Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business

These motion designers built TWO successful studios w/ Illo and Algo

Hayley Akins — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 13:26:52 +0000

🛠 Check out my Perfect Your Pricing Toolkit here: https://motionhatch.com/pricing

Ilenia and Luca founded Illo, a motion design and animation studio in 2012. More recently Luca branched off to create a brand new motion design studio called Algo which focuses on creating video automation systems for clients.

I was eager to learn about why they decided to create two separate studios, how they manage their teams of 10+ people and how they market each studio to land huge clients like New York Times and Google.

We discussed:

✅ How Luca and Illenia built and grew two successful studios
✅ How their teams are structured and their advice for hiring
✅ How they use their social media and portfolio to attract dream projects
✅ What systems they find essential for any freelancer or studio owner

Illo: Website
Algo: Website

Listen next: Our episode with studio owner, Karl Doran.

Rate this podcast
Listen to this podcast next

Is this the best business model for motion designers in 2025? | Q&A

Hayley Akins — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 13:29:29 +0000

As we draw 2024 to a close, I thought a Q&A episode would be a nice way to end the year on the podcast.

I get questions all the time about specific problems that motion designers face when running their businesses.

So, the chances are that you're facing these problems, too.

In this episode, I share my thoughts on how you could run a successful subscription-based motion design business, my opinions on charging for your project files and how much time you should actually be spending on outreach.

In this episode, I cover:

- How to justify long timelines to clients

- How to stand out amongst other motion designers

- Should you charge for project files?

- How to build a profitable subscription-based motion design business

- How to find time and motivation for business tasks
- How to write the best copy for LinkedIn
- How much time you should be spending on outreach

Links Mentioned:
Sign up to our email list here
Submit a question here
Download our Vivid Vision Exercise
Download our Social Media Guide 2.0 📲
Joe Walker: LinkedIn
Hemmingway App*
Speechify*
Grammarly

(Any links above marked with a * are affiliate links. Using this link means we get a little kickback, but it doesn't cost you anything.)

Free resources to grow your career:
💸 Get your next client in 5 days!

Connect with Motion Hatch:
✉️ Subscribe to our newsletter
📸 Follow us on Instagram
🖥️ Find more free resources on our website

How I'd build a successful motion design business in 2025

Hayley Akins — Fri, 29 Nov 2024 12:57:47 +0000

🌟 Grab my Perfect Your Pricing Toolkit: https://motionhatch.com/pricing

Get out your notepad and pen, grab a hot drink and get ready for a jam-packed episode! 📝☕️

This episode is split into two parts.

Part 1 is for anyone who is starting completely from scratch and has zero clients right now.

Part 2 is for anyone who already has some clients but wants to attract new ideal clients they’d love to work with, while also building a more consistent revenue stream.

For Part 2, skip to 07:47

In this episode, I cover:

- How to make new connections in the industry

- How to stay top-of-mind using a CRM and social media

- How to identify your ideal clients

- How to discover your niche and unique offering

- How to forecast your revenue to find more financial stability

Links Mentioned:
Perfect your Pricing Toolkit 🛠
FREE Social Media Guide 2.0 📲
Learn more about Client Quest 🚀
Camp Mograph 🏕
Our video podcast with Kevin Rapp
Luke Stanley: LinkedIn
Hollie Arnett: Website

Free resources to grow your career:
💸 Get your next client in 5 days!
📲 Download our free social media guide 2.0

Connect with Motion Hatch:
✉️ Subscribe to our newsletter
📸 Follow us on Instagram
🖥️ Find more free resources on our website

What’s working RIGHT NOW to get freelance clients?

Hayley Akins — Thu, 31 Oct 2024 10:31:31 +0000

🌟Download my FREE Social Media Guide and Freelance Funnel Framework worksheet here: motionhatch.com/inmotion

This video was filmed LIVE at the Barbican in London for the Playgrounds In Motion event.

My lovely friend Ashleigh Robertson, a freelance motion designer, interviewed me about what’s currently working to get clients right now.

In this episode, we discussed the motion design industry’s ever-changing landscape and how we can adapt and leverage these changes to stand out to potential clients.

- What can new freelancers do right now to get clients?

- How can established freelancers and studio owners get clients right now?

- How to set up your CRM to get more clients

- How the motion design industry has changed

- The best way to niche down and stand out to new clients

Ashleigh Robertson: Website
Playgrounds, In Motion: Website

BONUS: Do mograph events help you get clients? w/ Jess Herrera

Hayley Akins — Thu, 03 Oct 2024 12:57:32 +0100

This is a special bonus episode of the Motion Hatch Podcast!

I recently got back from Camp Mograph in the US, and while I was there, I filmed a mini-podcast episode with Jess Herrera. (This episode was filmed outside, so listen out for the birds in the background.)

We chatted about whether it's worth travelling for this kind of mograph event and whether they can help you grow your network and get clients.

Thanks to Agustin Eguia for filming and cleaning up the audio and Jen van Horn for helping set up for filming this episode!

Links mentioned:
🚀 Learn more about Balanced Business Bootcamp

Follow Jess Herrera: Website | Instagram

Listen next: Our previous episode with Jess Herrera

We're taking a break...

Hayley Akins — Thu, 01 Aug 2024 13:00:00 +0100

I have some news for you this week...

We are taking a short break from the podcast and YouTube channel until the Autumn (fall). We'll be coming back even bigger and better with the second half of season 2. I hope you have a wonderful summer, and thank you so much for supporting Motion Hatch!

Links mentioned:
🚀 Join the self-paced version of Client Quest Live
💬 Leave us your feedback and suggestions

Studio owner's advice on getting hired and starting an animation studio w/ Flow Creative

Hayley Akins — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0100

Flow Creative is an award-winning animation and branding studio based in Manchester, UK.
In this episode, Karl Doran, owner and founder, shares his insights into running Flow Creative, along with key points on his journey from freelancer to studio owner.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How to start an animation studio
The difference between freelancer and studio owner
How to get clients as a studio
How freelancers can get hired by studios
Transitioning from a creative to a management role

Follow Flow Creative: Website | Instagram

AI is here. Future-proof your motion design career w/ Curious Refuge

Hayley Akins — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 13:00:00 +0100

Caleb and Shelby Ward founded Curious Refuge after going viral for using AI to create a fake Wes Anderson x Star Wars movie trailer.
In this episode, I ask Caleb and Shelby how motion designers can realistically utilise AI in their workflows, the best AI tools to use and how we can future-proof our careers against the rise of AI.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How Caleb and Shelby went viral with their AI project
How they formed Curious Refuge
Will AI make roles in animation redundant?
What AI tools should motion designers be using?
How can you implement AI into your pipeline?
How can you future-proof your motion design career against AI?

