Donna Chan is one of bombilla's incredibly talented web designer. bombilla projects she has brought that talent to include PL+US and Caring Across Generations. In this interview, Donna chats about the importance of human connection and empathy while working with clients, her creative process, and the changes in lifestyle and perspective that the pandemic has brought.

What led you to pursue a career related to/in the social sector/creative field?

I've always wanted to do work for social good, so I was actually bioengineering pre-med in college! So it was a long journey of discovering that my affinity, strengths, and love lay primarily in creative pursuits —first with drawing, then acting, and then designing. And now, as a freelancer designer, feel like I have this wonderful balance of working creatively and analytically for clients tackling social issues that I care about.

Where do you get inspiration from? Describe your creative process.

I love getting started with a good foundation of clarifying the goals and a round of exploration with feedback early to make the actual process of designing smoother. With the client, I’ll get detailed on the goals that we’re trying to achieve so that we’re crystal clear. Then, I’ll do some exploration, delving into realms that are the same, related, or a stone’s throw away as inspiration. Pinterest, Dribble, and Google are my best friends! I like to collect anything and everything that sparks something, and then, once compiled, I’ll cut, organize, and refine ideas based on the project goals and present them for feedback. This initial round of feedback just sets up the entire project well so that I can really get a sense of what works for the client before delving into hours of design work.

I love getting started with a good foundation of clarifying the goals and a round of exploration with feedback early to make the actual process of designing smoother.

What makes bombilla stand out from other creative workplaces?

Bombilla has been one of the best environments that I’ve worked in and I’m so grateful to Ivellisse and the team! Everyone, from the team to the clients, are human-centered in the truest sense. We all lead from a place of heart and connection. This only enriches every working moment to be joyful and even more productive, collaborative, and inspiring.

Everyone, from the team to the clients, are human-centered in the truest sense. We all lead from a place of heart and connection. This only enriches every working moment to be joyful and even more productive, collaborative, and inspiring.

Is there an example of a project where you disagreed with the client’s feedback? How did you handle it?

When feedback is centered around form, I always try to get to the root of the feedback — the why, the function. Why do they not like this or why do they want to go a different direction? Oftentimes, this helps reveal an underlying functional reason, from which we can then have a more fruitful conversation around how the form does or doesn’t best serve the function or goals.

When feedback is centered around form, I always try to get to the root of the feedback — the why, the function.

How do you cope with what’s happening all around the country and/or World? (War, discrimination, injustice, exploitation, ecoanxiety, systemic racism, etc.) Any tips?

Unplugging from social media, along with taking focused action, has done wonders for me [last] year. Before I deactivated most of my social media accounts, I did as much research as I could on what issues I wanted to focus on and what would be the most meaningful actions to take for each. That way, I channeled all my energy into actions, like text-banking, calling legislators, and donating to vetted organizations, while keeping my emotional health steady.

How has the pandemic affected/changed you/your life?

It made me realize how much time I used to spend running around and how much of a distraction that was from living more intentionally. So this time has been like a pressure cooker and has really helped me distill what’s truly important in my life. How do I want to be spending my time? How do I want to feel day-to-day or hour-to-hour? How do I want my body to feel? Who do I want to be interacting with? I’m still working through these questions, but bringing a conscious lens to them is an outcome that I’m most grateful for from the pandemic.

It made me realize how much time I used to spend running around and how much of a distraction that was from living more intentionally... How do I want to be spending my time? How do I want to feel day-to-day or hour-to-hour? How do I want my body to feel? Who do I want to be interacting with?

What advice would you give to someone that’s starting a career in the creative field?

Create, create, create! If you don’t know where to start, there are many helpful articles and resources online that I found to help jumpstart my journey. Whether it’s a pro-bono project, paid project, or self-guided project, through the process of creating, you’ll learn so much about yourself and where you’d like to take your career. Like, what type of creative work do you actually like to spend time doing? What parts of the process give you joy and which don’t? Who do you like to create for? What problems do you like solving?

Create, create, create!

Shoutout to our 2020 fall intern Yandia Miñana Pérez for conducting this interview!