MEET #4347 JULIANNA BRION

Working Not Working February 25, 2015

MEET #4347 JULIANNA BRION

Illustrator • Baltimore, MD

WNW Member #4347 Julianna Brion studied illustration at MICA and now spends her days hard at work freelancing. Some of Julianna's clients include NPR, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The San Francisco Chronicle. Her work has been acknowledged by American Illustration, The Society of Illustrators, 3x3, CMYK, and SCBWI. Julianna offers some sound medical advice to her fellow freelancers: "Nothing, no client, no job, is more important than a good night's sleep. Seriously." Julianna also explains her admiration for WNW Member Jen Mussari: "Jen has a drawing of mine tattooed on her body which is just one other thing in the long list of things I like about her."

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1. How long have you been freelancing?

Almost three years.

2. Is there a time or place that you feel most creative/have the best ideas?

Baltimore inspires me a lot, but I try to take trips periodically to refresh myself mentally and creatively. I've made it a priority to take at least one trip a year since I started my illustration career, away from the studio and away from the internet. My best ideas almost always occur in the times I find myself away from my computer.

3. What's your ideal Working:Not Working ratio?

50/50. Having freedom to play in my personal work always helps me avoid getting burnt out on the practical stuff. When I have some down time I can flip from illustrator to painter and always have something new to work on.

4. Do your parents understand what you do?

Probably better than I do. My father is an illustrator and sculptor and my mother works in advertising. I come from a whole family of illustrators and designers. My grandmother, Anne Rockwell has written over 200 children's books! I'd love an opportunity to work with her on a book someday.

5. What scene from a movie makes you laugh just thinking about it?

The lobster scene from Annie Hall.

6. If you were stranded on a desert island, with your computer, what 3 websites would you take with you?

Honestly, all I'd need is my favorite YouTube channel dedicated to cats balancing tangerines on their heads and I'd be set for life.

7. What do you do when Not Working?

I paint, I sketchbook, I quilt. I like keeping my hands busy. I think I've been reading Infinite Jest every day the past month but I don't seem to be getting any further in it.

8. Do you have a hidden talent?

I'm really good at voices. I made extra money in middle and high school with voiceover work.

9. Any tips or advice for fellow freelancers?

Nothing, no client, no job, is more important than a good night's sleep. Seriously.

10. What's your favorite thing on the internet this week?

I've wasted a bunch of time this week with this app, Barkbuddy, which is basically Tinder for rescue dogs. I already live with three cats so I don't think they'll be happy to hear about this.

11. Who are some other WNW members whose work you admire, and why?

Jen Mussari and Michael Hoeweler, my fellow MICA alums. Both make exquisite, sophisticated work. I really admire their professionalism and kind spirits. Jen has a drawing of mine tattooed on her body which is just one other thing in the long list of things I like about her.

Julianna's Sketchbook Spreads

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HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF: TOBIAS VAN SCHNEIDER

Working Not Working February 24, 2015

HOW TO PRESENT YOURSELF:
TOBIAS VAN SCHNEIDER

The man, the beard, the legend. Though he'd prefer not to discuss it, the facial hair precedes him. WNW Member #1830 Tobias Van Schneider, product design lead at Spotify and king of side projects, makes us believe there may actually be more than 24 hours in a day. He's recently launched Semplice, the first fully responsive case study portfolio system based on Wordpress. In other words: a simple tool - not a template - to create a unique portfolio, no code needed.

Tobias is just as passionate about empowering creatives as he is about design. With his network les Avignons and now Semplice, Tobias is acutely aware of the importance of our relationships and how we present ourselves as ways to obtain the opportunities we want. He says, "Based on the data we have seen, the About page on a portfolio is always the most visited page. Thats because people are interested in people. Show your face, show who you are and how I can get in touch with you. While the work itself is important, the person behind is even more."

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Hi! Tell us about yourself: who is Tobias Van Schneider?

Hi! I’m Tobias, I’m a Designer & Maker who does many different things. Mostly I’m a Product Design Lead at Spotify and Co-Founder of Semplice, Authentic Weather & les Avignons as well as Design Partner & Advisor at memomi. I’m currently loving way too many things, but mostly good food & longboarding. It’s winter, so right now it’s more about eating.

Tell us about your decision to drop out of school at 15. Did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up?

I really didn’t like school, I always hated it (and I say that rarely) and I could not wait to be done with it. I more or less decided to drop out because there was just no other way to continue with it. Right after school I started an apprenticeship as a computer scientist & software engineer - I did it more because I was forced to do something, I had to pay my rent. I had no specific plan but I knew that I loved building something out of nothing.

