Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business

Commercial work pays the bills. But as motion designers and creatives we have tons of our own ideas. Today’s guest has a huge portfolio of her own personal work and animated gifs. Not only is this a creative outlet for her, but it has also led to many great paying jobs. Annie Wong, aka Headexplodie, is the creator of some really awesome work. She creates short-form videos, GIFs, stop motion, and other fun content for the digital world. Her creations have landed her work with some pretty big brands, such as Vans, Facebook, and the Washington Post. She even has over 2 billion views on Giphy. She tells us how making animated gifs has lead her to lots of opportunities and funny stories but has also helped her to get client work. Make Money with Animated Gifs Annie has mastered the process of letting her creations become her resume. With a platform like Giphy, Annie makes sure that she includes her contact information so potential clients can find her. By creating short little projects that are easy to share, you’re putting your talent further out in the world. For Annie, this is a fun and easy way to advertise her craft. Self Care as a Freelance Motion Designer is Important Creating the space you need for yourself and your personal work is a real challenge for freelancers. Annie knows the importance of setting this time aside for self-care. This isn’t always easy. Obviously, the more you work, the more you earn. But if you don’t take the time, you will pass up the opportunity to do what is actually truly important for yourself. In the end, self-care will allow you to create better work and serve yourself and your clients in a more present way. In this episode Using platforms like Giphy to find client work. How sharing your personal work can help you get noticed all over the world. The kinds of projects that are both personal and easily shared. Blending your client’s vision with your own personal style to create something that satisfies you both. The difficulty of setting time aside to make your own creations. Creating opportunities for self-care in a busy schedule. Using Patreon to diversify your income and create a deeper connection with your supporters. How to make money with animated gifs. Quotes “If it’s an art form that you enjoy doing, just creating short loopable animations, it’s just a really convenient and easy way for people to find your work.” [3:31] “It’s kind of a weird paradox to create something that is personal but shareable. I tend to lean towards emotions or experiences that I think just kind of relate to being human.” [8:42] “I can’t necessarily satisfy my personal creativity through client work. A lot of times, they will blend because clients will come to me wanting my style.” [15:17] “When you’re hustling for work, it’s easy to forget what value you bring to the world. People need artists. People need your fun and colorful and weird ideas.” [36:35] Links Find Annie Wong online Follow Annie on Instagram | Linkedin | Vimeo | Twitter Giphy The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer Perfect Day Exercise Patreon Related Episodes How to turn your Motion Design skills into smart income with YouTube with Premiere Gal How to use social media to get more clients with Golden Wolf How to use YouTube to grow your motion design business with Ben Marriott Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

We motion designers all feel like weirdos at times. Don’t fight it! It’s time to embrace what makes you unique and sets you apart. In fact, your surreal side can create its own opportunities. Today’s guest is in high demand precisely because of his weirdness. We chat about how personal work can get you big motion design clients. Nick DenBoer, AKA Smearballs, does a bit of everything. He’s a director, animator, editor, music producer, and remix artist. He’s worked on Conan and created unique music videos for deadmau5. Nick has worked on some very memorable projects for big brands including KFC and Old Spice. Personal work can get you big motion design clients We chat about what inspires Nick to create his unique personal work. Aside from fulfilling his artistic need to create, Nick credits his personal work with landing him commercial jobs. He doesn’t necessarily do personal work with this in mind. In fact, he thinks it may scare away as many opportunities as it creates. However, it also has landed him the type of clients who really appreciate what he has to offer. Setting client expectations in motion design As someone who works with a wide range of clients, Nick honed his process of explaining what he does. Describing your creative process and timeline is important for setting client expectations. So is maintaining regular communication throughout the project so they know what you’ve been up to. The value of creating a team of freelance motions designers When it comes to large or complex projects, Nick finds that it’s helpful to bring in specialists. However, being too specialized can slow down the project if something unexpected comes up. With that in mind, we talk about the value of having a team with a wide range of knowledge as well as experts on something very specific. In this episode Using your personal work to highlight what makes your work unique Making the important distinction between personal work and client work How personal work can get you big motion design clients Creating passion projects to stay in control of your career Effectively explaining what you can do for eager clients How to expand your team when working on complex projects The value of both generalists and specialists Concerns about not infringing on brand copyrights Quotes “I see my personal work as a business card…. People actually hire me because of that off-putting, weird, crazy stuff.” [6:32] “If you literally are in a financial position where you have to take every job, you lose control over your own career.” [13:42] “You need people who can put a whole project together and do everything from scratch and you also need specialists. So I think there’s shoes to fill in both realms. It’s not like one is better than the other.” [32:10] Links Find Nick DenBoer online Follow Nick on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Vimeo | YouTube

Social media is a powerful tool for getting your animations out there and finding more work as a freelancer. However, actually connecting with the right people is not a straightforward task. To clear up any confusion, We’ve brought on a freelance motion designer who has 25k followers on Instagram to share how to use Instagram as a motion graphic designer. How to make the jump into being a freelance motion designer Sam Burton is an expert in using Instagram to create opportunities for his freelance business. For the last 10 years, he has worked on a large variety of projects including animated commercials, broadcast design, and music videos. Sam and I chat about how he transitioned to freelance work. Sam didn’t make this change in a day. It was a gradual process where he did personal work on the side and built up contacts before resigning from his studio job. Using Instagram to get motion design opportunities While Sam started his Instagram channel as a way to share his work, it became much more. Now he uses it as a tool to find all sorts of work and collaborate with other motion designers. This led to vast opportunities Sam wouldn’t have found otherwise. Most important of all, Sam suggests just putting out work that you are passionate to create. This means ignoring the number of likes and followers you get. Focus on creating good work and you will get noticed. Know your motion graphics hashtags Sam also recommends knowing your hashtags. They are a great way to get your work in front of different eyes. Incorporating sound into your posts is also a way to stand out and connect with more people. Simply put, there are strategies you can use to set your animations apart and make it your own. This will naturally lead to more engagement and more work. In this episode Factors to consider before making the jump into freelance work Using Instagram as a networking tool Why the numbers don’t matter as much as you might think on social media Why it’s important to use the right hashtags to get your posts shared Incorporating sound in your posts to create strategic partnerships Using outside inspiration to set your animations apart and make them relevant Balancing personal work with client work as a freelancer The potential of other social media platforms to promote motion design work Quotes “You never quite know who’s going to see the work you’re putting on Instagram. It might lead to a job. It might not. But it might lead to a connection with someone you admire. It might lead to meeting up with some people at your next event. Everyone’s on it.” [8:18] “The work you put out there should be work that you enjoy making and that you’re inspired to do -- that brings you pleasure and joy.” [10:36] “Each hashtag puts your image into a whole other pool of work that can be seen by a whole different audience.” [16:01] “For potential clients and other studios, if they see you in a teacher role giving tips and advice, that shows you as more of an expert of your craft.” [34:38] Related links Find Sam Burton online Follow Sam on Instagram | Dribbble | Vimeo | Twitter Follow Motion Hatch on Instagram | Tiktok School of Motion Article on Instagram Motion Design Communities on Instagram The Design Tip Motion Lovers Motion Designers GFX.Mob Motion Mob Motion Graphics Inspiration Motion Graphics Place Graphics Daily P L S U R Motion Mood Motion Mate Buck Later Buffer Linktree Related episodes How to use LinkedIn to get direct clients with Mair Perkins How to use social media to get more clients with Golden Wolf Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your ...

Most of us got into motion design because we like to create. But to stay in business, we need to know how to sell what we do and how to price your work as a motion designer. Selling can feel like a dirty word, but I’ve brought in a guest who explains how its actually a creative tool for offering great value to your clients. Many people have heard of Blair Enns from his book The Win Without Pitching Manifesto. He runs a sales-training organization for creative professionals. From public and private workshops to remote training, Blair strives to remove the stigma from sales. Selling your services as a motion designer. In this episode, Blair and I sat down to talk a lot about how to price your work as a motion designer. Blair explains why we need to stop shunning the whole notions of sales and start embracing it. This takes a shift in mindset where you recognize what unique skills you have to offer others. Niching down in your motion design business. To help with this, Blair feels that niching down is key. It allows you to narrow down what you have to offer. You’ll be able to help your customers in a way that sets you apart from the competition. However, Blair cautions that this is not the best plan for someone just starting their career. How to price your work as a motion designer using value-based pricing. We discuss the ins and outs of value-based pricing and how that applies to motion design. Blair describes how this will allow you to charge more when working directly with clients. When all is said and done, this is a great way to earn more than charging a project or day rate while still keeping clients happy. Is there something holding you back from charging your clients more? Let’s chat about it in the comments on the episode page! In this episode How to change your mindset about sales What happens when you niche down to become an expert What it means to have value-based pricing as a motion designer The four steps to the value-based conversation Evaluating the risk in different pricing systems Knowing when to say no to a potential client Quotes “We all know what it’s like to be on the buying side of a bad selling experience. I think most of us are scarred by that experience.” [3:26] “Do not look at selling as the act of talking people into things. I don’t think it’s your job to convince anybody of anything ever.” [4:44] “The benefit to the client is your incentives are now aligned. You’ve uncovered somebody who is willing to pay you not based on time or the deliverable, but on the outcome. You are effectively business partners.” [22:23] “The biggest mistake of pricing is thinking that there’s one right way to price.” [35:07] Links Find Blair Enns online Follow Blair on Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin The Win Without Pitching Manifesto Pricing Creativity Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com Dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

With the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, life is full of uncertainty. This causes a lot of anxiety which is a real mental health burden. Being a freelancer right now adds another layer of unpredictability. To assist in navigating these unprecedented times, I’ve brought on a special guest to help us make sense of our concerns. Today, I’m talking with Dr. Anna Symonds, a clinical psychologist with Elysian Psychology in Nottinghamshire, UK. She is registered with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC) and Chartered with the British Psychological Society. Dr. Symonds works with adults and children who have a wide range of conditions such as anxiety, depression, and OCD. Dr. Symonds shares some tips for dealing with uncertainty. Flexibility and adaptability are important parts of this. As freelancers, many of us have already honed these traits. Dr. Symonds explains how we can tap into these inner resources to cope with the ups and downs going on. There is so much anxiety-provoking uncertainty now. Dr. Symonds recommends focusing on the things we still have control over. This may be a good time to ground yourself by starting a project you’ve been putting off. Also, don’t forget that you can still control your thoughts. Dr. Symonds describes some mindset techniques to help with this. In this episode Tips for handling stress around job uncertainty Focusing on what we can control and sitting with our feelings Why it’s more important than ever to avoid making social comparisons How to stop catastrophizing and put things back into perspective Dealing with the concerns we have for our loved ones Resources to seek out if you’re concerned about your mental wellbeing Using this time for much-needed self-reflection Quotes “We have to get ourselves to a position of acceptance that, from one day to the next, we’re not going to know how we feel. Maybe from one hour to the next. But being okay with that and not fighting it is hugely important.” [3:40] “It’s almost like a grief process really. You have to sit with the emotions that come up. There’s no running away from them.” [7:15] “Our thoughts can be very powerful. But be careful not to believe your thoughts. We have about 80,000 thoughts a day. I’d say that 90 percent of mine are a load of rubbish.” [16:00] “This is a big trigger for lots of things. Things that maybe we pushed down or not thought about for the last few years. Suddenly everything is coming up to the surface partly because we have time, but also because we’re all so triggered.” [25:37] Links Find Dr. Anna Symonds online Follow Dr. Symonds on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube Elysian Psychology Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

Today I want to talk to you about the number one thing that changed my motion design career. It’s masterminds! In case you don’t know what a mastermind is or you aren’t clear how they work, I’m here to tell you all about it. A mastermind is a peer support group where you can learn and grow together. I tell the story of how mastermind groups led me to where I am today. It really has made all the difference and I owe the existence of this podcast to it. So that you can get the most out of a support group, I share my top seven tips for masterminds. This ranges from having a consistent time for your meetings, using a professional facilitator, being honest and open, and asking specific questions. Masterminds also provide many opportunities for networking. How do you think a mastermind can help move your career forward? Let’s talk in the comments! If you want to join our Mograph Mastermind you can apply here. In this episode How joining a mastermind changed my whole career for the better The importance of consistency and commitment How a host or facilitator can keep your mastermind on track Why openness and vulnerability is a necessary part of any group The role of masterminds to create networking connections Quotes “If it wasn’t for mastermind groups, I wouldn’t be speaking to you on this podcast.” [1:06] “When you’re building a new business or are in a big transition, having a support network is really vital to your success.” [3:59] “Everybody has imposter syndrome. It’s about being vulnerable in your work and our business and getting feedback from other people and opening up.” [7:17] Links Join the next Mograph mastermind! Location Indie Episode 38 with Donna McAvoy Episode 51 with Allison Butler Episode 53 with Chris Field Episode 46 with Jess & Christopher Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

