1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,400 Mark my words, I feel like going into the next few years, there's going to be a bigger 2 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:12,880 trend of people working multiple part-time jobs in startups and creative fields. 3 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:17,360 I think that's really one of the best ways to diversify work at the moment. 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,880 No more of this working a full-time job just for them to lay you off. 5 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:28,160 I would not bet anything on not getting laid off over the next few years just because, 6 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:32,440 yeah, dominoes are falling, but yes, mark my words, we're going to see more people 7 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:38,560 working part-time jobs and rotating them out as they see fit, but no more of this putting 8 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:40,120 all your eggs in one basket. 9 00:00:40,120 --> 00:00:42,360 Hey, this is Jules and welcome to the pool party. 10 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:48,120 Today we are going to be talking about creative work, portfolios especially, and not resumes 11 00:00:48,120 --> 00:00:52,600 or cover letters because I really feel that you can find all that information online. 12 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:57,040 And I also feel that for the creative field, to be honest, a lot of times people will hire 13 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:00,960 you just because they like you, they like working with you, but also because you have 14 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:01,960 good work. 15 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:05,680 And one of the best ways to show off your creative work is through online portfolios, 16 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:06,680 social media, and more. 17 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:11,000 So we're going to touch upon that a little bit today in this episode of the pool party. 18 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:12,000 Let's dive in. 19 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,680 Hey, this is Jules and welcome to the pool party. 20 00:01:14,680 --> 00:01:21,200 Today we are going to talk about skills for work-life balance, also discussing portfolio, 21 00:01:21,200 --> 00:01:26,560 where to make your portfolio, some guidelines for your first portfolio site, and then we're 22 00:01:26,560 --> 00:01:32,120 also going to talk about just general tips for getting hired for your first creative 23 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:35,160 job as a person in your 20s. 24 00:01:35,160 --> 00:01:39,800 I want to start this episode off by saying that it is going to meander a little bit and 25 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:45,520 that's because while I could give you a template and a format for doing all these things, I 26 00:01:45,520 --> 00:01:50,880 also want to advise you to do your own research, go online, research how to make a good cover 27 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,760 letter, resume, find ways to interview. 28 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:59,360 But this is all kind of public knowledge that I think is and can be a bit cookie cutter, 29 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:04,760 but the reality is I think finding a job these days, especially in the year 2024 is a lot 30 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:07,720 more difficult and especially in the creative career. 31 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:10,160 There's not a lot of hard and fast rules. 32 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:14,040 Some of the ways that people find jobs tend to be very kismet. 33 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:19,720 Sometimes people hire based on vibes and I know that can all sound really daunting, frustrating 34 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:25,200 and annoying, but there is a way to develop a process in order to essentially get your 35 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:29,680 bucket, find your container, which is your career, and keep on putting little drops in 36 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:30,680 it. 37 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:32,440 We're going to be talking about portfolio. 38 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:35,640 I am a graphic designer, a visual designer, an illustrator. 39 00:02:35,640 --> 00:02:40,840 I also work with people in the creative field on the project management side, and so I'm 40 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:47,240 going to advise you on how I've made my portfolio just based upon my background and experience. 41 00:02:47,240 --> 00:02:51,800 So to start this episode off, if you want some good examples of portfolios, what you 42 00:02:51,800 --> 00:02:57,240 can do is go to websites like website godly. 43 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,600 You can go to design inspiration. 44 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:07,640 If you go to typo, you can even look at my website, julia.me, you can go to websites 45 00:03:07,640 --> 00:03:13,360 like Shillington where students go through a graphic design course and then display their 46 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:16,280 work just to see what is out there. 47 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:21,140 And again, we're talking about visual design today, but if you ever go shopping online 48 00:03:21,140 --> 00:03:26,920 and you find artwork from your favorite artist or fashion designer, take note of what you 49 00:03:26,920 --> 00:03:32,800 see out there, what's working for you as a consumer, someone who's buying products, because 50 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:37,240 this is what's going to help you make your portfolio. 51 00:03:37,240 --> 00:03:42,800 You want to take the same sort of tactics that are cooking your eyes and apply that 52 00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:44,240 to your work. 53 00:03:44,240 --> 00:03:49,800 And so some of what we're going to be talking about today is a little bit of layouts, but 54 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,560 we're only going to touch upon this briefly. 55 00:03:52,560 --> 00:03:58,520 So your portfolio these days, what you want is a website, some place online where you 56 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,440 can display and show your work. 57 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:03,320 But you might have a few questions. 58 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:08,460 For example, since this is such a broad topic, you might want to consider which website to 59 00:04:08,460 --> 00:04:10,100 host your work on. 60 00:04:10,100 --> 00:04:17,040 Social media, Instagram, TikTok, what about all these other websites like Behance, Dribbble, 61 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:18,040 Creative Market? 62 00:04:18,040 --> 00:04:21,400 There are a ton of websites to host your work as a creative. 63 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:27,960 And what I would advise is to just pick one website, a place to host your work, and then 64 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:31,000 one form of social media to start with. 65 00:04:31,000 --> 00:04:33,120 So let's go ahead and talk about website. 66 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:39,320 Personally, I like to use Squarespace as my poster for my portfolio. 67 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:43,520 I've been on Squarespace basically ever since they've existed. 68 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:48,480 And this is not a sponsored plug, but it is a plug because I think Squarespace is one 69 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:54,400 of the more agile, adaptable, and easy to use websites for displaying work. 70 00:04:54,400 --> 00:05:01,480 You can go in as independent creative and then basically scale to an agency on Squarespace. 71 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:06,580 There are a lot of different tools on there to show you work, even start private memberships. 72 00:05:06,580 --> 00:05:09,440 You can go online and compare for yourself. 73 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:13,540 The subscriptions start at around $15 a month. 74 00:05:13,540 --> 00:05:18,220 That's not including purchasing a domain, but let's go ahead and just talk about some 75 00:05:18,220 --> 00:05:20,560 other websites where you can host your work. 76 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:26,920 I believe Adobe, if you are a student, also has a free product or service where you can 77 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:28,640 host your work. 78 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:33,440 One thing I do suggest is that if you're starting out, you do want to buy a domain, buy your 79 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:37,720 name or buy something that you can stick with for a few years. 80 00:05:37,720 --> 00:05:41,180 Your domain is going to cost you generally about $20 a year. 81 00:05:41,180 --> 00:05:46,720 Don't pay anything more than $20, but your domain is basically my website, juliasparrow.me. 82 00:05:46,720 --> 00:05:49,400 I own that and I pay for it every year. 83 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:54,020 I definitely think that it's important to own your URL because if you think about it, 84 00:05:54,020 --> 00:06:00,000 if you end up expanding your advertising, you make business cards, you have QR codes 85 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,440 floating around in the universe. 86 00:06:01,440 --> 00:06:06,360 If you want to keep your URL the same, you can always buy additional ones, but I would 87 00:06:06,360 --> 00:06:10,000 say that stick with the same URL you originally started with. 88 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:16,800 For example, if I wanted to eventually make my website The Pool Party and do like thepoolparty.com, 89 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:21,200 I don't even know if that domain is available, but you get the idea, and route my current 90 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:26,360 portfolio to that domain, I could do that, but I also have juliasparrow.me. 91 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:30,600 So that's a little bit of the technical side, but I would say that's like first things first. 