The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox

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

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2017 67:53

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 Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 100 (MP3, 1:07:53, 32.7 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 100 (OGG, 1:07:53, 35.9 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes, on Google Play Music, on Android, on iHeart Show Notes & Links Small City co-working space in Brooklyn Joaquin Cotler, musician, journalist, composer of The Busy Creator Podcast theme song Paul Shaffer, Clark Terry, Questlove — late night talk show band leaders through the years New York City Podcast Meetup Joaquin has appeared on The Busy Creator Podcast episode 41 John Lee Dumas & Kate Erickson, guests on TBC episode 50 "It's a great time to go to Puerto Rico if you already have a lot of money." —Joaquin Cotler Tweet This Creighton Mershonn & Jessi Arrington, proprietors of Small City and past guests on TBC ep 92 Vector Media Group, our default host of the NYC Podcast Meetup Nick Spriggs, partner at Vector, guest on TBC ep 91 New York City Podcast Meetup is one year old New York City Podcast Meetup on Twitter New York City Podcast Meetup on Facebook Prescott removed Facebook from his phone, sleeps better The Busy Creator Podcast made it to 100 episodes — they're all here Jonathan Coulton, and his Thing A Week podcast project JoCo Cruise, featuring Aimee Mann, et al "Busy is a four-letter word." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This “Busy Beaver” is an English-language idomatic expression MIT's mascot is Tim the Beaver, nature's engineer Tim The Beaver Buzz The Busy Beaver is the mascot of The Busy Creator Podcast, but not modelled after Prescott #HumbleBrag, a definition The Busy Creator Podcast started as bi-weekly, went up to weekly, then returned to bi-weekly Bi-Weekly vs. Fortnightly vs. every-other-week, semantics TBC by the numbers: 3 years, 106 episodes (including B-Sides), 98 unique guests, 15 single-topic episodes, 4 monologue episodes TBC by the numbers, best single day downloads: 567, 11 January 2017 TBC by the numbers, best monthly downloads: 10,148, November 2016 TBC by the numbers, lifetime downloads: 103,279, as of 16 January 2017 Marc Maron's show received nearly 750,000 downloads in 24 hours when he interviewed President Obama Casper Mattresses, not a sponsor #TBC100 and #NYCPodMeet to see photos from the event Rashan Casseus, NYC native, FIT Grad, currently a Senior UX Designer Rashan & Prescott met at a fan meetup for Keith and The Girl R & P participated in The Cinnamon Challenge The Ice-Bucket Challange, The Mannequin Challenge, etc. Ice Bucket Challenge Emeril Lagasse "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 Museum of Arts and Design, NYC Gabby Wallace, YouTube producer, teacher, online marketing coach — hates headphones! Keith Richards Gabby defines herself as a creator. Simple. "I create something every day. Most day, many things." —Gabby Wallace Tweet This Prescott & Gabby met at Podcast Movement 2014 Gabby was a podcaster, has moved back to YouTube. GoNaturalEnglish, a video show to learn to English Friendtor, teaming up with people of complementary skills Adrienne Stortz, Katie Quinn, cooking video producers in Brooklyn Matt Cremona, woodworker "I reject all that quality and editing because it takes forever!" —Gabby Wallace Tweet This Keytar Gilmore Girls, and the revival, Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Gilmore Guys podcast The Town Troubadour from Gilmore Girls Joaquin attended CUNY J-School, earning a Master's in Multimedia Journalism Atavist, easier to use than Squarespace or WordPress Roots on The Record, Joaquin's graduate project speaking to musicians and Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz Marian McPartland, 1918–2013 The Nerdist Podcast Alicia Witt, and her episode on The Nerdist The 101, traffic magnet in Los Angeles Studio 360 Kurt Andersen Ashley Milne-Tyte, previous guest on TBC ep 8 WBAI, the liberal talk station which plays Latin Jazz Ray Barretto "Way more fun than playing music is listening to other people play." —Joaquin Cotler Tweet This The Busy Creator Podcast is switching from bi-weekly publication to a seasonal format 9 Habits of Highly Creative People Zapier, upcoming episode for season.next Hulse Durrell, upcoming episode for season.next Vancouver Olympics New brand and website for The Busy Creator coming in the spring SASS (Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets), better than CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) Rashan Casseus on Twitter Rashan Casseus on Facebook Rashan Casseus on Instagram Rashan Casseus on LinkedIn Gabby Wallace on Twitter Gabby Wallace on Facebook Gabby Wallace on Instagram Gabby Wallace on LinkedIn Gabby Wallace on YouTube Joaquin Cotler on Twitter Joaquin Cotler on Facebook Joaquin Cotler on Instagram Joaquin Cotler on LinkedIn Joaquin Cotler on YouTube Tools Jira Slack Squarespace Google Docs Atavist 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

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

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 30, 2016 47:06

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 Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 99 (MP3, 47:06, 22.8 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 99 (OGG, 47:06, 24.9 MB) 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 Popular Lies About Graphic Design by Craig Ward on Amazon Craig's first solo show "I didn't think at all about the financial aspects of solo work." —Craig Ward Tweet This Grey advertising "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 “Make hay while the sun shines” and other farming metaphors Pentagram Eddie Opara, digitally-savvy partner at Pentagram Douglas Davis, previous guest on TBC "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 Denise O'Bleness "Clients get the work they deserve." —Denise O'Bleness Tweet This Deutsch "The answers are not found in the office." —Craig Ward Tweet This "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." —Seneca Tweet This Mother, an agency which has Design and Advertising within it The Shadow Cabinet, in Parliament Skunk Works "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 Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) Craig Ward on Twitter Craig Ward on Instagram Craig Ward on Facebook Craig Ward on LinkedIn Tools Maya 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

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

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2016 44:04

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 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 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 Caste System, even on a movie set On the set of Planet of The Apes, people will sit together based on their costumes Grips The Gig Economy "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 The Hollywood Model, where a team is built for purpose, then disbanded Sandy Powell, costumer designer on Cinderella "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 Aristotelian Logic (Logos, Ethos, Pathos) Lexiconical Gap in English for “happiness” in the context of a career (in Danish we have arbejdsglaede) People Magazine Investigates Long Island Serial Killer, 2011 "If you want to be a true collaborator, you've gotta be willing to be a team player." —Brittany Cormack Tweet This Scandal (a Union show) Non-Union people can't touch the clothes Greensmen, Set Decorators, Painters — keep away from one another's jobs! "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 Brittany uses Instagram strictly for work (no cats, no food!) Brittany Cormack's portfolio Brittany Cormack on IMDB Brittany Cormack on Facebook Brittany Cormack on Instagram 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 Get Hollywood Stories: Short, Entertaining Anecdotes about the Stars and Legends of the Movies by Stephen Schochet as a free audiobook SaveSave SaveSave

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

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2016 52:40

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 Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 97 (MP3, 52:40, 25.4 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 97 (OGG, 52:40, 22 MB) 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 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 Chronicle Books Typography for Lawyers, great site for anyone, not just lawers "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 Milton Glaser's Bob Dylan poster Bob Dylan by Milton Glaser Michael was accepted to study Physics at Berkeley, but received scholarships in Art "The beauty of graphic design is that it works both sides of the brain." —Michael Stinson Tweet This Additive & Subtractive Colours Lithographic printing Calculus Ramp Creative is 2 principals and 1 designer "If you follow the right words the path will take you to the promised land of the visuals." —Michael Stinson Tweet This Different methodologies — layer cake vs. pay-as-you-go Lots of Jewish families in New York City worked in the garment industry "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 "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 The Intellectual Devotional by David Kidder & Noah Oppenheim on Amazon and on Audible "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 Michael defines himself as an introvert Douglas Davis, another educator to appear as a guest Cat Rose discussed creative introverts on The Busy Creator Podcast Type Ed MichaelStinson.com RampCreative.com Michael Stinson on Twitter Michael Stinson on Facebook Michael Stinson on Instagram Michael Stinson on LinkedIn Type Ed on Twitter Type Ed on Facebook Tools InDesign Basecamp Harvest 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 Get The Intellectual Devotional Modern Culture: Revive Your Mind by David Kidder & Noah Oppenheim as a free audiobook

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

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2016 44:01

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 Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 96 (MP3, 44:01, 21.3 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 96 (OGG, 44:01, 24.9 MB) 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 David's office is a multi-purpose room (writing, video editing, audio recording, podcast production) Acoustic paneling GIK Acoustics Reverb Anechoic Chamber David started making films based on his own whims and desires The Lonely Island Saturday Night Life D*ck in a Box David is currently podcasting the production of a feature film Michael Goldburg & Dave Chan, filmmakers Iron Mule Comedy Film Festival, NYC Seed & Spark, film-based crowdfunding platform Transcontinental Railroad Contractions (in dialogue) David's podcast episode on crowdfunding Crowdfunding article on The Busy Creator blog Kickstarter and pitch videos which now are their own project and format Cathryn Lavery on The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 65 American Sign Language (ASL) Does Google Docs have an offline version? Centered, Courier text for screenplays. Why? David has assembled a 3-monitor desk setup over the years Island of Misfit Toys Crysis Ivy Bridge, Intel's best chip from Spring 2012 David worked in a corporate environment for many years; no longer uses an alarm clock Prescott watches one event on broadcast TV each year: The Oscars Presidential debates in 2016 were streamed on Twitter DavidPower.com Sure-Fire Podcast David Power on Facebook David Power on LinkedIn Tools Trello Slack Google Docs FinalDraft BitBucket (on the web) SourceTree (on the desktop) Dropbox Paper Dell PC Tower from 2009 VEGAS Pro by Sony Magix Cakewalk by Sonar Hackintosh Mac Pro 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 Get Finish the Script!: A College Screenwriting Course in Book Form by Scott King as a free audiobook

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

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2016 52:25

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. Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 95 (MP3, 52:24, 25.3 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 95 (OGG, 52:24, 24.4 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes | on Google Play Music | on Android | on iHeart Sponsor 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 Tweet This 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 Tweet This "We didn't want to sully the waters with money." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This The Being Boss Clubhouse is a year-long community learning course with coaching, and more. Will Hudson, early guest on The Busy Creator, ep. 12 It's Nice That and its sister agency, Anyways Armin Vit and Bryony Gomez-Palacio have both been on TBC, separately, eps. 3 & 84 Brand New Conference, Brand New Blog Kathleen started writing on LiveJournal in 1999 Kathleen worked as an Art Director for advertising while blogging at home The Etsy–Pinterest Boom Kathleen attracted freelance design projects from posting her wedding invitations "First, you have to be dedicated to your craft." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This 10,000 hours “Fit of Entrepreneurial Passion”, as described by Michael Gerber "Nothing kills creativity like desperation." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This Kathleen learned Project Management skills at her ad agency job Charlotte Hornets "You can only connect the dots looking backwards." —Steve Jobs Tweet This Steve Jobs addresses Standford class of 2004 2005 The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo on Amazon and on Audible Prescott's grandfather collected his lifetime's worth of business cards 9 Habits of Highly Creative People (free eBook) Kathleen & Emily met as internet blogging pals Emily pitched the idea of a podcast, along with responsibilities Kathleen is the editorial lead; Emily handles web and tech "I didn't know this thing would need its own bank account one day!" —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This 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 "Most people are still in their struggle. There's never a 'there'." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This "Your goals mean shit if you feel like shit along the way." —Kathleen Shannon Tweet This Emily only uses list view in Asana; Kathleen only uses calendar Prescott prefers Kanban view, where that's available Ramit Sethi Kaizen, continual gradual improvements over time Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott on Amazon and on Audible Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson on Amazon and on Audible Daring Greatly by Brene Brown on Amazon and on Audible Martha Beck BeingBoss.club Kathleen Shannon on Twitter Kathleen Shannon on Facebook Kathleen Shannon on Instagram Braid Creative on Facebook Braid Creative on Pinterest Being Boss on Twitter Being Boss on Facebook Being Boss on Instagram Being Boss on iTunes Tools Being Boss Podcast Facebook Live FreshBooks Acuity Scheduling Asana CoSchedule Notebooks, Post-Its Evernote Google Docs Slack 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 Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Daring Greatly by Brene Brown as a free audiobook

B-SIDE: Planning A Modern WordPress Website, with guest Avery Swartz

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2016 68:07

Avery Swartz (@AverySwartz) joins Prescott to discuss the possibilities for the next version of BusyCreator.com. Together, the two discuss the capabilities of WordPress, best practices which Prescott is adopting (and should start), and the shortcomings of WordPress themes and plugins.

planning blog modern practices wordpress themes html css prescott php plugins b side wordpress website scss avery swartz

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

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 19, 2016 54:50

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 Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 94 (MP3, 54:50, 26.5 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 94 (OGG, 54:50, 26.2 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes | on Google Play Music | on Android | on iHeart Sponsor 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 Versa Studio is a distrubuted team, building websites & brands for small business and non-profits Ben previously ran a lawn service and worked internally in the insurance industry HAM Radio Commodore 64, Prescott's first computer The Internet of Things Versa Studio works with ExpressionEngine and Craft, exclusively WordPress Nick Spriggs, previous guest on The Busy Creator Podcast Vector Media hosts the New York City Craft Meetup Register for a temporary live installation of Craft Ben manages projects, but also still writes code and works on the sites Ben runs the Madison Web Design/Development Meetup Big Data Periscope Ben's eBook, Website Planning for Small Business "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 Tweet This Prescott's eBook, Building Brands "You need a 'minimum viable brand' before any website." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This 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 Tweet This 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 Tweet This Current (October 2016) Facebook image guidelines Full Employment Act Bespoke aka custom-built Tim Ferriss "We're not built to sit all day. We're also not built to stand. We gotta move." —Ben Seigel Tweet This Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin Graceland by Paul Simon on Amazon Derek Sivers Versastudios.com/now — what Ben is doing now Versa Studio Versa Studio on Twitter Versa Studio on Facebook Ben Seigel on LinkedIn Tools ExpressionEngine Craft CMS Photoshop Sketch HeartMath 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 Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business by Jane Applegate as a free audiobook Join the Discussion Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation.

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

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2016 60:57

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 Douglas joins Prescott at his home-studio in Brooklyn. Douglas too is a Brooklyn resident and former neighbour. Douglas describes himself as a Professor, among other things New York College of Technology, Communication Design City College, Branding & Integrated Communication graduate course Nancy Tag The Davis Group “In The Arena” DCRIT – MFA in Design Criticsm at the School of Visual Arts, now MA in Design Research "Everyone has that story of when they were first taken advantage of." —Douglas Davis Tweet This Creative Strategy and the Business of Design by Douglas Davis on Amazon Pratt, Communication Design MA Creative pros spend the first ten years of their careers “face down at the desk” NYU, MS in Integrated Marketing “In The Trenches” "Design school doesn't teach business, and Business school doesn't teach how to inspire designers." —Douglas Davis Tweet This "Clients expect us to answer their problems with creativity that's on-brand, on-strategy, and on-message." —Douglas Davis Tweet This "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 Tweet This 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 Tweet This McKinsey & Co. “Building a Design-Driven Culture” article IBM has been acquiring digital advertising, marketing, design The New York Times also has been acquiring Deloitte, other consulting companies GoPro is becoming a content/media company "Design is the spoonful of sugar that makes marketing & business palatable to the public." —Douglas Davis Tweet This Apple's invested in design and beat Sony. Sony did that previously to beat Panasonic. Dr. Marjorie Kalter, NYU Direct Marketing Hall of Fame "'I love it' is not a compelling business rationale." —Dr. Marjorie Kalter Tweet This RIP Flash, Actionscript "We're here to inject art into commerce." —Tibor Kalman Tweet This Unknown Unknowns "It's almost a rite of passge to make every mistake in the book." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This Bryce Bladon, editor of Clients From Hell, was on The Busy Creator Podcast, ep. 78 “Trial By Frying Pan” Fred Nickols, Strategy Is Execution (PDF download) "Begin with the end in mind." —adage Tweet This "Think like they think to do what we do." —Douglas Davis Tweet This Litmus Test "The short hand comes later; first you have to use the long hand." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This "I've seen ideas die on the table because creatives weren't able to set the context." —Douglas Davis Tweet This Adams Media/HOW Books HOW Design University Creative Strategy began as an online course. It earned $17,000 in 9 offerings Tony DiSpigna, typographic illustrator How to Be a Graphic Designer Without Losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy on Amazon "Some people are better at other things than I am." —Douglas Davis Tweet This Applesaucing Art Director can mean many different things General Assembly The Narcissicm of Minor Differences September/October 2016 issue of HOW Magazine DouglasDavis.com ThinkHowTheyThink.com Revision Path with Maurice Cherry Obsessed With Design with Josh Miles Douglas Davis on Twitter Douglas Davis on Facebook Douglas Davis on LinkedIn Tools AdWeek HOW Magazine Laptop Evernote 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 Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Inside the Business of Graphic Design by Catharine Fishel as a free audiobook

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

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2016 59:17

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 Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 92 (MP3, 59:17, 21.5 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 92 (OGG, 59:17, 26.1 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes | on Google Play Music | on Android| on iHeart Sponsor 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, being young and wild J&C have broadened the definitions of “Design” "A shared word does not mean a shared definiton." —Debbie Millman Tweet This "Design is about intention. We're trying to live a designed life." —Jessi Arrington Tweet This Parsons, The New School for Design Jessi & Creighton founded Workshop in 2005 (and married in 2006) 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 Rainbow Parade "Nothing like your job to get in the way of your work." —business adage Tweet This Workshop is currently three partners: Jessi, Creighton, and Casson Rosenblatt TED "Keeping it small has been good for our business but bad for our personal lives." —Jessi Arrington Tweet This The Hollywood Model, a definition Co-Working, a definition Small City is a converted industrial space in Gowanus, Brooklyn The decor is very un-office-like Big Reuse Brooklyn Beta Comedy Hack Day Before opening Small City, J&C ran two prior co-working spaces, allowing them to become familiar with security deposits, etc. Desks at Small City cost $550/mo. (get yours) "Airbnb is a real estate play." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This 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 The Gowanus Canal (not for swimming) Jessi gave a TED talk AIGA & AIGA/NY Workshop Small City Jessi Arrington on Twitter Jessi Arrington on Facebook Jessi Arrington on Instagram Jessi Arrington on LinkedIn Creighton Mershon on Twitter Creighton Mershon on Instagram Creighton Mershon on LinkedIn Tools Quickbooks Google Sheets Station Wagon Found objects Reused furniture 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 Get The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto as a free audiobook Join the Discussion Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation.

