If you don’t know who Michael Buckingham is, shame on you. Read his blog: http://jesushatespapyrus.com/
Visit his site: http://www.holycowcreative.org/ and link up with him: http://www.linkedin.com/in/holycowcreative In this interview he tell us how he made the leap into independent designer bliss. Enjoy :) Before Going Independent: • What did you do for a job? Most immediately before starting Holy Cow Creative, I was a at a b2b agency but that’s not the interesting part. I didn’t start on the path to the creative world. I always thought I wanted to be a hotshot executive, you know the type: fancy title, big corner office, long lunches. My first real gig out of the gate was at a dot com company handling marketing and sales, way over my head flying all over the place meeting with incredible people, helping to build this company. It was a great experience and ended up as one of those hotshots (minus the cool office). From there I moved to a consumer tech company to head up their sales and marketing. Again, I was rolling along the path of having the big title and big office. I left there to work in advertising for a bit, mostly following money at that point but then took the position for Executive Director at a Youth Center. This was a turning point for me.
I thought this was the pinnacle of the big title and office, but it quickly became about doing something important with my ability. It’s also where I discovered that I loved the world of the creative. As Marketing Director for several different companies I was around the creative types, but never put myself in their camp. Then I realized I had been working on our logo for a week...I was the ED, and I was working on a logo? That was the spark. I finished things up there and took a job at a large magazine printer, something I highly recommend any designer to do for a spell. I learned much about the process and what happens after you pass off those files. From there came the agency and from there Holy Cow Creative. All that to say that it is truly a miracle that I am where I am today and that anything is possible but only if you allow yourself to dream and don’t stick yourself in a cage. (read Wild Goose Chase by Batterson to learn all about the cages we put ourselves in.)
• What convinced you to make such a drastic change in your life and career? I got kicked to the curb, okay not exactly. Well, yes, I did but there’s more than that. (but I did end up sending my agency a thank you note for cutting me loose) As soon as that creative spark hit, I dove in learning everything I could and quickly started freelancing at night and on the weekends. While all of this was going on I was also going through another transformation in my faith. While I had once been very involved at church and loved God, the power and prestige at the dotcom company pulled me away, to the point I truly thought I didn’t need God anymore. But while my career was changing, my life was also transforming and I was running back to God. The God part was easy, the church part was a struggle. Everywhere I looked I saw mediocrity, it was like they cared about the message but not how they were giving it. So I complained about it for a year, loudly, until God finally whispered “shut up and do something about it.” That's really the point that Holy Cow Creative was birthed, and then due to cutbacks at the agency I found myself at the curb and I took that as a green light to fully launch. • What did you worry about that turned out to be totally untrue? That I couldn’t do it, that I would just be a hack. Again, I wasn’t an artist my whole life, I wasn’t going to art camp as a kid or art school as an adult. It was all on my own and I didn’t want to be one of the American Idol singers who really thinks they’re awesome but in reality should be banned from even listening to music. But to what I credit as my creator pouring it into me, I quickly became an award winning designer. But guess what...I still fear that I’m a hack sometimes and that someday everyone will realize it. • What was the hardest thing about going independent? Uncertainty, vacation days and doctors. That consistent paycheck was nice. So was taking a real vacation and turning off all of work and going to the doctor and handing them my insurance card that took care of everything. • How did you prepare to go independent? Honestly, I didn’t do much. I dove in. I did some reading and fortunately for me I had the business background so I just did what needed to be done, I put together a makeshift business plan and started. I think that may be a reason it went so well. Often we spend so much time in thinking about how to do something that we never do it. When you left your “job” and went independent: • What went easier that you expected? Getting the word out. Doors really seemed to open wide, often without knocking. I have to give the credit to God for ordering my steps and finding that favor. • What would you like to have known before you became and independent designer? I still want to know why we call Pastors, Pastor Joe...no one calls me Creative Michael.
But about being independent? That the goal isn’t to replace a paycheck, it is to create an organization and to carry out the vision. • What positive life change did you experience as a result of going independent? Well, there’s the working in my pajamas for a few hours every morning but the best part is the flexibility. Corporations should take note, lots of people don’t work well in 8 hour blocks. I can now work as the creativity comes. Of course that means that I have to be disciplined and doesn’t mean that I don’t have to work, but I get to work the way my brain works. Now that strangers ask you for interviews: • What would you say to encourage other designers to go independent? I would only say something to encourage someone that has a passion to do so. It’s not for everyone. But if you do, then do it. Then stop looking at the classifieds, stop calling yourself unemployed...in fact don’t call yourself a freelancer (that's pretty much the artistic version of unemployed). Take yourself seriously, you are an artist, once you believe that others will too. • What can most small business learn from one of your biggest successes? That relationships are more important than profits. That encouragement, telling people you appreciate them goes for miles. To stop trying to make people like you and appreciating the differences that surround you. To hire people better than you and smart enough to let them shine. • What can most small business learn from one of your biggest failures? That most failures are opportunities for something great...and that it’s just not easy to drive and drink coffee and always a bad idea on your way to a tv interview. Chase passion not dollars.
