Artwork by WNW Member Chris Burnett
We asked WNW members to tell us about the creative people who most inspired them, the companies whose projects most impressed them, and their under-the-radar discoveries who deserve to be household names.
Read More“You start in one place and you end up somewhere else at the end.” Work With is a film series from Working Not Working that introduces you to the creatives behind the work. In this installment, Ahmed Klink shows you that when you take the time to visualize where you want to be, making moves becomes second nature.
Read MoreIn this episode of Work With, GMUNK buys you a one-way ticket to an enigmatic, atmospheric, and metaphysical reality.
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WORKING NOT WORKING
Congratulations to all of this week’s announced winners across all categories in the ADC 99th Annual Awards. This year, The One Club for Creativity partnered with Working Not Working to offer freelancers a lowered entry price and the opportunity to have a bigger voice, presence, and platform in the creative industry. As a result, the ADC Awards saw hundreds of freelance applicants this year. The partnership also led to a new category, presented by Working Not Working. We’re excited to announce that the inaugural “ADC Freelancer of the Year” award is presented to artist Kadir Nelson.
Kadir Nelson is a Los Angeles-based illustrator and artist. His work is emotional and spirited; it’s painterly and figurative. It’s also a monumental task to even begin to summarize his body of work. Engaging with his art leaves a lasting impression. That may explain why his paintings are in the permanent collections of several notable institutions including the United States House of Representatives, the Muskegon Museum of Art, The National Baseball Hall of Fame, United States Postal Museum, the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, and most recently, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, the World Trade Center, the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
It’s fitting that Kadir sets the bar for ADC’s “Freelancer of the Year” honor, given his more than 25 years as a freelance artist. He credits his parents with inspiring him to be comfortable with independence at a young age. “My parents owned their own businesses when I was a kid, and later while I was in college my mother quit her stable job as an engineer and became a self-employed author and speaker. It was a powerful example of bravery and professional independence.” Throughout college, Kadir sold his work to support himself and pay for his tuition. Shortly after graduating, and a stint creating conceptual artwork for DreamWorks Pictures, Kadir officially became a freelancer.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever had an ‘I’ve made it’ moment because I still have to work for a living. Painting, living, and evolving is a journey, and as I’ve gotten further into my career I’ve learned to appreciate that very fact.”
Flight of the Clotilda - 2020 ADC Gold Cube Winner
As many Working Not Working Members know, existing as a professional freelancer means growing comfortable with uncertainty. Creativity becomes not just a job or a living but a means for survival. The independence that comes with freelancing can be a dream, but it’s not for everyone. Kadir doesn’t see arrival as part of the freelance equation. “I don't believe I've ever had an ‘I've made it’ moment because I still have to work for a living. Painting, living, and evolving is a journey, and as I've gotten further into my career I've learned to appreciate that very fact…My career has been a wonderful string of moments and opportunities.”
These opportunities over the years include working with clients like National Geographic, HBO, Nike, Disney, Hennessy, and Sony Music, with moments like frequently been featured on the cover of The New Yorker and contributing over a dozen commemorative US postage stamps honoring American legends.
“My mission is to create artwork that illustrates the journey of the hero and to remind humanity of the best and noblest parts of itself.”
Where do you go from there? As Kadir tells us, “My mission is to create artwork that illustrates the journey of the hero and to remind humanity of the best and noblest parts of itself.” For many artists both young and established, Kadir’s career is itself the journey of a hero. What has he learned over the years from being a freelancer? “I've learned that my voice as a human being and an artist is powerful and that I can use that power to connect with, to heal, and inspire people. I would encourage artists to tell their stories with their work and paint subject matter that is meaningful to them.”
The other lesson is to keep going. Despite all of his accomplishments, Kadir doesn’t rest on his laurels. That’s why he’s the ADC Freelancer of the Year. “I was fortunate to have the opportunity to create a cover for National Geographic this year. It was a life-long dream to do this job since I'd seen their beautiful covers since I was a kid. I also won the Caldecott Medal, which was also on my dream board. I also got married in 2019, I finished the first draft for a big book I've been dreaming up, and I also began creating paintings for a monster project, so it was a very good year. Like most years, I've had also challenges, but I cannot complain. I can only keep pushing forward.”
In this primary color-infused installment of Work With, a film series from Working Not Working that introduces you to the creatives behind the work, Zipeng Zhu takes us on a tour of his everyday “razzle-dazzle musical.”
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We’ve officially launched a weeklong virtual recruiter session on the WNW platform. Over the past month, the graduating class of just over 100 students has been putting together their portfolios, housed within their own section of Working Not Working. Now, recruiters have the chance to discover, chat with, and hire any and all of these up-and-coming creatives.
Read MoreIn the latest installment of Work With, a film series from Working Not Working, we sit down with WNW Member Allison Filice. Allison is a San Francisco-based freelance illustrator and designer whose work colorfully explores her inner and outer worlds.
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Booking Escapes Prototype for Booking.com by WNW Member Brandon Burns
See the exact, step-by-step process you can take to search through the WNW database, connect with and follow UX designers whose work you love, and create a short job post to attract UX designers.
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We've built a tool that allows creatives to share their Top 3 Companies list not only on the WNW platform but on social media as well. When you list a company in your Top 3 on the platform, we notify hirers on WNW who work at that company.
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Our creative community wrote down more than 4,000 names. Here are the fifty agencies, brands, publications, services, stations, studios, tech giants, and more that made the cut, ranked in order.
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Illustration by WNW Member Jason Raish
The individuality of our experience and voice is what sets us apart, sure, but our vulnerability and shared experience are what connect us. There is far more that we share as (creative) people than what sets us apart.
Read MoreWorking Not Working gained momentum as a platform built for creatives and companies alike. Now, it brings together gifted people and great opportunities from all over the world.
Read MoreHere’s what it’s like to find the right creative talent for your job on LinkedIn vs. Working Not Working, where essential search filters such as availability and rate — plus easy viewing of visual work — make creative recruiting a lot more efficient.
Read More“I applied to a full-time role at Nike and within a day I heard back about a job in New York...And just like that, I kicked off a very streamlined and informal conversation with a team at Nike about what they are looking for and how I could help. With the help of WNW’s platform, the interview process was casual and clear, breaking down the formality of job-seeking and interviewing.”
Read MoreWe’re excited to announce the launch of our inaugural newsprint, titled “Breaking the Mold.” Our first printed publication is just a small sampling of the incredible talent that we’re honored to represent on Working Not Working. “Breaking the Mold” features a curated collection of essays and artwork from the WNW community, all in service to a conversation about creativity in flux.
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We're putting the spotlight on the world of motion with a highlight of motion designers, animators, and all creativity on the move. We'll share multimedia interviews, social media takeovers, and discussions about the day-to-day and career challenges of our members in motion. We'll also provide exclusive advice from a couple of the most desirable studios and clients who collaborate with talent in this field.
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This week, we're putting the spotlight on the world of illustration. We're highlighting illustrators around the world who lead their craft, going behind-the-scenes into their studios, learning about their day-to-day and career challenges, and sitting down with the most desirable studios and clients who collaborate with talent in this field.
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