Joining an Established Agency to Build Workflow & Culture, with Nick Spriggs

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2016 53:03

Nick Spriggs (@ncsfoo) is a partner at Vector Media Group in New York City. Though he wasn't one of the original founders, Nick's role at Vector has been to grow the design and branding offerings to complement the development and marketing capabilities previously in place. In this conversation, we discuss cultural differences among designers and developers, office rituals used at Vector, how to keep your remote colleagues in the daily mix, and best practices to keep an entire team communicating clearly and working productively. Catch up with Nick on the website for Vector Media Group. Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes | on Google Play Music | on Android| on iHeart Sponsor 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 Nick & Prescott are co-hosts of The New York City Podcast Meetup Past guest Vijay Mathews is a mutual friend Nick is a native of Australia, came to the US for University in 1999 Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design "Somehow a year in New York turned into 14." —Nick Spriggs Tweet This Prescott ran afoul of the Visa situation when he graduated from a UK university E-3 Visa for Australians, TN NAFTA for Canadians, et al. Christina Canters, a past guest on The Busy Creator The Museum of Mathematics Vector's output is mainly websites & apps Their studio is rooted in branding, typography, traditional graphic design Nick likes the term “Product Designer” in the rare cases when it actually applies (thought beyond the page or the pixel, to the inter-connected parts and a bit of the “how”) "Clients sometimes don't understand what the term 'Design' means." —Nick Spriggs Tweet This The “explosion of explanation” can be exciting for a client Designers are trained to observe, critique, discuss our work; clients, not so much Vector was created around 2008 by Matt Weinberg & Lee Goldberg Vector is staffed with “Creative Developers”, not just code monkeys Nick was invited to join as a partner after working together as a collaborator previously Vector [still] takes on pure development projects, as well as a few pure design projects. Most stuff is collaborative, though. "You really have to be on your game when explaining something (to remote teammates.)" —Nick Spriggs Tweet This Reddit, and the “well, actually” culture Vector has started creating a Darts-scoring app as a side project They also created a “Project Hub” for client milestones & assets. (Click to enlarge) Client dashboard (as static HTML) Basecamp “Clock Discipline”, the habit of tracking your activity hour-by-hour Ken Carbone on fixed-costs project fees Matt Inglot of Tilted Pixel Consigliere Vector provides staff with laptops, allowing transportability and work-from-home Google Hangouts on Air will become YouTube Live You can now do VOIP calls in Slack GoToMeeting Zoom UberConference (and their hold music) 9 Habits of Highly Creative People Adam Harrison Levy uses wood-stacking as creative distraction Formula 1 Racing "A big part of building the business is just time management." —Nick Spriggs Tweet This Todd Henry books “office hours”, a time where your team can access you “Distractioneering”, when social media companies distract you on purpose Nick Spriggs on Twitter Nick Spriggs on Facebook Nick Spriggs on Instagram Nick Spriggs on LinkedIn Tools Google Hangouts Burn down reports Stack Overflow Slack UsabilityHub Usability.gov Techniques Keep clients excited & enthusiastic beyond the project itself (if they can't stay energised, it's hard for you). Bring clients “in” to the process (wireframes, sketches, etc.) Have clients describe “found objects” in early phases; let the client use their own language so we can use it later Allow designers & developers to cross-involve each other Learn to hold quick, informal meetings internally Involve developers into design-led processes; they too can participate Formalise kick-off meetings to involve the whole team, when possible Use retainers with clients; set aside blocks of hours ahead of time to ease minds and control workflows Schedule “reverse meetings”, time where you're actually at your desk working and no one can distract you Take a screenshot at a random time during the day; see what everyone in the shop is working on Habits Use collaboration to inspire ourselves Observe the politics of your client's company Bring your remote employees to headquarters for occasional workshops/retreats Explain with clarity when sharing with clients or remote colleagues Hold daily Standups, even with remote staff (via video call) Celebrate the project conclusion (close-out, hand-off, etc.); create office rituals around milestones along the way Track your time internally — as individuals and as teams — for your own learnings, regardless of how you bill the client Visit the quirky coffee shops in your neighbourhood Take the time to walk home (even if it's 1 hour or more) Take a 10-15 minute walk when you feel “stuck” or distracted Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson as a free audiobook Join the Discussion Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation.

Building Community and Finding Personality Strengths as a Creative Introvert, with Designer Cat Rose

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2016

Cat Rose (@CreativeIntro) is an independent graphic designer and founder of The Creative Introvert, a website and community for creative professions who share introverted personality types. In this conversation, we discuss the oddities of life as a freelance designer, the observed behaviour of creative pros and where they fall on the introverted/extroverted continuum, and the challenges of building online communities and creating compelling content. SPONSOR This episode is sponsored by the new eBook Building Brands: A Practical Guide for Creative Pros to Develop Strategy and Design Identity. Show Notes & Links Cat lives in Brighton, England Prescott has visited Brighton, as well as Rottingdean, and the University of Sussex Farnham, a picturesque town in Surrey with a 10th century castle [av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxTrwF3rbrE' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] Cat remains a graphic designer, started as an illustrator Behance Spaghetti code Cat draws people's pets Prescott chatted with Matt Inglot on The Freelance Transformation Podcast Flash (dead in name only) How to use Sketch for print design (if you're a complete animal.) InDesign and Illustrator aren't great for pixel design "Leg It" The Irish Goodbye Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, system for determining personality types The Big Five personality traits, aka the Five Factor Model (FFM) Introvert-Extrovert spectrum Ambivert (both introvert and extrovert) Brighton Pride parade, a most extroverted affair People with "I" in their Myers-Briggs result aren't considered for management roles Would you ever go to the movies by yourself? Bill Gates, a well-known, successful introvert Empathy is an introvert super-power, as are deep though, analysis, etc. Limiting self-beliefs, rather than introversion per se is what holds people back Get Your Art Out Summer Camp, a four-week course from The Creative Introvert Learning styles (visual, written, auditory, etc.) Is there a link between learning styles and introversion/extraversion? Mignon Fogarty aka Grammar Girl, a guest on The Busy Creator Podcast, ep. 67 "Applesaucing", re-using your content across multiple forms Pat Flynn wrote two articles (1, 2) about repurposing your site/podcast content Upcycling and Downcycling, terms from Recycling Masterminds vs. Accountability Partners, which do you prefer? (Introverts prefer partners.) Meetup.com The New York City Podcast Meetup Malcolm Gladwell's Connectors The Rule of 3 and 10 for growing organizations The Creative Introvert Cat Rose on Twitter Cat Rose on Facebook Cat Rose on Instagram Cat Rose on LinkedIn Cat Rose on Pinterest Tools Behance MacBook Pro Adobe Creative Cloud Trello Evernote Slack After Effects Techniques Set a brief for yourself to make fine arts more of a "project" Build lasting relationships as a freelancer, even with your last employer Go minimal, if you can. Don't use a mouse and keyboard. Learn quickly, trust that you can teach yourself new tools Repurpose your content to serve different audiences (written vs. spoken vs. infographic) Be careful when creating a community Test and iterate, even on morning rituals Replace "routine" with "rhythm" Approach fearful projects in tiny increments (a six-second video vs. a feature film) Habits Use the software for its intended purpose! Adapt to clients and their workflow Compose your thoughts before filming/recording yourself; not everyone is an improviser. Wake up 4:30-5:00am for early yoga, journaling, meditation Do "the hardest thing" during coffee SaveSave

Wearing Many Hats As a Designer for a Software Startup with Andrew Berkowitz

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2016

Andrew Berkowitz (@TheWitzCarlton) is the Head of Product for Tradeversity, a buying-and-selling platform for university students. After gaining experience in a large corporate setting, Andrew has jumped in to startup life, enjoying the struggles along the way. In this conversation, Andrew shares some of the workflows required in a young, small, and nimble company, as well as his experiences testing personal productivity methods and morning routines. Catch up with Andrew on his own show, The Global Startup Movement Show Notes & Links Andrew is “Head of Product” for Tradeversity Early stage startups require the wearing of many hats "Design is the question of taking what's in the mind and manifesting them into reality." —Andrew Berkowitz Tweet This Tradeversity is exclusive to higher education students Andrew graduated from Virginia Tech .edu, .ac.uk — educational TLDs Sharepoint, and other internal marketplaces within corporations are rather outdated "Product Design is more like being an inventor than a designer." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This "The most important aspect of building a product is gaining empathy for users." —Andrew Berkowitz Tweet This Ideo Design Thinking can mean different things 5 elements of D-Thinking: gain empathy → define problem → ideation → prototype → test & iterate Andrew worked at a large bank before joining a startup Scrum Master (in Agile Project Management) "The speed at which a project is moving is directly proportional to the energy involved." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This "Innovation comes from failure; Having the freedom to fail allows us to innovate." —Andrew Berkowitz Tweet This Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson on Amazon and on Audible Andrew runs his own podcast, The Global Startup Movement Nootropics, cogntive-enhancing pills Nootrobox Andreessen Horowitz, Venture Capital firm “Sprint Pills” as an alternative to coffee "The culture and the habits are more important than the tools." —Andrew Berkowitz Tweet This "The tool you use should reflect the system you've set up, and the mindset behind that." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This The 1800 Exercise Tradeversity was launched from a content award — $20k and a year's worth of office space Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill on Amazon and on Audible Conspiracy, from the Latin conspiratare, meaning “to breathe the same air” Virtually Reality, and opportunities for collaboration Ready Player One by Ernest Cline on Amazon and on Audible "A Virtual Reality device is an empathy machine." —Andrew Berkowitz Tweet This Marie Poulin, not part of the “cult of 5:00am” Entrepreneur on Fire Andreesson Horowitz Podcast The Tim Ferriss Show Amazon Kindle Audible Gadgets have to fit “The Three B's”: Beach, Bed, Bath Millennials read more than Baby Boomers Amazon opens brick-and-mortar book stores The Global Startup Movement Andrew Berkowitz on Twitter Andrew Berkowitz on Facebook Andrew Berkowitz on LinkedIn Tools Tradeversity Walletpop Craig's List Agile Development Whiteboards Trello Nootropics Techniques Understand the emotions of your users. This will bring insight. Employ Design Thinking; bring in real people and get your hands dirty Experiment with “packaged services” From a corporate setting, the thing you can learn most is working with diverse teams The 1800 Exercise: describe how projects get done in the year 1800 (using only parchment & quill) Habits Keep Trello tidy; not started → in-progress → done Have regular Sprint-planning and Retrospective meetings Wake up around 6:00am for yoga, weightlifting, or running Feed your subsconscious mind until it takes over Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill as a free audiobook Join the Discussion Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation. SaveSave

Everyday Productivity and Striving for Excellence After Losing All Sense of Sight, with Author & Entrepreneur Tanner Gers

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2016

Tanner Gers (@TannerGers) is an author, entrepreneur, and paralympic athlete. Blinded in a car crash at age 21, Tanner has learned entirely new methods of communication and working. In this conversation, Tanner discusses some of the technology — both lo- and hi-tech — he uses to experience the world in the absesnce of sight. We also share all-purpose productivity tips and examine his morning routines. Show Notes & Links Tanner describes himself as "Creative and Successful", hence the Creative Success Podcast "I get the most fulfilment from serving other people." —Tanner Gers Tweet This Tanner is a Paralympian sprinter Tanner is also a speaker, author, blogger, podcaster, producer, and coach Todd Henry, and other writers, have been on the show previous (here, here, and here, for example) Tanner embarked on a "personal development journey" after being struck blind "I use Technology to do everything, and I'm so grateful for it." —Tanner Gers Tweet This ADD The importance of reading to your children Tanner turned to music (and dancing) in his new blindness. That turned to creative writing for lyrics, and other prose. "A picture's worth 1000 words. I was quite the talkative person; I would overcompensate for the lack of visual input." —Tanner Gers Tweet This Screen reading software, build into Mac OS X, iOS as "voiceover" Jaws, screenreader for Windows Ray Charles Blind people are remapping their senses via "sonar" Human Echolocation The British boy learning from "Bat Boy" Spark from CBC Radio Spark 268, the episode covering sight-aiding and other sensory technology "I'm very blessed to know what a 747 looks like, what a sunset looks like, what blue looks like." —Tanner Gers Tweet This Dan Greene, born blind now writes missile-guidance software for Raytheon Putting Your Pen to Paper, episode 5 of Creative Success show Braille — Grades I and II Tanner had a question about "Quest Ion" Morse Code Tanner took a sleep study; was disturbed 100x in 6 hours "Installing a daily routine will take your game to the next level." —Tanner Gers Tweet This "Education is what remains after you've forgotten everything you learned in school." —anonymous Tweet This Prescott studied Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics Laminar Flow Adiabatic Compression vs. Isothermal Expansion Thermal Expansion Valve (Refridgeration) "When you split the atom, energy escapes. When you switch tasks, attention escapes." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This Amy Porterfield Hal Elrod (leader of "The Cult of 5:00am") Professional Rugby League in America Creative Success Show Tanner Gers on Twitter Tanner Gers on Facebook Tanner Gers on Instagram Tanner Gers on LinkedIn Tanner Gers on YouTube Tools Brainport, let's you "see" with your tongue Jaws Techniques Turn off technology when it's time to focus on content Develop a verbal memory so you don't have to re-read what you just wrote Sleep with earplugs if you wake easily due to noise Sleep with music at low volumes (like Prescott has done since 1999) Test different methods; don't blindly follow gurus Alternate hard days with lighters days regarding fitness training. Use those recovery days. Habits Stick to your daily routines Go through mental routines first thing in the morning (gratitude, etc.) before you get out of bed Serve someone else early in the day Read daily and track/remark on what you read Block your day into half-day chunks TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod as a free audiobook

B-SIDE: How to Speak with Confidence On The Mic and In Person, with Christina Canters

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2016 52:02

Christina Canters (@CJCanters) is the founder of The C-Method and host of the Stand Out Get Noticedpodcast. Her work as a speaking and confidence coach has taken her around the world, including recent appearances in Chicago, Florida, and New York City. This talk, recorded live at the New York City Podcast Meetup on July 12, 2016, features Christina coaching our members — most of whom are podcasters themselves — on how to speak better, have more confidence, and express their most authentic selves behind the mic, and in person. Show Notes & Links The New York City Podcast Meetup Recorded at Vector Media Americans love to approach people and talk about nothing Prescott appeared on The C-Method on the topic of avoiding awkwardness "If you want to grow and building your own confidence, you've gotta push yourself out of your comfort zone." —Christina Canters Tweet This "To build your confidence as a speaker, you must know your value." —Christina Canters Tweet This Christina plays the ukulele Amy Cuddy TED talk on body language "You don't have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great." —Zig Ziglar Tweet This Presentation Skills for Design Students, Christina's first podcast Mark Manson's Blog Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon on Amazon Christina's notes from Podcast Movement 2016 Obvious to You. Amazing to Others by Derek Sivvers Pat Flynn Andrew Warner The C-Method Christina Canters on Twitter Christina Canters on Facebook Christina Canters on Instagram Christina Canters on LinkedIn Christina Canters on YouTube Techniques Ask three people "What do I do well?" and "Why is this important?" Create a folder called "Crush It" in Evernote. Save screenshots of praise. Watch your language; avoid "just" and "only" Practice confident body language; hold the superhero pose for 2 minutes Paint a picture of your ideal audience Stop caring what other people think Focus on the 33% who really appreciate you, the rest will follow TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar as a free audiobook

The Tools I Use to Run Starship Design, a look at Software and Services for a Solo Design Practice

