I’ve talked about education before, but yesterday I was blown away (again) by someone who decided to forgo school (for the most part) and forge on with a self-taught design career.  The first person I met that did this I worked alongside for a few years (at our first and only jobs) and was always blown away by his natural talent.  I suppose I can “lump” myself in the self-taught category, but I did go to college, just not for design.  I didn’t self-teach however, I borrowed, stole, and pillaged from a very talented design team.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 23% [?]

As a creative, I once looked wearily upon “networking.” Never because I thought the ideas generated between people or the relationships they had were inherently bad - I was skeptical of networking because it never felt natural to me. A forced relationship at most - brought about by people leveraging each other for personal gain - what good could come of that?

networking gives me tears

Moving from college where one has a pseudo-something to offer to a professional setting where one gains their real value - I have experienced some profound insight. No, nothing new or original - but my tendency to learn by doing and emulating has given me the real reward of what networking truly is - connecting others.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 40% [?]

Yep, that’s a new word, or at least I think I made it up (and if I didn’t, it’s like me to think I made up a word). The bro-conomy, to me, is the economy that exists between “bros.” Or better put, between people that you have, or would like to have, a more than a business/client relationship with - it’s something quite special. So special in fact, that in receiving a $90 dollar sweatshirt for $300+ dollars of work, you are immediately satisfied and feel that you got the good deal.

Think Bro-conomy, Think Big

So how does one crack the bro-conomy nut? When I was at an agency I noticed the guys who were making the deals getting all sorts of cool shit. Occasionally it would trickle down and I would get something like the aforementioned hoody or a circle-hoe. But for the most part it stopped right before the schwag hit the creatives. I think the most important part is exposure to clients. Before the end of this long winded, much adu about nothing post, I’ll talk about web design, a few tips to help one thrive in the bro-conomy, and a few of my own personal bro-conomy stories.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 61% [?]

Theresa Tran, of Tease Marketing, once said something to me in a conversation that resonated heavily, “You have good, cheap, OR fast, you get to pick two.” After mulling it over in my head for a little while, it made perfect sense. And as I broke off to go start my own business, it’s something I chalked up as a cardinal rule.

“You have good, cheap, or fast, you get to pick two.”

I have been on my own freelancing (or running my own business) for nearly six months, a few things have occurred to me. Cheap is a relative term - relative to the client paying the money as well as relevant to what you’re making across the board for all projects. Good, when doing business for yourself, isn’t so much an option as it is a requirement. And lastly, fast is the speed at which we do business period - people want everything yesterday. So do clients really ever pick two out of three? Or do they just automatically assume to run the table. After all, the customer is always right.

Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 54% [?]

I’ve been strictly freelancing for about two months now and still haven’t found a routine that gets me up and at ‘em as well as carrying a 8-5 job. Not that I am considering going back to that world, not any time soon at least. But the whole routine thing has me a bit perplexed.

I really want to wake up early. Early bird gets the worm and all that, but find myself struggling to make it out of bed before 10am. When I do get up, nothing really productive happens till about noon. Upon kind of getting stuff done till my fiancee gets home at six, I take a break till 10pm. I then work late into the night.

I am finding, just as suspected, I am a night owl. This is perhaps the sole reason a 8-5 job really didn’t suit me. I cannot fit in that box. Should I embrace or change my ways?

Popularity: 20% [?]

I read “The Seven Tips of Highly Effective Freelancers“, and decided to write this follow up. For me, it’s easier to be told what not to eat, versus what to eat. This is my attempt at tying together the analogy.

Much of this post is just business 101, but broken down in the world of a freelance web designer. Freelancing has it’s ups and downs but is really the only way I see myself achieving the mythical life/work balance, to each their own.

What follows is a list of pitfalls I see in my day to day routine and what I do to avoid them. If you have anything to add, please do so.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 7% [?]

There has been a reason I have withheld from writing any new blog posts for quite some time. Well many reasons actually. The main reason however, is that I resigned from my job about two weeks ago and I wanted to wait until everything was finished before I started blogging again. It’s been a really emotional (ahh damn I’ve gone emo) and stressful last few months for me.

I’m sure many people have left jobs before and have gone through similar scenarios. You start getting really combative, you aren’t easily motivated, maybe you’re even unmotivated, you start effecting those who are around you. It can get ugly, and while I was definitely in a bad state of mind, I would like to think I pulled myself together enough to leave on good terms with my former company. After all, it was they who gave me my shot and fostered my learning for all of this stuff.

My leaving wasn’t brought on so much by something they did, it was brought on by my own actions: doing a ton of freelance work. I loved it. I’m going to tell you why the idea of freelancing was so appealing to me. Even though I haven’t really lived the life, as my last day at work was only 3 days ago, I certainly have spent hours reading about it and obsessing about it.
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 10% [?]

One of the most amusing things that comes my way are people with big ideas and NDA’s. What does this sound like to people:

“Hey I want to go into business with you, but first off, can you sign this document, because I don’t trust you.”

Now I know for big business it’s completely different, but for anything involving less than five people, it comes across as an insult. Let’s be real, rarely is there an idea that comes across my plate that I haven’t seen elsewhere, or haven’t thought of myself. If you want to work with me, trusting me up will go a lot further than covering your ass down the line. I’m a web developer, who needs who?

Popularity: 11% [?]

The sun is shining and I am in my office playing catch up on all of my projects. It’s ok though, cause I really like to do this stuff. Toula, my dog, is whining at me and letting me know it’s time to put down the work. Today is St. Patties Day, which translates into green, drinking, and leaving the computer screen.

The cherry blossoms are in full bloom and it means spring is here. Thank goodness, the winter always drags on me. Just like it did in Sitka, Alaska where I grew up. Yes. I am a different breed. The grass will need to be cut soon. The first project out the door is HomeSkilletFest. This site changes once a year for each new fest. I don’t know how I am going to think up a new theme every year, but I guess that can worry can wait.

I’m feeling quite good these days as I finally feel like I’m on the right path. That’s all I have to say about that.

Popularity: 11% [?]

There is a bad habit floating around my fingers which lends to me constantly blogging about…my work and my busyness. it’s funny, I called my sister once only to get her answering machine, which said, “I am really busy right now so leave a message.” I remember thinking, yea we’re all busy, what about it. Now here I am with a blog, and the only topic that keeps running across my mind is how busy I am. What about it?
Read the rest of this entry »

Popularity: 7% [?]