92 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:36,160 Pick a website, a hosting platform that you like, that you feel like you can stick with, 93 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:40,640 that you can afford the subscription price of, and then choose a domain that you're willing 94 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,280 to keep for many years. 95 00:06:43,280 --> 00:06:48,200 Just know that if you ever want an additional domain, you can link it to your original site, 96 00:06:48,200 --> 00:06:53,280 but have your first domain be something simple like your name or something that applies to 97 00:06:53,280 --> 00:06:54,280 your work. 98 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:56,700 Make sure that isn't too many letters long. 99 00:06:56,700 --> 00:07:01,480 You want to be able to discuss your URL and spell it out loud for people. 100 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:06,320 If you need more help on ways to find good names, you can listen to the episode on how 101 00:07:06,320 --> 00:07:12,080 to name your brand, and I discuss a little bit about domains and URLs in that episode. 102 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:16,160 I'm not going to get into the weeds of all the offers that are out there for students, 103 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:21,700 but if you are a student, take advantage of this because a lot of websites offer discounts 104 00:07:21,700 --> 00:07:25,480 and promotions for student artists, designers. 105 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:32,040 If you have a student ID, then you can basically get a discounted website, sometimes even a 106 00:07:32,040 --> 00:07:35,840 free one, depending on who you choose as your host. 107 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:41,160 Now, when it comes to the content of your website, the most basic websites are going 108 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:48,000 to contain at least three projects that are demonstrative of work that you want to do 109 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:49,520 in the future. 110 00:07:49,520 --> 00:07:54,640 Your portfolio website needs to contain three projects that show work that you've done in 111 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:55,640 the past. 112 00:07:55,640 --> 00:08:01,640 This can be personal projects, work you've been paid for, imaginary projects. 113 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:07,900 If you are in the visual creative field, it needs to show your skill level, your ability 114 00:08:07,900 --> 00:08:16,080 to execute, and then essentially how you would market and showcase that product on your website. 115 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:20,640 And we want to keep it simple, but show your best work. 116 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:25,200 And the reason why I'm saying only choose three projects to start is because if you're 117 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:31,040 making your website from scratch, the amount of opportunities and ways you can build your 118 00:08:31,040 --> 00:08:33,640 website is very large. 119 00:08:33,640 --> 00:08:38,920 I want to use a little bit of a case study and an example right now, since I'm podcasting 120 00:08:38,920 --> 00:08:40,080 to you today. 121 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:46,400 I think a really good example of a portfolio website that is advanced, but keeps it simple 122 00:08:46,400 --> 00:08:49,520 is Alex Cooper's Unwell website. 123 00:08:49,520 --> 00:08:55,200 If you go to that website, Unwell is basically the podcasting network that she created after 124 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:56,280 Call Her Daddy. 125 00:08:56,280 --> 00:09:03,040 She has three different podcasts on the Unwell network that basically shows her body of work. 126 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:06,080 I believe there's three different podcasts on there. 127 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:10,480 So if you want to think about your portfolio being the work that you want to do in the 128 00:09:10,480 --> 00:09:15,520 future, if you're an illustrator, you need three illustrations on your website, really 129 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:20,400 strong illustrations that you feel demonstrate what you could do in the future, what you 130 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:21,440 want to do. 131 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:27,120 If you are a website designer, you want three websites on your website that do the same 132 00:09:27,120 --> 00:09:28,120 thing. 133 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:32,680 They can be as simple or complex as you want, but ideally you're showing off work that 134 00:09:32,680 --> 00:09:34,940 you would like to do in the future. 135 00:09:34,940 --> 00:09:38,480 And then for me, for example, I'm a digital and graphic designer. 136 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:44,200 I have all sorts of visuals I've created on Photoshop, illustrations that I've drawn 137 00:09:44,200 --> 00:09:46,240 on my iPad over the year. 138 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:51,200 And as I've created a lot of different types of work, I have a lookbook that kind of shows 139 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:54,800 different styles that you can click through and look at. 140 00:09:54,800 --> 00:10:00,680 The whole point of this is that we're showing what we can do, but we're also trying to 141 00:10:00,680 --> 00:10:03,520 basically build some tracks. 142 00:10:03,520 --> 00:10:07,160 We're trying to chart a path of where we want to go. 143 00:10:07,160 --> 00:10:11,740 And then over time, we can dig this path a little bit deeper with more body of work. 144 00:10:11,740 --> 00:10:16,960 If we're a river, we don't need to create the Grand Canyon today, but we just got to 145 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:22,400 take our stick in the sand and then chart a little bit of a path of what our work represents. 146 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:26,760 So at this point of the episode, I'm going to tell you everything they taught me at Shillington, 147 00:10:26,760 --> 00:10:30,720 which is a graphic design school that I went to in the year 2019. 148 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:36,960 It was pretty special when I went to Shillington because I was a fresh grad from Sanford. 149 00:10:36,960 --> 00:10:41,320 I had already gotten my undergraduate degree, but I realized that I wanted some more practical 150 00:10:41,320 --> 00:10:48,000 skills to be able to apply some of the design thinking I learned doing research, but I wanted 151 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,960 a hard skill like graphic design in order to be able to work with the public. 152 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:58,400 A little bit about me, I got my first or one of my internships was at an urban studies 153 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:00,280 nonprofit organization. 154 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:05,800 This nonprofit org was called the Center for Urban Pedagogy and it's based in Brooklyn. 155 00:11:05,800 --> 00:11:11,600 They go by CUP for short, but what CUP did was essentially bridge graphic designers with 156 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:16,360 community organizations and then help them form partnerships where they could then design 157 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:21,120 materials that would actually get information that was needed by the public into the hands 158 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:22,360 of individuals. 159 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:28,320 Going back to my design education, I thought this was super cool, but had no idea how to 160 00:11:28,320 --> 00:11:34,040 do any design in Photoshop or use any of the tools that I saw designers use, especially 161 00:11:34,040 --> 00:11:39,000 when I interned at places like the storefront for art and architecture as a communications 162 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:40,000 intern. 163 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,480 I saw a lot of designers do some pretty cool gallery mockups and floor plans on Photoshop 164 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:49,200 and I realized that was a skill set that I wanted to learn and I wanted to do things 165 00:11:49,200 --> 00:11:50,200 just like that. 166 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:56,480 So going back to 2019, I decided to study part-time graphic design program with Shillington 167 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:01,080 and at the time I was in person in New York going to school part-time, I believe it was 168 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:04,400 like two to three days a week and I would work at restaurants. 169 00:12:04,400 --> 00:12:09,960 I had two restaurant jobs and I would work the brunch shift at 5 a.m. up until noon and 170 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:15,040 then when I got off of work, I would do my design homework for several hours and then 171 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:19,000 I would go to Shillington, which was a design program in the afternoon. 172 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:21,360 Some days I'd also work two restaurant shifts. 173 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:27,480 It was insane, but it was a really great program and I wanted to be in New York and really 174 00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:32,600 before the pandemic started, I had this vision of being a designer in this city. 175 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:34,600 I just really wanted that lifestyle. 176 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:38,640 So one of the great things that Shillington taught me was essentially all the hard skills 177 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:40,040 you need to be a designer. 178 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,280 So that's everything I go over in this podcast. 179 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:45,300 It's branding, typography, how to mood board. 