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    There and Back Again, Craig Ward Discusses Joining A Large Agency After Years of Successful Solo Practice

    enDecember 30, 2016
    The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
    What was the main topic of the podcast episode?
    Summarise the key points discussed in the episode?
    Were there any notable quotes or insights from the speakers?
    Which popular books were mentioned in this episode?
    Were there any points particularly controversial or thought-provoking discussed in the episode?
    Were any current events or trending topics addressed in the episode?

    About this Episode

    Craig Ward (@MrCraigWard) is a designer, art director, typographic artist, and author currently living in Brooklyn, NY. A UK native, he came to New York in 2009 shortly after being selected as an ADC Young Gun.

    As a solo act, Craig created projects for Adobe, Squarespace, Calvin Klein, Google, Nike, and host of other large brands across entertainment, fashion, media, and consumer products. Lately, he’s rejoined the agency world.

    In this conversation, we discuss the culture clash between a large company and a solo practice, the economics behind design (large and small), and where agencies can still innovate in spite of their size.

    Catch up with Craig on his personal website, Words Are Pictures.

    Cover photo by Jonathan Pilkington.

    Get The Episode

    Subscribe to Get New Episodes

    Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes, on Google Play Music, on Android, on iHeart

    Sponsor

    Freedcamp, the finest free online project management software

    Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless.

    Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com

    Show Notes & Links

    • Prescott and Craig have been pals for several years due to the NYC design scene
    • Joaquin Cotler, a guest on The Busy Creator episode 41 and composer of the theme music
    • Craig is ok being called a “designer & art director”; he’s also directed music videos and earn other titles by action
    • Solo practitioners are a “one-man army” due to their multiple facets
    • The US O-1B Visa, for people, like Craig, “who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement … and has been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements …” 
    • How a Bill Becomes Law

       

    "Solo practice is very liberating, but brings its own problems."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "When you work for someone else, you can spend almost 100% of time working on projects. For yourself, it’s maybe 50%."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

    Tweet This

    "When freelance work became my full-time job I suddenly had free time."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "I didn’t think at all about the financial aspects of solo work."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "Big agencies are designed to spin wheels."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "If you’re a creative person, you’re not supposed to be good at business stuff."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    • Intellectual Overhead vs. Property Overhead: anxiety, distraction, etc. rather than dollars

    "When you work solo the highs are higher, but the lows are lower."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

    Tweet This

    "In so many ways it’s a holiday to have a team."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "At a certain point, agencies stop being creative companies and start being corporations."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

    Tweet This

    "Clients get the work they deserve."

    —Denise O'Bleness

    Tweet This

    "The answers are not found in the office."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

    —Seneca

    Tweet This

    "The barrier to entry to experimenting is lower than ever."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

    Tweet This

    "I worry that I’m spreading myself too thin, but I’d rather have a go than not."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    • Extrude nodes, chamfered edges – jargon of 3D printing and modeling

    "We ran out of stuff to talk about … so we had a kid."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

    —Pablo Picasso

    Tweet This

    "There’s real beauty in an eclectic team."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    Tools

    Techniques

    • Use your “free” time for other long-term projects, like writing a book
    • Keep “swiftness” in mind; build momentum at the start of projects
    • Take on an agent to help even out the workloads
    • Encourage your team to get out of the office and see things around the city
    • Create a job number for excursions so you can track it; give yourself a time-budget per month
    • Visualize your projects internally, and sketch when you have an idea in mind

    Habits

    • Be a “restless creative”, always be making something
    • Aim for one fully-fledged, start-to-finish project in your portfolio per year
    • Allow for Unconventional Inspiration (one of The 9 Habits of Highly Creative People)
    • Build in separation between your home and work life; force a commute and specific hours

     

    Recent Episodes from The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox

    The Big 100! A Live Meetup Event with guests Rashan Casseus & Gabby Wallace

    The Big 100! A Live Meetup Event with guests Rashan Casseus & Gabby Wallace

    That went quickly! Listen in to our live event where we commemorate 100 episodes of The Busy Creator Podcast and remark on the journey. This event was a crossover with the New York City Podcast Meetup, recorded at Small City Co-working space in Brooklyn.

    Joining Prescott on stage are musician Joaquin Cotler (@ShinyIslands), UX designer Rashan Casseus (@rcassues) & video publisher/entrepreneur Gabby Wallace (@GabbyAWallace). Together we discuss daily practice, creating projects and nurturing them over time, and our own experiences with podcasting.