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2016

Show Notes & Links Prepare to Share Places to Learn Business Skills Online The Previous Episode with Sally Hogshead The full catalogue of The Busy Creator Podcast episodes The Busy Creator Podcast 80 — The April Fool's Episode Starship Design, Prescott's design business Dual monitors Apple Cinema Display and old Dell monitor 4:3 ratio vs. 16:9 ratio displays (Macs use 16:10, actually) Hi-dpi screens Wacom Intuos 3 wide format tablet Logitech K750 Wireless USB Keyboard The Busy Creator Podcast 6 w/Bill Wadman Hackintosh Prescott prefers Safari, also runs Chrome "The Chrome" Safari extensions (Ad-block, Pinterest, etc.) Prescott [still] uses an iPod Classic Prescott doesn't use Music RIP CastRoller ChimpFeedr, from MailChimp Twitter for Mac Alfred tweets from the system Mac OS X built-in social sharing Faffing, a definition Slack (both for work and for personal) Email is very personal Prescott uses Postbox (but still doesn't like the interface of v4) Mozilla Thunderbird Nylas N1 Airmail (too smart for Prescott) Prescott doesn't use Apple Mail Adobe Creative Cloud Prescott uses Adobe Bridge, not mini-Bridge (which is now discontinued) Adobe TypeKit Extensis Suitcase Fusion CS3 "still works" Adobe XD, up and coming Sketch Adobe Audition Adobe Lightroom Prescott doesn't use Apple Photos, and before that, iPhoto Coda Transmit, also from Panic Software SourceTree, from Atlassian BitBucket GitHub Byword RIP Bean Microsoft Office (Word, Powerpoint, Excel) Apple iWork (Pages, Keynote, Numbers) InDesign Harvest WaveApps Chase Amazon Visa card Cushion Expensify Quickbooks Prescott has also used Billings, Freshbooks, FreeAgent, Harpoon The Busy Creator Podcast 31 w/Bryan Orr, Project Management & Collaboration Tools Freedcamp The Busy Creator Podcast 63 w/Angel Grablev, CEO of Freedcamp Asana Basecamp Trello Kanban board (swim lanes, phases)Phases/swim lanes in Freedcamp's Kanban view[/caption] Freedcamp iOS app Teamwork.com (Projects) 17Hats Workamajig VLC MPlayerX RIP Movist 0.6.8 QuickTime Player 7 Pro TinkerTool Onyx Yosemite Disk Utility ClipMenu Dropmark & Cloud.app Blog Post about Quick-Sharing and Quick-Saving 1Password Quitter PushBullet The Busy Creator Podcast 39 w/Steve Dotto Steve Dotto reviews PushBullet RescueTime Reddit.com Default Folder X XtraFinder TextExpander Article on using TextExpander with Markdown Growl Carbonite Amazon Cloud Storage Alfred LittleSnitch SaveSave

B-SIDE: Marie Poulin & Prescott Perez-Fox Discuss "Deep Work" by Cal Newport

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2016

In this Bonus episode, Marie & Prescott sit down to discuss the book "Deep Work" by Cal Newport. Together with the live audience consisting mainly of Marie's students from Digital Strategy School, the two dive into the book's topics and themes, including social media distraction, time-blocking, retreats, accountability partners, single-tasking, meditation, and more. The conversation also strays to general purpose productivity chatter, along with answering some Q&A from the audience. Get in touch with Marie via digitalstrategyschool.com and Prescott via busycreator.com

prescott cal newport deep work b side marie poulin prescott perez fox digital strategy school

What Sally Hogshead Learned Working in America's Top Ad Agencies, and How That Shaped Her Work as an Author

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2016

Sally Hogshead (@SallyHogshead) is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur. Following a career in advertising, she evolved her career and reoriented toward building significance for other professionals and creatives. In this conversation, Sally discusses the phases of her career (so far), shares some of what she learned on the ground with advertising heroes, and remarks on the challenges of writing long-form books as a person who naturally bends toward the quick win. Check out Sally's latest book Fascinate and catch up with her on BrandFascination.com, for a start. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 86 (MP3, 38:43, 18.7 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 86 (OGG, 38:43, 21.6 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android or on Google Play Music Show Notes & Links Sally and Prescott have worked together on a varied of projects since 2011 Prescott discovered Radical Careering during his first job, which wasn't a very good job. When Sally found advertising, it was "love at first sight" Portfolio Center and their Copywriting course Sally's first career phase was not being awarded or recognised as a student, but discovering that's hardly the entire game "The most interesting creative ideas aren't going to be acknowledged at first, because they're not populist." —Sally Hogshead Tweet This Fallon McElligott Rice, now just Fallon Her Second phase was working with smart people on rapid-fire projects "You want to be the dumbest person on the team." —Sally Hogshead Tweet This Her Third phase was disillusionment when inheriting a management role "It takes a completely different mindset to be with people than from being with my ideas." —Sally Hogshead Tweet This The Fourth phase was expansion to create ideas beyond an ad into the wider world [as an author, speaker, etc.]. Sally was the Creative & Managing Director for Crispin Porter + Bogusky for their Los Angeles office CP+B's LA Office opened its doors on Sept. 10, 2001 "It's easy to be creative when the world has a big budget and optimism and a love for what hasn't been discovered." —Sally Hogshead Tweet This "In order to be a creative leader, you have to be able to lead people through the darkest times." —Sally Hogshead Tweet This "It's impossible to have creative ideas in an oppressive environment." —Sally Hogshead Tweet This 48 Laws of Power by Robert Green & Joost Elffers on Amazon and on Audible Kerning pairs (such as FA) [caption id="attachment_3445" align="alignnone" width="478"]Kerning Pairs[/caption] There used to be a natural (ten day) cycle with print advertising. There was time to work on stuff. "I'm still a geek with words." —Sally Hogshead Tweet This Paste-ups Bill Westbrook Jean Robere "One for the reel, one for the meal." —advertising adage Tweet This "Don't be a worrier, be a warrior." —Tony Robbins (and Prescott, ironically) Tweet This Clients would cut their marketing budget during the recession. Remember this? or this? Tibor Kalman (1949-1999) Design, like Jazz, is a generational artform John Coltrane played with Miles Davis who played with Charlie Parker Armin Vit worked with Michael Bierut who worked with Massimo Vignelli A lot of NYC agencies did annual reports, but didn't show it in the portfolio Medieval Stonemasons "Signifance doesn't live in one piece. It lives in a movement or a body of work." —Sally Hogshead Tweet This The Martin Agency The One Show, advertising awards show Varnish, in print TBWA/Chiat/Day Wieden+Kennedy Goodby Silverstein & Partners Bob Barrie, Art Director binomial nomenclature Print finishes by thickness: Varnish → UV → Aqueous Print finishes by lustre: Dull → Satin → Hi-Gloss Nightclub Flyers Fascinate achieved New York Times Bestseller status Sally admits to not being great with long content (100,000 word books) How The World Sees You by Sally Hogshead on Amazon and on Audible "Revisions suck my soul. Creation enlivens me." —Sally Hogshead Tweet This "writing-tired", when Prescott feels uninspired to write blog posts, etc. "I can't write anything great for the first hour. I have to get into a trance." —Sally Hogshead Tweet This Antiproton The 9 Habits of Highly Creative People, a free guide from The Busy Creator "The hardest part about writing isn't writing, it's finishing the dishes." —writers' adage Tweet This Prescott and Sally got connected on social media Starship Design on Facebook Sally Hogshead on Twitter Sally Hogshead on Facebook Sally Hogshead on Instagram Sally Hogshead on YouTube SallyHogshead.com HowToFascinate.com/blog BrandFascination.com Tools MacBook Noise-cancelling headphones Techniques Don't let the Creative Director and Managing Director be the same person; there needs to be a healthy tension between the two. Remark not only on awards won and praise given, but hard times which shape your character Examine any project via its priorities "Quality of Work", "Quality of Life", or "Quality of Compensation." Pursue the areas of work that feel like a "wellspring" of creativity; avoid "creative agony" Create an Idea Wall, and hang up your projects as you think of them Block time (at least 3 hours) to sink into writing Listen to music that reflects the sort of writing you're aiming for Designate externally- and internally-focused work (email vs. writing content) Habits Write down the words you use when mentoring, and which you need to hear Appreciate craft, even if it takes slightly longer Periodically examine your work and your agency to align with influence: Creative, Financial, or Cultural Shape expectations around you; follow the type of work that suits you best Take advantage of "swiftness"; don't analyse or think about ideas and instead just act (especially on side projects and writing ideas). Go to bed early; write in the morning. TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Fascinate by Sally Hogshead as a free audiobook

How Victor Yocco Uses Everyday Psychology in User Research, Testing, and Design

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2016

Victor Yocco, PhD (@VictorYocco) is a writer and researcher, working in the field of digital design. His background in psychology gives him unique insight into how people interact with websites and applications, which in turn helps his design team build intuitive, functional projects. In this conversation, we discuss methods of user testing, stumbling blocks that design studies make regarding psychology, and a bit of his studio workflow and habits. Use code pcyobusy to receive 39% off the cover price for Victor's book, Design For The Mind Show Notes & Links Victor Yocco doesn't like titles, but describes himself as a researcher for user experience and digital design "Academic literature is often very inaccessibly written." —Victor Yocco Tweet This Fine Arts vs. Applied Arts Paola Antonelli on The Colbert Report, 2013 MoMA "Incorporated psychology into design doesn't have to be this huge thing." —Victor Yocco Tweet This Design For The Mind by Victor Yocco on Manning Books Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug on Amazon Big-Ass Buttons "It's so easy a caveman can do it" campaign from Geico [av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8aj1AlYvxI' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] heuristics, or mental shortcuts, take the place of finding information yourself. Whiteboard sessions, focus groups, interviews — other research tactics Jeff Sauro, Measuring U Quantifying Usability "You'll find 85% of potential usability issues just off 5 users." —Jeff Sauro Tweet This Lay People, which Prescott affectionately calls "Muggles" The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman on Amazon and on Audible "There is a point of 'Good Enough' in digital design." —Victor Yocco Tweet This Analysis Paralysis Minimum Viable Product An earlier episode with Kirsten Modestow Photoshop Sketch Full Stack Anxiety [av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N470hsHKXNc' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] Spider Web Diagram Distribute Strength, Dexterity, etc. [caption id="attachment_3409" align="alignnone" width="601"]Role-Playing Games require you distribute your skills[/caption] "Designers are usually people who enjoy solving problems." —Victor Yocco Tweet This Sally Hogshead Social Identity Theory Contextual Inquiry, observing the user in his native habitat aka "shadowing" Undercover Boss, the one where the girl puts barcode on her arm for easy scanning Debuke, IA How to un-jam a tractor-trailer from a highway overpass? Let some air out of the tires. 90% of MS Word users only utilise 10% of the features VictorYocco.com Use code pcyobusy to receive 39% off the cover price for Victor's book, Design For The Mind Victor Yocco on Twitter Victor Yocco on Facebook Victor Yocco on LinkedIn Tools SPSS, statistics software MS Office Post-Its Box Slack Techniques Layer Cake approach (low level, medium level, high level) Respect the users' time by making simple interfaces, functions Don't just show your designs to other designers — they think differently, which might not see what the lay person sees Include additional team members, representing design, writing, project mgmt., etc. Record user testing sessions to easily refer other team members to particular moments Conduct a UX Assessment or heuristics Review before beginning a project Habits Build in heuristics (mental shortcuts) into your work Look to Usability testing to reveal users' instinct or assumptions Provide challenges for designers and creative staff; they naturally want to wrestle with problems and their solutions Search for methods to stay with a project until the end (even if you get bored with it) Set aside time in the evening to write TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman as a free audiobook

Taking Risks and Leaving New York to Build a Family Publishing Business, with Bryony Gomez-Palacio of UnderConsideration — The Busy Creator Podcast 84

Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2016 40:46

Bryony Gomez-Palacio (@BryonyGP) is a co-founder of UnderConsideration, an all-purpose publishing and design business based in Austin, TX. Along with husband Armin Vit, Bryony publishes several blogs including Brand New, Quipsologies, and FPO, in addition to publishing several books, and hosting the annual Brand New Conference. Armin was a guest on episode 3 of The Busy Creator Podcast back in Februrary 2014, making this chat an unofficial sequel. In the intervening years, Bryony and Armin have refined their workflow, taken new risks such as planning a version of the BNConf in Amsterdam, and still manage to balance family life with new creative endeavors. In this conversation, Bryony discusses the origins of UnderConsideration and how she and Armin transitioned out of their New York design roles, moved to Austin, and managed to create a viable business in spite of a few close calls financially. Show Notes & Links Bryony is one half of UnderConsideration Armin Vit, the other half, was an early guest on The Busy Creator Podcast Bryony describes herself as a "content generator" for graphic designers Bryony & Armit work from home, in the converted master bedroom Armin wakes up early to write his blog posts; Bryony wakes up early to get things done and kids ready for school The first Brand Nieuwe Conference in Amsterdam is taking place in June 2016 VAT It's still a hassle to sell internationally, even selling books to Canada Bryony had to pay customs fees for a baby's onesie The BNConf is UnderConsideration's main source of income, but only occurs once per year HOW Live, FUSE, AIGA ... other design conferences Eventbrite Bryony and Armin were living in Brooklyn, working at Addison and Pentagram, respectively For about two years, they worked in their basement, taking care of the baby "Mommy brain" makes it tough for new mothers to focus or to rapid-switch between modes "We were living in a city that had a lot to offer, but living within a 10-block radius." —Bryony Gomez-Palacio Tweet This Bryony was home-schooled on a farm without electricity for two years "It took me two years to be able to say 'I live in Austin, TEXAS'." —Bryony Gomez-Palacio Tweet This Byrony & Armin visited Austin and within 3 days had made an offer on a house Professional couples in Brooklyn can have a household income of $150,000 ... and still be struggling The cost-of-living between New York and Austin You would need around $7,320.33 in New York, NY to maintain the same standard of life that you can have with $4,400.00 in Austin, TX (assuming you rent in both cities) Hand-stitching covers for the BNConf Bryony can shoe a horse [av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdiqQTKGoUI&t=20s' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] Another couple, John & Kate, on The Busy Creator Podcast episode 50 "We need to be very, very efficient. We don't have time to procrastinate and explore." —Bryony Gomez-Palacio Tweet This Dyslexia, and its link to coding "We spend a lot of time at design school in order to make pretty spreadsheets." —Bryony Gomez-Palacio Tweet This "One thing we always fear is stability & stagnation." —Bryony Gomez-Palacio Tweet This AIforGA The highly-controversial UnderConsideration website Bryony Gomez-Palacio on Twitter Bryony Gomez-Palacio on Facebook Bryony Gomez-Palacio on Instagram UnderConsideration on Twitter BrandNew by UCllc on Facebook UnderConsideration on Instagram Tools Standing desks with stools Google Sheets iCal/Calendar Endicia AccountEdge Techniques Integrate your workouts with other errands (e.g. biking the kids to school) Find someone "on the ground" if you're doing business in a foreign country Plan, perhaps using a spreadsheet that spans 20 years Split your household income between one full-time and one freelance salary Plan your move based on where winter can reach you Divide business duties based on who can handle interruptions (admin/finance vs. creative) Keep it real when providing design feedback, especially to your partner! Collaborate on a spreadsheet or document, concurrently even Stagger which marathons/half-marathons you run as a couple; two partners training can be overwhelming Use running time to work through problems Habits Keep a structured daily schedule (down to the minute) Explore where you can multi-task to be more efficient Work at opposing standing desks for easy collaboration Don't get attached to designs or ideas; move away quickly if something is not working Integreate your home and work calendars; keep it sacred Don't work on weekends TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Long Run by Matthew Long & Charles Butler as a free audiobook JOIN THE DISCUSSION Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation.