180 00:12:45,300 --> 00:12:49,920 These are all skills you can actually learn on your own, but sometimes people don't really 181 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,240 give you that information unless you work with them, unless you're in the industry 182 00:12:53,240 --> 00:12:57,800 or in my case, I feel like this is information that should be more widely available and that's 183 00:12:57,800 --> 00:12:59,880 the reason why I've made this podcast. 184 00:12:59,880 --> 00:13:04,520 While skills are a great thing to learn, I think it's important to realize that you can 185 00:13:04,520 --> 00:13:05,840 go to design school. 186 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:09,160 Sure, you can do that or you can learn them on YouTube. 187 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:13,800 I think there are a lot of really great tutorials that are free that are made by other graphic 188 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:18,680 designers, artists and creatives and you don't necessarily need to go to a design school 189 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:24,360 or get a degree, which I know many people do, but I will tell you that in the year 2024, 190 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:29,680 you can very much teach yourself a skill, put together a portfolio and then start selling 191 00:13:29,680 --> 00:13:31,600 that skill online. 192 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:36,560 If you have demonstrated the ability to perform that skill before, if you have a good landing 193 00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:41,200 page or website that showcases that skill, that's really all you need. 194 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:45,560 That is like the proof of work that you have and then working with people is really just 195 00:13:45,560 --> 00:13:51,120 a matter of putting together a reasonable contract, giving yourself a market rate salary 196 00:13:51,120 --> 00:13:54,200 or hourly pay as a freelance designer. 197 00:13:54,200 --> 00:13:59,440 I think the going rate in the United States especially for entry level designers is probably 198 00:13:59,440 --> 00:14:01,480 around 20 to 25 dollars. 199 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:06,480 If you are going to school full time and you need a part time job, you could advertise 200 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:11,920 your skills hourly or project rate just based upon that rate and then as you get more experience 201 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:15,960 and then more people who want to hire you back, you can continue to raise that rate. 202 00:14:15,960 --> 00:14:21,160 It really just depends on how quickly you can execute and also the amount of demand 203 00:14:21,160 --> 00:14:22,880 that you have for your projects. 204 00:14:22,880 --> 00:14:23,880 It's really up to you. 205 00:14:23,880 --> 00:14:28,240 If you have more time and availability to wait, you don't have to necessarily charge 206 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:32,620 like on the lower end, but it's all about what you can sell and being realistic about 207 00:14:32,620 --> 00:14:38,560 what you can afford to make and what makes sense for you and your lifestyle. 208 00:14:38,560 --> 00:14:42,880 There are also a lot of really great worksheets online for figuring out how much to charge. 209 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:47,400 I took a course through I Love Creatives with their Squarespace Design course after I did 210 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:48,400 Shillington. 211 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:53,080 I particularly like this graphic design course because they went into detail on how much 212 00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:58,760 you should charge just based upon how much you need to live and the area you live, what 213 00:14:58,760 --> 00:14:59,760 you like to do. 214 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:04,040 It can be really variable and so I think it's worth it to take a look at spreadsheets that 215 00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:05,320 are out there online. 216 00:15:05,320 --> 00:15:10,540 You might be able to make your own, but consider what you need to live and then charge according 217 00:15:10,540 --> 00:15:11,540 to that. 218 00:15:11,540 --> 00:15:17,160 I think this is important because first of all, we all need to pay rent, buy groceries, 219 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:23,200 pay for yoga memberships or healthcare, chiropractors, whatever you need and other people are not 220 00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:25,880 going to figure out this cost of living for you. 221 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:29,600 This is really something that you have to do for yourself. 222 00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:34,960 And from that point, you can put together a service for or a package for your services. 223 00:15:34,960 --> 00:15:38,880 So I was talking about portfolio and this is what they taught me at Shillington. 224 00:15:38,880 --> 00:15:43,320 Shillington was a really interesting program because we worked on project work every single 225 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:44,320 week. 226 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:50,640 We started out with a typography project, doing posters and basically mocking up brands, creating 227 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:55,800 logos and then we would choose our best projects and showcase three of them on our portfolio. 228 00:15:55,800 --> 00:16:00,480 I would say that these days, your portfolio you make should basically contain the same 229 00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:04,160 thing like three projects that you think are exemplary. 230 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:06,760 You can also teach yourself these skills online. 231 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:12,280 But I would also say that if you are designing on your own, choose a category of design that 232 00:16:12,280 --> 00:16:17,200 you like to make and try to have a few examples of strong work in that area. 233 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,960 After I graduated from Shillington, I realized I really liked to make whimsical illustrations 234 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:21,960 and graphics. 235 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:27,040 So sometimes I would spend just two hours every day pumping out illustrations just to 236 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:33,200 get my work going and having that proof of work that I could deliver the types of illustrations 237 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:34,320 that I wanted to. 238 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:39,680 It was also nice because when you're creating on your own, you have more time to play and 239 00:16:39,680 --> 00:16:40,960 figure things out. 240 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:42,420 It kept my skills sharp. 241 00:16:42,420 --> 00:16:47,600 And then also if you go onto my website these days in the illustration and graphic design 242 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:53,440 section, a lot of those visuals I made were actually projects I made for myself just in 243 00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:54,640 my free time. 244 00:16:54,640 --> 00:16:58,880 So I think this is important to consider and find what you like and what you want to make 245 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:03,840 and just keep on doing it and display it online because if you're competing with other designers 246 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:07,760 and illustrators out there who maybe have three portfolio projects that are in different 247 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:14,120 areas, that might look good to a recruiter who doesn't really have a lot of design background 248 00:17:14,120 --> 00:17:18,760 who might just be looking for someone who can put together a good visual package. 249 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:20,840 I think that works for generalist jobs. 250 00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:26,240 But as you get further along in your design and creative career, everyone kind of finds 251 00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:30,400 like a specialty that they're good at and I think honing down your interests shows a 252 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:32,000 sense of like focus. 253 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:37,280 It shows that you know what you're good at and then also as you apply for jobs and tell 254 00:17:37,280 --> 00:17:42,160 them what you're looking to do, it shows that you've at least thought about it in advance. 255 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:47,520 I think that there are a lot of people who use the portfolios to find jobs and in that 256 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:54,100 case I think there's also differing opinions on how to display your portfolio. 257 00:17:54,100 --> 00:18:01,080 If you are in the user experience and interface design lane of design, basically people just 258 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,920 want to see user interface and user design portfolios. 259 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:09,400 I've talked to folks who say that you should not have illustration on your website if you 260 00:18:09,400 --> 00:18:13,820 do this and I think that makes it hard for people who like myself who have skills in 261 00:18:13,820 --> 00:18:16,160 both and maybe want to show both. 262 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:20,320 But I've gotten a lot of feedback in the past that it's important to showcase just user 263 00:18:20,320 --> 00:18:24,400 interface and user experience skills on a single portfolio and then if you're selling 264 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,720 illustrations for example, that's another website. 265 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:31,400 As someone who's worked independently a lot by myself over the past few years, I don't 266 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:32,400 follow that advice. 267 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:37,240 That's why I think really you need to figure out what works for you because there's a lot 268 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:43,240 of competing advice out there on what it means to stand out and look different but also showcase 269 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:48,240 a really strong skill set and I think you have to make these decisions for yourself. 