    Get The Episode

    Subscribe to Get New Episodes

    Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe on Android Listen on iHeart Radio

    Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes, on Google Play Music, on Android, on iHeart

    Show Notes & Links

    "It's a great time to go to Puerto Rico if you already have a lot of money."
    —Joaquin Cotler
    Tweet This

    "Busy is a four-letter word."
    —Prescott Perez-Fox
     Tweet This

    "I make digital tools easier to use."
    —Rashan Casseus
    Tweet This

    "UX is the thought process of how a human being gets from point A to point B."
    —Rashan Casseus
    Tweet This

    • MailChimp, and their mascot Freddy
    • Disembodied Monkey Hand, the name of Joaquin’s new punk band
    • Microcopy, the words around the site on buttons, short messages, etc.
    • Eat24, and their “hungry” shopping cart
    • 90Elm, Rashan’s cousin’s t-shirt company
    • User Stories, User Interviews — tools of planning a site
    • Sayba Naturals, Prescott’s mother’s soap brand
    • Squarespace, also not a sponsor

    "Websites are never finished, they are only abandoned."
    —Prescott Perez-Fox, paraphrasing Leonardo da Vinci
    Tweet This

    "Your website is done when you run out of time, or when the client says 'I want it up now'."
    —Rashan Casseus
    Tweet This

    "I create something every day. Most day, many things."
    —Gabby Wallace
    Tweet This

    "I reject all that quality and editing because it takes forever!"
    —Gabby Wallace
    Tweet This

    "Way more fun than playing music is listening to other people play."
    —Joaquin Cotler
    Tweet This

    Tools

    Techniques

    • Name buttons on websites in an intuitive way; say “conclude” or “done”
    • Consult a designer even when using a templated system like Squarespace
    • Take team outings as a way to get to know each other
    • Post a common planning document to keep your team accountable
    • Share your core message; if you don’t have it defined, go back to square one
    • Mix your “main bit” with casual, less rehearsed pieces
    • When discussing an “album”, call it a “record” to be more generic

    Habits

    • Keep your skills up with family and community projects
    • Find the intersection of your creation and what people need
    • Post helpful content and videos; people will ask for your help
    • Constantly learn from others via podcasts, videos, blogs, books, etc.
    • Return to a consistent format to avoid rehearsal

    SaveSave

    The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
    enJanuary 17, 2017
    100
    podcast
    small
    city
    live

    There and Back Again, Craig Ward Discusses Joining A Large Agency After Years of Successful Solo Practice

    There and Back Again, Craig Ward Discusses Joining A Large Agency After Years of Successful Solo Practice

    Craig Ward (@MrCraigWard) is a designer, art director, typographic artist, and author currently living in Brooklyn, NY. A UK native, he came to New York in 2009 shortly after being selected as an ADC Young Gun.

    As a solo act, Craig created projects for Adobe, Squarespace, Calvin Klein, Google, Nike, and host of other large brands across entertainment, fashion, media, and consumer products. Lately, he’s rejoined the agency world.

    In this conversation, we discuss the culture clash between a large company and a solo practice, the economics behind design (large and small), and where agencies can still innovate in spite of their size.

    Catch up with Craig on his personal website, Words Are Pictures.

    Cover photo by Jonathan Pilkington.

    Get The Episode

    Subscribe to Get New Episodes

    Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes, on Google Play Music, on Android, on iHeart

    Sponsor

    Freedcamp, the finest free online project management software

    Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless.

    Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com

    Show Notes & Links

    • Prescott and Craig have been pals for several years due to the NYC design scene
    • Joaquin Cotler, a guest on The Busy Creator episode 41 and composer of the theme music
    • Craig is ok being called a “designer & art director”; he’s also directed music videos and earn other titles by action
    • Solo practitioners are a “one-man army” due to their multiple facets
    • The US O-1B Visa, for people, like Craig, “who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics, or who has a demonstrated record of extraordinary achievement … and has been recognized nationally or internationally for those achievements …” 
    • How a Bill Becomes Law

       

    "Solo practice is very liberating, but brings its own problems."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "When you work for someone else, you can spend almost 100% of time working on projects. For yourself, it’s maybe 50%."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

    Tweet This

    "When freelance work became my full-time job I suddenly had free time."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "I didn’t think at all about the financial aspects of solo work."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "Big agencies are designed to spin wheels."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "If you’re a creative person, you’re not supposed to be good at business stuff."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    • Intellectual Overhead vs. Property Overhead: anxiety, distraction, etc. rather than dollars

    "When you work solo the highs are higher, but the lows are lower."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

    Tweet This

    "In so many ways it’s a holiday to have a team."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "At a certain point, agencies stop being creative companies and start being corporations."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

    Tweet This

    "Clients get the work they deserve."