Tech companies are creating more and more opportunities for motion designers to work in UX design. Instead of the traditional studio work, this means working with one company on a specific product. But what does it mean to do this work and how is it different from other types of motion design? Sharon Harris is a senior motion designer at Google. As part of the Google design team, Sharon works with the editorial design platform, conducts interviews and podcasts, and arranges the annual design conference, SPAN. Today, Sharon and I speak about how to get into UX motion design and what it’s like working in the tech industry as a motion designer. As tech industries are utilizing motion design as part of the branding, the opportunities for motion designers are growing. As a result, it has become possible to work entirely within the tech industry creating UX/UI products. Sharon has found that working in tech is incredibly exciting. She is able to come up with many of the ideas for products and be more involved throughout the whole creative process. If this is something that you’d like to be a part of, Sharon provides some actionable tips on how to get involved. In this episode Why Sharon moved from a career in advertising to tech How motion designers can take advantage of the growing use of animations as branding elements What it’s like working with one specific brand or product Tips for finding work creating UX designs Predictions for the future of UX/UI How UX/UI design differs from advertising Quotes “Everything is interconnected. We don’t just think about what a button looks like, but how it moves, what is the spatial and hierarchical relationship, how it transforms. It’s about understanding the logic behind why we make those decisions.” [8:46] “There’s just so many things you can do. It’s a very exciting field. There’s never a dull moment” [11:14] “Stories move people. That’s what I see motion growing into more within tech.” [23:13] “It’s work that is touching millions of people. You don’t focus on something that is seen for a few seconds and then disappears in a month or two. This is stuff that is implemented and people use it every day.” [31:47] Links Follow Sharon Harris on Dribbble | Instagram Design.Google SPAN Episode 57: VR in Motion Design Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will. Accessibility - Material Design Join the Motion Hatch Community The Freelance Contract Bundle

As motion designers, our primary goal is often centered on delivering our animations to clients. However, that’s not always enough to stay in business. Increasingly, there are more opportunities to work with clients beyond motion design and get involved in the design side of brand strategy. We also talk about how to use partnerships and content to get more clients. Philip VanDusen is the founder of Varhaal Brand Design, a brand strategy, design, and marketing agency in New Jersey. He also has a great YouTube channel where he shares his expertise on marketing design and entrepreneurship. Philip describes how we have the ability to play a huge role in marketing and brand strategy with motion design. This is an amazing, as well as lucrative, sphere to get involved in. Philip suggests that a way to stand out is to broaden your skill set into intellectual and strategic client partnerships. Simply put, motion designers need to be active business partners. If this sounds daunting, Philip has some good news. You don’t actually have to change much in your business to scale up. Philip explains how strategically collaborating with other creatives can increase what you have to offer without significantly changing the amount of work you need to do. Getting your name out there and making those connections can be intimidating. Philip talks about how he has met the people he works with. Masterminds and conferences are great ways to do this. So is content marketing. Philip explains how anyone can use this strategy to get their name out and start getting more work as a result. In this episode Ways to stand out from the crowd as motion designers Recognizing the need to adjust to changing times and situations to stay competitive First steps to take to learn about communication and business strategy The power of strategic collaboration to scale your business Tips for making connections outside of your industry The power of content marketing to build an authentic personal brand and connect with clients How to use partnerships, strategy and content to get more clients How creating free content can lead to important connections down the road Quotes “Design, and any kind of creative product or service, is getting increasingly commoditized. Part of that is due to the fact that we have a global economy and you can get creative services from anywhere and from any culture.” [2:28] “In order to survive in today’s creative economy, you really have to do more. You have to be more than just a motion designer. You have to try to nurture and develop a language of business.” [3:08] “It’s never a problem working the work. The problem is finding the work. If you can find the work, you can find people to work the work.” [10:37] “If you just share what you know, who you are, where you are, and what you’re learning, there are people who will benefit from that.” [26:05] “There’s a subliminal bank that you’re putting money into every time you put content out into the world. Where people find it valuable, they will start to put you -- your name, your personal brand, your presence -- on a shelf that is above everybody else.” [38:46] Links Find Philip VanDusen online Follow Philip on YouTube | Linkedin | Twitter | Pinterest | Facebook Creative Strategy and the Business of Design

Creating tutorials is a great way to get your name out there and promote your work. Social media channels like YouTube are wonderful platforms for making this happen, but figuring out where to start can be a challenge. Today’s guest started his tutorial channel just under a year ago and he’s already amassed an incredible following. Ben Marriott is a freelance motion designer and YouTuber from Australia. Specializing in 2D design, Ben illustrates and animates short humorous videos and gifs to create tiny stories. He recently started his own YouTube channel where he posts tutorials and behind-the-scenes videos to share his how he does his work. Today, Ben and I chat about how you can use YouTube as a teaching platform to help grow your motion design business. If this is something you’d be interested in doing too, Ben explains why it’s easier to break into than many think. As Ben says, your unique voice and perspective can benefit others, even the topic has already been covered. We also discuss how to manage your use of social media in a stress-free way. It’s easy to get overwhelmed when promoting yourself online. To help you avoid this, Ben explains how you can use Instagram and other platforms successfully without posting every day. In this episode: The benefits of creating tutorials to share your skills with others What many motion designers want to learn about from others in the field Using Bilibi to gain access to a Chinese audience Posting to social media without letting it take over all your time Why posting with consistency is essential to successfully using social media Ben’s process for researching, making, and promoting his tutorials How you can monetize your videos through sponsorships Ben’s equipment recommendations for recording stellar tutorial videos Quotes “Anything I do to help myself grow an audience is going to make what I want to do in five years a lot easier.” [4:15] “It will fill up your whole day trying to post work that you’ve done. You’ll have no time to actually make any work.” [11:56] “Obviously the content has to be good, but if there’s no appealing thumbnail or title, no one will click on it.” [26:14] “Don’t think that everything is covered. Your opinion on something and your method of doing it, the way you communicate, might get through to different people.” [28:13] Links Find Ben Marriott online Follow Ben on Instagram | YouTube Episode 43 with Kelsey Brannan Matt Wilson Spark AR Social Blade Social Bluebook Getting Things Done by David Allen OBS Podcasting and Youtube Gear Canon M50 Rhode Podcaster Mic Rhode Procaster Mic Blue Yeti Mic Scarlet 2i2 focusrite audio interface Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

It seems that every year or so something major changes in the world of motion design and freelancing in general. Keeping up with the changes means staying flexible as well as resolute in the way you work and find clients. Today’s guest has not only weathered these changes but continues to thrive. Brian Gossett has been a motion designer and illustrator for fifteen years and works remotely as a freelancer out of Austin, Texas. His many projects have ranged from music videos to animated and live-action commercials, to editorial and advertisement illustrations. Brian has been successfully making motion design pieces and illustrations for many great studios and companies and we chat about what it takes to build a sustainable career in this industry over the long run. Sometimes this involves using the services of an illustration agent and other times relying on your contacts within the industry. As someone who has been working for as long as he has, Brian’s professional and personal priorities have changed over the course of his career. We discuss how shifting what is important to you as your career evolves is an important part of maintaining longevity in this field. Brian also shares what he has done to find clients that are happy to let him make creations that highlight his own unique artistic style. In this episode The differences in finding work as a motion designer versus as an illustrator The benefits that come with using an illustration agency Why it’s a good thing to have shifting priorities as your career evolves over time Ways to get client work that utilizes your own artistic style Deciding if it’s worth it to use your personality to help establish yourself and sell your work What happens when people throughout the industry are more transparent with each other Why you should increase your rates every year Quotes “The more markets you’re tapped into, the more work and potential income that will come in.” [8:19] “It’s not just talent. It’s also being ambitious and going out of the way to find the people who are going to champion for you.” [29:28] “If we can come out and share our rates, we are going to lift everyone else up.” [46:38] “Instead of trying to be the new hotness, think of what’s the best approach to this industry where you can build a sustainable career.” [57:19] Links Find Brian Gossett online Follow Brian on Instagram | Twitter Debut Art Mendola Artists Motionographer Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

Virtual reality is one of the newest and most promising fields in motion design. There’s huge potential for growth as well as exciting opportunities to create unique art. But, if you’re like me, you may have more questions than answers about just what’s involved in being an animator in this exciting new field. Today’s episode is going to answer those questions for you and hopefully point you in the right direction to discover how to use VR in motion design. On today’s show, I chat with two great artists, Collin Leix from Gunner Animation and Illustration Studio and Rosie Summers, a VR painter at XR Games. They’re here to share what their role in virtual reality designs is and how we can use it as motion designers. Collin and Rosie explain how creating in VR is both similar and different from creating other types of motion design pieces. While it may share many of the basic aspects, they are very excited by how much more interactive and performative it can be in practice. There are many programs to use when making VR art and they describe some of these and how they use them as well. If you’re interested in getting started with VR in motion design, Collin and Rosie chat about avenues that you can take advantage of right away. Both Rosie and Collin recommend that you begin by creating storyboards and moving on to animate them in VR. They also share how they use these creations when pitching potential clients. If you’ve been making 3D art, then you’re ready to move on to creating in the virtual reality space. Collin and Rosie explain how they use their knowledge of 3D when making VR animations and share what you can do to try your hand in it too. In this episode The performative nature of VR art Useful tools for creating VR animations Tips for using a headset to explore the VR world of your creation How working in 3D is the natural place to start before creating in VR Simple ways to make VR animations right away What the job landscape is in VR right now Hopes and predictions for the future of virtual reality How we can use VR in motion design Quotes “One of the things I realized really fast about making VR art is how your body makes the artwork. Instantly I saw a performative aspect to this.” [2:30] “People who are making things in 3D are in the first most natural step towards trying to make something in VR because you’re truly working in 3D space.” [15:42] “I really hope that reality isn’t ditched for the virtual. I hope it compliments it. I hope we use these virtual tools to enhance our experience in the real world rather than replace it.” [28:39] “Trust yourself and your creative instincts. It’s early enough in VR that people who jump in still have time to shape it. What you bring to it might be different from anybody else.” [43:18] Links Find Rosie Summers online Follow Rosie on Twitter | YouTube | Instagram Rosie doing her performative VR painting Find Collin Leix online Follow Collin on Instagram Blend Fest Quill Danny Bittman Gora Fujita Nick Ladd Dear Angelica Oculus Story Studio Join the Motion Hatch community Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

Many of us creatives have diverse interests and passions. Yet, often enough, we find ourselves spending our time and energy doing client work and leaving our passion projects on the backburner. But what if it's actually that client work that can make your personal projects a reality? Today’s guest has mastered doing just that. In his episode, I’m chatting with Zac Dixon, the creative director and founder of IV Studio and previously the host of the Animalators Podcast. As prolific as ever, Zac has been doing a ton of awesome things including making a new board game called Moonrakers. With so many different projects in the works at one time, Zac tells how it can only happen through the power of teamwork. Having surrounded himself with other passionate and dedicated people, Zac and his team have been able to produce some really impressive passion projects. Zac shares how he decides which projects are worth pursuing and which are going to be the most rewarding. Creating your own work is going to require some level of marketing if you want it to make a profit. Zac has learned a lot about marketing simply by being a motion designer. This has helped him make these projects a success, but it has also helped him gain a better understanding when working with clients as well. As someone who has been on both sides of the table, Zac shares some great thoughts on getting noticed and hired by studios and clients in a crowded field. From the best types of reels to have in your portfolio, to what type of references are most valuable, this is great advice for any freelancer looking for more work. In this episode Leveraging teamwork to make passion projects a reality Determining which creative ideas are worth pursuing How being a motion designer can prepare you to do your own marketing How to best utilize your portfolio to get the attention of clients and studios Fitting in your side projects when working on other gigs The payoffs that come with branching out into new skillsets Building your company up to be bigger than just yourself Quotes “I really want to take as many shots as we can at making things that we love and that we’re proud of. I think that feeds into everything else that we’re doing.” [6:11] “Anything you can do to just make sure at the very least that [potential clients] are watching what you want them to watch and reading what you want them to read is huge. They need to latch on quick.” [25:29] “Figure out what you want to do and just chip away at it. Put a little bit into it each day and eventually you’ll get there.” [37:46] “Having a range of experiences will only make you a better creator. It will also give you a better pool of diverse experiences to pull into any work that you do.” [39:43] Links Find Zac Dixon online Follow Zac on Twitter | Instagram Animalators Podcast Moonrakers Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein Giant Ant Get the Freelance Contract Bundle Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