270 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:53,960 There is a gamble between looking like everyone else by having the same portfolio projects 271 00:18:53,960 --> 00:19:01,600 that show a wide array of work and then there's also a gamble but I think a huge reward to 272 00:19:01,600 --> 00:19:06,440 know who you are, know what you like, really showcase that work and not budge on it. 273 00:19:06,440 --> 00:19:13,880 I think that shows at least a sense of direction, strong work ethic and I think people, my opinion, 274 00:19:13,880 --> 00:19:17,840 I like to work with people who have strong opinions and know what they like to do. 275 00:19:17,840 --> 00:19:22,120 I don't like to work with people who just try to be bland and corporate because I think 276 00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:26,760 those are the people that kind of just go with whatever the whims of the crowd are doing 277 00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:29,840 and I don't like that because I find it frustrating. 278 00:19:29,840 --> 00:19:31,200 The world changes all the time. 279 00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:34,080 Are you just going to change your mind when the trends change? 280 00:19:34,080 --> 00:19:38,600 I think it's important to actually put your foot down and form an opinion of what you 281 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:42,920 want to do, think about what dreams you have for yourself and then form your portfolio 282 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:45,080 around this general direction. 283 00:19:45,080 --> 00:19:48,800 So I've mentioned a few veins of what your portfolio can do for you. 284 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:54,520 I think if you're pretty early on in your journey of showcasing your work online, you 285 00:19:54,520 --> 00:19:58,360 can have a specific purpose for each webpage you have. 286 00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:03,440 So one of the tricky things about having a portfolio site just for let's say corporate 287 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:09,560 work, user experience design and graphic design and then having a website for selling illustrations 288 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:14,320 is then you're on the hook and on the line for paying for multiple domains, multiple 289 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,000 subscriptions possibly. 290 00:20:16,000 --> 00:20:20,520 I think that was one of the biggest things getting in the way with me wanting to make 291 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:24,880 multiple sites, especially when I got the feedback from user experience designers who 292 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,400 told me you should have a portfolio for one site. 293 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:32,400 I think there's a way around this where you make a landing page for specific offerings 294 00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:33,400 that you have. 295 00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:37,840 For example, one of the ways I've gotten around this is by showcasing a landing page of my 296 00:20:37,840 --> 00:20:40,000 work on juliaspara.me. 297 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:45,080 I show a lot of the work and the highlights that I've done and then also I have a services 298 00:20:45,080 --> 00:20:49,480 page just for illustrations if anyone would ever want to purchase an illustration pack 299 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:50,480 for me. 300 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:55,240 I think it's good to think about your portfolio or your website as a series of landing pages 301 00:20:55,240 --> 00:21:00,320 that have one goal and if your homepage has like a singular goal of showcasing all the 302 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:05,040 work that you've done before, that works and I chose to do that with mine. 303 00:21:05,040 --> 00:21:09,520 On the other hand, if you are selling services and you have multiple services, think about 304 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:13,020 having one webpage per service. 305 00:21:13,020 --> 00:21:18,360 One thing that's really confusing is if you try to accomplish many goals on a single web, 306 00:21:18,360 --> 00:21:24,200 you're trying to have your about page, your contact, and all of these things on one page, 307 00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:29,800 there needs to be at least say about 70% of a single web page needs to have one goal and 308 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:33,600 that goal needs to be pretty clear whether that's like showing an overview of your work, 309 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:38,920 which is great for landing pages and homepages, or let's say you go further into a website 310 00:21:38,920 --> 00:21:44,680 and then you're just showcasing a blog or a gallery or a lookbook of options. 311 00:21:44,680 --> 00:21:49,760 This is why it's a good idea to have multiple pages, but try not to stray too far from one 312 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:52,240 singular goal per website. 313 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:55,880 So I think one thing that can be confusing to people is if they don't really know what 314 00:21:55,880 --> 00:22:01,840 they want to showcase, I'd say at least try to define who you are, have some search engine 315 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:04,400 optimized wording on your website. 316 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:10,560 For example, people know to look for a graphic designer, an illustrator, or a digital designer 317 00:22:10,560 --> 00:22:13,640 or web designer if they're looking for those types of people. 318 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:18,480 However, I saw this on LinkedIn once, no one knows to Google a unicorn or what that really 319 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:23,720 means and so you want to be as specific as possible just for the main reason that think 320 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:28,180 about what people are going to Google or type into a search engine when they're looking 321 00:22:28,180 --> 00:22:30,520 for someone who does the work that you do. 322 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:35,560 I'm going to add on another suggestion for showcasing your work that is pretty lightweight, 323 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:36,560 social media. 324 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:40,680 And when I talk about social media, I want to give you some guidelines, but there's some 325 00:22:40,680 --> 00:22:41,920 room to play with this. 326 00:22:41,920 --> 00:22:46,680 You can make a new Instagram portfolio or you can make a new Instagram page or TikTok 327 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:49,520 page to showcase specific work that you do. 328 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:54,960 But one thing I want you to consider is making a new social media just for showcasing work. 329 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:59,520 For example, don't showcase work on your personal page if you wouldn't want a recruiter 330 00:22:59,520 --> 00:23:02,120 to see what's also on your personal page. 331 00:23:02,120 --> 00:23:05,800 Granted, there are many people who hire these days who are not recruiters who wouldn't 332 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:10,880 mind, for example, you smoking at like some after party and like seeing a picture that 333 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:13,160 maybe there are a lot of people who really don't care. 334 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:18,280 But I would say that the people who usually make decisions for more corporate bodies tend 335 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:20,400 to be a little bit more conservative. 336 00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:24,480 And that's not really something that I personally agree with or adhere to. 337 00:23:24,480 --> 00:23:29,480 But if you're looking to get hired, for example, by a more corporate company, just keep a separate 338 00:23:29,480 --> 00:23:34,440 social page for things that are personal and then a separate social page for things you 339 00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:35,720 want to get hired for. 340 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:40,280 For example, if you have an Instagram page and you're an actor, don't post anything 341 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:43,400 on the acting page that you wouldn't do as an actor. 342 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:45,200 Same thing as a designer. 343 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:50,760 If you wouldn't do any of the things as a designer at a design job, don't create content 344 00:23:50,760 --> 00:23:52,560 that shows you doing that on that page. 345 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:57,440 I think that just streamlines your messaging and it helps because sure, we're multi-dimensional 346 00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:01,280 people and we all have personal life, work life, etc. 347 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:07,120 But sometimes people do judge and you never know who is going to be looking at your portfolio, 348 00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:12,120 who might be able to offer you a job and what they might be thinking based upon what they 349 00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:13,520 see on your Instagram. 350 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:16,760 Meanwhile, while some of these recruiters might be a little bit more conservative, we 351 00:24:16,760 --> 00:24:21,200 also live in a world where creatives are people who do lots of different things, are out there, 352 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:22,200 out of the box. 353 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:26,560 Yeah, just be like mindful of what kind of audience you want to attract by making your 354 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:27,560 social profile. 