    —Denise O'Bleness

    Tweet This

    "The answers are not found in the office."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."

    —Seneca

    Tweet This

    "The barrier to entry to experimenting is lower than ever."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

    Tweet This

    "I worry that I’m spreading myself too thin, but I’d rather have a go than not."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    • Extrude nodes, chamfered edges – jargon of 3D printing and modeling

    "We ran out of stuff to talk about … so we had a kid."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."

    —Pablo Picasso

    Tweet This

    "There’s real beauty in an eclectic team."

    —Craig Ward

    Tweet This

    Tools

    Techniques

    • Use your “free” time for other long-term projects, like writing a book
    • Keep “swiftness” in mind; build momentum at the start of projects
    • Take on an agent to help even out the workloads
    • Encourage your team to get out of the office and see things around the city
    • Create a job number for excursions so you can track it; give yourself a time-budget per month
    • Visualize your projects internally, and sketch when you have an idea in mind

    Habits

    • Be a “restless creative”, always be making something
    • Aim for one fully-fledged, start-to-finish project in your portfolio per year
    • Allow for Unconventional Inspiration (one of The 9 Habits of Highly Creative People)
    • Build in separation between your home and work life; force a commute and specific hours

     

    The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
    enDecember 30, 2016
    mother
    culture
    advertising
    york
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    Going Hollywood, How Brittany Cormack Thrives as a Costume Designer Amid the Madness of Show Biz

    Going Hollywood, How Brittany Cormack Thrives as a Costume Designer Amid the Madness of Show Biz

    Brittany Cormack is a costume designer for film and television. Following her training in fashion and dance, Brittany arrived in Los Angeles without a clue how to work in the movie business, but has since found her groove. She works primarily on independent films, commercials, and music videos, but every day is an adventure. 

    Work has taken her from frozen mountains to coastal swamps, and everywhere in between. In this conversation, we discover how movie sets work, what happens when everyone is freelance, and where to build habits even during crazy periods.

    Catch up with Brittany on her IMDB page or Portfolio.

    Subscribe to Get New Episodes

    Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe on Android Listen on iHeart Radio

    Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes, on Google Play Music, on Android, on iHeart

    Sponsor

    Freedcamp logo

    Freedcamp, the finest free online project management software

    Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless.

    Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com

    Show Notes & Links

    • Gilmore Girls are back
    • Brittany and Prescott went to college together, danced together
    • Brittany is a costume designer for film & television
    • The difference between costume and fashion is that fashion is meant to sell; costume helps build a character

    "Costume is the head-to-toe of a person" —Brittany Cormack

    Tweet This

    • Costume should be part of the conception, not merely production
    • Upstairs-downstairs, the term for important vs. non-important people
    • Above-the-line/Below-the-line, terms in film (also advertising) to describe the most visible and important duties

    "Each set and each project has an energy of its own." —Brittany Cormack

    Tweet This

    "Every first day of shooting is like the first day of school." —Brittany Cormack

    Tweet This

    "You have to be a little half-crazy to work in this industry." —Brittany Cormack

    Tweet This

    • Grey’s Anatomy, currently in season 13
    • Contracts for short films or commercials are usually under 2 months

    "If you’re ever looking for work, just plan a vacation." —freelancers’ adage

    Tweet This

    "In LA or New York, you can get anything if you have the money." —Brittany Cormack

    Tweet This

    • Standard days of filming are 10-14 hours

    "I only want to tell stories that I feel matter." —Brittany Cormack

    Tweet This

    "If you want to be a true collaborator, you’ve gotta be willing to be a team player." —Brittany Cormack

    Tweet This

    "If there’s a hat, you’re gonna wear it!" —Brittany Cormack

    Tweet This

    • “Taking Meetings“, a common practice in Hollywood
    • "You’re only as good as your last job." —Hollywood adage

    Tweet This

    Tools

    • Paper & Pencil

    Techniques

    • Build a backstory for all your characters beyond what’s on the page
    • Keep track of everyone who owes you money
    • Call your “guy” when you’re in trouble
    • Stay around people, be inspired by them (as well as books)

    Habits

    • Keep a positive, collaborative attitude above all
    • Use a billing software tool to track your invoices
    • Document your work on social media to stay current

    Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days

    Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial
    Audible.com trial from The Busy Creator

    Get Hollywood Stories: Short, Entertaining Anecdotes about the Stars and Legends of the Movies by Stephen Schochet as a free audiobook 
    Hollywood Stories: Short, Entertaining Anecdotes about the Stars and Legends of the Movies by Stephen Schochet on Audible

     

    SaveSave

    SaveSave

    The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
    enDecember 13, 2016
    the
    of
    hollywood
    television
    la

    Practical Typographic Advice and Building an Education Business Alongside a Design Firm with Michael Stinson

    Practical Typographic Advice and Building an Education Business Alongside a Design Firm with Michael Stinson

    Michael Stinson (@MWStinson) is a veteran designer, educator, and business owner. In addition to his work as a professor of graphic design, he also runs Ramp Creative, a branding studio in Los Angeles, as well as Type Ed, a dedicated typographic education business which helps creative pros return to form in the fields of typesetting and layout.

    Together in this conversation we unravel some of today’s worst typographic habits, and how to overcome them, share a few tips that all creatives can use to improve their type usage, and discuss some processes for working with clients.

    Catch up with Michael on his website, MichaelStinson.com, or through Type Ed.          

     

     Get The Episode

    Subscribe to Get New Episodes

    Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe on Android Listen on iHeart Radio

    Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes, on Google Play Music, on Android, on iHeart

    Sponsor

    Freedcamp logo

    Freedcamp, the finest free online project management software

    Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless.

    Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com

    Show Notes & Links

    • Michael is the first person from Los Angeles to join The Busy Creator Podcast
    • Ramp Creative handles a lot of variety — digital, print, mobile
    • Type Ed is an Education Organization, founded 2012
    • UI/UX design has eroded traditional type study
    • High School scribbles are largely typography
    • Michael was taught both ends of the type spectrum — hand lettering and typesetting (3 words or 300)

    "I'm not training you to be designers; I'm training you to be Creative Directors some day."

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    • Phonetics
    • Whiskey Labels, an underrated technical as well as artistic challenge

    "Everyone likes to do logos but wordmarks are extremely challenging."

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    "Designers these days don't like process. They want to jump to making it look good."

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    "If you get your process in place, you can design anything."

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    • Michael is a former Aerospace Engineer; Prescott studied Mechanical Engineering
    • Prescott — in spite of the hyphen in his last name — doesn’t like to use hyphens in his paragraph text

    "Imagine if you're reading War & Peace in all caps — how far would you get?"

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    "The beauty of graphic design is that it works both sides of the brain."

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    "If you follow the right words the path will take you to the promised land of the visuals."

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    "You're an actor, you're a leader, you're an entrepreneur, you're a psychologist, you're a therapist ... all at the same time."

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    • Building Brands, a Step-By-Step Guide for Creative Pros to Develop Strategy and Design Identity — original eBook by Prescott Perez-Fox
      Building Brands eBook cover

      Building Brands eBook

    "You're not going to use a crescent wrench for a hammer. Right tool for the right job."

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    "Never stop noticing design."

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    • The most stringest morning routine ever described on The Busy Creator Podcast was that of Michael Bierut
    • Reading in The Brain by Stanislas Dehaene on Amazon
      Reading in The Brain by Stanislas Dehaene
    • The Intellectual Devotional by David Kidder & Noah Oppenheim on Amazon and on Audible
      The Intellectual Devotional by David Kidder & Noah Oppenheim

    "Type isn't all about the characters themselves, it's about the space they take up and the negative space that's left."

    —Michael Stinson

    Tweet This

    Tools

    Techniques

    • Use Tables in InDesign for grid-based layouts (restaurant menus)
    • Build type hierarchy from the body copy up (subheads, etc.)
    • If you’re setting more than 35 words, don’t use All Caps, Italics, Centered
    • Don’t be afraid to use hyphens, but with discipline. (e.g., don’t use hyphens in the first line)
    • Don’t use more than 13 words on a line (left-aligned), or 7 words on a line (centered)
    • Aim for 50-70 characters per line (type size in points x 2 = measure width in picas)
    • Don’t build websites in Photoshop — it’s not made for layout

    Habits

    • Keep the reader in your mind. Think of them first.
    • Always take clients through a verbal discovery phase first before visuals
    • Give your print partners multiple files — flattened, outlined, original files, native links, etc. — make their lives easier
    • Constantly observe and comment on design around you

    Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days

    Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial
    Audible.com trial from The Busy Creator

    Get The Intellectual Devotional Modern Culture: Revive Your Mind by David Kidder & Noah Oppenheim as a free audiobook 
    The Intellectual Devotional Modern Culture: Revive Your Mind by David Kidder & Noah Oppenheim on Audible

     

    The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
    enNovember 28, 2016
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    Becoming a Multi-Faceted Creative, and The Movie-Making Process with Filmmaker & Podcaster David Power

    Becoming a Multi-Faceted Creative, and The Movie-Making Process with Filmmaker & Podcaster David Power

    David Power is a multi-purpose creative pro based in Brooklyn, NY. Since moving to New York, he’s worked in music recording & production, written several business books, penned screenplays, and helped write and perform in comedy films. His latest project is a podcast documentary of how a feature film is made.

    Our conversation covers creative practices and routines, as well as the often-nebulous world of film & video, including how to collaborate on a script and using crowdfunding to launch projects at scale.

    Catch up with David on his website, DavidPower.com, or through his show, SureFirePodcast.com

    Get The Episode

    Subscribe to Get New Episodes

    Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe on Android Listen on iHeart Radio

    Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes, on Google Play Music, on Android, on iHeart

    Sponsor

    Freedcamp logo

    Freedcamp, the finest free online project management software

    Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless.

    Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com

    Show Notes & Links

    Tools

    Techniques

    • Soften the corners of a room to dampen reverb/echo
    • Develop characters first, give them a voice and backstory, and then place them into a three-act structure. (Or not).
    • Collect all notes and ideas; save them for later and vetting each one before writing
    • Build a project management software workflow that actually reflects the way you work
    • Don’t store files in Slack; that’s not the place for permanent items
    • Use Plain Text formatting as a universal standard
    • Build a Hackintosh if you can’t afford a Mac Pro (which you probably can’t)

    Habits

    • Cross-promote, tag, and share your social links with your collaboration partners
    • Exercise first thing in the morning
    • Meditate, eat, drink coffee before starting work
    • Use a floating lunch hour
    • Wake up without an alarm
    • Don’t actively seek out news (minus industry happenings)

    Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days

    Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial
    Audible.com trial from The Busy Creator

    Get Finish the Script!: A College Screenwriting Course in Book Form by Scott King as a free audiobook 
    Finish the Script!: A College Screenwriting Course in Book Form by Scott King on Audible

     

    The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
    enNovember 14, 2016
    music
    business
    podcasting
    video
    audio

    Business Lessons for Creative Entrepreneurs & How to Launch an Online Community with Designer, Writer, and Podcaster Kathleen Shannon

    Business Lessons for Creative Entrepreneurs & How to Launch an Online Community with Designer, Writer, and Podcaster Kathleen Shannon

    Kathleen Shannon (@AndKathleen) is a graphic designer and brand strategist, and co-founder of Being Boss, a podcast and community for creative entrepreneurs. Kathleen began as a staff art director, but learned entrepreneurial habits working on her side projects and blogging. She's now seeking to become a media mogul and serve the creative community.

    In this conversation, we discuss the origins of Being Boss, how Kathleen learned systematic behaviour and stays organised, and the common mindsets of creative entrepreneurs.

    Catch up with Kathleen on the Being Boss website or that of her agency, Braid Creative.

    Subscribe to Get New Episodes

    Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe on Android Listen on iHeart Radio

    Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes | on Google Play Music | on Android | on iHeart

    Sponsor

    Freedcamp logo

    Freedcamp, the best free online project management software

    Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless.

    Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com

    Show Notes & Links

    • Prescott had a classmate named Kathleen, who went by Kate. Her mother, also Kathleen, went by Cassie.
    • Kathleen was almost named “Cinco”, born May 5
    • Prescott is born May 6, making the two both Tauruses
    • Kathleen describes herself as a “truth seeker & dream (job) chaser. Tea drinker & good food eater. Risk taker, magic maker & booty shaker.”
    • AndKathleen.com, Kathleen’s personal site and retired blog
    • “Creative Horcruxes”, websites and projects where we divide our passions, time, and attention
    • Kathleen co-owns Braid Creative with her sister Tara
    • Braid Creative is “Branding and business visioning agency for creative entrepreneurs”
    • The Being Boss podcast started in 2014 as a way for Kathleen to “grow the top of her funnel”
    • Emily Thompson (@EmilyM_Thompson), Kathleen’s partner in Being Boss
    • Prescott kept hearing about “your audience”, which sparked him to start The Busy Creator
    • Prescott admits that Being Boss is “ahead” of The Busy Creator in terms of spawning multiple forms (books, events, community classes, etc.)