Visit his site: http://www.holycowcreative.org/ and link up with him: http://www.linkedin.com/in/holycowcreative In this interview he tell us how he made the leap into independent designer bliss. Enjoy :) Before Going Independent: • What did you do for a job? Most immediately before starting Holy Cow Creative, I was a at a b2b agency but that’s not the interesting part. I didn’t start on the path to the creative world. I always thought I wanted to be a hotshot executive, you know the type: fancy title, big corner office, long lunches. My first real gig out of the gate was at a dot com company handling marketing and sales, way over my head flying all over the place meeting with incredible people, helping to build this company. It was a great experience and ended up as one of those hotshots (minus the cool office). From there I moved to a consumer tech company to head up their sales and marketing. Again, I was rolling along the path of having the big title and big office. I left there to work in advertising for a bit, mostly following money at that point but then took the position for Executive Director at a Youth Center. This was a turning point for me.
I thought this was the pinnacle of the big title and office, but it quickly became about doing something important with my ability. It’s also where I discovered that I loved the world of the creative. As Marketing Director for several different companies I was around the creative types, but never put myself in their camp. Then I realized I had been working on our logo for a week...I was the ED, and I was working on a logo? That was the spark. I finished things up there and took a job at a large magazine printer, something I highly recommend any designer to do for a spell. I learned much about the process and what happens after you pass off those files. From there came the agency and from there Holy Cow Creative. All that to say that it is truly a miracle that I am where I am today and that anything is possible but only if you allow yourself to dream and don’t stick yourself in a cage. (read Wild Goose Chase by Batterson to learn all about the cages we put ourselves in.)
• What convinced you to make such a drastic change in your life and career? I got kicked to the curb, okay not exactly. Well, yes, I did but there’s more than that. (but I did end up sending my agency a thank you note for cutting me loose) As soon as that creative spark hit, I dove in learning everything I could and quickly started freelancing at night and on the weekends. While all of this was going on I was also going through another transformation in my faith. While I had once been very involved at church and loved God, the power and prestige at the dotcom company pulled me away, to the point I truly thought I didn’t need God anymore. But while my career was changing, my life was also transforming and I was running back to God. The God part was easy, the church part was a struggle. Everywhere I looked I saw mediocrity, it was like they cared about the message but not how they were giving it. So I complained about it for a year, loudly, until God finally whispered “shut up and do something about it.” That's really the point that Holy Cow Creative was birthed, and then due to cutbacks at the agency I found myself at the curb and I took that as a green light to fully launch. • What did you worry about that turned out to be totally untrue? That I couldn’t do it, that I would just be a hack. Again, I wasn’t an artist my whole life, I wasn’t going to art camp as a kid or art school as an adult. It was all on my own and I didn’t want to be one of the American Idol singers who really thinks they’re awesome but in reality should be banned from even listening to music. But to what I credit as my creator pouring it into me, I quickly became an award winning designer. But guess what...I still fear that I’m a hack sometimes and that someday everyone will realize it. • What was the hardest thing about going independent? Uncertainty, vacation days and doctors. That consistent paycheck was nice. So was taking a real vacation and turning off all of work and going to the doctor and handing them my insurance card that took care of everything. • How did you prepare to go independent? Honestly, I didn’t do much. I dove in. I did some reading and fortunately for me I had the business background so I just did what needed to be done, I put together a makeshift business plan and started. I think that may be a reason it went so well. Often we spend so much time in thinking about how to do something that we never do it. When you left your “job” and went independent: • What went easier that you expected? Getting the word out. Doors really seemed to open wide, often without knocking. I have to give the credit to God for ordering my steps and finding that favor. • What would you like to have known before you became and independent designer? I still want to know why we call Pastors, Pastor Joe...no one calls me Creative Michael.
But about being independent? That the goal isn’t to replace a paycheck, it is to create an organization and to carry out the vision. • What positive life change did you experience as a result of going independent? Well, there’s the working in my pajamas for a few hours every morning but the best part is the flexibility. Corporations should take note, lots of people don’t work well in 8 hour blocks. I can now work as the creativity comes. Of course that means that I have to be disciplined and doesn’t mean that I don’t have to work, but I get to work the way my brain works. Now that strangers ask you for interviews: • What would you say to encourage other designers to go independent? I would only say something to encourage someone that has a passion to do so. It’s not for everyone. But if you do, then do it. Then stop looking at the classifieds, stop calling yourself unemployed...in fact don’t call yourself a freelancer (that's pretty much the artistic version of unemployed). Take yourself seriously, you are an artist, once you believe that others will too. • What can most small business learn from one of your biggest successes? That relationships are more important than profits. That encouragement, telling people you appreciate them goes for miles. To stop trying to make people like you and appreciating the differences that surround you. To hire people better than you and smart enough to let them shine. • What can most small business learn from one of your biggest failures? That most failures are opportunities for something great...and that it’s just not easy to drive and drink coffee and always a bad idea on your way to a tv interview. Chase passion not dollars.
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