Any freelancer knows that there’s instability in their work. Finding clients, managing your time, keeping your finances in order are all big tasks. And with the looming threat of recession, things might seem really scary. But it’s not all doom and gloom. My guest on this episode has taken a close look at all these issues and has some great insight to share. Michael Jones runs MoGraph Mentor, a worldwide program that helps people get their motion design careers up and running. He recently wrote a couple of articles about the future of motion animation - one about what might happen in our industry during a recession and another giving you 7 Reasons not to Freelance. Today we talk about some of the pitfalls of being a freelancer and why you might even consider another career path. Michael shares what he has uncovered while studying the effects of recessions on advertising and the gig economy. We also discuss our thoughts concerning earning more through content marketing, content creation, and some practical passive income ideas. In this episode Thoughts on how a recession might impact people making digital content Why individuals and small studios could fare better than big agencies in hard economic times The challenges of most passive income streams and the ones that are worth pursuing Dealing with the stress and isolation that comes with freelancing Appreciating the freedom that comes with freelance work Transitioning from in-house to remote work Setting yourself up as an expert when working direct to clients Quotes “For those of us who make our living creating digital content, we might actually be in an okay position even in a really bad recession.” [4:36] “The talent is the asset. Wherever the talent goes, that’s what the companies want.” [9:07] “There’s an obvious pull towards freelance for so many people because so much time at a studio or agency is wasted time.” [32:17] “Just do what’s right for you and try to optimize for your health and wellbeing. Don’t think about the fame and the glory.” [45:19] Links Follow Michael Jones on Twitter MoGraph Mentor The Freelance Contract Bundle Motion Sound Recessions, The Gig Economy & Motion Designers 7 Reasons not to Freelance Profit First Wealthfront Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

As with anything, there’s a learning curve to 3D animation. There’s always more to learn and more ways for expertise to be honed. Knowing where to look for education and new skills can be tricky. Today’s guest knows this well and has created many resources that any 3D animator can start using right away. Nick and I also spoke about how to promote and market yourself as a motion designer. Nick Campbell is the owner of Greyscalegorilla where he’s been helping 3D artists for over ten years by creating trainings, 3D tools, plug-ins, and other materials that artists need to get the job done. Considering that Nick started Greyscalegorilla as a photo-blog, it’s truly impressive what it has become. In our chat today, Nick shares the story of how Greyscalegorilla organically developed into what it is today. We talk about using your background to develop skills that you are passionate about and where to turn to for valuable lessons and instruction. As Nick has discovered, many times, the best teachers are still students themselves. Nick is no stranger to negative criticism. He doesn’t let that stop him though. Sometimes its best to ignore it and other times it’s an opportunity to learn. We discuss the value of receiving all sorts of feedback and how it is an essential part of being an artist. I ask Nick what would say to 3D artists who are just starting their careers. His advice is to just work on developing your skills rather than trying to be groundbreaking. Just as any musician starts out playing covers of other musicians’ songs, new motion animators need to hone their craft before they worry about being original. Nick makes the point that marketing is not a bad thing. Many artists shun the idea of marketing. But in truth, all marketing needs to be is letting people know that you can solve the problem that they have and getting the word out that that is what you do. In this episode Combining your interests, skills, and passions into a single pursuit Who the best people to learn from really are Approaching negative feedback in a useful way Why animators should work on being good rather than original when they’re just starting out How to promote and market yourself as a motion designer Why it’s fine to be a generalist but your marketing should be niche Quotes “After Effects was such a piece of software that it opened my eyes to the possibility of what computers could do.” [7:02] “I have this theory that all the weird jobs that we had growing up prepare us for what we ultimately end up doing in our life, even if they’re not connected.”[11:42] “Don’t be afraid of critique. Don’t be afraid of feedback. By letting that happen, you’re actually building the tools you need to become a better artist.” [19:09] “All marketing is solving a problem that other people need to be solved. If you are able to solve that problem and you’re not letting them know about, that’s on you.” [37:33] Links Find Nick Campbell online at Greyscalegorilla Follow Nick on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube Intro to Cinema 4d Freelance Contract Bundle Show Notes

Most of us weren’t always freelance motion graphic designers. For those of us that once worked for another company, the change wasn’t straight-forward. Finding new work and having the right support may not have been easy to come by. Today, I’m chatting with someone who recently made this transition to becoming a motion graphic designer what he’s learned in the process. Chris Field is a freelance motion designer who recently made the transition from full-time corporate work. With a strong background in design strategy, Chris is finding success in motion design and learning some valuable lessons along the way. Chris shares his transition from working as a design strategist into the world of freelance motion design. He’s always had a passion for human-centred design which first led him into a career in industrial design. As such, Chris keeps a keen eye out for the elements of design that truly help the people he’s aiming to serve. His transition into animation took place once Chris realized its ability to tell the story that his clients wanted to envision. He talks about the steps he took to move into life as a freelancer and how he’s found support along the way. In this episode What goes into making sure that design serves the people that it’s meant to The power of story to help people and companies envision their future Affordable and supportive ways to transition from a corporate job into freelance What happens when we directly approach people we want to work with The potential role of a motion designer in developing brand strategy How deeply understanding your audience will lead to a compelling story Quotes “I was super hyper focussed on getting a job within the creative world because I had done so many horrible odd-jobs before and it was time to treat myself to the career that I really wanted.” [2:04] You’re not going in with a solution. If you have a solution going into a design research project, that’s like throwing a dart at the wall and then drawing a target around it afterwards. If you have a design and solution in mind, you’re probably doing it wrong.” [7:23] “I’m genuinely interested in the work that they do. If they’re genuinely interested in the work that I do, they’re probably going to reciprocate that.” [30:02] “Who is watching this and how are they watching it is the basis for the human-centred design spin on motion graphics.” [39:41] “The emotional charge behind it all is deeply rooted in real people. If you don’t have that, you’re rolling the dice as to whether you’re going to have a compelling story.” [45:43] Links Find Chris Field online Follow Chris on Instagram Continuum Innovation School of Motion Episode 49 with Kyle T. Webster Episode 44 with Sander Van Dijk The Mograph Mastermind Program Join The Mograph Mastermind Program here

As we approach the end of the year, I want to talk to you a bit about goals. Maybe you feel like you haven’t achieved all you wanted to or don’t exactly know what your next steps are. You’re not alone if you feel overwhelmed and exhausted. I certainly have these feelings, but I’ve found some things that help. In this solo episode, I share some of my tips for you when it comes to setting goals for the end of this year or going into the next. I'll tell you about some of the strategies that I’ve found helpful for setting attainable and meaningful goals and how I put them into action. A key part of this is keeping your business goals in alignment with your personal goals. To help with this, I explain an exercise that I highly recommend that we all try to envision our perfect day. By starting with an idea of what you’d like your life to look like in three years and working backward, you can start to get an idea of what you need to do in the short, medium, and long term to reach it. I also discuss the importance of accountability and focus for attaining your goals. In this Episode What running taught me about setting goals for work How to align your business goals with what’s personally meaningful Some thought experiments and exercises to try for helping to set goals for the future Setting a different focus depending on the season or quarter How to keep yourself accountable for achieving your goals Quotes “You shouldn’t wait until January to make New Year's resolutions that you’re just going to give up by February. We need to do really start thinking about this stuff now and put in a plan.” [2:23] “You need to turn your to-do list into priorities based on what will move your career and your business forward.” [7:22] “I think we should think about our lives and what we want our lives to look like to help build your business around that.” [11:39] “We can all feel like we aren’t getting anything done, but we never actually give ourselves permission to organize our lives and we say yes to everything that pops into our inbox. You can plan your year actually. You have permission to do that.” [12:49] Links Episode 28 with Joe Donaldson Episode 8 with Austin Saylor Couch to 5k The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E Gerber Mograph Mastermind Program Download the Perfect Day and SMART Goals Exercise

Allison Butler has always had a passion for motion design. Mostly self-taught, she has been creating professional digital content for five years as well as running a monthly meetup of Connecticut based animators, motion designers, and related creatives. Allison tells her story of how she started her own freelance business as an alternative to full-time but temporary work. While it provides a large amount of freedom, it also requires courage and determination and many hard lessons. Allison shares what she learned by becoming a freelance motion designer. While it wasn’t always the case, Allison is a master of networking. We chat about the power of networking and how Allison created a local motion design meetup which helps her and others immensely with their freelance careers. In this episode Lessons learned from chasing one temporary gig after another Learning the basics of transitioning to a freelance career Tools and tips for overcoming the fear that comes with a career change The power of in-person motion design meetups to support your career How to start your own motion design meetup or event Quotes “Freelancing is never easy to jump into when you’ve only known full-time work.” [8:43] “I needed networking practice. It’s something people don’t tell you - that you need to practice networking and just talking to people and being human.” [17:47] “Everyone has these online platforms to talk to and chat with people and they’re absolutely wonderful. But people still want that in-person connection. They want to know people in their area. They just want to know who’s around.” [23:52] “If you can find one or two people in your area who are pumped to have a meetup, that’s all you need.” [32:48] Sponsors Milanote Milanote is a tool for organising your motion graphics projects - everything from the creative brief, mood boards, storyboards - all your pre-production material in one place. Watch Evan's series on pre-production where he uses Milanote and shows you how to organised your motion design projects to get better results. Check out Milanote and sign up for free milanote.com/motionhatch Links Find Allison Butler online Follow Allison on Twitter | Instagram | Linkedin Connecticut Mograph Meetup The Ultimate Freelance Guide Work_Space, Manchester, CT Can we add the Mograph Mastermind logo like on this page? https://motionhatch.com/046-masterminding-with-jess-peterson Find out about the upcoming Motion Hatch mastermind Thanks for Listening! To share your thoughts: Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

There’s something that happens when you’re constantly creating. Your skills and technique improve and get fine-tuned. You realize what you truly enjoy doing and the ways in which your work is personally meaningful. Few people understand the payoffs of constant creation better than today’s guest. We dive into how to create the freedom to allow you to work on personal projects. Mike Winkelmann, AKA Beeple, is a truly prolific 3D artist and motion designer. He is an instrumental force behind the “everyday” movement which encourages artists to create new work every day so that they are constantly improving their skills. Most of his work has been released free under Creative Commons, making them accessible to anyone. For our 50th episode, I ask Beeple a lot of rapid-fire questions about himself and his business. He shares everything from his favorite failure to what he’d do if he weren’t an animator and his weirdest habits. As someone who has been creating daily renderings, Beeple shares his insight into how daily creations can be beneficial to any artist and how he makes it his priority. We also get into money matters. Beeple solidly believes in the power of wisely investing your earnings in order to create financial freedom. Being wise with what you do with your money will open up more doors and provide you with more options in the long run. Beeple is extremely open with sharing his work. While many people might be protective of what they produce, Beeple sees value in letting anyone have access to it. He discusses why he feels more people should do the same and the value that he receives in return. By releasing his work for free, Beeple has been able to find clients willing to pay him much more than he would ever receive from the original work itself. In this episode Beeple answers all my many rapid-fire questions How daily creations will help you hone your skills if it becomes a priority Investing and saving money to create freedom and options in your business How to create freedom to work on personal projects The value you get from being open in sharing your creations The advantages of charging a day rate versus a project fee Finding the true value of doing work for the sake of exposure Finding fulfillment in doing what you’re interested in rather than just following the current trends Quotes “You could definitely be the next Beeple. Just start doing it every day. I think everybody should be the next Beeple.” [8:18] “People see money as something to buy things. Really what money does is it gives you options -- to say no to things, to turn things down, to do your own work.” [14:39] “Very early on I recognized that the clips would be more valuable as a promotional tool than selling them directly.” [34:15] “Exposure is a real currency. It doesn’t work in the way a lot of people think it works, but it definitely has value.” [55:59] “If you keep pushing in the direction that you are super passionate about, I think it will eventually bear fruit versus trying to do some flavor of the month.” [1:06:59] Find Mike Winkelmann (Beeple) online Follow Beeple on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Behance | Facebook The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

As creatives, there are countless ways we can earn an income doing what we love. By keeping an open mind as well as open eyes, you may be able to spot opportunities that lie outside the traditional paths. Today’s guest has done just that. Kyle shows us how to boost your motion design career with side projects. Kyle T. Webster started his own business as an illustrator in 2006 after years of doing it purely as a side gig. As an illustrator, he found that he has a special knack for building tools, particularly Photoshop brushes, to help other artists with their work. This caught the attention of Adobe and now he works full-time for them. Kyle talks about many aspects of his career including how he stumbled upon making Photoshop brushes and how this was a total gamechanger for him. We discuss why personal projects and your day job doesn't have to be the same thing as well as the role of taking calculated risks. Kyle shares his opinions about the power of social media to connect you with audiences by showing the behind the scenes aspects of your creative process. In this episode Developing skills you enjoy that can earn you even more income Recognizing the value in the ideas you have and the methods that you use How to boost your motion design career with side projects Why it’s helpful to talk about how much our products and services should really cost Determining how much risk is the right amount when trying something new with your work Deciding whether the work you do on the side can be an extra revenue stream or a passion project The power of showing what goes on behind the scenes to market your work How getting actual facetime with your peers can open up many professional opportunities Quotes “When you’re presented with a problem and very little time to solve it, sometimes you come up with good solutions simply because there’s no other option.” [4:24] “Nobody knows artists better than we do, especially the ones who are doing work that’s similar to our own. If we come up with a more efficient way of doing something, then we should sell that. If we come up with an idea, we should sell it.” [8:11] “I think it’s important to talk to other creatives about what’s possible with money and budget and what you charge for your work. I think illustrators need to be more vocal about these things because it’s an easier way to not get ripped off to say what a fair fee for this work is.” [17:21] “Things you do on the side, even if they have a short lifespan, will eventually lead to other things if you choose to promote them that way.” [27:43] “We’re human beings, we’re animals. There’s something about being in the presence of other humans that brings out the best in us. I think it also suppresses the worst in us.” [43:14] Sponsors Milanote Milanote is a tool for organising your motion graphics projects – everything from the creative brief, mood boards, storyboards – all your pre-production material in one place. Watch Evan's series on pre-production where he uses Milanote and shows you how to organised your motion design projects to get better results. Check out Milanote and sign up for free milanote.com/motionhatch Links Find Kyle T. Webster online Follow Kyle on Instagram | Twitter | YouTube Gumroad Society6 Creative Market Peer Assembly Episode 47 with Evan Abrams Thanks for listening To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below. Share this show on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest. To help out the show: Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help. Subscribe on iTunes. Podcast music licensed by Big Waves sonosanctus.com dankoch.net Some of the links above are affiliate links. Basically, this means that if you decide to make a purchase through one of these links, we will earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can be sure that we would recommend these products whether or not we made any commission on them. Please don’t spend your money on them if you don’t think that they will truly help you improve your business, although, in our experience, they will.