355 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:31,040 And I think if you're just starting out in your creative career, don't double down on 356 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:35,280 any one direction, just keep things separate because then as you're out in the world and 357 00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:39,000 you're meeting people, you have the choice of what you want people to see. 358 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:43,080 You can give people a very specific Instagram handle based upon the context in which you 359 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:48,200 meet them and you don't have to feel self-conscious or nervous about if you did the right thing. 360 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:49,760 Just diversify your social media. 361 00:24:49,760 --> 00:24:54,160 I talk a lot about separation and hygiene with social media and I even mentioned in 362 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:58,880 the last podcast that you might want to consider having a separate phone for your personal 363 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:01,360 life and then a separate phone for your work. 364 00:25:01,360 --> 00:25:05,520 And I think this also helps when you log into your social media for work on your work phone 365 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:08,120 and then your personal social media on your personal phone. 366 00:25:08,120 --> 00:25:13,080 I think in the digital age, it's nice to have some sort of boundary to where you can throw 367 00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:17,720 one phone in a closet or something if you're working and you don't want to see your personal 368 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:23,560 messages or similarly, if you're at Coachella and having a good time, you're on your personal 369 00:25:23,560 --> 00:25:27,640 phone and then you don't have your work socials on that phone buzzing you when you're just 370 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:28,640 trying to have fun. 371 00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:32,320 I think that type of separation is not only really good for mental health, but it also 372 00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:36,520 keeps things easy for you so that you don't have to accidentally worry if you did something 373 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:38,320 that is going to impact your job. 374 00:25:38,320 --> 00:25:39,800 It's that simple. 375 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:44,360 And on the front of phones being expensive, there's actually a lot of cheap phones these 376 00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:49,960 days that are smartphones that you could just pay 80 bucks for and you get a SIM card, maybe 377 00:25:49,960 --> 00:25:53,240 you get like a Mint Mobile or something for your work phone. 378 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:57,720 There's a lot of ways to have a separate phone these days that could make it nice and easy 379 00:25:57,720 --> 00:25:58,720 for you. 380 00:25:58,720 --> 00:26:02,440 So generally speaking, you're going to want to follow the rules of the industry for that 381 00:26:02,440 --> 00:26:04,840 social media that you're using for that job. 382 00:26:04,840 --> 00:26:08,000 If you are a designer, an actor, model, etc. 383 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:12,560 If you wouldn't do whatever you're doing at the job, don't put it on your Instagram. 384 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,200 If you're a model and you model bikinis, that's perfect. 385 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:16,440 Put that on your Instagram. 386 00:26:16,440 --> 00:26:21,520 However, if you're also an Instagram model or your model who is on Instagram, who is 387 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:27,480 also a graphic designer, consider making those two Instagrams separate because you just want 388 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:29,320 to streamline your messaging. 389 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:34,000 A lot of people probably will not care if you're a model and you also graphic designer, but 390 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:38,120 it might be confusing to some people if you mishmash it all on one page. 391 00:26:38,120 --> 00:26:44,680 Again, I don't know why this is, but it shows actually some sort of ability to focus and 392 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:47,040 switch hats if you keep them separate. 393 00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:48,840 And it shows some forethought, I think. 394 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:54,120 Everyone has to have all your social medias, but you get to decide who you give what to. 395 00:26:54,120 --> 00:26:56,000 And that's just my opinion. 396 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:59,400 So again, I'm talking about a lot of different industries here for all of these different 397 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:00,520 social medias. 398 00:27:00,520 --> 00:27:03,600 Ask people within your industry what they would do to get hired. 399 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:05,680 Don't ask people outside of the industry. 400 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:09,620 It's going to vary and you could do that, but it might just be more confusing. 401 00:27:09,620 --> 00:27:14,400 Ask people who are doing what you want to do and then follow that advice. 402 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:19,280 I think in the world of artificial intelligence and people asking chat GPT for advice, get 403 00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:24,720 your butt on LinkedIn and actually look people up and take the time to talk with them. 404 00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:30,120 I think that people will actually be able to tell you the nuances of the social interactions 405 00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:32,560 that take place in work environments. 406 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:37,400 I think work professionalism and culture is really unique in that people will of course 407 00:27:37,400 --> 00:27:40,200 tell you one thing, but what they actually do is another. 408 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,080 So try to form some strong relationships with people. 409 00:27:43,080 --> 00:27:47,640 Use sociologists and build some trust to actually get the real info. 410 00:27:47,640 --> 00:27:49,960 And online research will only get you so far. 411 00:27:49,960 --> 00:27:54,440 I think it's worthwhile to think about how you show up authentically, who you want to 412 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:59,620 be, and then just talk to everyone and consider all information as valuable in the search 413 00:27:59,620 --> 00:28:00,880 for what you want to do. 414 00:28:00,880 --> 00:28:06,280 But once you find and narrow down what you want to do, really take the time to find some 415 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:10,740 sources of inspiration that make sense to you and then go directly to those people and 416 00:28:10,740 --> 00:28:14,720 try to find a way where you can provide some value to them and then get the info that you 417 00:28:14,720 --> 00:28:17,400 need in order to help you on your individual journey. 418 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,920 No one is really going to make your career happen for you. 419 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:24,480 And I wish that was something that someone told me when I was younger. 420 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:29,040 I'm someone who has a lot of credentials and studied a lot, but the reality is that 421 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:33,040 careers are made out there in the world when you're talking to people, when you're working 422 00:28:33,040 --> 00:28:38,520 with them, and you never know who needs help with what you are specialized in. 423 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:43,240 And a lot of people sometimes don't ask, so sometimes it has to be you that initiates 424 00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:45,680 the conversation and offers a helping hand. 425 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:50,120 Also, I feel like these conversations shouldn't be like pulling teeth, so that is a good indicator 426 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:53,480 usually if someone is meant to work with you and be on your path. 427 00:28:53,480 --> 00:28:57,760 If a conversation is a little bit too hard to have and people seem resistant to speak 428 00:28:57,760 --> 00:28:59,880 with you, it's okay to just move on. 429 00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:04,680 Some people aren't ready for what you have to offer or ready to be honest, and that has 430 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:08,320 nothing to do with you, don't take it personally, it's just life. 431 00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:12,400 You never know where you meet people and it's always worth trying again, even on a different 432 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:17,320 day, but it's important to give people time and space they need to make decisions. 433 00:29:17,320 --> 00:29:21,400 Okay, so let's talk a little bit now about how to read the room. 434 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:25,400 Whenever you hop on a call with someone, let's say you decide to have a one-on-one with them, 435 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:29,240 and you're like, hey, my name is Jules, I want to talk to you about XYZ, I feel like 436 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:32,480 it'd be really interesting, you'd find some commonality, we went to the same school or 437 00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:36,000 we have the same interests, I really want to know more about this, this is why I think 438 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:37,840 I would be a great person to talk to. 439 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:41,640 When you get on a call with them, I think it's really important to have some questions 440 00:29:41,640 --> 00:29:46,280 lined up already, have at least three of them, dive right in, be conversational, but also 441 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:47,280 read the room. 442 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:50,720 So if someone actually gets on a call with you, chances are that they do want to talk 443 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:51,720 with you. 444 00:29:51,720 --> 00:29:54,920 There are many occasions where you might actually be talking to people who might be good to 445 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:57,240 work with, where you don't find them on a call. 446 00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:01,320 Let's say that you're at a party and you're talking with them, people rarely want to talk 447 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:06,080 about work things at parties, however, if they do, that is interesting. 