“I think I had a profound misconception of what it means to be an office and what that requires. A lot of people were guilty of this...we are still very much working through the implications of it now.”
Read MoreIllustration by WNW Member Sol Cotti
Work With Ahmed Klink
“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.
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Animated illustration by Emily Parsons
Creative Turns: Graham Nelson––From Law School to Entertainment
From a start in law school, to Japanese TV, to a strategist at Huffington Post and now off-screen writer and on-screen creative at studios like Vox and Netflix, Graham Nelson’s path has been anything but predictable. His leading advice? …
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The Brazilian Designers Behind Brooklyn Studio Porto Rocha Make Work that Moves at the Speed of Culture
“Both immigrants ourselves, we founded the studio upon the idea that unique and global perspectives are key to creating work that is both innovative and culturally aware. Through PORTO ROCHA, we see an opportunity to help build brands that are in dialogue with the real world.”
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Asking Not Asking #35: Gut Issue
I often feel drained by the work, company culture and low pay. To remedy, I have been actively applying to jobs, networking and taking professional development classes to find a better alternative.
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Illustration by WNW Member Richard A. Chance
The Many Hurdles Facing Creatives of Color in Museum Spaces
Museums become the long term memory of a society. They bear the scars of oppressive movements that stain our history and carry that trauma like a physical body. Each institution has a closet full of skeletons they’d rather forget.
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A good starting point if you don’t know what to sign, what to read, what to listen to, and what to do. It’s hard to know where to start. But where you start doesn’t matter. What matters is that you do.
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Work With GMUNK
In this episode of Work With, GMUNK buys you a one-way ticket to an enigmatic, atmospheric, and metaphysical reality.
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Asking Not Asking #34: Into the Unknown
Over the course of writing the past 33 columns, one of the most prevalent, recurring themes has been the question of how we deal with the unknown. Ambiguity, uncertainty, surprise, and the unexpected dot our careers as creatives, sometimes momentarily and sometimes for seasons.
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Kadir Nelson, Whose Art Depicts Heroes & Humanity, Wins the First-Ever ADC Freelancer of the Year Award, Presented By Working Not Working
Kadir Nelson, Whose Art Depicts Heroes & Humanity, Wins the First-Ever ADC Freelancer of the Year Award, Presented By Working Not Working
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.”
Discover more creative talent, projects, and perspectives like this on Working Not Working. If you're a WNW Member with new work, exhibits, products, news, or opinions to share, email us.
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Working Not Working hosted a roundtable conversation with two senior recruiters from highly-celebrated companies Wieden+Kennedy and Squarespace. Our digital audience of creatives left the conversation feeling better educated on the thoughts and considerations of those who bring them work. Here are some highlights.
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