Have you ever wondered what it takes to be an art director for motion design? While it involves a command of many of the skills that you may already have as a designer, there are many other elements to the job that can make it all that more exciting and rewarding. Today’s guest has transitioned from working purely in design to directing some fantastic projects with major brands and studios. Nidia Dias is a 3D art director for motion design who has been working in various studios around the world as a freelancer. Over the past few years, she has worked with brands ranging from Adidas and Bacardi to MTV and Microsoft. Nidia’s work is focused mainly on styleframes and look development for motion, but she also produces illustrations for print. With a background in graphic design, combined with motion expertise she creates visually compelling images that tell a story and reflects the overall look and feel of it. Today's episode is all about art direction and what it takes to get hired as an art director for motion design. Nidia tells the story of how her career developed from designer to director and how that has opened countless doors for her. She shares some great advice for managing good team cohesion and communicating effectively with clients. This includes tips for working with team members in ways that allow them to be creative while also staying focused on a common goal. Nidia tells us her advice for getting in touch with studios you want to work with and why you shouldn’t be afraid of sending them emails. She also shares what it’s like to work remotely with studios and a team of designers. Nidia includes what she looks for when searching for designers to join her team and how your personal projects are some of your most valuable assets. In this episode Getting the attention of studios you’d really like to work with Tips for maintaining good communication with clients and the design team How to maneuver your career in the right direction to get work as a director What you should include in emails you send to studios you want to work with How the changing professional landscape is making it easier for art directors to work remotely in spite of its challenges Leveraging the good work that you do to find more jobs in the future The power of personal projects to boost your career Quotes “I always felt that I needed to understand each part to actually be a good art director, not just the styleframes. I try really hard to understand each part of what the team does.” [5:58] “As an art director, you have to step back and think that it’s for the greater good. You shouldn’t be too focussed on your own style or what you want to do but let everyone on the team join in and bring their flair into the project.” [12:03] “If you’re working on something good, you’re going to get more work coming back from it.” [27:49] “I feel that people should learn what they really think they’re going to like and start finding what they like rather than just going by trends.” [46:36] Links Find Nidia Dias online Follow Nidia on Instagram | Twitter | Linkedin | Behance Nidia’s Society6 Store FutureDeluxe ManvsMachine Territory Studio School of Motion MoGraph Mentor Milanote Episode 47 with Evan Abrams Full show notes

Often times, we overlook the value of the pre-production process, when it’s actually an incredibly important part of what we do. In many ways, a little extra work up front, will save a lot of extra time on the back end. To help us all understand this better, I’ve brought in someone who truly knows the importance of this concept. Evan Abrams is a fantastic motion designer who runs his own YouTube channel where he teaches motion design. With over ten years of experience, Evan has fine-tuned how he creates his projects from beginning to end. Not one to keep his skills to himself, Evan uses his YouTube channel to share his expertise with other motion designers. His recent videos about the pre-production process have me thinking that we too often ignore this essential part of creating animations. So today we’re talking about how you can streamline your pre-production process for better efficiency and more clients. Evan also talks about why it’s crucial to position yourself as an expert in what you do and to share that expertise with as many people as you can. To that end, Evan shares his advice about whether or not you should start your own YouTube channel. Evan gives some great tips on using your expertise to get new clients by using your knowledge to get you in front of new audiences. Much of this involves being active in the right communities and offering each other support. Evan and I also dive deep into how important pre-production is to creating a great final project. By focusing on the process before the creation begins, we can better anticipate potential problems and streamline collaboration, not to mention reduce stress. It allows us to be able to do and consider more in the end by being more intentional from the start. In that way we should enjoy the process even more than the finished product. In this episode Why you need to make content that is meaningful to you instead of trying to please everyone The importance of being an expert in your field and sharing your skills with others The most important thing to consider when starting your own YouTube channel Why planning and pre-production is the most essential aspect of your work even though it’s rarely discussed How pre-production helps you and your clients understand each other better from the start Why mood boards are one of the most important pre-production tools you can utilize Top tips for communicating effectively with clients from the very start of a project Quotes “If you’re going to create something, you can’t please everybody all the time. That’s probably the biggest hurdle to get over.” [6:25] “I think we’re entering an age where secret knowledge is not valuable, but shared knowledge is. If you hoard all this behind the scenes stuff to yourself, that’s great, now nobody gets to know about your process. Your process is as valuable as the product you’re putting out. It’s often more valuable if you want people to work with you. They’ll need to see how you work.” [11:35] “Pre-production, in my mind, is the only way to achieve great production. It’s the party that happens before the party. You can’t get somewhere if you don’t know where you’re going.” [22:49] “It’s vital to remember, everybody is a person. No one is a robot. Behave less like a robot.” [46:38] “Great work doesn’t come fully formed into the universe. We all want to produce great work and it doesn’t just pop out of people’s heads. It doesn’t just show up. Most great work comes from collaboration, working the problem, the process. There is a system and systems are not to be feared.” [57:12] Links Find Evan Abrams online Follow Evan on YouTube | Twitter Check out Evan’s pre-production series Milanote Creative Cow Motion Hatch Episode 19 with Caitlin Cadieux Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon Mograph Mondays Detroit The Freelance Contract Bundle

Have you ever felt stuck in your motion design career? Maybe you’re feeling like you need to do everything all the time but aren’t sure what is actually helping you move forward in your business or career. If you feel like your to-do list is getting longer all the time and don’t know what to do and you're feeling overwhelmed, this is the episode that you need to listen to. Today I’m talking to Jess Peterson and Christopher Bernal about what to do when you’re feeling stuck and overwhelmed. Jess and Christopher are mentors in our Mograph Mastermind Program. Jess runs Mighty Oak Studios specializing in handmade animation and design. Christopher is a Bay Area motion designer with ten years of experience working with internal production companies, agencies, and studios. In this episode, we’re talking about conquering your feelings of being overwhelmed by work and moving on to the next stages of your career. Jess and Christopher share some of their tried and true tactics for when they feel inundated with work. As my guests explain, a lot of this can be accomplished by prioritizing and categorizing your tasks. We also talk about delegating roles to other people, the proper mindset for not letting the amount of work you have to get out of hand, and knowing when it’s okay to say no to a job. We discuss the benefits of being part of a community like a mastermind and how that support is one of the most valuable things a freelancer or small business owner can have. In this episode Actionable advice for dealing with having just too much work to do Why taking the time to reflect on your business and work is an important part of moving forward with it Knowing when it’s time to delegate various tasks of your business The mindset needed to help maintain a healthy and sustainable work-life balance The power and payoffs of being part of a community Quotes “When I start to do these things, are they interconnected? Are they going to help set off a chain of things that can show me a path going forward? Every once in awhile, there will be lots of interesting things coming up on my radar, but it’s not really an opportunity if it’s just a distraction.” [8:19] “If you can take the other parts of your work that are on your plate an invest in someone who is also naturally good at that to help you, you find that the work goes so much quicker and that it is more cost-efficient, it’s more successful, it allows you to be a better creative or small business owner.” [14:48] “I just have to normalize that not everything that pops up is an opportunity. Just because it’s all happening at once doesn’t mean that it’s going away.” [20:54] “If you don’t know when you’re going to get close to done, then you feel like it’s never going to end. And that’s most often when we burn out. If you can give yourself opportunities, if you can plan projects out, it kind of gives you those markers to know it’s not forever -- there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” [24:24] “Who you know in an authentic way is incredibly valuable to growing your business. You shouldn’t have to be sending out cold emails.” [32:19] Links Mograph Mastermind Program Find Jess at Mighty Oak Studios Follow Jess on Instagram | Facebook | Vimeo | YouTube Find Christopher at Designer of Motion Episode 16 with Jess Peterson Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

We were all likely told at some point in our lives that we need a formal education to succeed professionally. But much has changed. Nowadays, there are many highly successful motion designers never went to animation school. Today I’m joined by EJ Hassenfratz, also known as Eyedesyn. EJ is well known for his 3D tutorials, something he started doing to get over his fear of public speaking. He’s been in motion design for over a decade. Even without formal training, EJ has become a fully self-taught expert in this field, teaching others, speaking at conferences, and making some really fun animations. In this episode, EJ and I talk about how people like you and me can find the majority of their work, the real value of education, and the limits of watching tutorials. EJ explains how to use your experience and promote your skills to find work even when you don’t have an educational background in your field. To that end, we discuss the skills that you need to hone to become a successful freelancer. In this episode The value and limitations of having an education and how to promote yourself without one The best skills you can have for becoming a successful freelancer Finding work through word-of-mouth and email inquiries and how social media plays a role in this How to properly use Instagram Stories to interact with your followers and other motion animators Finding inspiration and appreciation from exploring topics not directly related to motion design What you need to know to negotiate from a position of strength, not weakness Why watching tutorials doesn’t mean that you’re becoming a better artist Quotes “It’s such a rewarding feeling having someone discover something because of one of my videos, or feeling inspired enough to even get into 3D. That really is huge and way better than getting an email with a bunch of client revisions.” [4:43] “You can be amazingly talented, but if you don’t have the confidence to charge what you’re worth and even recognize your own worth, then it doesn’t matter… it doesn’t matter what school you went to.” [9:29] “If you have a client who’s trying to lowball you, put in that little extra effort to educate them on why your rate is what it is and why the value is there.” [41:21] “I think it’s okay to realize that you’ve been doing things the wrong way for most of your career.” [58:12] Related links Find EJ online Follow EJ on YouTube | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Vimeo | Behance | Dribbble Already Been Chewed Buffer Books by Austin Kleon Motion Hatch Episode 42 with Andrew and Pete Location Indie Wipster frame.io The Freelance Manifesto by Joey Korenman Hidden Brain - Close Enough: The Lure of Living Through Others Get the Freelance Contract Bundle here! Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Many motion designers have personal projects that we would love to have the time to work on. But with the need to earn an income through paid work it can feel near impossible to find the time to work on them. However, as my guest is about to tell you, passion projects and paid client work have the amazing ability to support each other, providing you with the time and resources to work on both. Sander Van Dijk is an incredible motion designer who teaches Advanced Motion Methods through School of Motion as well as his own freelance course. Sander’s philosophy is centered around creating work that has true meaning for him while helping other motion animators do the same through his projects, tools, and community events. Today, Sander and I dive into how to what it takes to make it as a freelancer in our field. We explore the importance of being part of and contributing to a community of people doing the same work as you. We also discuss mindset and what it means to have our work be a force for good in the world as well as the importance of taking time for ourselves and our own personal projects. In this episode Finding inspiration from your passions and the world around you The importance of community for adding value to each other’s work and lives When to offer products and services for free and when to charge for them How diversifying your revenue streams will give you more time and resources to devote to your passion projects Recognizing your own values and interests when it comes to choosing direct to client work The undeniable importance of taking time for yourself The power of your personal projects to connect you with clients Quotes “It’s very beneficial and helpful to have some kind of other interest that gives you inspiration on how to approach specific things in your own work.” [3:39] “I’m driven by creating value for the community but I also know the value of my work and I’m not afraid to charge for it. As a result, I get more revenue so I can actually make more time available for the community.” [17:25] “You can just see what you can do with the skills you have and your problem solving mentality as an artist -- what story you can help tell.” [24:52] “There’s a lot of different opportunities that can work for our motion design world, especially now that it’s so much more integrated into any type of business.” [47:05] Related links Find Sander Van Dijk online Follow Sander on Instagram | Twitter | YouTube School of Motion Blend Conference Sana Labs Ultimate Freelance Guide - Sander’s Freelance Course Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