Follow Curious Refuge: Website | Instagram

Unreal Engine, Fortnite and Netflix: My Journey to Indie Film Director w/ HaZimation

Hayley Akins — Thu, 23 May 2024 13:00:00 +0100

HaZ Dulull, founder of HaZimation, is a multi award-winning Film and Games Director, developing & producing feature films, tv and video games using Unreal Engine. In this episode, HaZ shares his journey from in-house VFX artist to indie film director. We also discuss how to access funding for original content/IP, how to win pitches, and how to start your own studio.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How HaZ went from VFX artist to indie film director/studio owner
Techniques and strategies for winning pitches
How HaZ wrote/directed a fully animated film released on Netflix
The importance of networking at conferences
How HaZ transitioned from indie filmmaking to building a game in Fortnite
How HaZ fully utilised Unreal Engine in his career

Follow HaZimation: Website | Instagram

Balancing parenthood and productivity as a motion designer

Hayley Akins — Thu, 09 May 2024 13:00:00 +0100

Mothers of Mograph are trying to combat feeling alone as moms in the creative industry. Parenthood is often considered a taboo topic in the creative industry, something Jennie Davis and Kaci Smith are on a mission to change with Mothers of Mograph.
In this episode, Jennie and Kaci share challenges and solutions to being a creative while being a parent, how they manage their schedules and how they've both benefitted in their careers since having children.

Jennie and Kaci discuss:

What is Mothers of Mograph?
The impact that becoming a parent can have on your career
How to better manage your time with kids
The positive outcomes of being a parent and a motion designer
How the creative industry can better support parents

Follow Mothers of Mograph: Website | Instagram

Negotiation Expert’s Secrets to Dealing with Tough Clients w/ Kwame Christian

Hayley Akins — Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:00:00 +0100

Kwame Christian is an expert in negotiation. He is the Founder and CEO of the American Negotiation Institute, host of the world's most popular negotiation podcast and author of two best-selling books. He is also a contributor at Forbes, and his TEDx Talk, Finding Confidence in Conflict, was one of the most popular TED Talks in 2017.
In this episode, Kwame shares his negotiation secrets to better discuss rates/budgets with your clients, how to adopt an abundance mindset and setting expectations with clients with better communication.
We also share a Q&A with Kwame from a call with our Motion Hatch students in Balanced Business Bootcamp.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How to negotiate with your clients
How to raise prices without losing clients
Common negotiation mistakes and how to avoid them
How to be confident in saying 'no'
Maintaining client relationships through the negotiation process
Negotiating expectations, not just transactions.
Techniques for negotiating with stubborn individuals
The role of likeability and leverage in negotiations

Follow Kwame: Instagram | Linkedin

Links: American Negotiation Institute | Negotiate Anything Podcast

How Jessica Hische's network led her to Wes Anderson

Hayley Akins — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 13:00:00 +0100

Jessica Hische is a lettering artist, freelancer and author, selling books and craft supplies in two brick and mortar stores in the US. Jessica has built an incredible personal brand by building a following on social media, writing her own children's books and speaking at events such as OFFF and Adobe Max. Her network has helped her to land huge clients, including working on titles for director Wes Anderson.
In this episode, Jessica shares her networking secrets to land big clients - including the benefits that smaller clients can offer. She also discusses how to make the most of pitching to clients, how newsletters may be the future of communicating to clients and how to avoid social media burnout.

In this episode, you'll learn:

How Jessica worked with Wes Anderson
Why networking is important as a designer
How to make the most of pitching to clients
How to avoid social media burnout
Behind the scenes of Jessica's brick and mortar stores
How to land big clients

Follow Jessica: Website | Instagram

Links: My First Book of Fancy Letters

This motion designer made $500,000 in his first year w/ Kevin Rapp

Hayley Akins — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 13:00:00 +0000

Kevin Rapp made $500,000 in his first year freelancing after discovering the value of content systems and passing this on to high-profile tech companies.
Kevin is an award-winning, multi-disciplinary creative director with vast experience ranging from start-up disruptors to Fortune 500 companies.
In this episode, Kevin shares his unique approach to building video content systems. We also discuss strategies for attracting clients on LinkedIn and practical tips for motion designers to transition to a more business-oriented mindset.
Since recording this episode, Kevin reached an astonishing $1 million in sales!

In this episode, you'll learn:

How Kevin made $500,000 in his first year as a freelancer
What are scalable content systems?
How to shift your mindset into the business side of motion design
How to get clients using social media
How to efficiently get clients from LinkedIn
How to negotiate with clients

Follow Kevin: Website | LinkedIn

Season Two Trailer

Hayley Akins — Mon, 25 Mar 2024 16:10:38 +0000

We're back with a brand new season of the Motion Hatch Podcast featuring some incredible guests! Motion Hatch helps motion designers to start and scale their businesses.We dive deep into the challenges freelancers and studio owners come up against and have conversations with a wide range of business and marketing experts through the lens of motion design, as well as designers, animators, and artists who are just a few steps ahead of you.
Together, we uncover the exact next steps you can take to a thriving and sustainable motion design business. If you're new to Motion Hatch, you might not know that the podcast already has over 100+ episodes in its back catalogue.
This season, we're taking it up a notch, exploring the tough questions freelancers and studio owners face every day.

BIG NEWS! The podcast is back!

Hayley Akins — Wed, 13 Mar 2024 12:37:14 +0000

The Motion Hatch Podcast is BACK! We're thrilled to announce that Season Two of the podcast will return on the 28th March! We have some incredible guests lined up for you too, we can't wait to share it with you!