448 00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:10,720 Some people don't want to, and it's really important to be able to understand what people 449 00:30:10,720 --> 00:30:15,200 are in the mood for, what you're in the mood for, and this is why I'm actually really not 450 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:17,920 a huge fan of not being at parties sober. 451 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:22,640 I think that sometimes when people drink too much or smoke too much or whatever are just 452 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:27,840 not sober enough to read the room, sometimes little slips can happen and we can't always 453 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:30,120 control how other people perceive us. 454 00:30:30,120 --> 00:30:34,440 It's really nice when you're going out in the world and trying to interact with people 455 00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:40,040 and widen your network to be on top of it, to represent the best version of you, like 456 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:45,280 the whole version of you that is not afraid of making social faux pas and that's just 457 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:50,360 my opinion of one of the ways that makes it easier to go in and read the room. 458 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:55,160 There is no shame in declining events if you don't feel fully prepared for them. 459 00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:58,080 I hear people at times say, you know what, show up as you are. 460 00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:02,640 I think if you are truly in a situation where people don't mind how you show up, that's 461 00:31:02,640 --> 00:31:03,640 totally cool. 462 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:07,120 Maybe those people are actually your friends, but these are not networking events. 463 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:11,080 I think that when you're going to networking events, you've got to be prepared for a little 464 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:12,160 bit of everything. 465 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:16,200 People asking you what you do for work, especially if you're at an event working it. 466 00:31:16,200 --> 00:31:18,280 I think talking about work is fair game. 467 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:22,440 I've been to events before where I am working them and people seem to not really understand 468 00:31:22,440 --> 00:31:24,920 that and are in a different mindset. 469 00:31:24,920 --> 00:31:28,400 That's just a little bit of a misalignment and I get that, I understand it. 470 00:31:28,400 --> 00:31:30,920 Maybe they're just not in the mood for work talk. 471 00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:35,680 I don't need to talk to them about work, but if I'm there to network and discuss work, 472 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:38,200 then I'm going to do it and they can go on their merry way. 473 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:41,360 I don't care how they feel about what I'm discussing. 474 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:46,240 Alright, so one thing I find really interesting actually when I meet other creatives and they 475 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:49,840 tell me about the work they do, if they're a graphic designer or designer, is that a 476 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:53,840 lot of times people open up to me about this insecurity that they have with their creative 477 00:31:53,840 --> 00:31:54,840 work. 478 00:31:54,840 --> 00:31:59,040 I think this is a really important topic to talk about because I will tell you that is 479 00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:00,040 really normal. 480 00:32:00,040 --> 00:32:04,200 I think insecurity comes and goes especially as a creative, especially if you really care 481 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:08,120 about what you do and you want to make a really big impact with your work. 482 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:11,800 One of the worst things that you could ever do though is basically stop practicing, stop 483 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:16,360 putting yourself out there just because you're not feeling super well or life gets in the 484 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:17,360 way. 485 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:21,760 I had a mentor once who basically said that when you're working, you're swimming and any 486 00:32:21,760 --> 00:32:25,120 major city that you're in is a pool and you need to be swimming. 487 00:32:25,120 --> 00:32:28,680 If you're not trying to put yourself out there or at least make an impression, you might 488 00:32:28,680 --> 00:32:29,680 be sinking. 489 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:34,200 I don't mean to scare anyone, but I think that is just a result of American capitalism. 490 00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:39,000 I think some of us have maybe larger or smaller safety nets, but the reality of it is if you 491 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:42,960 don't have a safety net, you don't have the luxury to stop working. 492 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:48,520 And so it's really important to plan for your body and being healthy and being able to manage 493 00:32:48,520 --> 00:32:49,680 how you feel. 494 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:54,600 The fact you're going to probably have to continue to make connections and working for 495 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:56,640 the majority of your adult life. 496 00:32:56,640 --> 00:33:00,760 There are of course ways that people find to make income passively, but I will tell 497 00:33:00,760 --> 00:33:06,400 you that passive income at first is way more work than any other active work. 498 00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:09,640 And so while that is a great goal to work towards, you're still going to have to put 499 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:10,760 yourself out there. 500 00:33:10,760 --> 00:33:11,760 It takes time. 501 00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:13,720 It takes discipline, dedication. 502 00:33:13,720 --> 00:33:18,160 It takes putting aside an hour that maybe you would rather spend hours when you have 503 00:33:18,160 --> 00:33:19,320 free time. 504 00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:25,120 And this is another reason why I try to encourage creatives not to feel so pulled with FOMO 505 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:30,120 and events because the reality is what would you do with that time for yourself if you 506 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,360 were not going out to events? 507 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:33,360 And events are great. 508 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:36,080 It's good to meet people, but also be real with yourself. 509 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:39,640 Like balance that with actually putting in time to your work and your craft. 510 00:33:39,640 --> 00:33:43,880 It doesn't matter how many people, if you're not ready, if you haven't put in the practice 511 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:49,600 to be a good designer, then people can't hire you without proof of that work. 512 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:55,920 It doesn't matter if you know some top designer who you met on Tinder for who is going to 513 00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:57,760 New York Fashion Week. 514 00:33:57,760 --> 00:34:00,520 Everybody else who has Tinder has access to that person. 515 00:34:00,520 --> 00:34:02,200 So I'm just trying to keep it real with you. 516 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:06,520 Be very real with what your skills are that you have to offer and how fast you can make 517 00:34:06,520 --> 00:34:10,600 a turnaround because I think it's cliche, but it is true. 518 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:13,640 Preparation and timing is luck. 519 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:14,960 And be ready for luck. 520 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:16,840 Be ready for good things to happen. 521 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:21,200 That means just bringing in the best energy to your work, putting in practice, taking 522 00:34:21,200 --> 00:34:24,920 care of yourself, and then knowing that the right opportunities will come when you're 523 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:25,920 ready for them. 524 00:34:25,920 --> 00:34:29,800 But a lot of things are just not going to feel right if you're not staying healthy because 525 00:34:29,800 --> 00:34:32,080 your body hurts, first of all. 526 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:37,040 And if you're not practicing, you might not ever feel ready because I think instead of 527 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:41,200 manufacturing confidence and faking it till you make it, you can prove to yourself that 528 00:34:41,200 --> 00:34:46,440 you can do it by just showing up and putting in the little work every single day until 529 00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:51,660 you feel like you can deliver on predetermined timeline and be consistent. 530 00:34:51,660 --> 00:34:54,640 And I do want to say it actually is really daunting sometimes. 531 00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:57,760 The world has changed a lot, I think, especially since COVID. 532 00:34:57,760 --> 00:35:01,860 Many people have dealt with layoffs over the years and changing work, pivoting. 533 00:35:01,860 --> 00:35:03,720 I think it's actually super common. 534 00:35:03,720 --> 00:35:04,880 Don't feel alone. 535 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:10,200 But if you're dealing with a, let's say, crisis of belief, faith, and confidence in 536 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:14,880 your work, it might not hurt to seek therapy or journal about it. 537 00:35:14,880 --> 00:35:20,040 I think therapy is like a really great first line of approach for people who are maybe 538 00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:22,800 just unsure of what's going on with work and life. 539 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:26,640 But it gets to a point where I think maybe you feel a little bit more confident and then 540 00:35:26,640 --> 00:35:28,760 what you need next is maybe a coach. 