The possibilities that something like YouTube has for motion designers to help take our careers to the next level are truly amazing. But where do you start? How can you build an audience, find professional opportunities, create great content, and make it all worthwhile? Today’s guest has done all that and is ready to tell you how! Kelsey Brannan, better known as Premiere Gal on YouTube, has helped countless motion designers up their game when it comes to creating amazing content. With over 130,000 YouTube subscribers, Kelsey must know a thing or two about connecting with her audience. Besides having her own amazing career making videos, she has made it her mission to share her expertise with people like you and me. In this interview, Kelsey shares what it takes to start your own successful YouTube channel and make money from it. We also discuss some of the avenues available for making passive income as motion designers. Kelsey breaks down everything from finding the right affiliate programs to selling without “selling out.” Much of her advice is all about making good connections and following your interests. After listening to our chat, I’m sure you’ll feel more empowered and confident to get started on your YouTube channel too! In this episode: Why making your own instructional YouTube channel will help improve your skills too Using YouTube as a way to get exposure and find clients The pros and cons of selling templates as a form of passive income Using affiliate marketing to make money while you sleep Advice for motion designers who want to start their first YouTube channel Why it’s not necessary to publish on any sort of strict schedule Building the right relationships to get great sponsors Quotes: “If you want to up your skills in anything, definitely make a YouTube channel.” [7:25] “While it may seem like you're just promoting template packs, you’ll probably get requests from a lot of different people who are looking for some custom graphics.” [16:51] “It’s not selling out -- it’s just being smart about how you’re presenting your work and working with good companies that believe in your voice.” [28:45] “The great part about YouTube is once you have your channel and your audience, you can do other things and not have YouTube take over.” [36:36] “When you’re doing YouTube videos, think about how well you can present it uniquely and have fun with it. The last thing you want to do is have it be like a laundry chore.” [40:21] Links: Find Kelsey Brannan online Follow Kelsey on YouTube | Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook | Instagram Premiere Bro Envato Pond5 Social Bluebook Peter McKinnon on YouTube Get your free trial of Wipster Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

As motion designers we create content for our clients. But how can we use the content we create for our own marketing purposes? How can we use it to get clients who don’t even know what motion design is? I’ve brought two guests on today who are going to answer those very questions! Today we have Andrew and Pete on the podcast. They are content marketers who help small businesses grow and find customers through their company Andrew & Pete. These guys are great at explaining the often ignored, but incredibly crucial parts of marketing your skills and your business. Their goal is to help people like you and me succeed without hustling ourselves into the ground. In this interview, we talk about your potential for helping businesses with their content marketing and so much more. We discuss the role that YouTube can play, how you can improve your pricing strategy, and the usefulness of Linkedin. We also talk about discovering the content that you can create that will entertain or help potential customers the most. This episode is packed with great and actionable advice that you can start using today. How have you been marketing your business? Tell me about it in the comments! In this episode: What content marketing is and how motion designers can play a part in it How to use your content to attract your customers by making them feel happier or smarter YouTube’s unique potential to help you attract the right kind of clients for you Why it’s better to post nothing at all on social media than something mediocre Tips for using Linkedin to help find and connect with potential customers How to figure out if you’re charging enough for your work and why it’s probably time to raise your rates Quotes: “The beauty of content is that it reduces the need to be a bit more scrappy to get clients -- having to go to networking events and stuff like that. We haven't been to a networking event for years and years because all of our business comes from our content.” [6:11] “You’re in a content pure industry because your customers do not care about how you do what you do. They don’t want to learn how to create motion graphics themselves.... But you need to remember that content marketing needs to make your customers feel happier or smarter.” [8:12] “I would rather you do an awesome emotional actionable entertaining animation once a month than four average ones once a week.” [27:21] “It’s really easy right now to stand out on Linkedin with good video. Not boring video, but good video. Animation, stop-motion graphics, anything like that would go down as such a storm on there if you did it really well.” [31:42] Links: Find Andrew and Pete online Follow Andrew and Pete on YouTube | Facebook | Instagram Morningfame Keywords Everywhere vidIQ TubeBuddy Kurzesagt Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Are you worried that being a freelancer and a parent are incompatible? It’s not uncommon for freelancers to have concerns about taking care of their kids among all their freelancing commitments. Since questions about this are so common in the Motion Hatch community, I’ve brought in the experts to answer all your burning questions. With their own podcasts and communities for freelance parents, Steve Folland and Frankie Tortora have a heap of knowledge on this topic. They’ve built successful freelance careers while raising their children and now help others like them navigate the same hurdles that they encounter on a regular basis. Steve and Frankie start off this fascinating conversation by explaining some of the parallels between parenting and freelancing and how one can help prepare you for the responsibilities of the other. They go on to share some great ideas about how you can find enough time and energy to be fully present for both your business and your family, such as bringing in more people to work alongside of you and really understanding the value that you provide for your clients. It can be really tough to navigate these issues that can get in between work and family. After speaking with Frankie and Steve, this doesn’t seem nearly as daunting as before. The recurring theme here is that being self-employed actually means that you can be there more for your kids and since it provides significant benefits that traditional employment doesn’t. Even if you’re not a parent, you’ll still find tons of wisdom and great advice in today’s episode which includes some great productivity hacks that we can all take advantage of. In this episode: How the flexibility offered by freelancing can help you be more present and involved in your child’s life What to consider when raising your rates when you’re starting a family Useful tips for retaining your regular clients when you have to take family leave The pros and cons of starting your freelance business before and after having children Maintaining the stamina necessary to take care of both your business, your children, and yourself How having kids is actually a super-charged productivity hack How to make more time in your schedules while parenting full-time without getting burnt out Quotes: “They just suddenly give you this little human and nobody tells you what to do with it. It’s a bit like freelancing, really. Nobody tells you what to do with that either and you kind of muddle it out by hanging out with other freelancers and you muddle it out by hanging out with other parents.” [4:46] “The only predictable thing about having kids and being self-employed is that life is unpredictable. That is the one thing that you can count on.” [6:41] “I think there is a lot of pressure to try to do all the things, especially when you see people who don’t have kids doing all the things. But I think you just have to keep an eye on how you yourself are coping with that sort of stuff.” [24:11] “Certainly having children doesn’t make you less productive. I think it makes you more time efficient. Then it’s what you choose to do with that time.” [38:46] “Your career might pivot and it might change, but it’s not the end -- it’s the beginning!” [1:00:59] Links: Find Frankie at Doing it for the Kids Follow Frankie on Linkedin | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Find Steve at Being Freelance Follow Steve on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

It’s no secret that having a large social media following can help you share your work with a large audience as well as find more opportunities to work as a freelancer. However, actually gaining and maintaining a following is a tricky pursuit. Fortunately, you’re about to hear two experts who have helped their studio gain tens of thousands of followers share how you can make social media work for you. Tom and Henry Purrington are the twin brothers and studio animation leads at the animation studio Golden Wolf in London. They’re experience as animators and production managers means that they know all the ins and outs of production from managing a social media presence to hiring animators and creating stellar animations. Today, we’re talking all about the benefits of social media can have for your business. Tom and Henry admit that there’s no single formula for success in social media, but they share some of the techniques and tricks that have helped them. The key is creating something that you and your audience both like, so it can be shared and spread as vastly as possible. Henry and Tom go deep into their processes and I know you’ll come away from this interview ready to level up your social media game. In this episode: The work that goes into creating a large and growing social media presence How social media algorithms can work for you or against you Why it’s essential to build an audience that you can respond to directly What studios are looking for when they are searching for freelance talent What freelancers can do on social media in order to get noticed and get hired How to deal (or not deal) with the haters on social media Quotes: “Really by focusing your attention on entertaining people and keeping it relevant to our interests, we’ve built our following that way. As a studio, people follow us because they’ll see really silly shorts, they’ll see really fun unique bold animation.” [8:02] “Building up that audience that you can respond to is really important, because they will then all like it, and then their friends will like it, and then their friends will like it.” [13:24] “Everyone’s their own brand. You are your own brand as a freelancer, as a studio. The more small pieces of work and the more content you can get out, the more likely somebody is going to see it who can employ you.” [20:35] “The stuff we put on TV today will be forgotten tomorrow. You’re only as good as your last piece of work.” [22:00] “Don’t be afraid of it. Just get it out there and don’t be afraid of what people are going to say in six months whether it’s rubbish or not. It doesn’t matter, you just keep making stuff.” [30:09] Links: Find Golden Wolf online Follow Golden Wolf on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Vimeo | Tumblr Follow Henry on Instagram Follow Tom on Instagram Twitch Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Do you find yourself spending too much time on the phone trying to get potential clients instead of doing the work you’re actually passionate about? Have you thought about automating this process but aren’t sure where to start? It’s not as daunting as many might think and my guest on this episode is an expert at getting it done! Greg Hickman runs a company called System.ly, where he helps service-based businesses with marketing funnels, scaling, and qualifying leads. In short, he shows you how to get perfect clients without the need for you to spend your time talking with people who won’t end up using your services anyway. His coaching programs are geared to help service providers scale and grow their business through automation systems and productizing. In this interview we talk about implementing systems to help you save time and get in touch with the right people for your business. There’s a lot of opportunity for automation that all of us can make use of to streamline our marketing and sales process. In the end, automation’s goal is to simplify your business and save you lots of time and energy. Greg shares some of his favorite tips on how to make this happen. We also chat about productizing your services. To do it right takes focusing on just one service so that you can make your systems streamlined and repeatable. This can be a tricky thing to do if you still want to stay true to your creative pursuits, but Greg shares some great ideas on how to pull it off. In this episode: What Infusionsoft is and how it can be a tool to help your business as in marketing automation Automating your marketing and sales processes to save you time and help your potential clients get to know you better Why having your customer “apply” to work with you will position yourself as an expert Easy tips and tricks to reduce the amount of time you spend on sales calls Finding the right niche to make your services easier to market and sell Productizing your services to add predictability to your business and allow you to finally take a vacation How to stay true to your creativity while still growing and scaling your business Quotes: “Ultimately you have to look at what your business model is. As motion designers, or any business, what are you selling and how do you deliver it? Whatever the answer is to those questions, at some point you’re probably doing some sort of marketing that could be streamlined.” [5:59] “How many times do you get on the phone and say the same thing over and over and over again? If that’s the case, make a video; make it a requirement to watch that video before they get on the phone, and that call can now be twenty minutes or whatever. You’ve saved yourself some time.” [23:23] “If you want to build a more scalable business that is leveraged, you need to start to leverage these systems to remove yourself from the delivery.” [28:36] “As service providers we start as technicians and we have a technical business. But that doesn’t mean that you, the owner, need to be the one doing all of the technical work.” [29:48] “I think the biggest challenge for creatives is you’re doing this because you also love the creative element. So custom is important and that’s totally fine. You just have to make the decision of what’s more important.” [40:56] Links: Find Greg Hickman online at System.ly Join the Scalable Service Provider Facebook group Infusionsoft Calendly Wufoo E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber Built to Sell by John Warrillow Splasheo Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

As freelancers we often feel like we’re all on our own, that we have to come up with everything ourselves. But there are communities of us, both online and offline, that we can lean on and use to learn from each other. Whether you’re just starting out or have been running your own freelance business for years, the power of community and networking can be a major benefit. Few know this better than today’s guest. Donna McAvoy is an amazing freelance animator and a member of our recent Mograph Mastermind Program. She studied computer arts at Abertay University and worked on mobile games before moving into animation for television. Now she’s freelancing as a 2D animator based in Glasgow where she creates some truly awesome work. In this bonus episode, Donna shares the story of her journey into freelance motion design. She has found a way to make a career in her home in Scotland where it may not seem like there are as many opportunities as elsewhere. Donna talks about the realities of looking for and finding jobs as a freelance animator and how she makes it work. Donna credits much of her success to proper networking. It’s helped her discover how others in her situation are making a living and has connected her to some of her best jobs. By connecting with other freelancers, Donna has been able to learn valuable tips from others like her, including that she could significantly raise the rates she was charging her clients. In this episode: Finding work as a freelancer while living in a place without many big studios The power of motion design communities for helping you find direction as a freelancer The importance of networking for finding jobs when it may seem like none are available Why you should think about significantly raising your rates and the challenges and payoffs of doing so Why freelancers should be charging more than employees of a company How a mastermind can help build confidence, keep you accountable, and come up with great ideas for your business Quotes: “Networking is just the biggest thing to be doing. And it’s also good to just get out from your desk. I guess a lot of people are working from home and you get a bit crazy there.” [10:43] “Although what you can charge varies from media to media, I think if you’re working remotely, it shouldn’t have such a big impact where you are based.” [12:23] “The networking part is probably most important I feel. Basically just getting your work out as soon as you can because maybe if you do feel like it’s not good enough, it’s good to get someone to give you perspective and feedback on what you could be doing to make it better.” [24:35] Links: Find Donna McAvoy online Follow Donna on Instagram | Twitter | Vimeo | Linkedin Sign up for the Mograph Mastermind School of Motion Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

