Lesson 2: Show The Work That Won't Get Hired For
Learned From: Amy & Jennifer Hood of Hoodzpah Design
Learned From: Amy & Jennifer Hood of Hoodzpah Design
I’ve always loved creating in a certain niche style, but it almost never got me work. Caught in a loop of self doubt and impostor syndrome, I was always feeling like I should be showing/doing other work, but I couldn't seem to get away from the style that I love.
I was creating not to be liked, but to be understood and it seemed that people were having a hard time understanding.
There's a great musical called '[title of show]' that has a line that became my mantra: "I'd rather be 9 people's favorite thing than 100 people's 9th favorite thing." That's all good and inspirational to read, but it's terrifying in application. It's the creative equivalent of standing in the rain and screaming into some online void of other designers, "Pick me. Love me. Choose me."
"If you're going to do it, DO IT." -Mama Hoch
I started to treat design as a Creative Tinder. I made a highlight real that I felt really showcased who I was as a designer and the visual language I use to tell my stories. Some of the pieces were in-house projects from my (then) full-time job and some were personal projects. None of the work was paid freelance, but it was me.
I almost never got work from the reel, but I tweeted it one night and I had no idea that it would lead to a domino train to the biggest project I’ve ever had.
One night, back in 2017, I decided to make the trek and drive to Connecting Things, a designer community event that happens each month about an hour away. It’s organized by Amy and Jen Hood as well as Josh Ariza. I knew they were involved with the greater design community and I wanted in on that kind of connection.
I wanted to be seen, understood, and accepted by this community both as a person and as a designer. I sent out a tweet to hopefully meet some new design friends and get my perspective as a designer out there.
Fast forward 2 years. I had developed a great friendship with Amy and Jen from other Connecting Things events and other conferences here and there. We had talked a bit on the tweet thread from my initial introduction and over the next few years we kept sharing work and interacting as friends and professionals.
Then, I got the email. Amy & Jen had been hired to create a project for Red Bull and they wanted me and my style to be a part. Sharing the work that never got me hired had finally gotten me hired. Nearly two years later, a long drive and a simple tweet had resulted in one of the biggest projects of my life.
As life often does, this story loops back in a full circle. 3 years after that tweet to share my visual perspective and introduce myself to the Connecting Things community, I was invited to speak and share even more about my perspective and heart for design.
You never know where taking chances will take you. Show the work, make the drives, and invest deeply into the community around you.
My Takeaway:
Work isn't always for work. At times, it's just for you.
Come back for Lesson #3: Burn the bridges that are already on fire.