101: How to niche down as a motion designer w/ Giuseppe Forestieri

Hayley Akins — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 13:13:34 +0100

Should you niche down as a designer? We’ve all heard this advice! So, does niching down help you to win more clients or empower you to be seen as an expert? In this podcast, Hayley speaks with one of our Accelerator students, Giuseppe about how he niched down his animation studio Motion Aptitude to work on projects he loves.

About Giuseppe Forestieri

Giuseppe Forestieri is the Animation Director of his own studio, Motion Aptitude and has a background in visual communication, specialising in animation and Illustration.

Motion Aptitude is the fusion of two of Giuseppe’s biggest passions in life: creativity, and the great outdoors. In this episode, he explains how he found his niche and hopes he can inspire other designers to pursue the work they love.

100: Lessons learnt from making 100 podcast episodes w/ Hayley Akins

Hayley Akins — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 06:00:00 +0000

When Motion Hatch first started it was a side hustle, now it's a company! Have you considered starting your own motion design project to help you grow your career? Our founder Hayley Akins explains how and why she started this motion design podcast and what she’s learnt along the way.

About Hayley Akins

Hayley started Motion Hatch with the aim of helping freelance motion designers with the business side of motion design – but she wasn’t sure how to achieve this.

At the time, Hayley felt she had three choices for a motion design project: a podcast, blog or YouTube channel (she now has all three!). Initially Hayley didn’t feel confident filming videos and writing wasn’t her passion, so she decided to focus on creating her own motion design podcast.

Read the full shownotes.

99: How to create motion design side projects that complement your day job w/ Charli Marie

Hayley Akins — Tue, 02 Nov 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Looking to pursue motion design side projects but unsure how to find balance with your day job? In today’s episode Charli Marie explains how side projects can help motion designers to improve their craft and process.

About Charli Marie

Charli Marie is a Youtuber, podcast host and Creative Director at email marketing company ConvertKit.

Throughout her working career, Charli has always pursued some side projects outside of her 9-5 role. Currently she creates weekly content on her YouTube channel and podcast, Design Life, sharing insights into life as a professional designer alongside tutorials and advice on design tools and concepts.

Apply for our Accelerator Programme

98: How Giant Ant became a leading motion design studio w/ Jay Grandin

Hayley Akins — Tue, 19 Oct 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Ever wondered how motion design studios become known worldwide for their work? In today’s episode Jay Grandin explains how he built Giant Ant from the ground up and why he feels the studio has been so successful.

About Jay Grandin

Jay is Co-Founder of Giant Ant, an animation studio in Vancouver. As Creative Director, Jay oversees nearly every project in the studio—leading the concept development and script writing processes, as well as being actively involved in design and animation.

In 2006, after unexpectedly creating a series of viral videos with his wife Leah, the married couple found themselves quitting their full-time jobs and working on a freelance basis for MySpace.

Slowly Jay and Leah’s videos evolved from low budget live-action content to videos starring other people. Over time, the pair found themselves hiring team members and expanding into animation too. Eventually (after the arrival of twins!) Jay and Leah split the business into two: one for live-action and the other is the Giant Ant we know and love today.

Jay’s story shows how even the top motion design studios have humble beginnings.

097: How to make six figures as a motion designer w/ John Filipkowski

Hayley Akins — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Looking to make six figures as a motion designer, but not sure where to start? Motion designer John Filipkowski discusses how he hit this financial goal and how other freelance motion designers can achieve six figures too.

About John Filipkowski

John Filipkowski is a freelance motion designer based in Chicagoland, USA. He specialises in both 2D and 3D motion design and has worked with some amazing clients - from Sony, to Paypal and Samsung!

After already achieving a six-figure salary through full-time employment, John wanted to make the move to freelancing and gain more working freedom, but he also wanted to be sure he could match his salary.

Through extensive outreach, building a large network of fellow motion designers and potential clients, and most of all, keeping a level-headed approach, John has achieved this goal.

He hopes he can inspire other freelance creatives through his story, helping them to make six figures as a motion designer and find a more rewarding way of working.

096: How to scale your income through productized services w/ Brad Hussey

Hayley Akins — Tue, 14 Sep 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Do you ever feel like you’ve hit the ceiling in your motion design freelance business in terms of how much money you can make? Web designer, online educator and digital marketing consultant, Brad Hussey, presents a whole new way of thinking about how motion designers can do business and productize their services.

About Brad Hussey

Brad Hussey started his career as a freelance web designer and spent time working at an agency, where he worked as a front-end developer collaborating with motion designers and other creatives to develop everything from apps through to mini games.

Disenchanted by the fluctuation of freelance income, he decided to explore ways to add another income stream to his web design business. He started to run his own online courses, leveraging his expertise and helping creatives build their own websites, learn to code and design their own websites.

Over time he had unlocked a new way of working – productizing – something that Brad has turned into a career both as a web designer and a coach.

Now, he has taught more than 600,000 indie designers, developers and professionals how to get better at their craft and make a living doing work they love.

095: How to make passive income as a motion designer w/ Justin Archer

Hayley Akins — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Many motion designers dream of making passive income. But how do you actually go about doing it? Justin Archer is a freelance motion designer who also makes passive income selling templates for final cut pro editors.

He has almost 22k sales from Envato alone! In this episode, we explore how he started making money through After Effects templates and how you can still be successful even if a market is saturated.

About Justin Archer

Justin Archer has been a professional motion designer for the past nine years. For half of this time he worked for companies and for the other half, he’s been freelance whilst also pursuing different personal projects.

He started building templates for Final Cut Pro more as a way for him to start commissioning his own personal projects. He wasn’t getting enough work for 3D projects at the time and so he started using Envato as a way to make his portfolio more diverse - if he sold anything, that was simply a bonus.

He did some research and noticed that it was more multi-purpose motion graphics that seemed to sell well, so he started creating these - things like titles and lower thirds.

Before he knew it, he had a thriving side hustle that was generating him passive income. Here’s how he did it.

Read the full shownotes.

094: How to get signed by a motion graphic design agent w/ Drew Melton

Hayley Akins — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 07:00:00 +0100

For some people, the idea of working with an agent who helps you to find work seems like a dream come true. But how do you even go about getting signed by a motion graphic design agent?

Join Hayley and Drew Melton, Founder of artist representation agency Closer and Closer as he shares his tips on how to find the perfect agent and foster an amazing partnership with them.