This is part six of the mini-series Making Money in Mograph where we talk about some unconventional ways to earn an income in animation. Did you know that as an animator you also have the skills to make money as an illustrator? There are people like my guest today who are using these two sets of skills to showcase their creativity and earn more than they would in just a single field. Hannah Jacobs is an animator and illustrator with a wonderful and unique style all her own. She has an MA in animation from the Royal College of Art and her work has been featured at international film festivals like SXSW and Tribeca. Some of her clients include The New York Times, VICE, and the BBC. We sit down to chat about how to make money as both an illustrator and animator. These two fields complement each other as well as open up different revenue streams for you. By approaching animation with an illustrator’s background, Hannah faces some unique challenges but it pays off by setting her apart from the pack. Hannah also discusses what it’s like being represented by a big production company and its advantages. She shares some great tips on what to do if you’re thinking about finding representation. Hannah talks about all the ways she is branching out to make money from her work, from selling prints to making kids’ books, she is exploring so many ways to earn an income. In this episode: The challenges that approaching animation as an illustrator presents How having a unique style can attract clients The advantages of being represented by a production company and the support it gives you Tips for finding the right production company for you so that you can do what you want to do with the right support Selling your personal work as a way to generate passive income How the amount of creative control you might have varies depending on whether you’re illustrating or animating Valuing the work that you do for yourself and finding the time to work on your own projects Quotes: “For me, the first stage of any animation is the design -- it’s the driver for me.“ [4:18] “I know as creatives we often question absolutely everything we do all the time, so I think it’s so nice just to have a producer or another animator or someone to turn to.” [8:13] “I think so many animators now are working in an illustrative way. I feel like you can press pause in a lot of films and take a frame out and be like this would be such a nice print for the wall … I feel like a lot of animators should think about potentially selling prints of frames from their films.” [18:10] “Something that might seem like a bit of a random thing that you find yourself doing can often lead to something else. I love that opportunities sort of spring up in random unexpected places.” [29:26] Links: Find Hannah Jacobs online Follow Hannah on Instagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Vimeo Strange Beast Barbican The Association of Illustrators The Ajoto Pen HiFest Illustration Festival Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

In Part 5 of the mini-series, Making Money in Mograph, we’re looking at more of the non-conventional ways to earn an income as a motion designer. We spoke to someone who definitely plays a big part in the motion design industry but she doesn’t have a role many people are familiar with. Victoria Nece is the senior product manager for Adobe After Effects. Motion design is truly a life calling for Victoria. In fact, she’s been involved with it since she was a teenager. Before getting involved with Adobe, Victoria oversaw graphics, animation, and design for dozens of productions across broadcast, theatrical and educational markets as Director of Animation at the Documentary Group. Today you’re getting an inside look at what the Adobe After Effects team does. Victoria talks about how her job takes her all over the world to work with some great talent. She also shares what it’s like to speak in front of large audiences and how to do so in a natural and comfortable way. Victoria also shares some ideas about how you can make some passive income as a motion designer. This is particularly the case when it comes to making templates and Victoria gives some advice on what to keep in mind when making these. She also shares where she thinks the future of this industry is heading and how you can position yourself to take advantage of these changes. In this episode: How proper networking and connections can help you get involved in films and documentaries Tips for those who are afraid of public speaking and why it’s an important part of this industry The future of making motion graphic templates and their potential to make you more passive income What Adobe looks for in the designers they want to hire How teaching tutorials will make you more competitive How you can get more involved with shaping the tools of this industry Quotes: “Just keep doing it [public speaking] and you’ll be more comfortable every time. It’s also helpful to remind yourself that the audience isn’t hostile; they don’t want you to fail. They’re not sitting there waiting for you to mess up.” [14:45] “If you’ve made three options for something and the client goes for Option C, why not turn Options A and B into stock templates and sell them? It’s a way to reuse work that might not otherwise see the light of day.” [19:28] “With a motion graphics template you don’t just design your design, you’re actually designing the experience of using it as well.” [20:54] “Everything we do is based on user feedback.I don’t think we’ve built a single feature in the last several years that I couldn’t put specific people’s names on.” [36:32] Links: Follow Victoria Nece on Twitter | Linkedin | Facebook Motion Design on Slack Get Adobe’s free guide to motion graphics templates Look for a job with After Effects here World Time Buddy Adobe Prerelease Program Episode 31: Adam Plouff - Making Money in Mograph Part 1 Episode 32: Zack Lovatt - Making Money in Mograph Part 2 Episode 33: Jake Bartlett - Making Money in Mograph Part 3 Episode 34: Matthew Encina - Making Money in Mograph Part 4 Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Do you hate networking? Maybe you imagine that it's just sucking up and brown-nosing. Maybe you’re just feeling shy. These are common concerns, but they shouldn’t stop you. Today’s guest will tell how to set these worries aside and start making important connections that will help your business grow! This week, I speak with Marsha Shandur, a Networking Mentor and Storytelling Coach. In short, she helps people tell personal stories so that they can use them to help promote their business. Marsha also helps people overcome the barriers that they perceive are stopping them from properly networking and making connections. In this episode Marsha and I talk all about the power of networking. Marsha shares some great tips as well as her own personal experience on how to get over fears and jitters surrounding building professional relationships. We also discuss how to make connections with big shots without letting our own fears get in the way. We continue the conversation with a chat about Marsha’s approach to storytelling and how we can use that in our businesses as motion designers. Marsha breaks down the way we want to tell these stories and the types of stories to tell to get the attention that you want. How has networking helped your business grow? What worries did you have to overcome to make those connections? Tell me about it in the comments! In this episode: Top tips for networking that will have you fearlessly making connections at your next big industry event Not letting your “dork goblin” get in the way of networking How to approach the big shots without fear in a way that will make a good lasting impression Making and leveraging personal connections when you need a favor How to use your own stories to attract the clients that you want to work with Quotes: “I don’t like to call it networking. I like calling it making industry friends.” [2:44]“You think that these people who you think are big heroes get a giant mailbox full of fanmail everyday and they just don’t because people are lazy and also because we don’t tend to thank people in our culture.” [20:32] “I really believe that all anybody wants in life is, one, to feel truly seen and heard and understood and feel like they belong; and two, to feel like they’ve been of service, to feel like they left the world better off than they found it.” [21:58] “Having emotion does so many amazing things in your stories. I feel like the biggest mistake people make is that they leave out emotion.” [42:29] Links: Find Marsha Shandur online Follow Marsha on Facebook | YouTube | Linkedin | Twitter | Instagram Check out Marsha’s secret special page of resources just for Motion Hatch listeners! Jeff Goins Portfolio Life podcast Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

For part four of the mini-series, Making Money in Mograph, we’re going to talk about how you can earn an income in a few non-conventional ways as a motion designer, using content creation. As a content creator, you can put your skills to use to attract clients and even earn passive income. Matthew Encina is the chief content officer at The Futur and creative director for Blind. He started off his creative career fifteen years ago as a print designer before transitioning into motion design. Since then he’s been heading up some amazing projects helping clients with their branding strategy through motion design and creating courses and content to help other people in the industry grow their profession. In this interview, we discuss how we as motion designers can make content for our businesses and how that can help us stand out as an expert in this industry. Maybe it will even help you generate passive income one day. The key is identifying what makes you unique and relevant to a specific audience, then sharing what you can do in a way that appeals to them. We also talk about building an audience through Instagram and how you can get started right away with Instagram Stories. Furthermore, we chat a bit about how and why to offer a presale and the importance of having a diversified income. In this episode: What content marketing is and why we should care about it as motion designers How teaching what you do will help you become a master of your craft Identifying what makes you unique so that you can find the audience that’s perfect for you Using Instagram Stories to connect with an audience and show them the face behind your work How content creation can turn into passive income for freelance motion designers The advantages of offering a presale of a product in order to test out your ideas and make money right away A diversified income as an essential part of having financial security as a freelancer Quotes: “The reason why I feel that content is important is to establish yourself as an expert in the industry.” [7:05] “So I don’t think that you should try to filter out ahead of time who the audience is and what exactly they want. What I would do is just focus on yourself - what makes you unique? What are things that you spent time and money to learn? Look at those things. Can you teach that to somebody else? Part of that teaching process is where you master your craft.” [13:26] “It’s really important to embrace who you are, not trying to become vanilla and trying to find something new to say, because everything has already been said. Just share it the way that you want to say it or that you see it because your POV is the thing that’s really important.” [19:52] “There’s so many cool people out there. I think if people were just more vulnerable and open about who they are, they might develop a stronger connection to the community around them and the people who resonate with them.” [25:58] “I think it’s very important to diversify where you might be getting income from. So some of it could be passive; some of it could be opportunity based; some of it could be consulting.” [34:50] Links: Find Matthew Encina online Follow Matthew on Instagram | Twitter | Linkedin | YouTube The Futur Follow The Futur on YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter Blind The Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Enns DotCom Secrets by Russell Brunson Handel Eugene BROGRAPH Episode 31: Adam Plouff – Battleaxe – Making Money in Mograph Part 1 Episode 32: Zack Lovatt - Technical Director - Making Money in Mograph Part 2 Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

For part three of Making Money in Mograph, we’re talking about how you can earn extra money or even replace all your income by sharing what you know with other motion designers as an online instructor. Even if you’ve never taught anyone anything about your work before, today’s guest will tell you how and why you can teach starting right now. Jake Bartlett teaches motion design on Skillshare as well as a couple of School of Motion courses. Although he started out working for a production company, Jake found that he can actually make enough to support himself by creating online courses. Today, these courses make up nearly all of Jake’s income and he continues to make new courses all the time. This episode is all about how you can put your knowledge and skills to work by teaching others just like Jake does. There are a number of different platforms that you can use to host your lessons and we talk about the structures and advantages of several of them. We also go over how to cultivate your teacher persona and create your videos so as to reach your students in an engaging and fun way. In this episode: How online teaching platforms can pay you for sharing your skills Advice for designing and creating your first class Honing your persona as an instructor so your students will always be engaged with your content Building a course from scratch even when you’re new to the material you are teaching The advantages of using another company’s platform to host your courses instead of doing it independently How motion designers can make extra money with stock websites Quotes: “Anyone can teach as long as you know something. If you have knowledge to share, you can teach it.” [8:51] “If you have a topic that you want to teach, but you feel like other people have already taught it, that shouldn’t be a hindrance, because if other people have taught something and it’s done well, that means that students are interested in that type of content.” [11:48] “The policy that I have taught by is to just have 100% content. Don’t have any fluff, don’t put anything in there that is boring that people are going to want to skip around or wait hoping the section will start. As long as what you’re putting into the video or tutorial is stuff that is actionable and things that they’re going to be learning from, and it’s engaging, then I don’t think length is an issue.” [14:27] “This is how it works as a teacher - I have to learn how to do what I want to teach and then I can teach it. It doesn’t matter how recently I learned it.” [26:32] Links: Find Jake online Follow Jake on Twitter | Instagram | Dribbble | Tumblr | Vimeo | YouTube Jake’s classes on Skillshare Get 2 months premium for free on Skillshare! School of Motion Udemy Adobe Stock Creative Market Videohive Episode 31: Adam Plouff – Battleaxe – Making Money in Mograph Part 1 Episode 32: Zack Lovatt - Technical Director - Making Money in Mograph Part 2 Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

For part two of our new mini-series, Making Money in MoGraph, I’m talking with someone who does something that not to many of us in this industry do - 2d technical directing. It’s just one of the many different and less than conventional ways that people who work in motion design can make a living. Zack Lovatt is a technical director with a truly diversified income stream. He writes and sells scripts in After Effects as well as working directly with studios to help streamline their process and improve their efficiency. Having started out as an artist before transitioning into his current role, Zack knows quite a few ins and outs of this industry. In this interview, Zack and I talk about what it’s like being a 2d technical director in motion design and how he diversifies his income through various types of work. We also discuss our predictions for the future of writing scripts for after effects. Furthermore, Zack is really upfront about his profits and losses which he shares publicly on his website and we dive into that too. In this episode: What it means to work as a 2d technical director in this industry The future of creating and using After Effects scripts The role that creating passive income streams can play in supplementing your income as a freelancer How and why you should keep close track of your bookkeeping and why you may want to share it publicly Quotes: “It’s the idea that anything that you don’t want to spend an hour doing manual finicky work, you can probably write a script to do that. I see a lot of value there and that is something I see growing; just everyday accessibility to these more technical approaches.” [10:13] “Having multiple sources of income is very important. I think passive income, or as passive as you can get, is also very important, especially in the freelance gig economy where you might not have work for three months. So even a trickle coming in on the side is more than nothing. The issue there is telling people to start writing scripts or learning plug-ins with the assumption that you’re going to retire is unrealistic.” [21:59] “A lot of people are like, ‘choose your rate and stick to it.’ But, in practicality, I never found that to be true. It's choosing your rate, stick to it unless you can’t, in which case be flexible because having some work is nicer than no work.” [31:25] Links: Find Zack Online Aenhancers After Effects Forum Cubic-bezier FXPHD Location Indie Pancake Invoicing Invoice Ninja FreshBooks FreeAgent Episode 31: Adam Plouff - Battleaxe - Making Money in Mograph Part 1 Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