541 00:35:28,760 --> 00:35:31,220 I think there are a lot of really great creative coaches out there. 542 00:35:31,220 --> 00:35:36,100 And I even started working with one over the past few weeks who has been amazing and helping 543 00:35:36,100 --> 00:35:39,360 me think about the things that actually really matter to me. 544 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:44,000 And then we went back into the artwork I used to do before I even worked at an AI startup 545 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:46,960 and all the reasons why I love being creative. 546 00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:51,360 And these were some of the things that I forgot about, but I needed a neutral person to help 547 00:35:51,360 --> 00:35:52,900 me remember. 548 00:35:52,900 --> 00:35:55,440 And also the accountability too, I think is really priceless. 549 00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:59,400 So don't knock investments in working with a coach or a therapist. 550 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:03,240 I think these are investments towards the you that you truly want to be, that you can 551 00:36:03,240 --> 00:36:04,240 be. 552 00:36:04,240 --> 00:36:07,880 And sometimes you just need someone to help you keep you accountable along the way. 553 00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:09,480 I think the struggle is real. 554 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:14,160 I think it's common, but I don't think it's also something to be normalized. 555 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:18,560 And so I think that's something that I've been reckoning with over these past few months 556 00:36:18,560 --> 00:36:21,960 as I've been a little bit more of a hermit with my creativity. 557 00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:26,480 I show up on this podcast every week, but I also have spent a lot of time taking care 558 00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:32,160 of myself, like pouring hours into my work, into my portfolio, crafting services and spending 559 00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:37,100 time thinking about the mindset that helps me feel most creative, like the health level 560 00:36:37,100 --> 00:36:39,920 I need in order to be producing. 561 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:44,560 And it is a lot of maintenance and with a lot of work comes a lot of maintenance. 562 00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:48,800 And so I try not to be too hard on myself and everyone needs a break. 563 00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:54,600 It's impossible to expect even a machine to keep on going without any oil checks or 564 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:55,600 maintenance. 565 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:58,440 So don't treat yourself like a machine in that sense. 566 00:36:58,440 --> 00:37:03,640 Like be human, be a work of biology and give yourself the time you need to rest. 567 00:37:03,640 --> 00:37:08,460 I think another thing that kind of comes into crisis for creative sometimes is this need 568 00:37:08,460 --> 00:37:14,600 for structure and also this question of whether art school is necessary or even super important 569 00:37:14,600 --> 00:37:21,260 if you can learn all the skills online essentially or hire a tutor or someone like literally 570 00:37:21,260 --> 00:37:26,080 anyone in the world these days you can connect with online and get more skills. 571 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:29,600 And I think that's beautiful because if there's really a skill that you want to learn, you 572 00:37:29,600 --> 00:37:33,840 can hire a private tutor or coach like in any country in the world. 573 00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:38,440 I had a friend even who hired someone who was in South America and the exchange rate 574 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:39,440 was great. 575 00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:43,880 They're a great producer, but yeah, that's how they get like affordable tutoring for 576 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:45,000 production work. 577 00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:46,240 And I think that's super smart. 578 00:37:46,240 --> 00:37:51,320 I feel like some of us who come from more traditional educational backgrounds, especially 579 00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:56,200 from the big schools or whatever, sometimes put so much work, mental work into needing 580 00:37:56,200 --> 00:38:00,560 a credential, but the reality is nobody really cares about what kind of pieces of paper you 581 00:38:00,560 --> 00:38:04,400 have unless those pieces of paper are what they want you to produce for them. 582 00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:05,400 You know what I'm saying? 583 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:10,040 So it's no one's asking you, no one wants to pay you for your Stanford or your Harvard 584 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:12,480 degree, for example, maybe they want to pay you for your artwork. 585 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:14,800 What you need to be doing is making that artwork. 586 00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:17,480 And if you go to school, I just want to be very real with you. 587 00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:21,280 The people that you're going to be learning from, they might have practice in the industry, 588 00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:23,040 but their current job is academia. 589 00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:27,000 Their job is to teach you, to guide you, but it is not to build your career. 590 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:28,880 And I think everyone's career is going to be different. 591 00:38:28,880 --> 00:38:32,920 The world changes so much that things that work for people two years ago don't work for 592 00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:33,920 them now. 593 00:38:33,920 --> 00:38:39,060 People build careers overnight on TikTok and podcasting. 594 00:38:39,060 --> 00:38:40,480 That's just the reality of it. 595 00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:44,080 So if you're being consistent, you're putting out the work and you're keeping up the vibes 596 00:38:44,080 --> 00:38:48,780 and meeting people that honestly, to me, I have more confidence in you and your ability 597 00:38:48,780 --> 00:38:53,640 to succeed than I do with people who just graduated with an art degree, especially if 598 00:38:53,640 --> 00:38:57,780 they've never worked as an artist before and they don't understand what timelines are and 599 00:38:57,780 --> 00:38:59,960 what demands are and turnarounds. 600 00:38:59,960 --> 00:39:05,360 The reality is that working as an artist and being a working artist is, it's a marathon. 601 00:39:05,360 --> 00:39:08,320 It's probably harder than being a stripper at the club, honestly. 602 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:10,400 And I feel like, honestly, shout out to strippers. 603 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:15,080 I feel like they put in a lot of work to show up literally naked in vans for people. 604 00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:17,400 That's what being a designer is like sometimes. 605 00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:21,720 And this is not to knock getting more skills or upleveling your training, but I just want 606 00:39:21,720 --> 00:39:22,720 to be real. 607 00:39:22,720 --> 00:39:25,920 School and pursuing education is a full-time endeavor. 608 00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:29,800 And if you are working a full-time job and considering school, you don't always have 609 00:39:29,800 --> 00:39:30,800 to do that. 610 00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:34,960 I think that all of these really traditional paths that people used to follow and require 611 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:38,120 are no longer needed, especially when the world is changing so fast. 612 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:42,080 It's impossible to expect everyone to have a four-year degree in the skill set that you're 613 00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:46,620 asking for, especially in a world where we ask graphic designers to also be motion designers 614 00:39:46,620 --> 00:39:49,260 and good at social media and know how to work in startups. 615 00:39:49,260 --> 00:39:50,560 I would say just get a job. 616 00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:55,200 Get a job, learn how to do it really well, and respect your craft, respect your time, 617 00:39:55,200 --> 00:39:59,960 and know how to provide your outputs in a way that feels comfortable to you. 618 00:39:59,960 --> 00:40:01,600 And no one can really tell you how to do that. 619 00:40:01,600 --> 00:40:03,800 You have to be honest with yourself and figure it out. 620 00:40:03,800 --> 00:40:05,280 No one will do it for you. 621 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:11,120 And that's why I say just get a job, work, and develop your relationships, your boundaries, 622 00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:12,960 and your skills for speaking with people. 623 00:40:12,960 --> 00:40:17,160 Now, if that sounds like a lot, I just want you to be realistic with how much time you 624 00:40:17,160 --> 00:40:18,340 have to dedicate. 625 00:40:18,340 --> 00:40:22,360 If it's starting to impact your sleep schedule, maybe don't do that. 626 00:40:22,360 --> 00:40:24,160 It's impacting your internal peace. 627 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:29,160 Re-evaluate, cultivate some patience, black out your calendar, and show up no matter what 628 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:30,760 for your practice. 629 00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:35,600 Meet with people, get them on the phone, even if it's to discuss their work or to discuss 630 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:36,600 your own. 631 00:40:36,600 --> 00:40:41,080 Get feedback from people and ask lots of different people to form your own opinion. 