About Drew Melton

Drew Melton started out his career as a graphic designer. He dropped out of college and started freelancing full-time.

He started a blog called The Phraseology Project. People could submit their work and he used this to practice his typography and grow his following at the same time.

He started Closer and Closer out of an attempt to get out there and meet people - he felt like he lived in a beautiful, extroverted city but he spent all his time indoors in front of a computer screen. He decided to leverage his natural people skills and his experience to bring people together to accomplish more than they could on their own.

Read the full shownotes.

093: How to work effectively with difficult clients w/ Ryan Koral

Hayley Akins — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Ryan Koral has spent the past 13 years telling brand stories through video storytelling. In that time, he’s learned a thing or two about working with all different kinds of clients.

Join us as he shares his top takeaways on how to build a great working relationship, no matter the brief or project.

About Ryan Koral

Ryan Koral has always loved shooting video. He started his business 17 years ago and what started as a $300 one-off shoot for his first client quickly lead to him and his team flying all around the world shooting beautiful weddings.

But as time went on and he started a family, he wanted to grow his business without the need to travel so frequently. A friend of his said “Ryan, you can tell peoples’ stories through video - it doesn’t have to be the story of their wedding.” and this opened his eyes to the possibilities in front of him.

He then rebranded his business, which is now called Tell Studios and 5 years ago he started another business called Studio Sherpas, where he talks about the business side of growing a video business. He also has a weekly podcast called Grow Your Video Business.

092: How to use brand strategy to grow your motion design business w/ Melinda Livsey

Hayley Akins — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 23:54:45 +0100

When you price your motion design projects, do you think about the value that you’ll bring to your client? How about asking them what success would look like?

These two things in combination will allow you to create your best work and get paid well for it. Join Brand Strategist Melinda Livsey as she teaches you how.

About Melinda Livsey

Melinda Livsey started her career as a graphic designer before turning to brand strategy and education. She teaches other designers how to make the switch from designing to becoming a brand strategist.

She really wanted to work on bigger projects so she made the move from graphic design to brand identity. From there, she learned she could solve even bigger problems and help businesses to make their brands more profitable and memorable.

091: How to grow a motion design studio and become known for your signature style w/ Cabeza Patata

Hayley Akins — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Katie Menzies and Abel Reverter started their motion design studio Cabeza Patata in 2018. Their signature style and playful character designs have won them work with brands like Google, Spotify and The New York Times in just three years. Recently, they’ve been working with more and more fashion brands too.

But how did they go about setting up their studio and being hired for their signature style? Find out in our latest episode.

About Cabeza Patata

Katie and Abel were both freelance motion designers and they’re also a couple. Their individual styles of work are very different so they didn’t at first think of joining forces.

They worked together on creative projects in their spare time and things grew organically from there. Before long, they started to think of themselves as a studio and the name, Cabeza Patata came along, as did their website.

Abel says that working freelance allowed them both to differentiate between the kinds of work they would do for clients on a freelance basis, compared to the kind of work they wanted to create as a studio.

090: Ageing in animation w/ Hannah Lau Walker and Helen Piercy

Hayley Akins — Tue, 22 Jun 2021 07:00:00 +0100

We’re all getting older - it’s something we can’t avoid. But what does it mean for your career in animation?

In our latest episode, we explore some of the key areas around ageing in animation and how you can feel confident and happy in your career, no matter your age.

About Hannah and Helen

Hannah Lau Walker is a freelance animator and the organiser of ‘She Drew That’, an organisation that runs workshops for women in the animation industry.

Helen Piercy is a lecturer for the animation and visual effects course at Norwich University of the Arts. She’s also the Education Advisor for Animated Women UK, an organisation that supports women working in the creative industries.

089: Time management tips for motion designers w/ Matt Ragland

Hayley Akins — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Do you constantly find yourself wishing you had more hours in the day? With multiple clients, deadlines and projects looming, life as a freelance motion designer can be stressful and overwhelming.

But what if you could find a way to structure your days so that stress became a thing of the past instead of a regular occurrence?

It might sound too good to be true, but this week’s guest will teach you how.

About Matt Ragland

Matt had tried blogging and podcasting before he settled on YouTube as a final creative project. What he realised through his prior experiments with blogging and podcasting is that the reason he hadn’t hit the goals he set himself was because he hadn’t been consistent enough.

YouTube was really his last attempt at growing an audience on a platform. He started out by posting one video a day for the entire month of February, then one new video a week for the rest of the year.

Matt says that consistency truly is key when it comes to creating any form of content. You also have to let go of your perfectionism - just focus on creating something and sharing it consistently. It doesn’t need to be perfect.

088: How to use Clubhouse effectively as a motion designer

Hayley Akins — Tue, 25 May 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Everybody’s talking about Clubhouse! This audio-only platform is taking our industry by storm.

But what exactly is Clubhouse? Is it worth joining? Can you get more clients through the app if you’re a motion designer?

Join Hayley as she answers all of these questions and more.

So what exactly is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse is an audio-only platform where you can attend “rooms” which is essentially an event to hear someone speak.

Within the event, you are given the opportunity (if you want it) to take the floor and speak.

One of the key benefits of Clubhouse for motion designers is that it gives you an opportunity to join discussions with industry experts and learn from and connect with them.

087: How to get hired by big motion design studios

Hayley Akins — Tue, 11 May 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Our Mastermind Mentors have a wealth of experience behind them. So when we gave our students the opportunity to hop onto Clubhouse and ask for their advice about something they’re struggling with in their careers, they jumped at the chance.

About the Mograph Mastermind Mentors

Hayley Akins is the Founder of Motion Hatch. Jess Peterson leads business, operations, and concept development at Mighty Oak, an award-winning creative studio specializing in hand-made animation and design.

Monique is a San Francisco-based, Miami-born, animator, illustrator, and director. Christopher Bernal is a Bay Area Motion Designer with over a decade of experience in the animation industry. And Jason Mallet is an award-winning freelance motion designer and video editor.

About the Mograph Mastermind students

Gabrielle is a motion designer and illustrator from Philadelphia. She’s a serial Mastermind student who has enjoyed the program so much, she’s returned more than once! She’s joined by student Brent, a freelance motion designer and animator and Ivan, a motion designer from California.