Workflows for a Small Software Company with In-House Designers Kyle Bollinger & Kristin Burkhart — The Busy Creator Podcast 83

Play Episode Listen Later May 9, 2016 37:04

Kyle Bollinger (@WhoaKB) and Kristin Burkhart are the in-house design team for PureChat, an software tool enabling websites to offer chat-based support. Dividing their duties between product and marketing, Kyle and Kristin have developed a workflow that allows them to work swiftly and efficiently, while still experimenting with new industry practices. In this conversation, we discuss company culture for a small SAAS startup, how the designer collaborate with internal stakeholders, and some unravel technical challenges around versioning and fast iteration. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 83 (MP3, 37:04, 17.9 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 83 (OGG, 37:04, 16.5 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links Kyle is a product-focused UI/UX designer Kristin is a marketing and web focused-design PureChat is chat software for websites SAAS Both Kyle and Kristin started at agencies, working for multiple clients, before going in-house with PureChat "Creating something from scratch is very different than iterating on something." —Kyle Bollinger Tweet This Prescott hates calling software-as-a-service a "product" Austin Kleon Show Your Work by Austin Kleon on Amazon Self-licking ice cream cone "We're creating a living document through each other's work." —Kyle Bollinger Tweet This TechCrunch "The speed at which a company can operate is inversely proportional to how much time it takes to find the answer to a question." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This AxoSoft Nerf Guns Gangplank, co-working space in Chandler, AZ RIP LayerVault Wake Split-testing aka A-B testing The Information Diet by Clay A. Johnson on Amazon Sidebar.io by Sasha Medium, and the occassional article about Millennials and their cereal-buying habits Audible The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron & Dave Logan on Amazonand on Audible Sprint by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky on Amazon and on Audible KyleBollinger.com KristinAshley.org Kyle Bollinger on Twitter Kyle Bollinger on LinkedIn Kristin Burkhart on LinkedIn Tools Slack InVision Illustrator Photoshop Sketch Google Docs Moleskine AxoSoft GitHub Medium Techniques Continuous gather user insight, even if it's only images or screenshot review Find a "theme" with each release or feature-set Get quick feedback from your teammates; no need for formal gatherings Work off the same agile board as your dev team Screenshare with your remote teammates Use InVision to create Brand Guidelines Try to answer the questions "Who do I talk to ..." before they arise Keep your micro-iterations in a document; use a version-style naming system, eg. screen1a-kyle-001 Habits Prank your officemates Continually monitor the site (heatmaps, split testing) Wake up early, get into the office and be creative Join office workouts and activities Share resources and findings with teammates TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron & Dave Logan as a free audiobook

How to Identify and Control the Frustrating Voice In Your Head, with Author, Artist, & Teacher Danny Gregory — The Busy Creator Podcast 82

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 25, 2016 55:35

Danny Gregory (@DannyGregory) is an advertising veteran who has worked across just about medium of creativity, including writing, design, photography, and teaching. He's published several books including his latest, Shut Your Monkey. In this conversation, we examine the topics of the book which include self-doubt, anxiety, distraction, and other mindset struggles faced by creative pros. Shut Your Monkey by Danny Gregory Keep you with Danny on his website or his blog. Shut Your Monkey is now available for order. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 82 (MP3, 55:39, 40.4 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 82 (OGG, 55:39, 30.1 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links According to his website, Danny is an artist/author/creative director/blogger/teacher/speaker Danny's new book, Shut Your Monkey Sketchbook Skool Danny has worked in Hanoi and Doha to build creativity schools Danny has blogged for 12 or 13 years, published his first book 14 years ago In advertising, Danny has been a CD, ECD, and CCO "Advertising is weaponised art." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This "Advertising agencies no longer have cornered the market on creating advertising." —Danny Gregory Tweet This Absolut Vodka Ads https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVcbasIb8lQ Wazuuuuup https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W16qzZ7J5YQ "A single tweet can have much more impact [than advertising]." —Danny Gregory Tweet This The Dress Jen Briney, who runs Congressional Dish podcast Media dollars that Donald Trump has "earned" Paid vs. "Earned" Media Spend Mad Men Conan O'Brien used to write for The Simpsons (video discussion with alumni writers) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtJ28qOEG1g "The core of social media is authenticity." —Danny Gregory Tweet This Charlie Sheen No Brown M&Ms! Flow, and obstacles to achieving it Gollum Gollum "Creativity plays a far bigger role in our everyday than it did in the past." —Danny Gregory Tweet This Hardwiring Happiness by Dr. Rick Hanson The War of Art by Steven Pressfield on Amazon and on Audible The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin on Amazon and on Audible "Creativity is inherently about change, risk, uncertainty." —Danny Gregory Tweet This Thomas Edison found "10,000 ways that won't work" to make a lightbulb. "When a great idea appears it's going to stand up and sing." —Danny Gregory Tweet This Shut Your Monkey originated from a blog post, and evolved into a series of posts, then a talk. Show Your Work by Austin Kleon on Amazon Radical Careering by Sally Hogshead on Amazon Number 17 (now 8 and a half) Rachel Willey, graphic designer Whitney Museum The Met The HOW Conference Kaizen - continuous incremental improvements as opposed to a "win" "You don't come up with your life's work and then stop working." —Danny Gregory Tweet This DannyGregorysBlog.com Forthcoming Shut Your Monkey Weekly podcast, featuring "Monkey Tales" Danny Gregory on Twitter Danny Gregory on Facebook Danny Gregory on Instagram Danny Gregory on YouTube Tools Evernote Scrivener, book authoring software Art supply cart Techniques Understand what your "monkey" is saying, before anything else Don't argue with the monkey when he speaks in extremes Acknowledge the risks we've taken, the work we've accomplished Use your phone or a notebook to jot notes into Evernote Take "book ideas" and break them out into blog posts; return the prose as potential section. Leave big tasks unfinished so you have a place to resume the next day Habits Be available to work all the time (be a honeybee) Defend yourself against other peoples' monkeys Constantly feed on the raw materials that will become a good idea Move around the house to vary your working space Post consistently on your blog, 5 days a week at 7:00 am Tackle creative problems first thing in the morning Visit the library, take out books // khy3m5vf

The Trouble with Workplace Hierarchies, and What We Can Do About It, with Jonathan Raymond — The Busy Creator Podcast 81

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 11, 2016

Jonathan Raymond (@JonathanRaymond) is an author, coach, consultant, and CEO of Refound, working with business leaders and managers to install better workplace habits and company culture, including mentoring. Over the years, he's seen numerous workplace dynamics, not just within the creative fields, and shares some of his patterns with us. In this conversation, we search for definitions of culture, discuss the differences between mentoring and simply bossing, and offer some advice for both the employee and the manager to build better relationships and in turn, a better team. Jonathan has written a book, Good Authority, which will be released later in 2016. Support his efforts by reading more about the book and by pre-ordering. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 81 (MP3, 52:36, 25.4 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 81 (OGG, 52:36, 28.7 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links Jonathan "helps managers become mentors" Many companies talk about innovation, but a "gap" appears when they don't build the conditions "Culture is 'This is how we do it here.'" —Jonathan Raymond Tweet This Gallop says "7/10 employees are actively disengaged from their job" Rolodex Jeff Goins appeared on The Busy Creator Podcast "Culture is Context." —Jonathan Raymond Tweet This The First Rule of Fight Club [av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC1yHLp9bWA' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] "The First Rule of Culture Change is not to talk about it." —Jonathan Raymond Tweet This Undercover Boss Ivory Tower "We over-rely on our strengths. We default to the things we're good at." —Jonathan Raymond Tweet This "You're not on the same team; You own the company." —Jonathan Raymond Tweet This AT&T/Ma Bell "You can't afford not to invest time into you [your people]." —Jonathan Raymond Tweet This "If you invest in someone, they might leave. If you don't invest in someone, they'll definitely leave." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This Jonathan was the Chief Brand Officer of E-Myth "When creative people go off the rails, they hold the rest of the team hostage." —Jonathan Raymond Tweet This Studio culture is fundamentally about experimentation Agile methodology "Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose." —Janis Joplin Tweet This "More Yoda, less Superman." —Jonathan Raymond Tweet This "95% of the work in any business is identical." Business Adage Tweet This "The bad thing isn't the hierarchy; it's abusive people in a hierarchy." —Jonathan Raymond Tweet This Hierarchy in the Catholic Church, and their big hats SalesForce "Write drunk, edit sober." —Ernest Hemingway Tweet This ReFound.com GoodAuthorityBook.com Jonathan Raymond on Twitter Jonathan Raymond on Instagram Tools SalesForce Hubspot Techniques Break away from the victim mindset; share what you're working on and struggling with Make bold requests — to attend conferences, meetings, etc. Be a Mensch, make that connection Habits Practice being loose, unfinished Take steps in the other person's direction before discussing tension or issues Give your creative team room to be creative (so they don't turn into administrators) Create some distance to reinforce the idea of being a "boss" TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber as a free audiobook

Escaping Web Design to Build a Thriving Software Business, with Edger Co-Founder Laura Roeder — The Busy Creator 79

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2016

Laura Roeder (@LKR) is the co-founder of Edgar, a social media scheduling and management tool. Laura began her career as a web designer, moving first to solo practice, and then to social media consulting. From this conversation, you'll learn how Laura transitioned away from work-a-day design and into entrepreneurship, how her team at Edgar manages their software development, and some of the philosophies behind their hiring and company management. One thing we don't cover are the features of the software itself, and the idiosyncrasies which separate Edgar from competitors like Hootsuite or Buffer. To learn more about Edgar itself, scroll down to the show notes for examples of Laura explaining in further detail on other podcasts, and some embedded videos showing off Edgar itself. That said, Laura and her team have offered listeners of The Busy Creator a free month of service for Edgar. Sign up before May 31, 2016 and use the code SUNANDSURF. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 79 (MP3, 49:06, 23.6 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 79 (OGG, 49:06, 25.0 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links Laura Roeder describes Edgar in greater detail on Smart Passive Income #132 ... and on EOFire #802 ... and on Online Marketing Made Easy #35 Laura describes herself as the founder of Edgar, at least today Laura started as a web and graphic designer, worked at a design agency when she was a fresh graduate Her rationale for leaving her agency job was largely that it would take a really long time to get to do the work she fancied. 10,000 hours Laura was inspired more by business owners than design practitioners Chamber of Commerce "I felt like a fish out of water because I was so much younger." —Laura Roeder Tweet This World of Warcraft is the New Golf Laura replaced her salary the first year, then doubled her earnings the following year. The transition from Paid Services → Packaged Services → Retail Packages "It felt a lot easier to sell an online class than to get individual clients." —Laura Roeder Tweet This Gary Vaynerchuk Laura's clients were asking about social media; there was a swelling Biography from A+E The Dash was the newsletter from LKR Social Media "It was always a business. I didn't start with a blog." —Laura Roeder Tweet This Laura's team works remotely Lean Startup Methodology Laura's husband Chris is the lead developer/CTO for Edgar Ruby on Rails The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss On Amazon and On Audible Edgar is 16 people strong (development, marketing, customer service) Team Edgar doesn't use Sprint/Agile methodology. They simply make priorities and do them. Edgar ties their QA into Customer Service "We don't make major changes to our software. We're focused on iterative improvements to what we already do." —Laura Roeder Tweet This DIY Network/HGTV Mike Holmes Amazon tests features very carefully "Always run split tests on the home page and signup page" —Laura Roeder Tweet This "I wasn't that passionate about design. I was interested in other elements." —Laura Roeder Tweet This False Negatives in hiring The Narcissism of Minor Differences "If you're talking to the HR Manager, you're doomed." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This The Edgar Blog Laura Roeder on Twitter Laura Roeder on Facebook Laura Roeder on Instagram Laura Roeder on LinkedIn Edgar on Twitter Edgar on Facebook Tools Skillshare Edgar Slack Trello Flow Google Hangouts Confluence Kissmetrics Jira Mailchimp Visual Website Optimizer Evernote Google Docs Pocket Techniques Think of the "Worst Case Scenario" before you quit Start with freelancers before hiring full-time staff Create a Wiki for shared information (customer service, company values, etc.) Methodology is more important than software When A/B testing, use dramatic comparisons; two completely different versions Habits Have a planning meeting every Monday and retrospective meeting every Friday Always write multiple subject lines Make lists in Google Docs (don't overcomplicate it)

Evolving a Blog into a Brand and a Business with Writer and Clients From Hell Chief Bryce Bladon — The Busy Creator 78

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2016

Bryce Bladon (@BryceBladon) is a freelance writer and editor of the popular blog Clients From Hell. Bryce has been editing and curating the site for years, and has overseen dramatic growth both in blog readership and in creating outside partnerships, products, and offerings. In our conversation, we discuss the origins of Clients From Hell, how a blog can become a viable business, and how all of us who provide services can avoid clients from hell to have a better working life. Bryce has recent authored the second book from Clients From Hell, Hell To Pay, concerning the ever-popular topic of getting paid for freelance work and avoiding money-related drama. Hell To Pay, the new book from Clients From Hell Listeners of The Busy Creator can save 50% by using code "BusyCreator" when purchasing from this link.

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Culture and Habits for a Three-Person Design Studio with Designer and Agency Boss Kristine Neil — The Busy Creator Podcast 77

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2016 41:53

Kristine Neil (@TheKNeil) is head of branding and design company Markon Brand Design. She purchased Markon when it was an old-fashion sign company, and has since transformed it into a small creative studio, now boasting a team of three. In our conversation, we cover the quirks and rituals used by the team at Markon, Kristine's personal productivity habits, and the general challenges that face all busy design teams nowadays. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 77 (MP3, 41:52, 25.3 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 77 (OGG, 41:52, 19.9 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links Kristine describe her work as "varied" Markon is a small agency focusing on branding for small- to medium-sized businesses Kristine purchased Markon rather than founded it. Previously, it was a sign company. The Markon team is now three strong — Kristine, Mike, and Jenna "It's a scary thing to say 'I need some Help'." —Kristine Neil Tweet This Kristine started by adding contractors/freelancers before bringing in full-time employees Prepare to Share — an article and podcast episode about bringing additional people into your workflow Kristine is a systems person, admits to being slightly ADD "Get ideas out of your head. People aren't mind-readers." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This "Always organize things for how they'll work in your absense." —Kristine Neil Tweet This Single Point of Failure — a bottleneck for decisions or skills Many freelancers/solo practitioners struggle to stay organised Kristine previously worked as a GM for a manufacturing company. This taught her systems and regimented behaviours. "Have a system. It doesn't have to be fancy." —Kristine Neil Tweet This "Meta-work" the work surrounding work such as scheduling meetings, checking email, managing your software Ben Elijah, previous guest on TBCP, described "Productivity Pornography" United We Brand by Mike Moser on Amazon "We don't always have the time to treat ourselves as a client." —Kristine Neil Tweet This "We don't just make the things. We make the ideas that make the things great." —Kristine Neil Tweet This Space150, design firm who redesigns their identity every 150 days "It's no longer acceptable to set a brand identity and let it ride for 20 years." —Kristine Neil Tweet This The Sunk-Cost Fallacy Sweat Equity Phase-In a brand vs. "Shadow Op" to replace everything Esso became Exxon seemingly overnight[av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lZkX01wFbE' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] Todd Henry, twice a guest on The Busy Creator Podcast Kristine Neil on Twitter Kristine Neil on LinkedIn Markon Brands on Twitter Markon Brands on Facebook Markon Brands on Instagram Markon Brands on Pinterest Tools Whiteboard Scrum and Agile development Remember The Milk for iPhone Google Drive Swiffer Duster Slack Dropbox Basecamp Jira Freedcamp Techniques Divide your whiteboard by category and by day. Slot tasks accordingly. Create a file-naming system that makes sense — plan ahead for others reading in the future. Don't become a Single Point of Failure Pomodoro Technique Only keep the immediate future on the Board, save long-term stuff elsewhere Test systems to find what works best Get outside opinions on your brand/company, at least annually Use Slack to post videos and gifs — especially after a tough day at the desk Habits Host "Board Meetings" with your team every morning Build starting documents ("templates") when you have repetitive projects/tasks Audit your own brand. Be willing to walk away from your previous website. Create a routine strong enough so you don't need an alarm clock Shut down between Christmas and New Year TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding by Al & Laura Reis as a free audiobook

Finding a Community Online and Crafting a Signature Style with Illustrator, Designer & Artist Alice Coles — The Busy Creator Podcast 76

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2016

Alice Coles (@HulloAlice) is an illustrator, artist, designer, and video producer based in Colorado. She has honed her skills and created a signature style thanks largely to her own video production schedule. Alice publishes tutorial videos and showcases her experiments on her YouTube channel, HulloAlice. In this conversation, we discuss Alice's origins as an illustrator, how she found supporters in the YouTube community, what art supplies she relies on, and what sort of desk setup she uses to film her own work as it happens. See more of Alice's work and get in touch on her website, AliceRColes.com. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 76 (MP3, 38:55 18.7 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 76 (OGG, 38:55, 20.2 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links Prescott and Alice met at a design conference in Phoenix Alice describes her work as "an exploration of herself, her memories, and her place and role in the world." Alice uses storytelling in her art, calling herself an illustrator Monument Valley Loish, artist and inspiration of Alice Kaizen, the Japanese idea of continual self-improvement Alice admits she doesn't quite have the time/focus for too many commissions Sycra on YouTube Baylee Jae on YouTube "YouTube can be toxic at times, I've seen, but the art community is so supportive of each other." —Alice Coles Tweet This Alice started making videos "every couple of months" but found consistency through audience momentum Alice is primarily a watercolour artist Faffing, a definiton Matt Cremona, woodworker/furniture maker on The Busy Creator Podcast Matt Cremona on YouTube Doctor Who Papasan Chair "Watercolour is the worst medium to scan." —Alice Coles Tweet This "I tend to barrel through life like a rolling stone." —Alice Coles Tweet This Tsundoku, the Japanese word for "the constant act of buying books, but never reading them" Reddit Alice hails from Desborough, Northamptonshire, UK Alice Coles on Twitter Alice Coles Illustration on Facebook Alice Coles on Facebook Alice Coles on Instagram Alice Coles on YouTube Tools Windows Movie Maker Lightbox Winsor & Newton India Ink Dip Nib White Guash Gel Pens Prismacolor pencils Watercolor colored pencils Desk from Target with a hutch Custom lights Bookcases Wacom Intuos 5 tablet Wacom Cintiq monitor/tablet Adobe Photoshop Basecamp Techniques Start with inspiration — colour combo, landscape, etc. Use figure references for anatomy Paint in layers — block in shadows first, then skin tone — keep it thin Underpaint (paint an entire paper with a single colour to instill a tone or feeling) Use a hairdryer to dry your layers Use a hairdryer to cure swimmer's ear Complete a painting in a single sitting (2–6 hours) Batch videos, especially when lighting/hair/make-up is required Watch a speed version of your video first, then record it again in real-time Increase contrast and colour-depth in Photoshop — with the aim to match real-life colours Use planners and lists — "bullet journal" Habits Keep supplies organized in clear cases — jars, boxes, etc. Create an inspiring workspace, use personal items and motifs Aim for a consistent wake-up time (maybe 8 am) Reply to comments and emails first thing in the morning Read while you eat, and before you go to bed Don't be so hard on yourself (regarding time management or inconsistency) List out your tasks for the next day

community online colorado artist creator japanese target busy designers crafting photoshop illustrator reply batch coles northamptonshire ogg signature style