632 00:40:41,080 --> 00:40:45,780 I think chances are you might need to rearrange or re-evaluate if you're not feeling good 633 00:40:45,780 --> 00:40:47,680 about the creative work that you're doing. 634 00:40:47,680 --> 00:40:52,400 Now, to tell you a little bit about my story, I graduated from Stanford in 2018. 635 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:55,760 My first job out of school was working as a recruiting coordinator at Google. 636 00:40:55,760 --> 00:40:57,400 I really did not like it. 637 00:40:57,400 --> 00:40:59,360 Nothing to do with the company overall. 638 00:40:59,360 --> 00:41:04,800 I just really had no desire to go into resources and operations or recruiting path at a tech 639 00:41:04,800 --> 00:41:05,800 company. 640 00:41:05,800 --> 00:41:10,020 The year was 2018 and I also learned that a lot of the success metrics were just based 641 00:41:10,020 --> 00:41:12,880 on how many people you could schedule on a calendar. 642 00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:17,200 It was really similar to what many hosts do at restaurants, which is not to knock the 643 00:41:17,200 --> 00:41:21,600 job of hosting, but I just felt that I wasn't actually connecting with people on the way 644 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:24,640 that I thought that human resources people do. 645 00:41:24,640 --> 00:41:28,720 I think the lore of choosing a predetermined path like this in the tech industry works 646 00:41:28,720 --> 00:41:33,000 for some people, but for me personally, it triggered an existential crisis, especially 647 00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:37,640 as someone who took a lot of art classes, really did a lot of art, and worked with people 648 00:41:37,640 --> 00:41:39,760 in a sociological context. 649 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:42,000 For me, I quit this job after three months. 650 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:43,120 I went back home to Vegas. 651 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:47,360 I worked in restaurants for four more months and just started investing my money, which 652 00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:49,560 then I was able to move out to New York. 653 00:41:49,560 --> 00:41:50,960 But I kept on working in restaurants. 654 00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:55,480 I knew I wanted to be a designer, so took on an assistantship job I found on Craigslist 655 00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:59,680 with a jewelry designer for a few months as I was working in restaurants, as I was going 656 00:41:59,680 --> 00:42:01,100 to Shillington part time. 657 00:42:01,100 --> 00:42:02,320 And then COVID happened. 658 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:05,440 When that happened, basically my restaurant jobs closed down. 659 00:42:05,440 --> 00:42:11,440 I was collecting unemployment because many people were, who especially worked in jobs 660 00:42:11,440 --> 00:42:16,400 that could no longer be open because it was 2020 in New York. 661 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:19,240 And at that point, I had to use my network to get design jobs. 662 00:42:19,240 --> 00:42:24,440 I was still in school part time, but I knew how to turn over deliverables quickly because 663 00:42:24,440 --> 00:42:25,920 I was really passionate about design. 664 00:42:25,920 --> 00:42:28,600 I had done it even before being in school part time. 665 00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:32,360 And I had to move back home to Vegas and I was paying New York rent while still living 666 00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:34,280 with my parents in Vegas again. 667 00:42:34,280 --> 00:42:38,040 And living in New York City full time was really not for me at that moment. 668 00:42:38,040 --> 00:42:43,280 I had really wished that I could have graduated and done the whole New York City thing full 669 00:42:43,280 --> 00:42:47,040 time, but that just wasn't the alignment of how things worked out. 670 00:42:47,040 --> 00:42:50,160 But I spent nine months at home in Vegas working online. 671 00:42:50,160 --> 00:42:53,260 I found a job at a social media agency. 672 00:42:53,260 --> 00:42:58,120 And then I saved up enough money through working and investing again, which let me go back 673 00:42:58,120 --> 00:43:00,520 to New York City for just a couple of weeks. 674 00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:03,560 And from there, I ended up moving to Maui. 675 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:05,840 And I planned on just being there for a couple of weeks. 676 00:43:05,840 --> 00:43:07,720 I ended up staying for three years. 677 00:43:07,720 --> 00:43:10,720 And obviously those three years didn't just fly by. 678 00:43:10,720 --> 00:43:13,360 In that time, I did all sorts of jobs. 679 00:43:13,360 --> 00:43:14,680 I worked at an AI startup. 680 00:43:14,680 --> 00:43:20,360 I worked on myself a lot because as you can hear from 2018 to 2020, a lot of things happened 681 00:43:20,360 --> 00:43:23,000 and I just needed to give myself a break. 682 00:43:23,000 --> 00:43:26,480 But I knew I still loved being creative and that I wanted to work. 683 00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:30,520 And so that kind of brings me back to now where I feel like in the world of today, it's 684 00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:33,840 really important to figure out what works for you. 685 00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:39,040 And I think working online is one of the biggest gifts because you don't have to be anywhere. 686 00:43:39,040 --> 00:43:40,520 You can take your work with you. 687 00:43:40,520 --> 00:43:43,480 There are really practical reasons why it's good to be mobile. 688 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:48,720 There are natural disasters, for example, just all across the West Coast every summer, 689 00:43:48,720 --> 00:43:52,840 fires, hurricanes, Houston, for talking about Texas. 690 00:43:52,840 --> 00:43:57,320 And even sometimes tech work is not always guaranteed. 691 00:43:57,320 --> 00:44:02,160 So I think that it's nice to have sources of income and ways of getting money that aren't 692 00:44:02,160 --> 00:44:05,720 really on the clock where you have to be at a job full time. 693 00:44:05,720 --> 00:44:09,200 And it might sound a lot of moving around and hard to figure out, but the reality is 694 00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:10,200 it is. 695 00:44:10,200 --> 00:44:12,400 So at times I've had to give myself a break. 696 00:44:12,400 --> 00:44:14,240 I'd say cut yourself some slack. 697 00:44:14,240 --> 00:44:17,120 This is not easy, but people still do it. 698 00:44:17,120 --> 00:44:20,880 And at the end of the day, I've had to ask myself, how much does this matter to me? 699 00:44:20,880 --> 00:44:25,400 And this is something I've continued to do, creative work and finding a way to put myself 700 00:44:25,400 --> 00:44:27,480 out there despite all these changes. 701 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:29,560 And so I feel like this is my path. 702 00:44:29,560 --> 00:44:33,760 And you might not always know what is on your journey, but I think it's important to ask 703 00:44:33,760 --> 00:44:36,560 yourself the hard questions, keep on trying. 704 00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:41,800 And just I think with a lot of destruction and the death of the old is a promise of the 705 00:44:41,800 --> 00:44:42,800 birth of a new. 706 00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:45,120 And that's one of the things that keeps me going. 707 00:44:45,120 --> 00:44:46,120 Yeah. 708 00:44:46,120 --> 00:44:49,320 And amid all this too, I think it's really nice to have a coach because I've learned 709 00:44:49,320 --> 00:44:53,920 to try to have fun still in all of this because a lot, there are a lot of things in life that 710 00:44:53,920 --> 00:44:56,480 are not super fun, it can be really hard. 711 00:44:56,480 --> 00:44:59,440 Trust me, I know it can be really hard. 712 00:44:59,440 --> 00:45:05,040 There are a lot of isms many of us are facing and situations and circumstances, but I think 713 00:45:05,040 --> 00:45:12,840 the only way that we have out of these structure forced upon us are creativity. 714 00:45:12,840 --> 00:45:17,240 And that is why I think it's worth engaging in because it's no longer just about us as 715 00:45:17,240 --> 00:45:21,280 individuals and what we're doing, but it's much larger than that. 716 00:45:21,280 --> 00:45:25,040 And I think that's what I live for is being a part of something larger than me. 717 00:45:25,040 --> 00:45:27,240 So that is this episode of the pool party. 718 00:45:27,240 --> 00:45:29,720 We went through a lot of places on this episode. 719 00:45:29,720 --> 00:45:32,640 I think it's because work is really complicated, honestly. 720 00:45:32,640 --> 00:45:36,680 And if I were just to tell you how to craft a cover letter, a resume and do your portfolio, 721 00:45:36,680 --> 00:45:42,320 I feel like I would be doing you a disservice because the reality of it is a lot more complex. 722 00:45:42,320 --> 00:45:46,820 I think some of this reality is also hidden at times in traditional education models. 723 00:45:46,820 --> 00:45:51,720 And I feel that it is possible to learn everything you need to know in order to make it as a 724 00:45:51,720 --> 00:45:52,880 creative today. 725 00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:56,400 And so that's why I shared my two cents and then some. 726 00:45:56,400 --> 00:46:00,840 And if you have any questions or thoughts, maybe even your own journey to share, I would 727 00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:02,080 love to hear about it. 728 00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:08,520 You can contact me at my website, juliaspirit.me. 729 00:46:08,520 --> 00:46:12,320 This has been this episode of the pool party and I will talk to you next week. 730 00:46:12,320 --> 00:46:16,360 Oh, and if you haven't already, go ahead and rate this podcast five stars. 731 00:46:16,360 --> 00:46:21,600 Tell me wherever you listen to podcasts and you can also go to my website, juliaspirit.me. 732 00:46:21,600 --> 00:46:25,440 And if you're looking for an illustrator, I am now offering a three illustration and 733 00:46:25,440 --> 00:46:32,720 graphic design package for podcasters, musicians, maybe you're a DJ, maybe you have a podcast, 734 00:46:32,720 --> 00:46:34,760 you're up and coming and you need key art. 735 00:46:34,760 --> 00:46:36,040 I would love to do that for you. 736 00:46:36,040 --> 00:46:39,140 We can even work on social media, but let's fill out your key art first. 737 00:46:39,140 --> 00:46:46,720 So hit me up online and I will talk to you soon.