This is part one of a new mini-series we’re doing here at Motion Hatch called Making Money in MoGraph. We’ll be hearing from people who are making money as motion designers in a number of different and less than conventional ways. Today, I sit down to talk with one of the most well known After Effects tool designers in the industry. Adam Plouff has created some of the most amazing After Effects tools, including RubberHose and Overlord. Before becoming an awesome tool creator, Adam worked in TV broadcast. It was there that he serendipitously fell into his current career. Since then he’s become one of the most prolific After Effects tool creators out there. He’s even been working with Google to make some of their tools. Adam and I talk about what it’s like to sell tools in this industry. It’s difficult to make this a fulltime job, but Adam has found ways to make it his. We also discuss how you can find the part of the motion design industry that’s best for you as a freelancer. We end by talking about how to strike a good work-life balance and creating work that still feeds your desire to create without getting bogged down in the business side of things. In this episode: How Adam transitioned from working with broadcast television to becoming one of the leading animation tool developers in the industry Why we need to appreciate all the aspects of the motion design business that may not be that obvious Reflecting on the work you’ve done to pinpoint the part of the industry that you’d like to work in the most Doing something different and unique so that you’ll get noticed (perhaps even by Google) Dealing with struggles and successes that come with working in this industry and its impact on our mental health Setting limits and guidelines in your business to make sure that the job doesn’t destroy your love of the craft Quotes: “There’s a definite downside of the quick sharing that we live in today. You don’t see all of the hard work and the years of practice that go into some stuff, and you don’t see how long it takes a team to come to a really cool solution. You just think everyone should be able to sit down and just generate content.” [8:25] “A lot of the confusion that can come from people who are in and around motion design is that they see just the cool parts of it. They see really pretty videos that go on the internet somewhere and it can be easy to miss the fact that there are so many other things that go into a good piece. Motion design is just a really small part of it.” [10:42] “I think it’s really easy as a freelancer to be reactive to what comes at you and to think that you only have the option to say yes or no to a project. But if you are treating your work like a business then you have a lot of opportunities.” [15:27] “As a commercial artist, developer, designer, whatever you do creatively for money, there are a lot of struggles and there are a lot of really good things in that if you take the time to curate your own life experience and find ways to enjoy what you do.” [38:35] Links: See what Adam is working on at Battle Axe Check out Adam’s older work Follow Adam on Twitter | Instagram | Dribbble | Vimeo | YouTube | Facebook 2018 Tried Really Hard to Destroy Me Figma The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber Zendesk Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Happy New Year Hatchlings! It’s a new year and time to reflect on 2018, what’s happened to Motion Hatch and this podcast, and go over my goals for next year. There’s a power to reflecting on the goals the goals we set, and I’m so glad you can be here with me as I do it. I hope this will help you reflect on your 2018 and set your own goals for next year. Today, I’m going over the goals I set for the last year. Some of my goals went better than I could have hoped for, such as doing more speaking engagements. Other goals went in a completely different direction than I thought they would. That’s just fine though because they led to new and wonderful opportunities. I also share my goals for 2019. From getting into mastermind groups to keeping my goals organized in a planner while I continue making this podcast, there is a lot in store for the year. The truth is, I couldn't have done it without you. I am so grateful to all you listeners for helping make this all possible!. So it’s time to nurse your New Year’s hangover and set some goals of your own for 2019! I’d love it if you could share a goal or two of yours in the comments below! Don’t forget to enter to win some sweet giveaways by tagging @motionhatch on Instagram or Twitter and use #newyeargivaway. Tell me an episode you liked, what you learned, and a goal you have for 2019! In this episode: Reflecting on my goals that I set for 2018 The way that setting goals makes clear what our values are What listeners like you are saying about the Freelance Contract Bundle Being part of a mastermind group and the amazing things it can do for your business Planning well so that you can find your purpose and then live it Quotes: “It was really awesome to look back and think oh, that’s what I was thinking about doing, and then some of it has actually happened. It was super incredible. It just shows you the power of putting stuff out there and thinking about what you want to do in your life and going for it.” [1:35] “If I didn’t have a mastermind I wouldn’t have Motion Hatch. I wouldn’t have my podcast. They just help me so much. It’s a great way to keep accountable and have accountability for your goals.” [14:57] “Finding your purpose means finding the way to use your unique skills or passions to live a fulfilled life.” [20:11] Links: Episode 8 - Austin Saylor Episode 29 - Mair Perkins Episode 20 - 6 Tips to Avoid Burnout and Achieve Your Goals Keyframes Conference Freelance Contract Bundle Join the Motion Hatch Community Sweet Ass Journal by Heath Armstrong MiGoals Planner Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

One of my favorite parts of being a motion designer is that it is possible to work from almost anywhere. However, finding clients when you’re not attached to a studio or location is a challenge. Don’t despair! There are strategies to use to allow you to get clients directly and make it all possible. Mair Perkins is an independent creative freelance business owner. As a motion designer that works remotely and direct to client, she knows a thing or two about staying gainfully employed while bucking the trend of being tied down to a studio. Most of Mair’s work is direct to clients. In today’s conversation, she shares how she finds these clients, or rather how she ensures that they find her. She really enjoys not working at a studio and talks about what it’s like to have the freedom to work from home. We also discuss how a properly run social media presence, particularly on Linkedin can be a huge resource for helping the right clients find you directly. There are tons of little and big things you can do to make this work for you. I’m so happy that Mair came on to share them with us all! Have you landed clients through Linkedin or other social media? Leave a comment! In this episode: Finding clients when you’re based far away from traditional animation hubs The advantages of not working in a studio Meeting other animators when you work from home Leveraging your website and social media presence to land more clients Getting testimonials and references to build your credibility Why not to ignore the altruism that can be part of your work Quotes: “I find if I post stuff, like a finished video or an animation I made recently for an organization, then I’m more likely to get an inquiry from someone who works in a similar organization.” [22:25] “I try to take as much responsibility for the project [as possible]. A lot of the people that hire me are often employees in a marketing department, so they already have tons of things to do. They don’t want to be micromanaging something else.” [34:02] “Try to empathize or think like the clients you’d like to work with. Try to imagine why they might need an animation, what kind of search terms they’d use when looking online for one and what sort of worries they’d have and how you could alleviate those worries.” [41:16] Links: Find Mair Online Follow Mair on Linkedin | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Youtube Animorsels Meetups School of Motion Freelance Manifesto Freelance Contract Bundle Episode 21: How to Shape the Life You Want Through Your Freelance Business aNEmates Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Do you ever find yourself so busy with work for clients that you never create or do something just for your own enjoyment or personal fulfillment? It’s a tricky balance to have a career that pays the bills but that still leaves you time and energy to do what fulfills you as a person and a creator. Joe Donaldson knows this struggle as well as anyone. In addition to being the founder of Holdframe, editor of Motionographer, and an instructor at the Ringling College of Art and Design, he’s a father of two and avid runner. Joe’s ten years working in motion design have taught him countless lessons on finding that right balance between work and healthy living that so many of us struggle with. In today’s interview, we discuss building a healthy work-life balance that starts with your education. From there it’s all about navigating the outside pressures and demands that take up our time and energy. Through his own successes and setbacks, Joe has learned a lot about this and shares his wisdom in this episode. What has been your biggest struggle with maintaining a healthy work-life balance? Share it with us in the comments! In this episode: The outside influences that pressure us to be workaholics The experience of motion design students today and how it prepares them to enter the workforce How motion designers can learn from each other’s work and benefit from that exchange Finding the sweet spot between working for money and working for art’s sake How your priorities will change throughout your life and career Setting boundaries and regularly checking in with yourself so that you only take the right jobs Why it might be a good idea to go for a run! Quotes: “I think there is a pressure that is imposed on us from the industry at large to keep going and stay in fifth gear and that becomes difficult.” [4:09] “It’s always about that balance. You don’t want to be too artsy without marketable skills and you don’t want to be too industry and have everything just look like an advertisement or a logo. It’s about finding that balance.” [13:29] “You have to look at is the effort as working in the direction that you want to go, or is it working in the direction that inversely favors somebody else over yourself.” [43:24] “I have a constant dialogue of assessing why am I doing this and is it right for me. As long as you have that dialogue with yourself there might be times when you’re working too much, but if it’s for the right reason or it’s a stepping-stone to a goal you have, then, by all means, keep doing it.” [46:36] Links The Freelance Contract Bundle Is LIVE! Get all the info on it here! Find Joe Online Motionographer Holdframe Ringling College of Art and Design The Collective Podcast, Danny Yount Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Making career decisions that are based on your heart and not your wallet is tough. It’s also important if you plan on having a fulfilling career. Don’t be scared, others have made the difficult transition and my guest today might just inspire you to follow your passions too! Laura Peña is a motion designer who transitioned to working remotely from all parts of the world as a digital nomad. Recently though she put her career on hold to pursue a truly inspiring and meaningful passion project. It all has its challenges for sure, but as you’ll hear Laura tell you in this interview, it’s been worth every bit of it. When it comes to working as a digital nomad, Laura has had to deal with some unique difficulties. We discuss how to keep old clients and find new ones when you’re working in distant countries. Networking while traveling and working is difficult, but Laura has figured it out and it has been totally worth it. Laura has also been working steadily on a passion project film series “She is the Universe” in which she interviews teenage girls around the world about their dreams, passions, and obstacles. This is such an amazing and important project and we discuss what it means to be driven to create and pursue your dream job. Have you been working on a passion project? What sacrifices have you made to do so? How has it fulfilled you as a person? Leave a comment below! In this episode: How to transition into working as a digital nomad full time Some of the common pitfalls of working remotely and how you can cope with them Dedicating yourself to a passion project of your own design Using meditation to unplug and center and ground yourself Getting outside the motion designer box and meeting and getting inspired by people in other fields Quotes: “I realized that my freelance clients and also my clients, the ones that I’ll do everything for, they really didn’t care where I was as long as I was delivering the work.” [6:41] “That’s the hardest part of traveling, the networking. It’s hard to network because usually for someone to like you and recommend you, usually you meet in person. So even when I’m traveling I try to keep in touch with the people that I know because you never know who's going to connect you with whom.” [12:14] “We think that to do something we have to have it all figured out and have all the answers, but we really don’t.” [20:26] “If you can have fun and be inspired and from that create something else, I think then why not do it. So explore, be curious, experiment, and try to figure out what it is that lights you up.” [25:49] “We spend so much time on the computer because this is what we do, this is our work and we love it. Sometimes it’s really hard to unplug and to even think about something else when you’ve been staring at your computer for so long that you can become really disconnected from yourself.” [35:00] Links The Freelance Contract Bundle Is LIVE! Get all the info on it here! She is the Universe Follow Laura on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube Insight timer app The Good Life Project Ted Radio Hour Big Magic Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Constructing good habits and sticking with them can be hard. With all the different parts of being a motion designer, let alone just being a functioning human, there’s so much to do all the time. Having good and productive habits is the key, and that’s what I want to talk with you about today. This solo episode is inspired by a book I just read called Atomic Habits by James Clear. Essentially, it speaks to how making tiny changes in our lives can lead to amazing results. James writes about four ways to build a good habit and I’m going to discuss those with you on this episode. I’ve started to implement these habit building strategies into my life and I’m already seeing incredible results! How do you build and maintain good habits? Let me know in the comment on the episode page! In this episode: How making small and incremental changes on a regular basis adds up to big changes over time Making good habits obvious so that you can’t ignore or forget about them How surrounding yourself with people who are doing similar things as you can support attractive habits Constructing systems and environments that will make your good habits easy to do Making your habits satisfying so they feel good when you complete them Quotes: “Habits appear to make no difference in the first days, weeks, or months. It takes a little time but then breakthroughs happen.” [5:03] “If you’re surrounding yourself with people who are doing similar things then you’re more likely to do it.” [13:33] “You can have a week or a day off whenever you’re doing your habit. But as soon as you start missing it over and over again, you’re just going to lose momentum.” [22:24] Links The Freelance Contract Bundle Is LIVE! Get all the info on it here! Episode 20: 6 Tips to Avoid Burnout and Achieve Your Goals Atomic Habits by James Clear Location Indie Insight Timer Meditation App Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Sharing your work and asking for feedback is nerve-wracking. It’s a vulnerable place to put yourself, but as today’s guest emphasizes, it may be the most important way to furthering your career and growing your craft. If you want your career to take off, you have to take chances. Today, Sabrina Curry tells us how she did it! Sabrina is a motion designer at Facebook and former animator at College Humor. Her road to landing a coveted position at this giant company is truly fascinating and illuminating and full of actionable tips. We talk about exactly how Sabrina became a motion designer at Facebook, and how she’s still not sure exactly how they heard about her to begin with. Sabrina has a feeling it happened because she was willing to put her creations out in the world and listen openly to the feedback she received. Sabrina and I go on to discuss what it’s like working at a huge company and how they foster a supportive work-culture so that everyone feels comfortable sharing their creative ideas. There’s so much valuable advice in this interview. I’m so glad that Sabrina could come on and share it with us all! Have you learned any important lessons by sharing your work with others? Tell us about it in the comments on the episode page! In this episode: The process behind landing a job at a major company like Facebook The importance of asking for constant feedback on your work Advice for interviewing at a large creative or tech company How sharing your work and getting feedback is absolutely crucial Sabrina’s strategies for overcoming imposter syndrome Quotes: “Sharing your work is the best thing you can do, whether it’s good or bad. Sharing my work over the years has been the reason I’ve been able to get anywhere. You can’t get opportunities if you're hiding from them.” [12:25] “What is good and what isn’t can be completely different to someone viewing your work. So I think it’s best to get comfortable with sharing your worst sometimes. You might be surprised with how it resonates with some people.” [14:28] “Understanding that you’re always going to be in this constant cycle of learning and growth helps you get more comfortable with knowing that you’re not an imposter. You’re just in one of those fields where you’re always going to be a student, and that’s okay.” [26:47] Links The Freelance Contract Bundle Is LIVE! Get all the info on it here! Sabrina’s Website Follow Sabrina on Instagram Punanimation Watch Sabrina in a College Humor sketch! Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Let’s face it, we’re motion designers, not legal experts. But in this business, there are myriad legal concerns from understanding contracts to protecting intellectual property. This all may seem scary, but as my guest will tell you, they are nothing to be afraid of. Jamie Lieberman is a founder and partner in the US-based law firm Hashtag-Legal. She specializes in working with creatives, content providers, and service professionals, many of whom work online. Jamie is an expert in copyright and trademark law and helps make sure her clients are informed and protected in these important areas. As motion designers, there is a ton to consider when it comes to protecting intellectual property. We discuss how a lawyer can be essential in making sure everything is in order in regards to protecting your work. It’s important that we have good contracts that are very specific when it comes to who owns what is being created. Jamie speaks to the importance of creating a business, such as an LLC, to protect yourself as a professional and its importance for anyone in the creative fields. How comfortable are you that your work and business is protected legally? Let me know if the comments on the episode page! In this episode How lawyers can help motion designers with their businesses Forming an entity, such as an LLC, to protect yourself and your business What you need to consider if you’re starting your own studio or have employees The role of contracts in protecting yourself and lending your business legitimacy How to use your network to find the lawyer who is right for you What intellectual property is and how to think about it from a legal and business point of view What should be included in every contract you enter into Quotes “If you’re generating income it’s important to form a business in order to protect your personal assets.” [9:45] “Your lawyer should be a partner in your business, and that I cannot stress enough. So if you approach a lawyer and they feel scary to you, walk away, look for somebody new.” [18:28] “Saying no to deals is not bad. It has to be the right deal. You can’t just take deals just because you’re getting deals, because you’ll end up resenting that client and it won’t make sense for you.” [29:09] Links The Freelance Contract Bundle Is LIVE! Get all the info on it here! Hashtag-Legal Motion Hatch Interview with Silvia Baumgart Part 1 and Part 2 Shutterstock music library Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