How Kirsten Modestow Started a Branding & Design Agency in Her House and Thrives Outside of a Major City — The Busy Creator Podcast 75

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2016 49:51

Kirsten Modestow (@KModestow) is the founder & creative director of Brigade, a branding and design firm in Massachusetts. Brigade focuses on consumer packaging and communications; they create brands for products, and help them stand out on shelves. In recent years, this has translated to digital promotion and social media as well. In this conversation, Kirsten discusses her origins as a young designer, learning from her elders, how she started Brigade in her house and where the company is now, and examines the curious culture of an agency that grows fast and lives in an open-plan office. GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 75 (MP3, 49:55, 72.1 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 75 (OGG, 49:55, 23.7 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Show Notes & Links Brigade focuses on food & beverage clients, within the packaging and communication media types, so not everything. In-store design materials include more items — shelf talkers, point of sales, mobile-friendly websites, etc. "Do you have to create a whole persona just for a box of crackers?" —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This Lately, consumers are more educated and more finicky — they want information Nabisco, Kraft - big companies in consumer goods Wheat Thins on Facebook Kirsten started working out of her home after relocating to Western Mass. Land Rover Svedka vodka To accommodate the growing team, Kirsten converted her garage into a studio 5 colleges are located in the Amherst-Hadley area, but none have a graphic design course Boss is sometimes a four-letter word Kirsten started at Hill Holiday in Boston Brigade has grown from 5 employees to 20 in the past 2 years Recruiting is tough outside of a "design center" like New York, Chicago, London Brigade's first Project Management hire was a photographer freelancing as a graphic designer "No one is on top of each other; they're alongside them." —Kirsten Modestow Tweet This Brigade is [finally] at the point of getting cold calls from potential clients The Dieline Tarik El-Khateeb "Production is a huge part of design!" —Kirsten Modestow Tweet This Hatch Show Boston Dribbble "Side projects are the internal fuel for agencies and small firms." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This The Cult of The Overworked Open floorplans create challenges (just ask Lucy Kellaway) "The Middle School Cafeteria", Prescott's term for single-table, open-plan offices "Good ideas come from everywhere." —Kirsten Modestow Tweet This "Open plan only works if people give a crap about each other." —Simon Sinek on office design Tweet This Five Guys Burgers Kirsten Modestow on Twitter Kirsten Modestow on Facebook Brigade on Twitter Brigade on Instagram Brigade on Facebook Brigade on Spotify Tools Asana Harvest Producteev Float Open floor plan (with caution) Techniques Focus on your main goal — pick a "story" and do it well. Build your "dream team" from unconventional people — even if they aren't traditionally qualified Create mentorship programs within your company/agency As a boss, give someone "the big shirt, so they can grow into it." Use daily "pow-wows", twice-weekly traffic meetings Apply 80/20 thinking when it comes to routine work vs. exciting breaks Habits Continually evaluate your work, and whether it should be submitted to contests Share work within the office; build culture of helpfulness to combat ownership/jealousy Critique as a group for larger projects Build office rituals, like picnics, lunches, bowling outings Arrive at the office early, before chaos starts Work toward 8 hours of sleep

Web Agency Owner Matt Inglot Talks Client Selection, Workflow, and The Challenges of Working from Home - The Busy Creator Podcast 74

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2016 38:41

Matt Inglot (@MattInglot) is the founder of Tilted Pixel, a results-focused web design agency based in Calgary, Canada. A veteran web designer, Matt has been an agency owner most of his career, beginning when he was still a student. Over the years he's refined his own business strategy to bring greater value to his own clients, and in turn build a thriving practice. Matt is also the host of the Freelance Transformation podcast, where he speaks with creative entrepreneurs and practitioners about business and freelance issues. In this conversation, Matt discusses his role in the business, how systematic (or not) he likes to be with prospective clients, and how he handles working from home.

canada challenges creator clients busy calgary selection working from home workflow agency owner matt inglot tilted pixel freelance transformation

An Introduction to Freelancing — Definitions, Ailments, Mindsets, and Advice for new and veteran freelancers — The Busy Creator Podcast 73

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2015 39:04

Freelancers can no longer be ignored as fringe workers, in-betweeners, and the occassional slacker seeking to hide his true unemployment. Freelancers now make up a significant portion of the creative economy, especially in Cities like New York where fashion, film, theatre, design, and music industries thrive outside the walls of conventional employment relationships. In this episode, we hear from Alex Signh (@AutomaticYes), Co-Founder of Domino, an online community for freelancers, Matt Inglot (@MattInglot), host of the Freelance Transformation podcast, and Jaime Campbell (@TierOneServices), a CPA and business coach who has worked with freelancers throughout her career. Together we examine some definitions, ailments, and mindsets shared by freelancers. We also drop a few action steps any freelancer can take to make the transition — or the next step — that much smoother. Show Notes & Links 6 Mistakes Every New Freelancer Makes by Domino The New Normal by Kristen Fischer Kristen Fischer on The Busy Creator Podcast ep 60 WashPo WorkBlog: Freelancers' Union lobbies new bill "A Freelancer to me is essentially just an entrepreneur." —Alex Singh Tweet This "Calling yourself a freelancer is the greatest way not to get paid." —Matt Inglot Tweet This Finding clients & managing relationships are the key struggles, according to Alex Singh Most freelancers get started because they're "really good" and want to collect the full fee, according to Jaime Campbell. Only ten percent of experienced freelancers know their monthly expenses, according to Alex Being a freelancer is like being Batman; suddenly, you're called on to save the day. But the rest of the time, you're an orphan. "20 clients is a lot of proposals to close." —Matt Inglot Tweet This Tools Freelancers' Union Domino Slack Quickbooks LinkedIn TierOne Services Techniques Don't describe yourself as a commodity, jump right into your positioning and story Be specific about who you will — and won't — work with, and the types of projects you will take on. Look for clients who can best benefit from your work, not just the person who needs work done today. Call yourself an Agency (and raise your rates) Get referrals from other people via relationships. Make other people your "sales team." Leverage other people's time so you can work on different tasks Track "income by referral source", or build it custom if needed Solve people's problems on online forums/sites. Do it publicly. Get registered as an expert so you get notified first. Get clear on numbers, especially your effective income. Develop a long-term strategy Habits Understand yourself and re-evaluate yourself Always learn new skills, test new systems Spend 5 minutes a day answering questions online TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Online Jobs by Todd McLeod as a free audiobook GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 73 (MP3, 39:03, 18.9 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 73 (OGG, 39:03, 20.3 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android

How Debbie Millman Balances Everything to Produce Design Matters (and Run a World-Class Design Agency) - The Busy Creator Podcast 18

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2015 57:54

Debbie Millman (@DebbieMillman) is a design and branding industry impresario. She will, at any given moment, be involved in a multitude of projects and roles across the profession. For nearly 20 years, she's been the President of Sterling Brands, a design and brand strategy firm based in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Since 2005, she's hosted Design Matters, one of the most successful radio shows (now podcasts) about design and creativity. She also founded and chairs the Master's in Branding course at the School of Visual Arts in New York, and has authored numerous books. In this episode, Debbie speaks about the structure and workflow of Sterling — now a corporate agency, how she stays energized across her many endeavors, and how she's still working to overcome awkwardness in her life and career. We also get to hear the story of how Debbie and Prescott first met. Show Notes & Links Design Matters was recognized as an iTunes Best of 2015 show. Amazing achievement. Design Matters is among the iTunes Best of 2015 Prescott discovered Design Matters while working a crappy job working for a startup marketing firm. Helvetica, by Gary Hustwit Prescott is standing on the shoulders of giants with his podcast Debbie describes herself as a brand consultant, wannabe artist, and chair of the MFA Master's in Branding at SVA Debbie and her partners at Sterling sold to the business Omnicom in 2008 Sterling defines itself as a Brand Consultancy with three disciplines – Design, Strategy, and Innovation DeeDee Gordon runs Innovation from Los Angeles; Austin McGhie runs Strategy from San Francisco Sterling acquired Philippe Becker in San Francisco, joining that to their studio. Simon Lince is Sterling's Chief Creative Officer in New York, with four Creative Directors under him. Same with Philippe Becker in SF. Sterling consciously went to the traditional advertising agency model, rather than a “bullpen” model, with lots of cross-disciplinary work. It was “less deliberate”. “Institutional knowledge” is important for growth within an agency. Helps to serve clients year-on-year. Design strategy entails asking questions: What is the brand? What is the criteria for success? What is the “whitespace” we want to uncover? Can we own that space? What is the dynamic for change within an organization? etc. “Common vocabulary does not always equate to common behavior.” —Debbie Millman Tweet This “The only people that really like brand design changes are brand designers.” (joking/not joking) —Debbie Millman Tweet This “Ambiguity is never seen positively.” (e.g., ambiguous emails) —Debbie Millman Tweet This Package design is a “very specific language.” One must know the grammar of a language, but not necessarily all the dialects, which are learned on the job. Design Matters is a cultural force, whether Debbie thinks it or no. Cooper Hewitt National Design Award, 2011 Bill Drentell Tina Roth Eisenberg (@swissmiss), Swiss Miss Maria Popova (@Brainpicker), Brainpickings Debbie does “an exhausting amount of research” for Design Matters interviews 20-50 pages of notes for each guest, reduced to 5 pages of questions Lining Up a Shot Design Matters on SoundCloud “I don't even know that I was a fully formed human being when I was 30.” —Debbie Millman Tweet This All The Wrong People Have Self-Esteem by Laurie Roselwald Adult Onset Awkward “Getting your first job out of college is like starting kindergarten all over.” —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellent, then, is not an act but a habit.” –Aristotle Tweet This Babson College Omnicom University Nancy Kane, from Harvard Business School Information Recreation Design Observer Brand New (and all the UnderConsideration blogs) Design*Sponge HOW and Print The New York Times CNN The Wall St. Journal The New Yorker Vogue Harper's Bazaar Scientific American / SciAm Mind on airplanes, where it's quiet(?) “Multitasking is the enemy of focused creativity.” —Debbie Millman Tweet This Debbie is now ashamed of her past pride as a multi-tasker “When the going gets tough, we go to Facebook.” —Debbie Millman Tweet This Multi-tasking is usually “rapid-switching” Lisa Grant, Debbie's better half at Sterling J'aime Cohen, original SVA dir. of operations Mark Dudlik, current SVA partner in crime Curtis Fox, producer for Design Matters Energy management is more important than time management. Tools SWOT analysis for brands Facebook (the default distraction; internet background noise) Twitter Instagram To-do lists (for things with deadlines) Techniques Copy the habits of small studios and create “in-house studios” within the larger agency Allow strong Debbie Millmanality to exist and thrive in a company; build a culture as such Prepare strategy and challenges during proposal/pitch stage. Don't wait until you've won it. Want something done? Ask a busy Debbie Millman — they have less time to procrastinate. Learn what you're good at. Production/details? Coming up with ideas? Habits Celebrate small victories, such as winning a new project or client Sleep a lot. 8 hours at least. Eat better. (better than soda, candy, cigarettes, that is.) Read constantly. Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits by Debbie Millman as a free audiobook Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 18 (MP3, 58:09, 27.9 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 18 (OGG, 58:09, 26.74 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android

Online Resources for Creative Professionals to Learn Business Skills - The Busy Creator Podcast 72

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2015 30:40

This episode is a rundown of resource I've been collecting and analysing for some time. The Busy Creator Podcast is far from the only place online to learn business skills and discuss productivity, so strap yourself in and listen to this collection of 27 online resources where creative pros can learn business skills. Tools & Website Fizzle, Community The Fizzle Show Seanwes, Community The Podcast Dude Freelancers' Union FU Hives Stack Exchange GraphicDesign.StackExchange.com Lynda LinkedIn acquires Lynda for $1.5B InDesignSecrets.com Skillshare Coursera Udemy Udacity Chip Kidd on Skillshare Jessica Hische on Skillshare Erica Heinz on Skillshare Erica Heinz on The Busy Creator Podcast Courtney Eliseo on Skillshare Courtney Eliseo on The Busy Creator Podcast General Assembly The Flatiron School Digital Strategy School Marie Poulin & Ben Borowski Marie Poulin on The Busy Creator Podcast Ben Borowski on The Busy Creator Podcast Nathalie Lussier 30-Day Listbuilding Challenge Louder Than Ten Marketing Mentor Pitch Perfect Presentation The C Method Christina Canters on The Busy Creator Podcast Prescott Perez-Fox on The C Method Podcast Paper and Oats Guerrilla Freelancing Sidecar Made by SY/Partners 30-Foot Gorilla The Nu School Online Pricing Guide from The Nu School Learn The Secret Handshake HOW Magazine HOW Design Live Communication Arts TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter C. Brown as a free audiobook GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 72 (MP3, 30:48, 14.8 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 72 (OGG, 30:48, 15.7 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android

Examining Audience Growth & Online Promotion - The Busy Creator Podcast 71

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2015 62:29

How should a creative professional go about building an audience for an online project or brand? What can we do to connect with likeminded people and potential partners? How can bring a killer app or perfect gift to a hungry audience? Like many others on the Internet, I don't have all the answers, but I know a few experts. In this episode, we hear from Johanna (@GoodVibesJo) and Charles (@TheBrownVegan), the team behind Good Vibes Life, on the hard lessons learned in their first year of online brand-building. We also hear from Ben Kreuger (@BenWKreuger), of Cashflow Podcasting, on popular and proven tactics for audience growth. Finally, Kate Erickson (@KateLErickson) of Entrepreneur on Fire and Kate's Take shares the Top 7 Strategies: How to Grow a Podcast Audience. When all's said and done, there are a few genuinely proven routes to take to building an audience, but each takes consistency, energy, and time. Lots of time. Learn what they are in today's conversation. Show Notes & Links Johanna is a holistic health coach, yoga instructor, and nurse Recipes are available Long-term strategy pays, some food bloggers have been going for 7+ years @YogaGirl, a popular yogi who shares her personal life Johanna & Charles have taken different approaches with social media: free-form and very regimented "The point of social media is not just to gain followers." —Johanna Perez-Fox Tweet This "75% of the classroom has the same question, but no one is brave enough to ask." —Charles Penn Tweet This "The smallest thing you can do in the world is a single tap on a digital screen." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This Maslow's Hierarchy Johanna observed a loss in engagement, even in a two-month period "In order to have an audience of any kind, there has to be a medium of communication." —Ben Krueger Tweet This Pareto Principle aka The 80/20 Rule Kate's recent blog post on growth Critical Mass: The point at which your project's marketing isn't reliant on you The Consistency Formula: Post Consistently + Audience Makes Listening a Habit = Podcast Growth Facebook or LinkedIn Groups are a good place to find like-minded people, but can be distaction-filled Derek Halpern's approach to the 80/20 rule: "Create content 20% of the time. Spend the other 80% of the time promoting what you created." Gary Vaynerchuk says "you should never schedule a tweet." Johanna Perez-Fox on Facebook Johanna Perez-Fox on Instagram Johanna Perez-Fox on SnapChat Johanna Perez-Fox on Periscope Charles Penn on Facebook Charles Penn on Instagram Charles Penn on SnapChat Charles Penn on Periscope Good Vibes Life on YouTube Ben Kreuger on Twitter Ben Kreuger (Authority Engine) on Facebook Cashflow Podcasting on SoundCloud Kate Erickson on Twitter Kate Erickson on Instagram Entrepreneur on Fire on Facebook Entrepreneur on Fire on YouTube Tools Skype Hootsuite Meet Edgar Techniques Publish recipes or other content to build a following over years (decades) Speak about yourself from a place where you learned something Get involved with in-person events, even if you're building an online business Position yourself as a mutual learner with a community of likeminded people Leverage your time to the most effective tasks Batch your tasks to save time and energy Growth Strategy 1: Confirm Uniqueness (format, tone, content) Growth Strategy 2: Be Social (spread the word; no one else will) Growth Strategy 3: Be Consistent (always!) Growth Strategy 4: Create Community (make people feel welcome in comments) Growth Strategy 5: Do the Rounds (guest blogging and guest appearances) Growth Strategy 6: Always Listen (continuous improvement) Growth Strategy 7: Have a Strong Call-to-Action (send folks to the show notes or email) Go back to your archive and use previously-released content Choose 3-5 groups to participate in. There are too many to join to be productive. Habits Share your personal details as well as your professional happenings Observe and question the value of a "Like", make sure you're asking for valuable feedback Continually answer questions to the entire audience, rather than to individuals Work in 2-3 hour chunks, with breaks in between Find ways to publish your content in multiple formats and media Be careful about scheduled posts when a dramatic event occurs in the world Continually tweak and improve your projects; give 'em time. TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Content Inc.: How Entrepreneurs Use Content to Build Massive Audiences and Create Radically Successful Businesses by Joe Pulizzi as a free audiobook GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 71 (MP3, 1:02:46, 30.3 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 71 (OGG, 1:02:46, 31.4 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android

How Kitty & Alice Chan Helped Build Procurify's Design Team - The Busy Creator Podcast 70