I did this for a few years which ultimately led me into writing software and then I fell in love with design. It was more of a self-taught process and what it all had in common was that I just love building things.

Standard WNW question: do your parents understand what you do?

Yes, absolutely - At least to a certain degree when it comes to actual output of my work.

Side projects: How do you know what to say yes to? Say no to?

I have many ideas, often too many. As I always like to say, ideas are cheap. Everyone has them, but ultimately it comes down to executing on them. For me it’s mostly intuition and feedback from others that will eventually tell me if I should pursue something or not. The more crazy the idea, the better. The more resistance I will get from people around me, the more likely the idea will stick with me.

I read that you don't keep to-do lists, notes, or rely on your calendar. How the hell do you keep yourself organized? What's the best piece of advice on productivity that you can give us? You clearly know how to get things done.

I do wish I would get more done, and I wouldn’t say I’m very organized at all. I started using my calendar a bit more, but mostly just to keep track of meetings to make sure I don’t disappoint those around me. My number one piece of advice is to do things immediately, act fast and always stay in motion. I know people who are incredible organized with lots of process involved, but their actual output is very low. The more process you have involved, the more time you spend managing the process rather than actually getting things done.

These things of course change when working with a larger team, but we all know how easy it is to fall into the trap of just managing a process, rather than getting things done.

Generating press: is creating great work all you need to do to get covered? Any other tips on cultivating a personal brand?

Yes, I strongly believe in this, at least to a certain degree. Great work will stand on it’s own and it will stand the test of time. However, there are many examples of great work that never gets seen. Depending on your personal goal it’s very important as a designer to not only do great work, but also make sure that it gets seen or used. It’s important to keep a healthy balance - Too much self-promotion will lead to nothing if the work itself isn’t strong enough. If you do self-promotion, make sure you have an opinion, stand for something and create value for those around you.

Being a connector + passing others forward: what's your philosophy on this and why is it important?

This is fairly simple for me. I believe that everything I pass forward will eventually come back to me. I’m not only creating value for those around me, but also try to practice a “fear free” mindset for myself. I’m not afraid that someone is taking something away from me.

Give us some background on Semplice: what is it + how did it start? What was your intention in creating it and what are your goals?

Semplice is a portfolio tool for designers. The core of the idea started about 4-5 years ago when I created pretty extensive case studies for my portfolio. At that time only myself & Fantasy Interactive (an agency I actually ended up working with) created those heavy case studies for their projects which slowly became a trend within the creative industry.

I always loved the idea of presenting a project I worked on in my portfolio within a fully branded environment. If I worked for a project for Red Bull for example, I wanted the viewer to fully dive into the project rather than just looking at a couple JPGs. Creating case studies is a ton of work and it’s essentially building a custom website for each of your projects within your portfolio framework. In order to streamline it, a friend of mine (Semplice Co-Founder Michael Schmidt) and I created the first version of Semplice. I loved this system, it helped me get the work I wanted and position myself in a very competitive industry. This was the moment Semplice was born.

What did building it teach you?

We worked with many designers and close designer friends during the process of building Semplice. There are two sides to building a portfolio that we planned to focus on:

1. For Designers
Designers seek tools that give them freedom to express themselves and flexibility to show their process, their work and help them position themselves in the best way possible.

2. For the viewer
Reviewing portfolios as a company/agency sucks. Designers lack of showcasing their process, and those designers who’re not in the field of digital design lack of building a portfolio that is easy to navigate. So how can we build a system that helps designers build unique portfolios, but streamline the process and help them focus on the UX too? Browsing a portfolio should be a joy - The work can be amazing, but if the presentation fails no one will take a look at it.

What were some of your biggest challenges?

The biggest challenge is to create an extremely powerful system but at the same time keep it as easy to use as possible. We did not want to build another “fill in the blanks” template. At the same time we tried solving the problems from both sides, building a great tool for designers, but also trying to steer them in the right direction to build a great portfolio that others LOVE to look at. There should be a win/win situation happening on both sides.

Anything surprise you?

Yes, designers are incredibly lazy. Everyone wants the best, but not many want to put in the work. I like to count myself to those as well, at least sometimes. Our vision is to help you go the extra mile, because we know the extra mile is required if you want to stand out. And we love to go that extra mile with you.

Why did you decide to white label it?

This was a big decision for us. We as designers love to own things, we take a lot of pride in building our own solutions, or make something to appear fully custom. There is a certain pride in doing so which we aim to protect by giving our users the choice to white label Semplice.

What are some tips for creating an awesome portfolio?