As freelancers, we often miss out on the team building and community that people in companies and studios have. There’s so much we can learn from each other, but miss out on because we are off on our own. I know this is something I’ve experienced. Today, we’re diving into the topic of how to build those connections and how it will support you in your work. Jorge Canedo AKA Jr.canest is a freelance animator and creative director in Vancouver, Canada. Also the Founder of Wine After Coffee and Blend Festival, which I’m sure you have heard of! Before setting out on his own, Jorge worked for some big studios like Giant Ant and Buck. He has a lot of insight to share on making the transition from working for a company to doing it in your own and building his own studio. He also shares with us how and why he started Blend and Wine After Coffee. In this episode, we discuss how to work well with other people, a skill that is often overlooked in this industry. Jorge reminds us of why teamwork is an indispensable skill to practice, even if you spend most of your time working on your own. How do you build your professional relationships as a freelancer? Leave a comment on the episode page and let us know! In this episode The advantages of working with others Why you need to be an effective communicator as an animator How Jorge started a Festival and why it’s important to build communities Tips and tricks on managing your time when it comes to side-projects How to manage your work/life balance. Quotes “It helps you grow immensely. When you’re freelancing, a lot of the times you’re on your own. I’ve found that the best way to grow is by having someone next to you, even if just to quickly glance at what you’re doing.” [8:44] “Communication is so big because you can be an incredible animator and have all the ideas in your head and be able to do it all, but that only goes so far if you can’t communicate that properly.” [13:52] “We need to be mindful that there’s a certain amount of good pressure to do good work and there’s a fine line between that and focussing more on work than on life.” [35:38] Links Keep up to date with the upcoming Freelance Contract Bundle Find Jorge Online Follow Jorge on Twitter | Vimeo Wine After Coffee Blend Festival Giant Ant Buck Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

So you want to be a motion designer. To go to art school or not? There is a healthy debate over whether or not a formal education is worth your time and money. Especially now with the proliferation of online courses, many aspiring designers are wondering if art school is still worthwhile, and today we’re diving into the topic with Dorca Musseb and Ryan Summers. Dorca and Ryan have been in the field for many years and offer a wealth of experience and advice on the topic of arts education, and we get deep into the pros and cons of different arts educations. Dorca is a designer and animator based in New York and Ryan is a creative director at Digital Kitchen. In this episode, we discuss the importance of going to art school to learn design principles and make important connections, but also the limits and the false expectations that these schools leave their graduates with. We go on to discuss how the proliferation of online classes has changed the game, but also its limitations. If you’re thinking about going to art school or taking a course, this episode is a must listen! Did you go to art school or decide against it? Was that the right decision for you? Let us know in the comments on the episode page! In this episode Where art schools fall short in providing a thorough education for motion designers and where they provide the best value How education has changed now that there are more online courses available The consequences of the homogeneity that art schools foster and the advantages of diversity Why personal and professional connections are perhaps the most important part of having a thriving career Quotes “The thing that I see the biggest dearth of is schools not teaching people how to be a working professional artist. They’re not teaching people how to become a freelancer. I think it goes even a step beyond that, just how to work well with others. These are the soft skills that I don’t see a lot of people coming out with.” [12:46] “I’m excited about where the online classes are going because now people are starting to realize that this is something that they can actually do and more voices are coming in and more voices are being heard.” [34:54] “If you don’t have people in a creative industry I don’t think any amount of education, any amount of software knowledge, any amount of raw talent will really get you through your career and get you where you want to go.” [46:45] Related Links Find Dorca Online Follow Dorca on Instagram Find Ryan Online Follow Ryan on Twitter Book a chat with Ryan “Don’t become another unhireable designer” article School of Motion Design Bootcamp Mo-Graph Mentor Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

As a freelancer, it can be tricky finding the right balance between pleasing your clients and building the work-life balance that is best for you. Tom Davis joins us today to discuss how he has built a business that is fulfilling on both a personal and professional level. Tom is a freelance motion designer and creator of Loop, an online store full of his own creative resources for other motion designers and an outlet for his passion projects. He’s recently transitioned into working remotely and we talk about that transition, its challenges and advantages. We also talk about how you can build your business to be truly satisfying on a personal level. Tom offers insights into how to keep your clients happy while staying true to your values and lifestyle. Do you work remotely? If so, how do you manage your clients’ concerns? Let me know in the comments on the episode page! In this episode How having more than one income stream can keep you busy during the lulls of freelance work Why donating a percentage of your profits to charity is a great thing to do both personally and professionally The ways in which working while traveling and can feed your productivity while offering a great break from the routine How you can adjust your rates to encourage clients to allow you to work remotely The importance of being part of a community while working remotely How to build client trust and assuage their fears about hiring remote workers Quotes “I think ultimately, being freelance when a business takes you on, they are making an investment in you, so if you are donating a percentage [to charity], that is saying this is who I am, and if that adds a plus point on my side, then power to it. Ultimately, as long as we do that good work, that’s the best thing possible.” [13:51] “It’s definitely tricky [to work remotely] if you haven't worked with an agency before because they’ll usually want you onsite. But as soon as they trust you and know how you work then they are more receptive to remote work.” [28:35] “You’ve got to try to build the work life that is the best possible one for you. We spend a lot of our time working, so why not try to make that really good.” [39:14] Related Links Tom’s website Made by Loop Follow Tom on Instagram | Twitter Nomad House WifiTribe Trusted Housesitters Location Indie Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

I don’t know about you, but it often feels to me like there’s a pressure in our industry to always be doing absolutely everything at once. Client work, personal projects, posting daily to Instagram, reaching out to potential clients, updating websites, and oh, don’t forget about family, friends and actually living your life! With all there is to do to move our careers forward, it’s easy to burn out and end up moving backward, so this episode I want to share 6 tips to avoid burnout and achieve your goals. In this solo episode, I’m going to dive into some techniques and strategies I use to help me move my business and career forward, that you can apply to your own career. I share some of my favourite tools, both online and physical, how to use your environment to de-stress and focus on long-term goals, plus one of the most useful time management strategies I’ve ever come across. I’d love to hear which of these strategies you’re already using, what jumped out at you, or any other tips you have for avoiding burnout and moving forward in your career! Leave me a comment on the episode page! In this episode: How to avoid the pressure to always be doing everything at once which can lead to burnout How to set up your physical space to help you disconnect, reflect, and strategize The importance of establishing an accountability partner or group Why you need to be writing your goals down and sharing them Quotes: “Take a week off and sit down and focus on your goals, where you’re going with your career and in your business, and think about what you want to focus on next. I think it’s really important to focus on the bigger picture and try to figure out what we want to do with our lives.” (2:50) “Have a space that you associate in your mind with relaxing, so you don’t have tv there, maybe it’s just a certain chair in the corner of the room and you have some nice plants there.” (5:32) “What’s the one thing you can do today in your career so that everything else will become easier or unnecessary. It kind of works like a domino effect, so what’s going to create that effect where if you knock down that first domino, it’s going to make all those other dominos go down easier?” (6:32)? “People with written goals are 42% more likely to achieve them than people without written goals, and if you tell a friend that goes up to 78%” (8:09) Links: Keep up to date with the upcoming Freelance Contract Bundle Episode 8 w/ Austin Saylor Episode 18 w/ Michelle Higa Fox The One Thing MiGoals Goal Digger Planner Asana Trello The Sweet Ass Journal To Develop Your Happiness Muscle in 100 days Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

How much networking do you do in the motion community? Have you ever done a speaking gig? Even though these might not be first things that come to mind when it comes to advancing your career, they’re the kinds of practices that can make a huge difference, especially if you don’t live in a location with a lot of motion designers. Caitlin Cadieux is currently an animator for The Atlantic. She grew up in Oklahoma and currently lives in upstate New York, both locations which are lacking in much of a motion design community. Today she tells us about how she integrated herself into the motion community online instead, and how that’s helped her move forward in her career. She also talks to us about convincing a more traditional company to let her work remotely, as well as where the motion community is currently hanging out online. We also discuss her recent appearance as a speaker at the NAB Conference, and how speaking can open up doors for you! How has the online motion community added to your life or career? Let us know in the comments on the episode page! In this episode: The changing perception of remote working in a traditional company How she broke into the motion design industry living somewhere with no motion community Where the motion community hangs out online The power speaking gigs can have on your role in the community Quotes: “I’ve done stuff with physical media [while working remotely] that would be a lot harder to do in the office.” 5:34 “I’m pretty introverted… but cultivating an extroverted side is really beneficial in a lot of ways.” 24:16 “I don’t have a cool Nike campaign to show, but there’s an audience out there that’s similar to how I was not too long ago, and that’s who I want to talk to.” 33:47 Links: Caitlin’s website Follow Caitlin on Twitter | LinkedIn | Instagram | Dribbble The interview with Jeff VanderMeer NAB Conference Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Over the course of an entire career, spanning different jobs, companies and goals, a lot of people find that their priorities shift, and so do their personal definitions of success. Michelle Higa Fox joins us today to talk about how those concepts have shifted for her throughout her career working as a freelancer, collaborator, agency owner, and now parent. Michelle is the founder and Executive Creative Director for Slanted Studios, which creates mixed-media animation for emerging technology. She was also a co-founder of the animation group Mixtape Club, with whom she co-directed music videos, produced commercials for clients like Google and Showtime, and whom she helped win several awards. Today, we talk about having representation as a director versus going it alone, the balance of doing personal projects while working full time, and what it’s like to collaborate with people over several years. She also goes into her thoughts on being a parent and an entrepreneur or team member, the mindset shift of being a business owner versus being a freelancer, and the shifting idea of success and what it is. How do you define success? Has your idea of success changed over time? Let us know in the comments! In this episode: Working with collaborators on a single brand Getting representation as a director How to justify time for personal projects while working full time Being a business owner vs being a freelancer Being a parent and an entrepreneur or a parent in the workplace Evolution of your personal concept of success Quotes: “It was more about finally getting the opportunity to make the thing that was in our heads as opposed to just realizing the storyboards we were getting handed at work every day.” 9:28 “Every time you learn a new angle, you draw on all the experiences you had previously.” 23:11 “The way I used to solve problems was always with time... Now that I’m a parent, that’s just not an option.” 33:19 Links: Slanted Studios Follow Slanted Studios on Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Vimeo | Behance | Instagram Michelle’s Personal Site Mixtape Club What Is My Day Rate? Find the full show notes here Keep up with everything Motion Hatch Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!