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2015 35:17

Kitty Chan (@IMKittyChan) and Alice Chan (@AliceChan319) are twin sisters and co-workers at Procurify, an online software company based in Richmond, BC, Canada. The duo work together within the design team at Procurify, and have originated many of the company's creative workflows and protocols, grown the product and marketing offerings from the ground up, and installed a healthy creative culture. In this conversation, we discuss how the sisters came to work together at Procurify, some of the early creative challenges faced by a small software company, and what sort of workflows and rituals you can use in your own company to help create order and harmony. Procurify is an online tool to aide companies in their purchasing and procurement. Check them out at Procurify.com Show Notes & Links Alice and Kitty are UX/UI designers Procurify helps businesses with their procurement processes, to help businesses buy the stuff they need The design team is only three designers, so everyone wears multiple hats Procurify began as as school project for three students at BCIT Kitty was the first designer, with Alice leaving her "corporate startup" to join about 6 months later "We know how we both work. It's very easy to communicate." —Alice Chan Tweet This Challenges at the start concerned process. A lot of trial-and-error. "Don't bake a giant cake; you might not like the flavour. Bake a cupcake first and taste it." —Alice Chan Tweet This InVision, and their blog Lo-Fidelity/Hi-Fidelity design "Fail fast but also learn fast." —Alice Chan Tweet This Adrienne Stortz runs xoxocooks, her cooking show on YouTube. She'll like our cooking metaphors. "Our design team is in the center of everything." —Kitty Chan Tweet This Kitty & Alice (and their third designer) work on marketing, sales, and lots of other elements. "Two Pizza Team" — keep it small enough to feed everyone with two pizzas Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson on Amazon and on Audible "Boss is a four-letter word." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This "[Our office] feels like a community center sometimes." —Kitty Chan Tweet This Show Your Work by Austin Kleon on Amazon Steve Gordon, and his Instagram feed Prescott prefers Kanban Boards over Gantt Charts Matt Cutts HelloKittyChan.com Kitty Chan on Twitter Kitty Chan on Facebook Kitty Chan on Instagram Kitty Chan on Dribbble Kitty Chan on Pinterest Kitty Chan on LinkedIn AliceChan.design Alice Chan on Twitter Alice Chan on Facebook Alice Chan on Instagram Alice Chan on Dribbble Alice Chan on Pinterest Alice Chan on LinkedIn Procurify on Twitter Procurify on Facebook Procurify on Instagram Procurify on YouTube Procurify on Dribbble Tools Procurify InVision Smash Bros. Whiteboards Trello Wrike, and its Gantt Chart feature Sketch, over Photoshop, for interface design Techniques Product Owners should bring in Designers from the start to create a feature Define a "development workflow" which breaks projects into smaller chunks Publish-and-iterate, not just in app/software design Move the Design Phase earlier to decide on features. Don't build things before they've been planned. Take care to ensure consistency across apps, marketing materials Have a company scrum every Friday to showcase what you've during the week Upload your work to Dribbble as a team When moving from design to development, show your thinking in InVision and include images Habits Continually share your work — even your in-progress stuff Take the weekends "off" TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Ready, Fire, Aim by Michael Masterson as a free audiobook GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 70 (MP3, 35:27, 17.1 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 70 (OGG, 35:27, 17.2 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android JOIN THE DISCUSSION Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation.

How to Design a Creative Office & Workplace Interior, with Betsy Helmuth - The Busy Creator Podcast 69

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2015 30:46

Betsy Helmuth (@BetsyHelmuth) is an interior designer & decorator in New York City. Her company, Affordable Interior Design, offers, well, affordable interior design. Over the years, she's designed rooms in over 1,000 apartments, as well as many offices and home offices. In this conversation, we discuss some simple steps that we creative pros can take to improve our workspaces — both while renting an office and in fixing up our home office. We cover lighting, colour, shelving, storage, and other little "hacks" for setting up shop and enjoying a happy, productive, creative work-day. Show Notes & Links Betsy is the founder of Affordable Interior Design She believes you can "maximise your productivity and creativity by changing the atmosphere in which you work" When looking for an office, look for the basics — location, space, costs Also look for a building with similar businesses for future collaboration Many companies overlook their interior office design — they look good online, but it doesn't translate to the real world Barbara Corcoran says to "overextend yourself" in terms of rent. It creates hustle. "If you build it, they will come." Betsy applies this to empty desks in your office. "It's more expensive to move than to pay a little bit more each month." —Betsy Helmuth Tweet This "A rented space needs to have some home-office flavor." —Betsy Helmuth Tweet This Noisli.com, plays focus-enhancing background noise Prescott and Betsy both have home offices, as do many people in creative businesses. Many couples will keep their second bedroom and turn it into a nursery/office. Bad to mix those two. Glass desks are terrible, because of their clinking noise for a start kabelsalat, the German word for "cable salad" aka the mess of tangled cords & cables Bamboo and Plywood desks Matt Cremona, a woodworker and furniture maker, appeared on The Busy Creator Podcast, ep. 61 Task Lighting Studies show you shouldn't have too much white (and blue) light into the evening hours. Betsy's husband, Jack, is a comedy writer. Their office is "fun." Ernst & Young, accounts, probably not a fun office. West Elm CableOrganizer.com Betsy Helmuth on Twitter Betsy Helmuth on Facebook Affordable Interior Design on Twitter Affordable Interior Design on Facebook Affordable Interior Design on Instagram Affordable Interior Design on Pinterest Big Design Small Budget podcast on iTunes Tools Plug-in dimmer switch on Amazon Incandescent lightbulbs Prescott's desk, a ThermoDesk Elite sit/stand motorised adjustable desk Betsy's [dream] desk, a Steelcase Tanker desk (with legs) Philips Hue Bulbs (and iPhone app) Cable Raceways and Channels Techniques Get an office near the bathroom so people pass by Put your logo on the door and welcome visitors Add colour, design your space Design your office for the people who use it "350 days per year" Try to arrange a good view in your work area Match your dog bed to your logo — simple colour matching goes a long way Turn off your overhead lights and use hanging pendant lights Sub-lease empty desks in your office to other creatives and independent pros Choose an office that's close to your home — otherwise you'll just want to work from home. Arrange your bedroom work area so you're not facing the desk directly from bed Keep things tidy to avoid extra stress on your mind Reduce glare using diffuse window treatments To get true colour, go outside with your paint swatches. To see how it looks in a room, paint a portion of the wall. Avoid light blue or sage green for an office, they're too relaxing. Use pops of yellow or orange, they're stimulating and energizing. Habits Wear headphones even if you're not listening to anything. That trains co-workers not to interrupt. Keep one desk photo or screensaver of your family/pets TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 69 (MP3, 30:54, 15.0 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 69 (OGG, 30:54, 15.4 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android

In Memory of Ethan F. Greene — The Busy Creator Podcast Bonus Episode

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2015 35:18

This bonus show is dedicated to Ethan Frederick Greene, my friend and a talented musician, who passed away September 13, 2015. Featured are a selection of Ethan's composition work across multiple genres included electronica, chamber music, opera, ambient, and other bits that defy category. For more about Ethan, please visit his site, EthanGreene.org Ethan Greene on SoundCloud

music games video creator soundcloud memory busy opera composer greene electronica

The Importance of Sales & New Business in Creative Agencies, with Dan Fields - The Busy Creator Podcast 68

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2015 51:42

Dan Fields (@danthebeast) is a Vice President of Operations at Aarra, an interactive management firm based in New York and Chicago. Once a humble Flash developer, Dan has moved into a sales and new business role, building relationships with large agencies and small shops alike. Our conversations discusses the need for sales and relationships in creative businesses, how Dan made the transition to new biz, and some of the challenges facing the ever-changing advertising industry. Catch up with Dan on his personal site Danfields.com or via his podcast, Save It For The Show. Show Notes & Links Dan is “no expert” but is a working professional with a passion project on the side. (Aren't we all?!) Dan is a New Business & Strategy agent for a number of design & interactive studios He started as a Flash developer, gaining an understanding of the creative process Matt Keefe, Josh Miles, previous guests on the Podcast The challenge is now “How do you get potential clients into the room?” “You have to have the work in your portfolio.” —Dan Fields Tweet This Dan studied advertising and journalism at University of Nevada, Reno, (where previous guest Mignon Fogarty is now a professor) “My work ethic was high enough that I could fake being a decent designer.” —Dan Fields Tweet This BKWLD, a digital agency in Sacramento — Dan's first job, and where he met Ben Borowski Dan's background as not-a-traditional sales guy is “a feature, not a bug.” The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss On Amazon and On Audible Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar On Amazon and On Audible Save It For The Show, Dan's podcast and creative outlet Ad Agencies like Goodby Silverstein, Weiden+Kennedy come up with good ideas, but Dan needs to find the folks who actually produce it. Old Spice Terry Crews (and his muscles) Facebook apps were everywhere, often because agencies would come up with wild ideas HTML5 Getting Things Done by David Allen On Amazon and On Audible The pronunciation of GIF Emoji icons “Interesting” means “Not at all interesting” to Britons, especially in a business context How To Get Your Client's Budget And Not Die In The Intent “You can be on the phone all day, up to date on your email, or you can actually get things done.” —Dan Fields Tweet This “At some point advertising forgot that it's supposed to sell something, not just win awards.” —Dan Fields Tweet This “Advertising is weaponized media.” —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This Brands saying “Bae” (@BrandsSayingBae) on Twitter Eat24 – an online ordering service with a very funny persona (@Eat24) Oreos “You can still dunk in the dark” Rutheford Gold Foil Experiment aka The Geiger-Marsden Experiments, conducted between 1908–1913 at the University of Manchester; led to the Bohr Model of the atom (Nobel Prize, 1922) and Frank & Hertz's work on electron impact (Nobel Prize, 1925) Volkswagen “Milky Way” spot for Cabrio, by Arnold, 1999 Volkswagen “Sunday Afternoon” spot for Golf, by Arnold, 1997 “Every time you do something creative, you're buying a lottery ticket.” —Dan Fields Tweet This Straight Outta Compton meme on Instagram Pinochle, the card game for old ladies Lucy Kellaway once remarked on hobbies outside of work — CEOs used to have them, now they don'tcan't Kiwanis Club Dan Fields on Twitter Dan Fields on Facebook Dan Fields on Instagram Save It For The Show on Twitter Save It For The Show on Facebook Save It For The Show on SoundCloud Tools Highrise, from Basecamp Salesforce Daylite Evernote Follow Up Then Siri Slack An actual calculator, like a TI-83 Techniques If you're a creative who's shy, you need to push yourself Create a side project or “fake” projects to build your portfolio Force yourself out of your comfort zone, especially for things like cold-calling BCC “2weeks@followupthen.com” on your emails to receive a reminder to your inbox Ask Siri to set reminders Keep an open internet chat for goofing off; helps build office culture Use video chat to supress miscommunication in email-writing shorthand Don't hide your budget — don't waste each other's time by keeping it secrets Learn small talk, it's part of relationship-building Habits Find a way to remind yourself; you won't remember Keep a running list of jokes or notes Get ideas out of your head and into some kind of system Drink coffee, don't sleep (a by-product of children) Avoid social media; it feels productive, but it isn't. Focus on email only for an hour; block off everything else. Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar as a free audiobook Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 68 (MP3, 51:56, 25.1 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 68 (OGG, 51:56, 25.3 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android

How Mignon Fogarty Launched a World-Famous Podcast Network and Became Grammar Girl - The Busy Creator Podcast 67

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2015 45:36

Mignon Fogarty (@MignonFogarty) is the founder of Quick and Dirty Tips, the multi-faceted publishing website that produces dozens of topic-specific podcasts based on several characters, the most famous of which is Grammar Girl. Since creating the Grammar Girl Podcast, Mignon has authored 7 books, collected a host of podcasting awards, and recently assumed the Donald W. Reynolds Chair in Media Entrepreneurship at the University of Nevada Reno. Our conversation follows Mignon's origins in online business, how she leveraged her early podcast success and existing personal relationships to create a broader network, and how she still prefers to do certain production elements herself. Show Notes & Links Mignon Fogarty is a professor — not a doctor — but her students call her by her first name Britons will call Professors as such, whereas the Americans favour Doctor, when that's available. e.g. Professor Alice Roberts (@DrAliceRoberts), a medical doctor and professor at the University of Birmingham "There's a lot of power in networks" —Mignon Fogarty Tweet This Grammar Girl (podcast) began as a hobby project whilst Mignon worked as a technical writer. Her clients kept making the same mistakes. Grammar Girl reach #2 in iTunes within 6 weeks Modern Manners Guy, Mighty Mommy, Money Girl, et al. were Mignon's friends/neighbours whom she recruited for spin-off shows The Wall St. Journal picked Grammar Girl as the Web Pick of the Day - 4 Nov. 2006 "New York Publishers" (a synecdoche, of sorts; a toponym, more specifically) MacMillan Publishing wanted a digital initiative; they partnered Mignon chose podcasting over blogging alone because she "really loved it" SEO-friendly blog posts helped folks discover episodes and the show in general A post on Reddit, in the ELI5 subreddit, regarding colours as last names "Redheads vs. Orangeheads" a post on Grammar Girl regarding origins of the colour orange in English Gretchen McCollugh, PhD Mignon was always "an entrepreneur at heart"; she and a college roommate sold hair accessories Prescott misses Aardvark and Squiggly, characters from her show Grammar Girl now has segments — Intro, Quick and Dirty Tip, The Meaty Middle, Tidbits, Announcements, Ads Mignon uses content from her books and newsletter for podcast content Many English phrases originate from train talk Idioms Fast and Loose derives from an old carnival game Mr. Adolphe Sax, inventor of the Saxophone Tall Poppy Syndrome, an Australian phrase Malapropism "People write in different ways for different media." —Mignon Fogarty Tweet This "What texting is, despite the fact that it involves the brute mechanics of something that we call writing, is fingered speech." —John McWhorter Tweet This "u" has replaced "you" as a pronoun, even in written schoolwork Andrea Lunsford, of The Writing Center at Stanford, concludes there aren't more errors because of teh Internet Affect/Effect or They're/Their/There Google trends allows you to search for phrases like "on accident" The New York Times could find Haikus within the stories Google Ngrams to find first appearances Google News Archive The Teddy Bear, inspired by Theodore Roosevelt "The Internet is [still] mostly a written medium." —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This The link between language & design: language → grammar → punctuation → typography → design The Oxford Comma "Visual Language" or "Brand Voice" are types of designer personifications Professor Fogarty Mignon teaches Media Entrepreneurship & Social Journalism Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty on Amazon and on Audible Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips to Clean Up Your Writing by Mignon Fogarty on Audible 101 Misused Words by Mignon Fogarty on Amazon 101 Words to Sound Smart by Mignon Fogarty on Amazon 101 Troublesome Words You'll Master in No Time by Mignon Fogarty on Amazon Words Every High School Graduate Needs to Know by Mignon Fogarty on Amazon "Applesaucing", Prescott's term for re-purposing and re-publishing your content How Mignon organises and plans a book. Very cool[av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnSIMqtsgLY' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] Mignon has written 7 books in 6 years — in your face, Todd Henry! Fellini Information Diets When recording from her home, Mignon uses a walk-in closet with a snowball mic Mignon Fogarty on Twitter Mignon Fogarty on Instagram Mignon Fogarty on Google+ Grammar Girl on Twitter Grammar Girl on Facebook Grammar Girl on SoundCloud Mignon Fogarty tells her story to Leo Laporte on Triangulation, episode 117[av_video src='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LA8ZH_cdl9M' format='16-9' width='16' height='9'] Tools Snowball Mic Pinterest Trello Freedcamp Slack MacBook Air Large Apple Monitor iPod Touch (for social media) Boomerang for Gmail Clammr Audacity Techniques Use the script from your podcast as a blog post Use guest writers for narrow subject matters, especially if they have a PhD in that topic Assign content and schedule shows about 6-7 weeks in advance Edit your script for pronunciation — some things are hard to say out loud Use Pinterest to promote a podcast Set deadlines for yourself Hire help to manage you (especially for writing) Keep two separate phones for your separate social media accounts Habits Delegate, especially social media Uses content from her books and newsletter for podcast content Workout every morning, before lunch rather than first thing Make sure to drink caffeine with lunch TRY AUDIBLE.COM FREE FOR 30-DAYS Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing by Mignon Fogarty as a free audiobook GET THE EPISODE Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 67 (MP3, 45:48, 22.2 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 67 (OGG, 45:48, 21.7 MB) SUBSCRIBE TO GET NEW EPISODES Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android

Productivity Habits: Examining Ourselves and Taking Steps Toward Better Effectiveness with Author & Consultant Ben Elijah – The Busy Creator Podcast 66