    "Show notes are a great way to increase search engine optimization."

    —Kathleen Shannon

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    • The aim is transform Being Boss from a podcast into “multimedia conglomerate”
    • Chelsea Handler, Kathleen’s hero for hosting a tv show
    • Kathleen & Emily recently submitted a book for publishing (due out Spring 2018)
    • FreshBooks was a sponsor of Being Boss almost since the beginning, because they align
    • Being Boss Facebook Group, 17,000+ members strong, has grown almost beyond control

    "How you feel at work affects how you feel at home, and vice versa."

    —Kathleen Shannon

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    "We didn't want to sully the waters with money."

    —Kathleen Shannon

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    "First, you have to be dedicated to your craft."

    —Kathleen Shannon

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    • 10,000 hours
    • “Fit of Entrepreneurial Passion”, as described by Michael Gerber

    "Nothing kills creativity like desperation."

    —Kathleen Shannon

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    "You can only connect the dots looking backwards."

    —Steve Jobs

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    "I didn't know this thing would need its own bank account one day!"

    —Kathleen Shannon

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    • 7 People are involved with the production of Being Boss, including an editorial assistant and an audio editor
    • The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber on Amazon and on Audible
      The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

    "Most people are still in their struggle. There's never a 'there'."

    —Kathleen Shannon

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    "Your goals mean shit if you feel like shit along the way."

    —Kathleen Shannon

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    Tools

    Techniques

    • Ask your audience what they want, to create new content
    • Put in your 10,000 hours before becoming an entrepreneur; become a “confident expert”
    • Build a bridge before leaving your full-time job
    • Aim to replace your income before taking that last leap
    • Ask to be in client meetings; see the process up close
    • Share your process as you’re in it — publish along the way
    • Codify your methods, translate them to an e-course 
    • Find a “business bestie” and have “Skype dates”
    • Use your existing resources to bolster your side projects
    • Create an org. chart to plan future expansion, duties
    • Know every element of your business, and only outsource as needed
    • When overwhelmed, write top 3 items on a Post-It
    • Be a little more casual with your team when chatting on Slack

    Habits

    • Drink Coffee and Tea every morning
    • Broadcast on Facebook Live a few times a week
    • Make decisions, whether they’re right or wrong
    • Respect your future self (through systems)
    • Have empathy for others and what they struggle with — it may be different from you
    • Put everything in Google Calendar
    • Work out first thing in the morning

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    Get Daring Greatly by Brene Brown as a free audiobook 
    Daring Greatly by Brene Brown on Audible

    The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
    enOctober 31, 2016
    wedding
    community
    design
    podcast
    writing

    Methods and Mindsets for Successful Web Design Projects with Agency Boss Ben Seigel

    Methods and Mindsets for Successful Web Design Projects with Agency Boss Ben Seigel

    Ben Seigel (@versastudiollc) is a web designer and developer, and head of Versa Studio. In addition to managing projects and writing the necessary code for client sites, Ben has examined and written about the underlaying value of design, how small businesses and design agencies can work together toward successful ends.

    In this conversation, we dig into content management systems on websites, discuss managing remote teams, remark on transitioning from a pure developer to a business owner, and share some common ailments of working with small businesses on their brand and web design projects.

    Website Planning for Small Business

    Grab Ben’s eBook, Website Planning for Small Business, and catch up with him via the website for Versa Studio.

     

    Get The Episode

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    Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes | on Google Play Music | on Android | on iHeart

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    Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless.

    Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com

    Show Notes & Links

    "If someone wants to spend $20k on a project, but won't take 2 hours to read a plan ... they're not going to be a good client."

    —Ben Seigel

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    "You need a 'minimum viable brand' before any website."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

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    • Prescott wants the “power of suggestion” as his business superpower. Ben prefers a version of ESP.
    • Request for Proposals (RFP)

    "(an RFP) is a really great way to waste a whole bunch of peoples' time."

    —Ben Seigel

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    • Brennan Dunn, Roadmapping
    • A “Warm RFP” has a higher chance to succeed

    "You can read four proposals. You probably can't read 19."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

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    "We're not built to sit all day. We're also not built to stand. We gotta move."