In today’s episode, they asked the Mograph Mastermind Mentors to help them to tackle the biggest issue they’re currently facing in their careers.

Apply for a place on the Mograph Mastermind before registration closes.

Download our free Social Media Guide for Motion Designers.

086: How to start a niche motion design studio w/ Roxy Vélez

Hayley Akins — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 07:00:00 +0100

As a freelance motion designer, sometimes you find yourself taking on work that you’re not particularly passionate about just to pay the bills.

But what if there was a way that you could exclusively work with brands who align with your personal values AND make a good living in doing so?

Today’s podcast guest will show you how she created a successful niche studio that supports veganism and plant-based living.

About Roxy Vélez

Roxy Vélez grew up in Ecuador but moved to the US to study a master's degree after she finished her studies in graphic design.

After she finished she moved to New York to become a freelance designer. She then moved across the world to Berlin and gradually made the transition from freelance motion designer to becoming a studio owner in 2018.

Learn how she did it in this fascinating episode.

Links

Apply for a place on the Mograph Mastermind.

Find out more about Vexquisit Studio

Follow them on Vimeo, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Find out more about Vegcraver.

085: How to start a side-hustle as a motion designer w/ Mary Hawkins

Hayley Akins — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 07:00:00 +0100

Nowadays it’s common for people to have more than one job or income stream.

Having a side-hustle allows you to have more freedom and control in your career as it’s not your only source of income - but how do you go about choosing one? And how do you get started?

Today’s guest has a popular Etsy store selling stationery as well as a successful career in motion design. In fact, having a side-hustle allows her to be pickier over the kinds of clients she works with.

Find out how you too can start your own side-hustle to complement your motion design career.

About Mary Hawkins

Mary Hawkins is a freelance motion designer, animator and art director. She joined our Mograph Mastermind last year to help her to get clarity on the kinds of clients she wanted to work with and because she was suffering from a massive case of burnout.

As a result, she has gone from being an in-house freelancer to an independent freelancer and she now gets to work with clients such as charities as well as broadcast designer clients.

How to start a side-hustle as a motion designer

Mary has built up an extremely successful Etsy shop selling voting-themed stationery - she’s made 12,000 sales in the past 4 years.

She credits her success to having such a niche store. Mary makes products for volunteers to write postcards to voters. Writing postcards to voters was a new idea back in 2017 that has become increasingly popular, which is how Mary Likes Postcards was born.

She paid $300 to get lots of printing done back in 2017 and has been running the business ever since. She’s never had to take out a business loan, or invest more money into it and even during a bad year like 2020, it still manages to pay for her family’s health insurance.

How to choose a side-hustle if you don't know where to begin

Although Mary was happy in her career, the really interesting jobs would often get sent to a big agency in NYC rather than be kept in-house.

As a result, she wasn’t spending much of her time at work actually designing, but she’d always find herself doodling designs at her desk.

Therefore it came as no surprise to Mary that her side-hustle incorporated something that was a pain-point in her career.

However she’s a designer, not an artist, and she knew she needed to create something with direction that people wanted.

When she designs for her store, she is always thinking “who’s going to like/buy this?” “What is the emotional response going to be?”

As a motion designer, you have a very specific set of skills so when choosing a side-hustle you should stick to things that you’ll enjoy doing and one that makes use of your skillset.

Some of the best ways to make money through a side-hustle as a motion designer would be teaching based content - 1:1 coaching for other designers or teaching YouTube tutorials.

You could also make money digitally, such as creating and selling an online course or make and sell templates, printables or fonts.

You could also create a print on demand business, where you print designs on tote bags, cards, pins or other physical products but you only create the product once the order comes in.

The key benefit of this is that you don’t want to have an inventory of stock. However, Mary’s business requires an inventory of stock, which of course takes up space and costs money to buy upfront but she says allows her business to be more profitable.

The difference between a hobby and a side-hustle

Mary sees her side-hustle as a micro-business. A side-hustle is not something that you do full-time, or for anyone but yourself.

It’s also a business that doesn’t require your attention on a full-time basis.

There’s also a difference between a side-hustle and a hobby. For example, if you are a designer who is making a short film, you’re an artist rather than someone with a side-hustle - as your primary goal is not to make money.

Having a side-hustle will make you a better motion designer

Mary says that having a side-hustle has allowed her to be a better organiser, a better planner, and a better marketer

Each of these skills, in turn, has allowed her to be a much better motion designer.

The pitfalls of having a side-hustle

One of the key downsides of having a side-hustle is the pressure it puts on you when it comes to time-keeping and organisation.

Having a side-hustle, even a small one, will undoubtedly take up a lot of your time. When you’re a “yes person” like Mary, who loves to say yes to many projects at once, you can find yourself stressed and overwhelmed with a never-ending to-do list.

There are also copyright issues when it comes to designing and selling work online.

Running two different kinds of businesses also means that tax and accounting can become more complicated.

Should you sell products on Etsy, Amazon or Faire?

Amazon requires sellers to jump through a lot more hoops than other platforms. They also take a large chunk out of your earnings, however, everyone is on Amazon as it’s such a well-used company.

Etsy is a smaller marketplace but people seem to respond to the handmade element of businesses better due to the nature of the product.

Faire is a similar platform to Etsy but for wholesale buyers.

It might be better for you to have your own website rather than sell with a platform - it depends on the product you are selling.

There are all sorts of marketplaces out there, you just have to search for them.

But ultimately, your side-hustle has to be something you’ll genuinely enjoy doing and something that people want and will pay for.

084: What does IR35 mean for UK motion design freelancers? w/ Andy Chamberlain

Hayley Akins — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0000

There are 5 million self-employed people in the UK and if you’re listening to this episode, it’s likely you’re one of them.

If you’re a freelance motion designer you’ve probably heard about the IR35 tax law - but what does it mean for you and the way you do business?

In today’s episode, you’re going to find out.

About Andy Chamberlain

Andy Chamberlain is the Director of Policy for The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed (IPSE).

IPSE is the only non-profit organisation in the UK providing support to independent professionals and self-employed people in the UK.

What is IR35 and does it affect me as a freelance motion designer in the UK?

IR35 is a term used to describe two sets of tax laws that stop what is known as “disguised employment”.