Your portfolio is not the work you did, but the work you will be doing in the future.
This simply translates to “Chose the work you display wisely”. If your goal is to get more branding projects, don’t show any web design work on your portfolio, even if that’s the best you have.
Show yourself. Based on the data we have seen, the About page on a portfolio is always the most visited page. Thats because people are interested in people. Show your face, show who you are and how I can get in touch with you. While the work itself is important, the person behind is even more.

Favorite Semplice examples?

There are so many great ones but our favorites are featured on a regular basis in our hand picked showcase. Semplice designers who are also WNW members include: Pawel Nolbert, Verena Michelitsch, Quintin Lodge, and Hendrick Rolandez.

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More of Tobias' work:

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PROFILES OF THE WEEK: FEBRUARY 23RD

Working Not Working February 23, 2015

PROFILES OF THE WEEK:
FEBRUARY 23RD

MATTHIAS HEIDERICH, PHOTOGRAPHER. BERLIN.

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SARA ANDREASSON, ILLUSTRATOR. GOTHENBURG, SWEDEN.

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JOSH ELLINGTON, DEVELOPER. PORTLAND.

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MARY FAGOT, ART DIRECTOR. LOS ANGELES.

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JOHN RIDDLE, PRODUCER. SAN FRANCISCO.

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ANNY WANG, DESIGNER. MALMO, SWEDEN/COPENHAGEN, DENMARK.

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COLIN DUFFY, CREATIVE TECHNOLOGIST. LOS ANGELES.

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LIVING THE DREAM: A NEW SERIES

Working Not Working February 22, 2015

LIVING THE DREAM: A NEW SERIES

Warning: this article may cause extreme envy. Meet WNW Member #5670 Steven Skoczen, a creative technologist who is living The Dream. Last fall, Steven sold everything, packed a laptop, an unreasonable number of books of poetry and some clothes into a suitcase, and bought a one-way ticket to Asia. His plan for the next few years is to live in a different country every few months. Steven begins his journey in Thailand, moving next to Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Costa Rica, Columbia, Japan, New Zealand, France, and then the unknown. (Though Steven warns us that it may not actually play out like that.)

Steven declares that just a few months in, the impact on his creative life has already been tremendous, “The influx of new ideas, ways of thinking, and just overall stimulus have been radically helpful in my process and my productivity.”

Over the next four months, he'll be sharing regular updates from the road on travel, culture, and the advantages and challenges of creative work while on the move.

A bit about Steven:

He’s a writer and entrepreneur who has worked on hundreds of projects. By day, he works as the CTO for an early-stage startup. By night, he writes essays about what it means to be human and makes the occasional person-centric software product. “Here, on the other side of the world, I can’t understand why those can’t all be the same person. I’m a writer. I’m a top-notch programmer. I lead and grow teams of developers. I’m a maker, an artist. I am a man who loves curry, who struggles with depression when it stops by, who will stay up all night talking with you about art or the world or the meshing of technology and humanity."

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In the Fall of 2014, I sold everything I owned, bought a one-way ticket to Thailand, and got on the plane.

Before that, I worked a pretty normal job in Portland, OR. You’ve heard stories like this before, and the narratives all go pretty similarly: one day, I said, screw it, and I just jumped. Those people are inspiring as hell, but if you’re a normal person like me, not relatable. They’re superheroes. They jumped.

Except I’m not a superhero. I didn’t jump. Maybe it’s that I’m chicken. Maybe it’s that I haven’t actually done anything all that bold. But most likely, it’s that I’ve figured out a little secret on how to get yourself from the life you have to the one you want. The bold one. The unfettered what-if one.

That secret?

Take actions that make you a little bit scared.

Eleanor Roosevelt famously said “Do one thing every day that scares you.” It’s great advice. But it’s also terrifying, and non-specific. What one thing? How scary? Should there be snakes? I hate snakes!

Mark Manson beautifully argues that the key is to realize that your emotions aren’t real, that you will survive them, and that your actions are what really shape your life. It too, is brilliant advice. But if you’re driven by your heart, like me, that argument, beautiful as it is, never makes it past your heart into action.

But here I am, living in Thailand, picking the language up on the fly, and loving it. Somehow, I’ve done it. How did I do it?

These three simple steps.

ONE: PICK YOUR MOUNTAIN.

Take some time, reflect, and pick your mountain. That far off dream life. The career change. The bucket list. The thing you’ve always wanted to do. Whatever that big “if” is. (If you don’t have a big “if”, seriously consider the possibility that you’re already living your dream life, and just enjoy it.)

Once you have it, write it on a piece of paper. Take up the whole page.

Stick it on your wall.

TWO: ASK HOW, NOT IF.