    —Ben Seigel

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    Tools

    Techniques

    • If given the opportunity, build a new platform fresh without links to the past ten years of legacy code
    • Connect with people in person rather than social
    • Break a project into steps/phases, so you can learn about the client as you go
    • Build a “Helvetica-Vanilla” version of your website while you test-and-iterate on brand, content, visual styles
    • Counter an RFP with an honest, candid phone call or conversation
    • Ask about the competition for proposals/pitches/tenders
    • Review a project through a post-mortem
    • Auto-answer common email questions
    • Pomodoro Method

    Habits

    • Create a “framework” for your projects; share it with clients and industry
    • Start projects with an “assembly line” for beginning a project
    • Call Templates “Starting Documents”
    • Be flexible on your standards and workflow
    • Save code snippets and text macros as you work on projects; you’ll likely need to use them again.
    • Always move during the day
    • Work toward your daily practices

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    Get 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business by Jane Applegate as a free audiobook 
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    The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
    enOctober 19, 2016
    business
    strategy
    development
    ben
    design

    Exploring Business Issues Faced by Creative Pros with Author & Professor Douglas Davis

    Exploring Business Issues Faced by Creative Pros with Author & Professor Douglas Davis

    Douglas Davis (@DouglasQDavis) is a graphic designer, professor, consultant, and author of the new book Creative Strategy and the Business of Design. The book, which follows his recent talks and workshops, explores business issues that face creative professionals, especially those which may not even seem apparent.

    In this conversation, we explore the business culture exposed creatives, the shortcomings of our design education system, and how Brooklyn is becoming the home for creative thought.

    Check out Douglas’s book, Creative Strategy and the Business of Design, now available where fine books are sold.

    Show Notes & Links

    "Everyone has that story of when they were first taken advantage of."

    —Douglas Davis

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    "Design school doesn't teach business, and Business school doesn't teach how to inspire designers."

    —Douglas Davis

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    "Clients expect us to answer their problems with creativity that's on-brand, on-strategy, and on-message."

    —Douglas Davis

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    "Success has many fathers but failure is an orphan."

    —Russian proverb (or maybe Tacitus c. 98 AD)

    Tweet This

    "Do it right or do it thrice."

    —Douglas Davis

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    • The in-house design team of yesteryear was almost like a Kinko’s

    "Business is annexing design. Our design jobs are more important because of that."

    —Douglas Davis

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    "Design is the spoonful of sugar that makes marketing & business palatable to the public."

    —Douglas Davis

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    "'I love it' is not a compelling business rationale."

    —Dr. Marjorie Kalter

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    • RIP Flash, Actionscript

    "We're here to inject art into commerce."

    —Tibor Kalman

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    "It's almost a rite of passge to make every mistake in the book."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

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    "Begin with the end in mind."

    —adage

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    "Think like they think to do what we do."

    —Douglas Davis

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    "The short hand comes later; first you have to use the long hand."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

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    "I've seen ideas die on the table because creatives weren't able to set the context."

    —Douglas Davis

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    "Some people are better at other things than I am."

    —Douglas Davis

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    Tools

    Techniques

    • Learn what keeps your client up at night so you can speak the same language
    • Divide a project into smaller pieces so your clients can see the process unfold
    • Consider how you “Frame” your solution. Often that’s the point of differentiation. 
    • Banish words like “right” or “wrong”, in favour of “it works” or “it doesn’t work”
    • Practice with co-workers to use better, more instructive language
    • Start with the story, then teach the lesson. This helps you write chapters in a book, for example.
    • Keep a desktop folder called “desktop dump” where pretty much everything goes.

    Habits

    • Work to maximise the “trust in the room”
    • Take a moment at the beginning to write a “problem statement”
    • Add a physical activity to your routine, such as boxing
    • Take time to travel, perahps 2x per year

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    Get Inside the Business of Graphic Design by Catharine Fishel as a free audiobook 
    Inside the Business of Graphic Design by Catharine Fishel on Audible

     

    The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
    enOctober 03, 2016
    business
    tech
    advertising
    marketing
    design

    Balancing a Design Practice and Co-Working Space in New York City, with Jessi Arrington & Creighton Mershon

    Balancing a Design Practice and Co-Working Space in New York City, with Jessi Arrington & Creighton Mershon

    Jessi Arrington (@JessiArrington) and Creighton Mershon (@Cr8tonMershon) are the founders of Workshop, a Brooklyn-based creative agency, as well as the proprietors of Small City, a new co-working space and home to dozens of independent creative pros.