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2015 50:42

Ben Elijah (@inkandben) is a consultant in the productivity sector and author of the book The Productivity Habits. In this conversation, we dig into the productivity sector as a whole, and discuss his origins as an author and as a not-very-productive person. The Productivity Habits, by Ben Elijah This episode is oddly self-referential, as we, two productivity nerds, talk about how bad we are with our own habits, and about how we continually struggle to stay productive — at least in our own eyes. Ben writes and speaks about the topic, which is an ongoing struggle for all of us. You'll learn some of Ben's tested habits and techniques you can use to get started down the road toward better effectiveness. Catch up with Ben via his site, InkAndBen.com Show Notes & Links In case you've forgotten, The Busy Creator discusses Tools, Techniques, and Habits Ben admits that he came to focus on productivity because he's “very bad at it” Getting Things Done by David Allen On Amazon and On Audible The Productivity Habits by Ben Elijah On Amazon Ben observes some of the same routines everyday in creative pros Ben and Prescott are prone to “depressive cycles of thought” “Really creative people care about things … but do they deploy passion the right way?” —Ben Elijah Tweet This Maslow's hierarchy of needs Is your pensivity turned up to 11? A problem that affects [young] people is their inability to plan “Education is serial; in work, things come in parallel” —Ben Elijah Tweet This “Who am I going to disappoint today?” —Merlin Mann Tweet This Merlin Mann, productivity writer According to Ben, there are no “high habits” to which we should all aspire to “There isn't anybody talking about this that isn't also a student” —Ben Elijah Tweet This Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy of continuous small improvements “It takes a certain amount of self-awareness just to begin” —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This “The world that the human brain has created is very ill-suited to the human brain.” —Ben Elijah Tweet This “Your brain is for having ideas, not for holding them” —David Allen Tweet This The Ether Make sure you're doing productivity, not “pornography” Memento The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg On Amazon and On Audible Reddit, a classic time-waster The Cult of the Morning Routine, see also: The Busy Creator Podcast ep 65 w/Cathryn Lavery Ben hates the word “productivity” because it encourages the “easy-answer people” Prescott hates the word “branding” “For me to become even moderatel effective has taken nearly 10 years of blood, sweat, tears, and constant failure.” —Ben Elijah Tweet This [n] ways to [verb][problem] — solves the wrong problem Clickbait Context, in the David Allen sense, is something that constrains us “A context is a function of space, time, and thought.” —Ben Elijah Tweet This “Switching between tasks has overhead” —Ben Elijah Tweet This Ben prefers a state of flow over rapid-switching You can't go “from zero to Ninja” Sixth Form Makes Its Own Gravy Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule by Paul Graham Ben Elijah on Twitter Tools AquaNotes, a waterproof notepad for your shower In-baskets, for a paper-full office OmniFocus Squarespace Techniques Experiment with a “system” for recording ideas, thoughts Build a habit by using the Trigger/Reward/Routine approach Observe your situation — mood, energy, time, equipment Work out of order, depending on what's appropriate to the situation Create tasks that are “granular”, and cannot be broken down further Habits Carry a notebook and record ideas Build the routine of reviewing your notes Wake up at 5:30 to write, prepare, workout Eat a high protein breakfast Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg as a free audiobook Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 66 (MP3, 50:55, 24.5 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 66 (OGG, 50:55, 21.5 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android

Designer & Entrepreneur Cathryn Lavery Shares Her Personal Productivity Habits, Tactics for a Successful Kickstarter Launch - The Busy Creator Podcast 65

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 18, 2015 48:33

Cathryn Lavery (@CathrynLavery) is an architect-turned-designer, entrepreneur, and maker. After leaving architecture, she created Calm The Ham, where she designs and sells posters and other products. Cat's next project is The Self Journal, a printed, bound journal with templates to help you craft a productive morning routine and accomplish your quarterly goals. Our conversation covers Cat's productivity habits, especially as they relate to morning routines, how she leverages her passions for design but leaves the marketing duties to other people, and how she takes a systematic approach to launching on Kickstarter by manipulating her media contacts. Catch up with Cat on her personal blog, LittleMight.com, or via CalmTheHam.com and TheSelfJournal.com Listen Now [smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/busycreator/TheBusyCreator_65_CathrynLavery.mp3" color="3E3315" image="http://busycreator.com/images/TheBusyCreator_2_80x80_buzz.png" title="Ep. 65 w/Cathryn Lavery" artist="The Busy Creator Podcast with Prescott Perez-Fox" ] [caption id="attachment_2565" align="alignnone" width="452"] The Self Journal, closed[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2566" align="alignnone" width="411"] The Self Journal, open[/caption] [caption id="attachment_2567" align="alignnone" width="411"] The Self Journal, open[/caption] Show Notes & Links Cat studied at Glasgow School of Art, and trained as an architect Cat describes herself as a "maker"; it's on her business card She abandoned architecture after discovering that the job becomes less creative as the years endure Cat's design company, Calm The Ham, produces posters and other design goods The initial investment for Calm The Ham was essentially the cost of a nice printer Cat began working on websites because people asked her The Foundation, a course to build SaaS products Clinic Hero, Cat's software for Chiropractors/Physical Therapists Groupon "Decision Fatigue" is to be avoided Nate Voss, guest on a previous episode, described team-ups as "forming Voltron" "California doesn't have a water problem, it has a people problem." —Cathryn Lavery Tweet This Fart apps "You don't want two designers starting a business together. You need someone doing the marketing & sales." —Cathryn Lavery Tweet This The metaphor of "The Invading Army" vs. "The Occupying Army" Coffee-flavoured Doritos Cappuccino-flavoured Lay's (yes, this is a real product) [caption id="attachment_2556" align="alignnone" width="250"] Cappuccino-flavoured Lay's[/caption] "Do the things you love to do to keep your batteries charged." —Cathryn Lavery Tweet This The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod On Amazon and On Audible Cat installed multiple habits simultaneously early in January Bulletproof Coffee Hurricane/Super-storm Sandy The Self Journal, Cat's new product, launching on Kickstarter 19 Aug 2015 The brain's Reticular Activating System Getting Things Done by David Allen On Amazon and On Audible "You want to make it look like Apple created it." —Cathryn Lavery Tweet This Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holiday On Amazon and On Audible QNS Collective, co-working space in Queens, NY Cathryn Lavery on Twitter Cathryn Lavery on Facebook Cathryn Lavery on Instagram Calm The Ham on Twitter Calm The Ham on Facebook Best Self Co. on Twitter Best Self Co. on Facebook Tools Clinic Hero The Foundation LeadPages Medium 7-Minute Workout app on iTunes app store The Self Journal Techniques Share how your projects are made Learn from people outside your industry (e.g. digital marketers if you're a designer) Listen to your audience for advice on what to create next Research a market, pre-sell a product, and then look for a developer to make it happen Look for people to buy in to your project; folks to be invested not just have a job Leverage parts of the project you most enjoy, and give the other elements to other people Don't try to do everything yourself (e.g. marketing, content, design) Align your skills/passion with the sort of work that suits you (long-term vs. short-term) Hoard water in buckets if you live in an area prone to droughts Limit yourself to three targets for the day (not a huge to-do list) Practice a gratitude habit in the morning Get things out of your head and into a system Create a high-quality video on Kickstarter, even for a print or physical product Create professional image assets for your project Build a media list for future outreach - Cat's blog post on her Kickstarter methodology Use Google Images to search for articles covering a specific product Use a Virtual Assistant to build your spreadsheet and take care of research tasks Impose deadlines on yourself, if only to keep things fresh! Habits Develop a morning routine. Here's Cat's Meditate first thing in the morning, or move it around to whenever it fits best Do a quick workout before your [ice-cold] shower so your body is warm Use a journal to plan your days, and your goals for the quarter Tell your story of how you develop a product Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod as a free audiobook Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 65 (MP3, 48:46, 23.6 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 65 (OGG, 48:46, 23.4 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes or on Android Join the Discussion Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation.

Todd Henry Returns to Discuss Significance, Vision, and Competence for Creative Pros – The Busy Creator Podcast 64

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2015 24:23

Todd Henry (@ToddHenry) is an author, speaker, and creative consultant who has written three books, including his newest, Louder Than Words, available August 11, 2015. Todd Henry's new book, Louder Than Words Building on his previous writing efforts, Louder Than Words is aimed at creative professionals who struggle to find significance in the larger arc of their work and careers. Together, we discuss his unwavering writing methodologies, the struggles faced by creative pros at various points in their career, and what he's discovered in writing and publishing three related books in seven years. Catch up with Todd at ToddHenry.com, or AccidentalCreative.com

vision voice career writing creator creative habits busy pros significance competence louder louder than words todd henry

Freedcamp CEO/Co-Founder Angel Grablev Shares the Company's Origins and Methods for Project Management – The Busy Creator Podcast 63

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2015 52:30

Angel Grablev (@AngelGrablev) is the CEO and Co-Founder of Freedcamp, an online project management and collaboration application. Angel began Freedcamp as a side project, but has since built a global distributed team, and now works full-time to improve project management for thousands of customers. Our conversation covers Angel's previous work as a web developer, Freedcamp's origins and intents, as well as the trouble faced in conventional project management. We also discuss management style and company culture more generally, as it relates to measured results and keeping your co-workers informed. Sign up for Freedcamp, for free, at Freedcamp.com Show Notes & Links Freedcamp is a collaboration system which helps any team work together on any sort of project. Prescott learned about Freedcamp from Bryan Orr, when he appeared on Episode 31 – Project Management Tools & Collaboration Software FTP, the best way to share files not that long ago Jack Johnson Lenny Kravitz Angel's former employer introduced him to Basecamp UCSB – University of California at Santa Barbara “No team is alike.” —Angel Grablev Tweet This Angel got the idea for Freedcamp after attempting to organize a camping trip on email “Underdo The Competition” — Basecamp's tagline iPhone 1, started with basic apps, but the App Store added tons of functionality “No one is interested in paying money to organize a camping trip.” —Angel Grablev Tweet This Freedcamp boasted 30,000 users in its first year Some use cases include hurricane clean-up efforts, parent-teacher associations, university students ADHD & Dyslexia led Angel to becoming a web developer with design skills Angel built the first HTML5/CSS3 framework, 52 Framework Santa Barbara City College Freedcamp's team lives in California, Australia, Ukraine, and Netherlands Eating your own dog food GitHub Agile Development Scrum Waterfall AMC, users of Freedcamp A gaming studio used Freedcamp's Wiki application to plan an entire game The Wall, a social, less formal place to have conversations within Freedcamp Reddit Animated GIFs & Emoji — adding flavour to group chatter “The biggest gift I have is the people I work with.” —Angel Grablev Tweet This The One Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan On Amazon and On Audible Angel broke the daily habit of drinking a Monster Energy Drink each morning bacn, the newsletters and other stuff in your inbox that isn't quite spam Ramit Sethi‘s example of Flossing One Tooth “Take one step, everything else will take care of itself.” —Angel Grablev Tweet This Angel Grablev on GitHub Angel Grablev on Twitter Angel Grablev on Facebook Angel Grablev on Instagram Freedcamp on Twitter Freedcamp on Facebook Freedcamp on YouTube Tools Freedcamp Gmail Google Docs Basecamp Jira from Atlassian Trello or Asana, competitors to Freedcamp Adobe Photoshop PNGHat & CSSHat, plugins for Photoshop XAMPP, to run local servers JQuery & Angular.js frameworks Skitch, for screenshots Sketch, for interface design Fireworks, InDesign, for vector-based design Techniques Reduce email; get everyone on a project mgmt. app as soon as possible Don't build a huge feature list; go for simple and easy to use Think about where your product can grow Find a technical co-founder; don't suffer alone with skills you lack. Go for 80% functionality and create a workaround for the final 20% Be flexible with how you use any tool Use [brackets] or #hashtags as a DIY way to have tags/categories Create a catch-all “bucket” of to-dos for your company. It deters meetings & email. Discover what works best for your team Write down decisions made in [daily] meetings Skim, don't read, email. Just look for critical things. Pause and look for the “most important thing” Break down a project into two-week increments Habits Track time to get an accurate picture of your week, and to send invoices Be social with your co-workers on the Wall Establish a daily standup meeting to discuss what you're working on Follow-up and share results for projects or tasks Continually gather ideas from your team Use three monitors for Photoshop, Code, and Browsers Quit Caffeine (be prepared for headaches) Avoid email first thing; instead do your most important work first Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson as a free audiobook Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 63 (MP3, 52:35, 25.3 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 63 (OGG, 52:35, 26.3 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes

Programmer & Developer Ben Borowski explores the creative side of software and shares his recent personal projects – The Busy Creator Podcast 62

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2015 46:17

Ben Borowski (@TypeOneError) is a software developer and programmer based in Vancouver, BC, Canada. In past years, Ben run a small studio doing web development for top agencies, but has recently made a move to create his own project, and is working on that full-time. Ben is one half of Oki Doki, along with Designer & Digital Strategist Marie Poulin. Together, the duo are hard at work on Doki, a web platform to build and run online courses and communities. In this conversation, Ben discusses the creative side of programming, the definition of a “coder”, and the challenges of putting aside client projects for the endeavor of building your own app. Catch up with Ben on his site, Type One Error, or check out Doki.io. Show Notes & Links Marie Poulin was a guest on The Busy Creator Podcast last year Ben defines himself broadly as a web developer, but more specifically as a programmer in Ruby, and other disciplines TWiT – This Week in Tech Ben doesn't subscribe to the idea that “Coders aren't necessarily programmers” If Statements, For Loops – essentials in programming Mark-up is code “I've met many computer science guys … who are completely stumped by CSS.” —Ben Borowski Tweet This “If you're building a website and you write HTML tags, you're a coder.” —Ben Borowski Tweet This Markdown, the coding format for Reddit comments Dustin Hartzler, WordPress Engineer and host Your Website Engineer Podcast Podcast Movement Conference “Programing is more technical … but making software is creative.” —Ben Borowski Tweet This Product Designer, as the term applies to web design, can incorporate development/programming Open-Source, a place for inspiration Ben consults and develops cross-platform games, and other projects Doki, currently in development as a consulting platform and will be a public product soon Previous guests on The Busy Creator Podcast have discussed online teaching, such as Karen Marston, Steve Dotto Javascript framework Ember.js (similar to Ruby-on-Rails for the front end of the website) Prescott attended Drexel University, a school set up on the quarter system. Alpha testers You can't have nine people make a baby in one month. —productivity adage Tweet This Unit Tests or Feature Tests are useful for programmers when merging code and error-correcting Material Design, from Google — hard to describe because it's almost like a framework … for design Facebook asks developers to work on the main product in their first week Gone in 60 Seconds, writing on the walls in detergent and using a blacklight Type One Error Oki Doki Ben Borowski on Twitter Ben Borowski on Facebook Tools HTML to Markdown converter Markdown to HTML converter WordPress Jetpack, the official suite of plugins for WordPress Infusionsoft MailChimp Google Analytics WishList for WordPress Platform-as-a-server Amazon web services Heroku EngineYard 9Folds Sit or Stand adjustable GeekDesk MacBook Pro SublimeText GitTower, a GUI application for managing Git projects iTerm, Terminal replacement for Mac Homebrew, a Ruby Framework Vagrant, custom virtual machines on your system Teamwork.com EcoStatic Slickynotes Techniques Write your WordPress entries in Markdown — it's fast and simple Examine where you can reduce lines of code, load time, etc. Launch first, and then go back and optimise More team members always help the progress of a programming project Give your team the building blocks, for design or programming alike Develop a naming and organization system — any system — for your team to follow Require new [programming] employees to push live code to the site on day one; this teaches them the entire process Head to a coffee shop or co-working space 2-3 days/week even if you prefer to work from home Keep a clean image of your system after a fresh reinstall If you can, go full-time toward developing a product rather than try to cram it in “after hours” Habits Jog or Rock-Climb Take breaks to walk (or wrestle with) the dog Do some exercise in the morning, even stretching Drink and eat in the morning (write it down if necessary) Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Healthy Programmer by Joe Kutner as a free audiobook Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 62 (MP3, 46:17, 22.5 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 62 (OGG, 46:17, 39.8 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes

Woodworker & Furniture Maker Matt Cremona discusses self-teaching and doing a solo video show - The Busy Creator Podcast 61

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2015 51:38

Matt Cremona (@MattCremona) is best known for his woodworking video channel on YouTube. Primarily self-taught, Matt challenges himself to build beautiful furniture, going so far as to cut and prepare the timber, documenting the forest-to-finished-piece process along the way. Matt's background is diverse, with previous work in software development, interface design, and economics. Together we discuss wood, carpentry and essential tools, and producing a weekly video show. Check out his videos and some of his work at MattCremona.com Show Notes & Links Woodworking with Matt Cremona on YouTube Matt calls himself a “furniture maker” because he doesn't focus on pure design Matt, a former software designer, learned to build and maintain homes by working for his landlord Unlike most woodworkers, Matt will take a piece from forest to showroom. Adam Smith wrote about the input of labour into the cost of goods Matt studied Business Finance and Vertical Integration “Everything I have that's useful in my day-to-day life … I taught myself.” —Matt Cremona Tweet This Autodidact “Every time [timber] changes hands, the cost doubles.” —Matt Cremona Tweet This Dovetail Joint & Half-blind Dovetail Joint Dovetail Joint Half-Blind Dovetail Joint Matt's Shop Update — published every Monday, after four hours of production Matt learned video editing in the high school A/V club, and returned to the practice years later Lindsay Katt, quotable past guest on The Busy Creator Podcast Calculus “Geometry plays an incredibly large part in what I do.” —Matt Cremona Tweet This Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle Is this a Rhombus or a Kite? Raspberry Pi, Arduino, and other electronics Modding XBOX to build a Linux web server, for example Prescott aspires to 3D model and print his own steampunk outlet covers Drywall anchors, tile spacers — can be 3D printed Drywall anchors, will be 3D printed as needed in the future The original Metre was just a brass bar with two chinks in it (now it's the oscillations of a Krypton ion) The First Metre A Foot is actually defined by its proportion of a Metre — .3048m exactly Chroma keying (green screen) Slabbing up a 6000-lb red oak log Matt's Cherry Cabinet project Selecting the panels for the doors Matt Cremona on Twitter Matt Cremona on Facebook Matt Cremona on Instagram Tools Milling machines such as jointers, planers YouTube, for learning just about anything A second monitor (the best tool for a digital workflow) Display Fusion, and other Taskbar management apps for dual monitors Evernote Adobe Premiere Stabilization Plugins Saws – hand saw, circular saw, mitre saw Techniques Examine your material costs and where you can save money by producing your own Hire a guy with a saw mill, rather than try to do that part yourself Look for trees that have already fallen or been damaged Publish a weekly update to force yourself to do something each week Fight to have everything square from the start Keep an old computer in your shop and look at your notes Shop for used equipment, build your workshop slowly Arrange your workshop around your workflow; place first-run tools closer to the door Pick a first project before you choose your first tools Bring a camera and record events … you never know when you'll need the footage! Learn to use the grain of the wood Habits Combine power tools with hand tools Find the time that's most productive for your (midnight–3:00am for Matt) Prepare and eat pancakes every day Answer email and connect via social early in the morning, get it out of the way Map out “main goals” for each day Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 61 (MP3, 51:37, 25.1 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 61 (OGG, 51:37, 42.5 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes

Copywriter, Author, and Journalist Kristen Fischer Discusses Life as a Freelancer – The Busy Creator 60

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 22, 2015 51:35

Kristen Fischer (@KristenFischer) is an independent copywriter, author, and journalist living and working at the Jersey Shore. Following a stint as a cub reporter, she turned to freelance writing, making efforts to diversify her professional practice along the way. A proponent of freelancing and professional issues around independent creatives, Kristen co-hosts Freelance Radio and has written When Talent Isn't Enough, a business guide for creative professionals. Our conversation covers writing tactics, the relationships between designers and writers, and how Kristen balances client work with authoring books. We also discuss the emotional trials of freelancing and some of the mistakes made and drama faced in her earlier years. Catch up with Kristen via her site, KristenFischer.com Show Notes & Links Kristen describes herself as a copywriter, journalist, author Part of being a business writing is taking less-than-brilliant assignments at times Two camps of copy — white papers, articles, and other long-form vs headlines, lead-in paragraphs, and short forms Kristen teams up with designers; the best relationships work when writers think with design in mind and vice-versa Kristen approaches a project as a journalism, getting right to “the gist” Prescott wrote for The Triangle, the student newspaper of Drexel University Kristen studied Environmental Science … naturally. As a freelancer, Kristen, like Prescott, has worked part-time jobs to cover the gaps Previous episode with Jeff Goins, author of The Art of Work “Sometimes freelancing ‘on the side' is very difficult to manage.” —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This “Don't ‘take the leap', instead ‘build a bridge.'” —Jeff Goins Tweet This The Art of Work by Jeff Goins On Amazon and On Audible Kristen worked as a night editor for a year while she was building her freelance practice “The first few years [as a freelancer], I was a hot mess.” —Kristen Fischer Tweet This Freelancers typically struggle with one of three things: Staying energized, staying motivated, staying organized Kristen struggles with long-term vision and emotional context, Prescott struggles with focus hour-by-hour Our previous episode on Mind Hacking with Sir John Hargave Kristen has a dedicated home office, where her four cats make themselves comfy Creatively Self-Employed by Kristen Fischer On Amazon Ramen Noodles, Rent, and Resumes by Kristen Fischer On Amazon When Talent Isn't Enough by Kristen Fischer On Amazon 50 Shades of Grey began life as Twilight fan fiction Kristen Fischer on Twitter Kristen Fischer on Facebook Kristen Fischer on Instagram Tools Microsoft Word Galaxy Note Lenovo Yoga II Docking station iPod Mozy, for backups FitBit Techniques Keep an email headline to 50 characters Marketing messages differ from subject matter messages Concentrate on the gist, and add tone after Write using an “Inverted Pyramid” for articles — if the bottom gets cut off, it doesn't matter The order of writing: Intro — Need — Call to Action. But that might change depending on the client and medium. Keep asking yourself “why am I doing this?” and purse the long-term goals Learn to develop a thick skin as a freelancer, not to take things personally Habits POP your troublesome tasks. (POP = Procrastinate on Purpose) Schedule admin tasks like invoicing Schedule time within the routine to work on your book or side project; a big block of time won't appear Stay “old school” with software and office tech Clear your household to-do list so it doesn't interfere with your business tasks Give yourself permission to have a flexibility schedule (gym in the morning, when everyone else is at work) Use Sunday as a Writing Day — go to Starbucks Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Art of Work by Jeff Goins as a free audiobook Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 60 (MP3, 51:34, 24.9 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 60 (OGG, 51:34, 43.6 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes

Prepare to Share, methods and mindset for bringing others into your projects – The Busy Creator Podcast 59

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2015 17:09

For a full text transcript, see the show notes at http://busycreator.com/59 Tools Corkboards Dropbox Google Drive Asana Freedcamp Bounceapp Harvest Freshbooks ScreenshotMonitor Skype DesignSignOff Pinterest IFTTT Zapier Niice Dropmark Techniques Imagine an ideal workflow before you start sharing it Store all files in an agreed-upon place, preferable automatically backed up Use a tasking app for simple items Review work online and be clear in your writing Back everything up! Habits Track time and report daily or weekly, if not continually via a system Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 59 (MP3, 17:09, 8.5 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 59 (OGG, 17:09, 15.2 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes

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The Busy Creator - programming note

Play Episode Listen Later May 27, 2015 3:17

Programming note from Prescott — The Busy Creator Podcast will switch release schedule for the summer to *every other week* rather than weekly. Episodes will resume Monday, June 1, 2015. Thanks for listening and supporting.

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The Busy Creator 58 w/guest Karen Marston

Play Episode Listen Later May 18, 2015 36:56

Karen Marston (@KarenMarston) is an independent copywriter and the founder of Untamed Writing. Dissatisfied with her earlier roles, Karen took to writing SEO-focused articles and now works with clients writing bold, memorable copy for websites and other projects. Her latest project is a foray into teaching. She now instructs others how to be effective, productive freelance writers. Our conversation discusses her personal workflows and habits, as well as her outlook on teaching and client project management. Show Notes & Links Karen describes herself simply as “a writer” Karen started writing SEO-optimised articles — 500 word articles heavy with keywords to bring attention to the clients Lately, Karen is taking on personal writing JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, has a higher net worth than Queen Elizabeth II Karen now earns more from teaching than from writing Organisations struggle to have a voice, even though they talk about “brand voice” and whatnot “As much as graphics and photos are essential on the web, it's still mostly a written medium.” —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This “A brand is the human component of a non-human entity.” —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This Eat24, Mailchimp — brands with personality, especially in their written voices “Serious and professional are not the same thing. You can be professional without being serious.” —Karen Marston Tweet This Part of being a professional means pushing back against clients Scrum-Sprint Methodology A number of Karen's students have self-confidence issues, which inhibits their careers as a freelance writer The Top 3 Things that Stop Talented Writers Making Money “I'm a best-selling author, not a best-writing author.” -Robert Kiyosaki Tweet This Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki On Amazon and On Audible Untamed Writing School Karen Marston on Twitter Karen Marston on Facebook Untamed Writing on Facebook Karen Marston on Instagram Tools Facebook groups, especially if it's your group Location Rebel, and its forum Trello, for to-do lists Paper “catch-all” notebooks Evernote MacBook Air StandStand Kneeling Chair, as used by Lisa Simpson Lisa Simpson uses a kneeling chair OpenOffice Dropbox Techniques Drop the serious, professional, corporate persona and write like an actual person Be surprisingly human in your writing Keep projects to two week periods: first week is planning, strategy, and first draft. Second week is for editing. Allow unlimited revisions … but limit the time of the overall projects Don't specify to clients why you're unavailable, just say when you can fit them in Offer to connect a client with another writer (or designer) Participate in a community and observe the questions being asked … then seek to answer them. Habits Cross a big diagonal stripe across a paper to show that everything on it is finished Don't get out of bed until getting 8 hours sleep Take time on Mondays to plan the week [Try to] work out everyday, perhaps taking a 28-day challenge Avoid the supermarket on Sundays (take advantage of your own schedule) Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki as a free audiobook Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 58 (MP3, 37:06, 18 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 58 (OGG, 37:06, 31.4 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes

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The Busy Creator 57 w/guest Eric Peterson

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2015 30:11

Eric Peterson is a veteran cartoonist & artist who worked across a variety of industries and niches, through advertising & commercial art, and now as a independent artist. Eric has developed a signature style, based in abstraction and surrealism, and referencing silkscreen and printing techniques of centuries past. Catch up with Eric and see some of his work on his Facebook page. The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 57 with Cartoonist & Illustrator Eric Peterson 2015.05.11/0 Comments/in Podcast Episodes /by Prescott Perez-Fox Eric Peterson is a veteran cartoonist & artist who worked across a variety of industries and niches, through advertising & commercial art, and now as a independent artist. Eric has developed a signature style, based in abstraction and surrealism, and referencing silkscreen and printing techniques of centuries past. Catch up with Eric and see some of his work on his Facebook page. Listen Now THE BUSY CREATOR PODCAST WITH PRESCOTT PEREZ-FOX Ep. 57 w/Eric Peterson Eric Peterson's artwork Eric Peterson's artwork Eric Peterson's artwork Eric Peterson's artwork Eric drawing a character, without formal sketching Show Notes & Links Eric describes his work as strange, surreal Eric's influences were comic books and book illustration Dr. Seuss Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak On Amazon and On Audible Block-printing and engraving, methods of reproducing illustration in centuries past Example of an engraving illustration Cross-hatching, a shading technique Crosshatch styles Gray's Anatomy, originally published 1858 Dr. Henry Vandyke Carter, the unsung illustrator for Gray's Anatomy Eric worked in advertising in the 80s, but didn't find creative satisfaction Stream of consciousness Zen Canadian publisher taking on Eric's next comic project “A true artist does things that are organic or abstract.” —Eric Peterson Tweet This Silkscreen “There's something that happens in spontaneity that lends a huge visual aspect that fine-tuning just doesn't have.” —Eric Peterson Tweet This Joel Duggan, cartoonist & illustrator, appeared on The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 2 “Coffee and drawing is perfect.” —Eric Peterson Tweet This Art methods of old The Learners by Chip Kidd On Amazon and On Audible Brazil, The movie, written by Terry Gilliam Eric Peterson on Facebook Tools Drafting table India Ink No. 2 or No. 4 Watercolor brush Japanese brush pens Red photo pencil Techniques Allow the writing to lead the art, as well as the art lead the writing Take a break — perhaps even months or years Keep your pencil sketching loose, let the inking process take the lead Procrastinate on purpose, to take meaningful break Embrace creative distraction Habits Sketch ideas as they pop into your head, don't let them vanish Wake up with coffee and enjoy the rituals of all its sensory aspects Carry a sketchbook at all times! Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Learners by Chip Kidd as a free audiobook Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 57 (MP3, 30:19, 14.8 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 57 (OGG, 30:19, 22.8 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes Join the Discussion Leave a comment below to participate in the conversation. About the Author Latest Posts About Prescott Perez-Fox Prescott Perez-Fox is a New York-based graphic designer and brand developer with 14+ years experience in branding, packaging, graphic design, and web design. He runs The Busy Creator. Pro Tip for Keeping Your Portfolio Up To Date - 2015.05.07 The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 56 – Mind Hacking with Sir John Hargrave - 2015.05.04 The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 55 with Designer & Illustrator Nate Voss - 2015.04.27 Tags: advertising, art, brush, cartoon, commercial art, Eric Peterson, illustration, ink, printing, silkscreen, sketch You might also like The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 47 with Digital Strategist & Author Lucy Leiderman The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 48 with Commercial Artist Eric Kass The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 2 with Illustrator & Cartoonist Joel Duggan The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 12 with Co-Founder of It's Nice That and Design Entrepreneur Will Hudson The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 27 with Video Producer & Director Christopher Sharpe Field Report: How Armin Vit & Joel Duggan Structure Their Mornings RECENT BLOG POSTS Pro Tip for Keeping Your Portfolio Up To Date The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 56 – Mind Hacking with Sir John Hargrave The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 55 with Designer & Illustrator Nate Voss The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 54 – The Art of Work with Jeff Goins The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 53 with Designer, Developer & Entrepreneur Matt Keefe Software Tools For Designers to Stay Organised and Focused CATEGORIES Field Report (2) Habits (7) Level-Up Strategy (3) Podcast Episodes (57) Pro Tip (6) Quotes (1) Resources (2) Techniques (15) Tools (10) BLOG ARCHIVES Blog Archives Select Month May 2015 (2) April 2015 (5) March 2015 (5) February 2015 (6) January 2015 (5) December 2014 (6) November 2014 (7) October 2014 (10) September 2014 (9) August 2014 (6) July 2014 (3) June 2014 (2) May 2014 (2) April 2014 (3) March 2014 (6) February 2014 (2) January 2014 (3) December 2013 (1) More Where That Came From Join the mailing list to get new articles and content delivered right to you

The Busy Creator 56, Mind Hacking w/Sir John Hargrave

Play Episode Listen Later May 4, 2015 37:18

Sir John Hargrave (@SirJohnHargrave) is the CEO of Media Shower, a content marketing and media company. Following a background as a high profile internet prankster, he has examined the conditions and obstacles that modern professionals face — many of which are mental. His upcoming book Mind Hacking discusses techniques for training a stronger mind and overcoming these obstacles. Our conversation discusses the symptoms that affect creative pros and how we can hack our mind with simple, daily techniques and habits. More information about the book is available at MindHacki.ng. The book isn't published until 2016, but previews and digital versions are available on the site. Show Notes & Links Sir John Hargrave is a renowned Internet prankster Boston, Lincolnshire John is the CEO of Media Shower, a content media company “Sir” John received his knighthood by way of a name-change at the local county courthouse Queen Elizabeth II and her many, many titles The requirements to receive a knighthood (or a MBE, OBE, CBE, etc.) Mind-hacking came about from John's work with clients and employees, many of whom are creative and seeking peak productivity Hacking, in the sense of tinkering, not infiltrating The brain is not the mind Most of our problems are based in the mind Classic creative problem: procrastination “[Mind-Hacking] is a bit like training a disobedient dog.” —Sir John Hargrave Tweet This New Age Vibe “We need to de-mistify meditation. It's strength training for the mind.” —Sir John Hargrave Tweet This Creatives can be precious, and it stops us from making decisions The January Joiners “Install” a habit (again, the computer metaphor) A university study of quality over quantity, life drawing — two groups, who improved more The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg On Amazon and On Audible An experiment revealed that Professors who wrote a little each day reached tenure faster The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin On Amazon and On Audible Ben Franklin's Schedule “Address powerful goodness” -Ben Franklin 3MIT — Three Most Important Things “Eat That Frog” methodology, introduced by Mark Twain Eisenhower Methodology for Urgent vs. Important Limbic System, a component of our “Lizard Brain” El Coquí (Eleutherodactylus coqui), a tiny frog native to Puerto Rico El Coquí Research shows that multitasking is less effective Multitasking is usually “Rapid Switching” “When you split an atom, energy escapes. When you switch tasks, focus escapes.” —Prescott Perez-Fox Tweet This Programmers get in the zone (hence the headphones) It can take 15-20 minutes or more to get back in the zone after a distraction Psychic Exhaustion, when you feel mentally depleted Manager's Time vs. Maker's Time, by Paul Graham The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber On Amazon and On Audible Entrepreneurs have to make the thing, manage the business, and build the business Mind Hacking is expected to drop July 2016, but previews are available now Mind Hacking is available as ePub, PDF, and Kindle format Sir John Hargrave on Twitter Sir John Hargrave on Facebook Sir John Hargrave on YouTube Tools Post-Its Coach.me, an exercise app with goals, etc. Mind-Hacking program on Coach.me includes a 21-day plan Techniques Learn to detach from your mind, to observe moments where we stray and get distracted Concentration Training aka Mindfulness aka Meditation Treat Concentration Training like a video game. Award yourself “awareness points” whenever you bring your mind back from distraction Replace “All or Nothing” thinking with “Habit Formation” thinking Set up a queue and a reward for each [desired] habit Keeps rewards positive and healthy (smoothies, relaxing with a book) “Eat a frog” early in the day Reduce Multitasking, Increase Focus Mental Decluttering: look for alerts and distractions you can shut off Habits Produce something everyday; eventually your quality will improve as well as quantity Make list of “Positive Loops”, small goals which help your practice and life 3MIT methodology Get mental rest during the day, not just at the end Try Audible.com Free for 30-Days Visit BusyCreatorBook.com for your free trial Get The Power of Habit by Charles Duhig as a free audiobook Get The Episode Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 56 (MP3, 37:28, 18.2 MB) Download The Busy Creator Podcast, episode 56 (OGG, 37:28, 30.2 MB) Subscribe to Get New Episodes Subscribe to The Busy Creator Podcast on iTunes

The Busy Creator 55 w/guest Nate Voss

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2015 54:46

Nate Voss (@Vossome) has lived numerous lives as a designer and creative. First a traditional graphic designer, he spent several years as a freelance illustrator and designer before joining digital marketing & advertising agency VML. Since then, he's moved into mobile and app design, exploring software development workflows and agency culture up close. Our conversation meanders across a variety of topics, discussing the transition from agency life to freelance (and back), the culture shock of working in a large organization, and even the type of architecture that best suits a mixed team.

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