Now that you have your mountain, switch the question from if I could do ____ to how can I get to ____. Move your brain from dream-mode to problem-solving mode. What are the actual things you’d need to do to get from here to there? This will dull some of the romance. That’s ok. When you get there, the romance (and a whole lot more) will be there, waiting.

If this doesn’t come easily, it pick an arbitrary date in the future that you’ll be on your mountain. Then, think of that as a true thing that happened, and backtrack. How did you get there? What sorts of things did you need to do?

However, don’t worry about a plan or making a list. All you need to do is switch your frame of thinking. When you think about your mountain from here on, you’re not asking if. You’re asking how.

THREE: TAKE ACTIONS THAT MAKE YOU A LITTLE BIT SCARED.

On a regular schedule, once a week, once a day - whatever you will actually do, commit a block of time to take one action with the following characteristics:

1. It scares you a little
2. It is small and absolutely achievable
3. It tangibly moves you toward your goal

Importantly, your action should be completely self-contained. It doesn’t commit you to anything in the future, and it is completely separate from your big mountain. It’s its own thing.

Tomorrow, you can totally decide that the whole mountain is a terrible idea and walk away. But today, you commit to doing that one totally achievable, slightly scary thing.

HERE'S AN EXAMPLE:

I wanted to learn Parkour, but was way too scared to actually go do it. I was in my 30’s, not coordinated, and hopelessly unhip. Have you seen those videos? Those kids are buff and crazy and can fly!

But despite my terror and unhipness, I was honestly interested. So I tried the little-bit-scared technique. The first day, my action was to get online and look up if anywhere nearby offered lessons. I didn’t have to go to any classes or talk to anybody or anything. I just had to see if classes existed. I could do that. I did.

The next day, my action was to schedule a class. I wasn’t committing to go to the class, just schedule it. I could do scheduling. I did.

When class day rolled around, my action was to show up to the start of that one class. I could leave five minutes in and never come back, no problem. I wasn’t committing to anything more than showing up for the start. I could do that. I did.

Four months later, Parkour training was a 2 or 3 times a week part of my life, I loved it, I’d made friends there, and I could scale an eight foot wall and jump-roll off a six-footer. And on the way there, though I’d been a little bit scared, I’d never really been terrified.

Seem like magic or too simple to actually work? It’s not. It’s actually science.

HOW IT WORKS:

Tackling a challenge this way does something really neat: it uses your brain’s habit-forming mechanisms for your benefit. When you’re taking a small risk, your brain kicks in all those fight-or-flight chemicals. When you succeed, you get the rush of all the dopaminey feel good chemicals. What you’re doing, day after day, is training your brain that taking small risks is pleasurable. And once you’ve got a good groove going, your brain will start prompting you on its own. It’ll have a craving. It’ll say, “heeey, isn’t it about time we took another little risk on that dream life?”

The little bit scared is the absolute key, and it’s an emotion you can rely on to guide you toward your goal. If you feel a little bit scared, you can trust you’re actually moving in the direction of that big scary/awesome thing. But you never have to look it right in the eye. It never gets a chance to eat you. You just get up, take your little risk, succeed, and walk away.

Day after day, your little risks and little actions will add up. And before you’ve even realized what’s happened, you’ll find yourself standing on top of your mountain. You won’t have ever been terrified, and you won’t have ever jumped. It’s uncanny.

THAT'S THE SECRET.

That's how I got on the plane to Thailand. By the time I walked down the ramp, I’d been taking little-bit-scared actions for months, eating away at Move to another country. When flight day came, my day’s little-bit-scared action was to walk onto the plane. And it did feel a little bit scary - but also like every day before it. I could totally handle it.

That’s how you get the life you want without being a superhero. Those three steps. The little-bit-scared. Give it a shot.

The only thing you risk is feeling a little bit scared. You can totally handle that.

p.s. Since I wrote this, I've actually built a product, based on the principles in this essay. It's called the Change Monsters. If you dug this essay you might want to check it out :)

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MEET #2257 KATE BINGAMAN-BURT

Working Not Working February 20, 2015

MEET #2257 KATE BINGAMAN-BURT

Illustrator • Portland, Oregon

WNW Member #2257 Kate Bingaman-Burt has lots of zingers. Her observational illustrations may have a whimsical style but they belie a strong social commentary. A quick look through her portfolio yields sex facts, how to get creative and...her credit card statements. All draw attention to causes that educate and empower.

Given that Kate is both a full-time professor and full-time freelancer, we wanted to know how she manages her time. Kate tells us that she tries to compartmentalize and divide the week into school mode with weekends for freelance brain. She also reminds us of the great Mike Tyson quote, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."

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