    Alongside their design practice, Jessi & Creighton have grown their co-working experience by taking on more responsibility across three different spaces in Brooklyn. In this conversation, we discuss the oddities and challenges of New York real estate, the financial and logistical efforts needed to run a co-working space anywhere, and a bit about balancing family life with all manner of creative and business tasks.

    Catch up with Jessi & Creighton on their websites for Workshop and Small City.

    Cover photo by Bekka Palmer

    Get The Episode

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    Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe on Android Listen on iHeart Radio

    Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes | on Google Play Music | on Android| on iHeart

    Sponsor

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    Freedcamp, the best free online project management software

    Bandwidth for The Busy Creator Podcast is provided by Freedcamp, Group Efforts Made Effortless.

    Freedcamp is best free online project management software available. By using the built-in functions and additional tools like time tracking, invoices, milestones, file storage, and more, teams can customise the software for the task at hand! The Busy Creator Podcast itself is managed and operated on Freedcamp. Get started for free on Freedcamp.com

    Show Notes & Links

    • In Fall 2007, Prescott ran the Philadelphia Marathon but also discovered that he didn’t know any peers in the design biz
    • Jessi and Prescott in Debbie Millman‘s class at SVA in Fall 2007
    • Jessi & Creighton met in the “New York Design Scene”
      Jessi & Prescott

      Jessi & Prescott, being young and wild

    • J&C have broadened the definitions of “Design”

    "A shared word does not mean a shared definiton."

    —Debbie Millman

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    "Design is about intention. We're trying to live a designed life."

    —Jessi Arrington

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    • Parsons, The New School for Design
    • Jessi & Creighton founded Workshop in 2005 (and married in 2006)
      Jessi & Creighton

      Jessi & Creighton recently celebrated their ten-year anniversary

    • Workshop now practices “in-person experience design”, which encompasses physical spaces, graphics, and time (how a person moves through a place)

    "I like to think about our projects and ask 'What happens when we press play?'"

    —Creighton Mershon

    Tweet This

    "Nothing like your job to get in the way of your work."

    —business adage

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    "Keeping it small has been good for our business but bad for our personal lives."

    —Jessi Arrington

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    "Airbnb is a real estate play."

    —Prescott Perez-Fox

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    • DUMBO, Brooklyn (which used to be a very scrappy, creative ‘hood is now too expensive for upstarts like Workshop)
    • HOW Magazine
    • Different professions need different square feet per employee (call centers need 90; architects need 600)
    • Airbnb
    • One aspect of gentrification is desk workers replacing industrial workers
    • Coney Island, as far as you can go in Brooklyn
    • Popular Science magazine (and its predictions of the future)
    • Will self-driving cars transform commuting, and thereby the suburbs?
    • Sheepshead Bay, Ridgewood, Castle Hill — New York City neighbourhoods outside of Manhattan
    • Jessi & Creighton sold their Brooklyn condo and bought a building in Louisville, KY as part of a future project and for the ability to live in multiple cities
    • Some folks are commuting to Small City from Manhattan and other parts of Brooklyn
    • Commuting is tolerable if you have a nice “work neighbourhood”
    • The Internet of Things
    • ACH
    • Carting Companies, independant, for-profit companies a commercial space must use to collect garbage
    • “Who’s dealing with the trash!”
    • Adobe MAX
    • Prescott’s family comes from the Recycling industry
    • P&L = Profit & Loss
    • WeWork
    • Will co-working spaces offer childcare and other services?

    "Us being happy parents involves a certain amount of chaos."

    —Jessi Arrington

    Tweet This

    Tools

    Techniques

    • Keep your company small enough so you don’t have huge overhead
    • Look for other ways to keep a network alive aside from conventional employees
    • Use co-working studiomates for accountability and courage
    • Find and reuse furniture or items, especially when found on the street or at flea market
    • Use your existing resources for client events and experiences (no rules against that)
    • Build a culture where people “take out their own recycling”
    • Work up little by little into bigger spaces, which in turn allow you to save more and more money for future use
    • Schedule a day each month to create the necessary invoices
    • Keep separate bank accounts for different areas of operation (client services vs. renting desks)

    Habits

    • Work to improve stopping and documenting projects and process
    • Keep your company small if you’re not an effective or natural manager
    • Always consider the trash situation following an event!

    Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days

    Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial
    Audible.com trial from The Busy Creator

    Get The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto as a free audiobook 
    The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto on Audible

    Join the Discussion

    Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation.

    The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox
    enSeptember 19, 2016
    comedy
    york
    design
    ted
    hack
    Logo

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