Reading time: 5 minutes
We all know that little voice that whispers “not now, maybe later” when it comes to training. For years, I put off the idea of taking training courses, even though I knew that as an artist-author, I had access to a substantial training budget through AFDAS (around $6,000 per year, no less).
🌱From resistance to rebirth
There were many obstacles—and probably familiar to many of you:
• The fear of being overtaken by technology
• The impression that the competition was gaining ground
• The feeling that orders were becoming scarcer
• The eternal “is this really the right time?”
But 2024 marked a turning point. Between accelerating technological advances, market developments, and a certain stagnation in orders, I decided to adopt a new philosophy: say yes to anything that could enrich my professional practice.
🎯The turning point in December 2024
It was during a UI/UX training course that everything changed. I signed up almost out of curiosity, like trying an unfamiliar dish. And surprise: this first experience was eye-opening. I followed it up with a course in design thinking.
⏮️A quick look back at 2024, the year of “no”
Before embracing all those “yeses,” I had to learn to say “no.” 2024 was my year of natural selection for projects. In particular, I learned to elegantly decline proposals that didn’t fit with my creative vision.
The most memorable examples? Here are two that perfectly illustrate this shift:
1. A request for a cat illustration for cat litter. Despite my unconditional love for felines, I politely declined the opportunity to draw cats meditating on their litter box.
2. A tempting proposal to create a mural in a parking lot in Dubai. On paper, the budget was attractive, but something didn’t sit right with my vision of responsible design and my commitment to projects with a positive impact. So I chose to pass, preferring to focus my energy on projects more aligned with my environmental values.
These “no’s” were pivotal moments. Some projects deserve to find their designer elsewhere, and that’s fine. Paradoxically, this ability to say ‘no’ opened the door to better “yes’s.”
💫What I take away from it today
This openness to training has transformed my practice as a designer:
• A stronger knowledge base
• A more comprehensive approach to projects
• Enhanced expertise that goes beyond simply translating ideas into visuals
• A facilitator role with my clients
• Creativity that is expressed earlier in projects
• An increased focus on eco-design, accessibility, and sustainable solutions
⚡A new awareness of my value
These training courses had an unexpected effect: they allowed me to fully realize the value of my skills. For a long time, I defined myself primarily as a “visual translator”—someone who transforms other people’s ideas into powerful designs. But this view was reductive.
Today, I understand that my added value goes far beyond simple graphic execution. My ability to generate relevant ideas, to see opportunities where others see obstacles, to propose creative solutions to my clients’ problems—all of this is an integral part of my expertise as a designer.
This realization has transformed the way I work:
• I get involved in projects earlier, right from the brainstorming phase.
• I share my ideas with more confidence.
• I value my ability to think outside the box as much as my technical skills.
• I position myself as a true strategic partner, not just an executor.
It’s a subtle but profound change: I’m no longer just there to give shape to other people’s ideas, but to enrich those ideas, sometimes challenge them, and offer new perspectives. This more comprehensive approach to design makes a real difference to the final quality of projects.
🎓Tips and tricks for training
💼AFDAS: your training ally
AFDAS is not just a funding organization, it is a real gold mine for artists and authors. As a designer, you have access to approximately €5,000 in training budget per year—so make the most of it!
To navigate this sea of opportunities:
• Visit the AFDAS training catalog
• Filter by area of expertise
• Check your eligibility directly online
• Put together your application (it’s easier than it looks)
💡 Tip: Start the process at least 4 weeks before the start of your desired training course.
🤝Consiliom: training courses by and for designers
If you don’t know Christophe Lemaire yet, let me introduce you to this modern-day knight who defends our rights as designers through the Alliance France Design. With Consiliom, he has created ultra-practical training courses designed specifically for us:
• the professional status of designers (or combination of statuses…)
• legal protection of works, copyright
• design pricing, the added value of designers
• legally secure documents to frame the order
• …and many other gems
To discover Consiliom training courses, you have two options:
• Contact Christophe Lemaire directly
• Subscribe to his newsletter to be informed of upcoming sessions
💡 Bonus: These training courses are 100% funded by AFDAS, including accommodation and transportation costs (subject to conditions). It’s a worthwhile investment, both for the content and for the opportunity to meet other designers!
My bonus tip
Start with a short course (2-3 days) to test the experience. It’s like a Netflix series: if you like the pilot, you’ll naturally want to watch the rest!
🔄In conclusion
If, like me, you’re still hesitating to take a course, maybe it’s time to turn that “later” into “now.”
A post co-written with Clémence Bot, my AI assistant.