Eric Lam

When did you get your first Big Break? How did you get it? How did it go?

One of my biggest breaks came with my last job. I studied architecture in school and I was working at a traditional architecture firm as an Intern Architect. I wasn't really into the work and I wanted to make a shift into furniture or product design. So I left my job without anything to follow right away. I did some freelance, but nothing was really working out. I had been aware of a local company called Concreteworks. They do high-end architectural concrete fabrication. The work was beautiful and a lot of the employees seemed like others who studied architecture but didn't want to be directly involved in designing buildings. They didn't have a job posted but I decided to get in touch with them anyway to see if I could at least meet with them. I looked on their contact page and saw the emails of project managers, sales staff and even the owner of the company. I decided to just go for it and emailed the owner directly about whether he had any time to meet. A week went by and I heard nothing. I followed up. He responded, but said that he didn't have any time to meet but would try to help in any way he could. I thought I had blown the opportunity by being too persistent, but I decided to just come right out and say that I was really interested in what the company was about and that I was looking for work. I figured at that point I had his attention and didn't have anything to lose. Well, he changed his tone and invited me to come in for a chat. We talked and he looked at my portfolio and offered me a job. It turns out that he had been looking for someone to join the company to help him with design work. I stayed for two-and-a-half years and was able to explore all kinds of different mediums of design. Goes to show that a little persistence and nudging can go a long way.

How did you pick your career? Did you know all along?

I thought I knew what I wanted to do when I was in 3rd grade. I decided to become an architect. I went to college and entered an architecture program and was loving it at first. After a few years I realized that I loved design but I didn't necessarily love architecture. I finished the program and decided to work in the profession for a few years to see if I really didn't like it. I eventually got out of the architecture field and into furniture design and then graphic design. In hindsight, I think I had always meant to be a graphic designer. I just didn't know as a kid that graphic design is a profession. However I wouldn't change much about my career path so far. I've learned a lot and each experience has shaped my design thinking today.