This is when an individual acts like an employee and is treated like an employee but they disguise that employment by portraying themself as a limited company rather than an individual.

By doing this, both the individual and the employer who is hiring them essentially pay less tax - however, it’s illegal and a form of tax evasion.

IR35 will only affect you if you’re an individual operating as a limited company. If you are a sole trader, it does not apply.

So what is changing with IR35?

As it stands, the government is changing the way that IR35 works in the private sector - moving the responsibility from the individual receiving the payment to the end client.

The issue with this is that now many individuals are having to pay tax like an employee even though the company they work for gives them no employee benefits.

As an employee, when you get paid, the amount you receive has already had the tax and national insurance deductions taken out of it.

Under new IR35 rules, the same will now happen for self-employed people. This is making companies less likely to hire self-employed people because they don’t want to spend time putting them on their “books” and making tax deductions if they won’t be with the company for very long.

Therefore they are now advising self-employed people to work under an umbrella company that will make those tax deductions for them instead. This is because if they pay someone through their payroll, they have to make employers national insurance contributions which is an additional 13.8%.

Umbrella companies also don’t want to have to pay the 13.8% so they say to the individual “we need you to reduce your day rate so that we can afford to pay your employers national insurance contributions.”

So who benefits from this new system?

The only person who is really benefiting from this new system is neither self-employed people nor the end client - it’s the government.

Rather than waiting a year for a self-employed person to submit their tax return, they are now able to gather a lot more tax from self-employed people more quickly.

End clients are now worried - because if they say that IR35 doesn’t apply to a contractor they are working with and carry on paying them their gross pay as before, HMRC can approach them at a later date and they will be held liable.

Because IR35 is so complicated, many end clients are choosing to put all self-employed workers under the IR35 rules rather than risk being penalised later on down the line.

Does IR35 apply if I am a sole trader?

IR35 only applies if you are a self-employed person working as a limited company and not if you’re a sole trader.

Historically end clients have preferred to work with people who operate under a limited company because it mitigates their risk. For example, there are some laws that apply whereby if a sole trader didn’t pay the correct tax, the person who paid them could be liable.

If you currently have a limited company and are concerned over the implications of IR35 on you and your freelance business, you could consider dissolving your limited company and become a sole trader, provided your clients were still happy to work with and pay you on that basis.

There are benefits and drawbacks to being a sole trader or a limited company. Ultimately, only you can decide what is best for you.

Am I inside or outside IR35?

Andy explains that for employment to exist, you need to have each of the following:

Personal service - one individual required to do the work themselves, they cannot send a substitute. If you feel you can send a substitute to do your work, this is one of the key ways in which you could dispute an IR35 claim.
Mutuality of obligation - is the end client obliged to provide the contractor with work and is the worker obliged to accept that work and do it? Contractors are able to turn down work, whereas employees are obliged to carry out any work they are given.
Control - how much control does the individual have over the work they are doing? If you are an employee, the employer has the right to control your work. However, if you’re a freelancer, you are largely able to dictate your own work and the way in which you produce it.

If you can prove that any one of these three elements does not exist in the end client relationship, then IR35 does not apply to you.

What should I do as a freelance motion designer to prepare for this?

Andy advises freelance motion designers to consider what factors distinguish them from paid employed inside the companies that they are currently working with.

If you are unsure whether IR35 applies to you or not, you can use the Check Employment Status for Tax tool (CEST) on the Government website, print out the results and show them to your client.

Small company exemption rules

The rules we have covered so far in regard to IR35 tax rules only apply to end-clients who are medium or large in size. Small companies don’t have to make these considerations under the small company exemption rules.

A small company has to meet two of the following three criteria:

The company has less than or equal to 50 employees
The company has less than or equal to £10.2 mil turnover
Less than or equal to 5.1 million on their balance sheet

Protecting yourself with a Statement of Work Contract

A statement of work is a type of contract that sets out the set deliverables and milestones required for you as the contractor to carry out the work. Payment is then on delivery of those milestones.

If you have a contract like that then it makes it very hard for anyone to claim IR35 applies to that written contract, so long as the work carried out matches what was in the contract.

A Statement of Work Contract could be a great way to carry on working as you have been with no IR35 implications.

If you’re unsure about your existing contracts, consider paying to get them independently reviewed.

Andy finishes off the episode by answering some frequently asked questions that have been submitted by Motion Hatchlings, so make sure you listen to the end to see if you...

083: How to find direct clients using LinkedIn w/ Marc Lawrence

Hayley Akins — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Do you use LinkedIn as a way to get direct clients?

If you haven’t previously considered using this awesome platform, then this week’s guest might just persuade you.

About Marc Lawrence

Marc Lawrence spent 20 years working in the corporate world - starting out as a motion designer and moving upwards to eventually have a leadership position in his company.

But ultimately, Marc found himself at a crossroads when he faced redundancy in his job.

The commute to work was becoming increasingly difficult and despite loving his job and the company he worked for, he felt that a change was well overdue.

How to make the transition between being employed and going freelance

Marc decided that he would like to specialise in creating motion graphics specifically for social media.

Despite having no experience running a business, no professional network and very few peers in the industry, Marc was determined to make freelancing a success.

He started his freelance career by becoming a Motion Hatch Mastermind student.

This helped him instrumentally with branding himself, setting up a website and figuring out the practical steps for attracting the kinds of clients he really wanted to be working with - which in his case was working with direct clients.

How to utilise Linkedin to get direct clients

Marc soon found that LinkedIn was a brilliant platform to form real connections with people. Though Instagram is also a great platform for motion designers, he believes it’s better suited to those seeking work with agencies than work with end clients like himself.

He started connecting with established creatives in different fields - motion design, graphic design, copywriting and more - and asking if they would be willing to have a quick, 30-minute Zoom call with him.

Much to his surprise and delight, almost everyone he contacted said yes.

Marc says that consistently engaging with people on LinkedIn - liking and commenting on their posts and being genuine in your comments - is one of the key ways to ensure success on the platform.

He also says that the best piece of advice he was given in regard to how to craft posts on LinkedIn was “write as though you’re talking to someone in a pub.”

He says that the minute he took a step away from the dry, corporate posts he’d been writing before and became more personable, people started to respond and engage.

How do I make sure my posts perform well on LinkedIn?

