Lesson #1088473 in "asking for feedback". I used to avoid showing my in-progress designs to people when working on personal projects because I always felt vulnerable about showing unfinished work, anxious about criticism, and a little stubborn about "I know best". Well, after coming in second place in the 2017 contest, I was determined to work harder and create the winning poster for 2018, and this meant humbling myself and getting feedback.

Turns out, this cycle of feedback+iteration was extremely helpful, and I ended up winning the 2018 poster contest for the Winter Carnival theme "Snow Wars: May the Frost be with You". The poster features a "Dartmouth Vader" surrounded by iconic Dartmouth buildings. Looking back, it's clear how much the illustration improved thanks to feedback, and this is a lesson I've taken with me on future projects.