Marc has experimented with posting at different times but he finds that posting first thing before 9am seems to give his posts more traction.

Similarly, many experts recommend trialling posts that are published around lunchtime at 12-2pm and dinner time after 5pm.

Ultimately, how well your posts perform depends on your audience and what time they are online. You should spend some time trying different times and seeing which consistently perform well with your audience.

Other ways to drive engagement on LinkedIn include asking questions in your posts, posting external links in the comments of your post rather than in the main body of text (LinkedIn doesn’t like links that take people away from their platform), tagging relevant people in your posts, and creating a poll to find out your audience’s thoughts on a topic.

How do I make my posts stand out on LinkedIn?

As amazing as your animations may be, Marc says that there is a window of opportunity that motion designers are not taking advantage of.

One of his most popular services is creating animated written testimonials for clients - something that historically has only really been done in static, image form.

This is something that you can easily create from your own testimonials as well. Pick out the best bits of the text, make them kinetic, pick out a nice background and you have a quick, easy way to display the testimonials that are attention-grabbing and unique to you.

Case studies are also a valuable form of content. Take your audience down a journey from when the client initially got in touch with you, to the end result animation. If you can include tangible results and data as well as the actual animation, this puts you in an even more favourable position for potential clients.

Marc decided to offer one of his first-ever clients a discount on the package in exchange for 12 weeks of analytics data from the Instagram images. With this, he was able to show potential clients that what he produces gets brilliant results.

After 12 weeks of posting animated content on Instagram, the client’s revenue increased by 198% and their engagement by 500%.

Also don’t forget to put your contact details in your LinkedIn bio and make your headline stand out.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step - Lao Izu

As nerve-wracking as it can be starting on a new platform, or one that you have but rarely use, the first thing to do is gather the confidence to post something (our Social Media Guide can help with this!)

It can be hard putting yourself out there - but the more you do it, the easier it will become.

Marc says that the worst thing that can happen is that people aren’t interested in your post - and to bear this in mind whenever nerves, anxiety or imposter syndrome get the better of you.

Do you have a LinkedIn account? Do you remember to post on it regularly? If not, you could be missing out on an awesome platform to grow an audience, engage with people in the industry and attract exciting end clients.

Leave a comment on the episode page and let us know!

Links & resources

Download the free Social Media Guide for Motion Designers.

Find out more about our Mograph Mastermind program.

Find out more about our Client Quest course.

Find Marc on his website and LinkedIn account.

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

Podcast production by the team at BE MORE Media

082: How to find direction and focus as a motion designer w/ Ross Plaskow

Hayley Akins — Tue, 16 Feb 2021 06:00:00 +0000

As a motion designer, it’s likely you have a lot of different skills.

But knowing which projects to invest your time and energy in can be overwhelming.

This week’s guest has a successful YouTube channel and Patreon account. But he wants to spend more of his time creating games as that’s what he really enjoys.

Join Hayley as she helps Ross Plaskow to find his direction and focus as a designer.

About Ross Plaskow

Ross started out his motion design career by doing an animation degree at the University of Portsmouth before getting a job working for an agency - the first one he ever contacted!

He worked there for a number of years before leaving that job to go freelance full-time.

How to land that first job once you go freelance

In typical freelance fashion, the road to freelancing success wasn’t straight-forward for Ross. It took him 6 months to get his first freelance gig.

Ross attributes this to not tailoring his approach when it came to approaching clients - his portfolio was very diverse and he feels he should have been more selective in the examples of work he sent over to potential clients.

It took him 6 months to really perfect his showreel and once he did, he found that getting work became a lot easier. Therefore you shouldn’t be afraid to niche down, even at the beginning of your career.

How to diversify your revenue streams as a motion designer

Ross started his YouTube channel in 2016 making cartoons and tutorials. Things started out positively but he hit a wall with creating content when he got too busy with his freelancing.

He almost gave up entirely, but then he hit a quiet spot in his freelance career and made the decision to create very niche tutorials and put them on the paid content subscription site, Patreon.

He now has over 200 paid members on the platform and his YouTube boasts an impressive 105k subscribers.

Ross says that the reason his YouTube videos have done so well is because of good SEO - using common sense and researching what kinds of video titles are already out there and filling that void. His first tutorial video now has over 2 million views!

How to balance freelancing full-time with other ventures

These are impressive achievements. However, Ross voiced to Hayley that despite his successes with YouTube and Patreon, he finds it difficult juggling his freelance career with these other ventures and knowing where to invest his time and energy.

Even though he has built up an impressive number of subscribers, Ross

finds himself falling out of love with YouTube and wanting to pursue his real passion of making games instead.

Picking between what you CAN do and what you ENJOY doing

As a freelancer, it’s likely that you can do a lot of different things. But the way to achieve better job satisfaction is to spend more time doing the things you enjoy doing, rather than the things you can do just to get paid.

Even though Ross spends the majority of his time animating characters for other people in his work, he feels that his true passion lies in making games, however, he is doubtful that he could make a living doing what he loves.

Hayley explained that once you take control of these limiting self-beliefs, you’ll see that there are unlimited opportunities to make money as a motion designer or animator.

Ross and Hayley discuss the different ways in which you could carry on working whilst still working towards your dream of doing what you love full-time.

How to find direction and focus

Hayley recommends picking a focused goal for each and every year - such as Ross’s current goal of saving up to buy a house. That helps you to prioritise and focus your mind.

She also gives her advice on what she would do if she was Ross to combine her dream of making games whilst taking advantage of the large YouTube audience he already has.

She says you shouldn’t under-estimate the power of sharing the journey and behind the scenes with your audience. It’s an effective way to not only add value to your audience but also spark their interest in the project you’re trying to launch.

Sharing your goals with your audience will also help to keep you accountable and creating a proper plan will help you to keep on track.

If creating a plan for the year feels too intimidating, break down your goals into Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4.

Are you brimming with ideas but you struggle to know which ones to invest your time in? Do you believe you can make a living doing what you genuinely love to do? If not, why not? Leave a comment on the episode page and let us know!

Complete the Perfect Day Exercise and SMART Goals.

Links & resources

Explore Ross Plaiskow’s work on his website, YouTube channel, Twitter and Instagram.

Learn more about Client Quest.

Learn more about using accountability to achieve your goals through a Mastermind group.

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod.

Podcast production by the team at BE MORE Media

081: Should you start your own motion design studio? w/ Mack Garrison

Hayley Akins — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 11:31:40 +0000

Many motion designers dream of starting an animation studio one day - but how do you know if it’s really the right decision for you?

Are you willing to give up the creativity of actually doing motion design work to become a strategist, manager and entrepreneur?

Our latest guest will help you to decide if aspiring to own a studio is right for you and how to make it a success.

About Mack Garrison

Mack started Dash Studio in 2015 from a desire to create beautiful, bespoke work for clients and champion the creative talent of motion designers in the process.

Before starting Dash he had a diverse and varied career in different specialisms of design, before settling on motion design and in time, co-founding his own studio.

Making the move from freelancer to motion design studio owner

Mack started freelancing after he graduated as, like many new graduates, he struggled to find a job. This led him to try lots of different design specialisms, eventually niching down into motion design.

He then joined a local agency where he worked his way up to become an Art Director but ultimately, he knew he wanted more creative control over his day-to-day and the freedom to be able to create really bespoke, personalised work for his clients.

The pivotal moment for Mack was when he and his colleague (and now business partner) Corey were offered a huge, 15 video project. To take on the project they would need to quit their jobs at the agency.

Hiring a great team is vital to your success

A large factor in the success of Dash Studio are Mack and Corey’s complementary skill sets - where Mack struggles, Corey is able to help and vice versa.

Many people believe that you can’t succeed in certain areas if you lack certain skills, but by hiring people in-house or remotely you can build a multi-skilled, talented workforce.

Dash now has a team of 8 members of in-house staff and 20-25 contractors working on anything from 8-16 projects at any one given time.

The combination of full-time employed staff and freelancers allows Mack to be flexible to the needs of different clients and projects.

Everyone has different skills and one of the best things you can do for yourself is to work out what your individual strengths are and your weaknesses - that way you can recruit the skills that you don’t have into your team.

You can then collectively use everyone’s talents to make amazing work that is beyond what you’d be able to make on your own.

They created a pitch deck, won the work, and planned to start freelancing full-time once they finished. But a bigger conversation arose, they decided to pool their talent, skills and resources and that’s how Dash Studio was born.

Understanding what you want your career path to be

Mack suggests that if you like the idea of creating something special yourself, growing a business and managing people, then starting a studio could be incredibly rewarding for you.

However, if your passion lies in actually doing the motion design work yourself, then becoming a studio owner may not be the most satisfying career path for you because as your studio grows, you’ll find yourself doing the work less and less.

It’s important that you don’t try to do it all and that you work out a defined role within your studio.

If you want to start a studio with a business partner but you have no idea how to find one, it’s important to look to your community and network to find someone who has a similar mindset, outlook and work ethic as yourself.

Do you dream of starting your own studio? Is it something you would tackle alone, or with a partner? Has this podcast made you think differently about your goals? Leave a comment on the episode page and let us know!

Read the full show notes.

Links & resources

Download the Portfolio Checklist

The E-Myth: Why most small businesses don’t work and what to do about it by Michael E. Gerber

Rocket Fuel: The one essential combination that will get you more of what you want by Gino Wickman

Check out Dash Studio

Check out the Dash Bash festival

Follow Dash Studio Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Vimeo

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

Podcast production by the team at BE MORE Media

080: How to Become a Feature Film Animator w/ Nikki Braine

Hayley Akins — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 06:00:00 +0000

Finding work with a major studio making feature films can seem daunting. You may wonder if your work is good enough. But what if it’s not your work that ultimately gets you hired but something else entirely? If you’ve ever wondered how animators get to work on huge films, today’s guest is going to tell you how she did it.

About Nikki Braine

Nikki has been an animator for many years. Her career spans games, VFX, and feature films including ‘Paddington 2’ and 'Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them'. She was recently hired on as the animation supervisor for a new Netflix show.

What it Takes to Land Big Jobs

Nikki takes us on her journey into VFX and feature film work. She describes the interview process and why you shouldn’t be nervous during them. The truth is, once you’ve landed an interview, you’ve already made it past the majority of the hurdles to get hired. Just be yourself and show them that you’re a nice person to work with.

Although she received a formal education as an animator, Nikki doesn’t suggest that for everyone. There are so many great online schools and programs that can teach you what you need to know. Nikki suggests finding a specific aspect of motion design that interests you and exploring the online programs that focus on it.

Attitude is Everything

Nikki credits her eagerness to take initiative as what landed her in the job as lead animator. Getting this type of work takes problem-solving skills, great communication, and being approachable. Animating is just a small part of the job. It’s being able to effectively lead and inspire a team that makes a great lead animator.

What interview tips can you share with us? Leave a comment on the episode page!

How do you approach large studios when looking for work? Leave a comment on the episode page!

Download the Portfolio Checklist

Links and resources

Follow Nikki Braine on Linkedin

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative

079: How To Use Branding To Get Your Ideal Clients w/ Hollie Arnett

Hayley Akins — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 06:00:00 +0000

How you brand yourself may be one of the most important parts of being a profitable motion designer.

There are so many ways to go about it though. Do you brand yourself as a studio?

Should you show more of your personality on social media? What about a logo? How do you stand out from the crowd?

Today’s guest is going to help us answer all these questions.

About Hollie Arnett

Hollie Arnett is a branding coach and strategist. She specializes in helping creatives brand their passion so that they can build a business that allows them to do the thing that they love.

The Central Elements of Any Good Brand

Hollie boils effective branding down to three main elements. The first is clarity.

Both you and your audience need to be clear on what you do and who you target.

Next is creativity. You need something to help you stand out as you convey your messaging.

Lastly, you need consistency. Being consistent with your messaging will help people remember and recognize you.

The Best Branding is Simple Branding

Creating a logo for yourself may seem intuitive for a motion designer.

However, it’s not always a simple task. Hollie suggests considering whether or not you even need a logo.

If it’s holding you back, skip it altogether. Or, just use your name in a font you like. Ultimately, your brand is much more than a logo.

To effectively build a recognizable personal brand, Hollie recommends keeping it simple and recognizable.

Just a few core colours and fonts along with some patterns and photos should help get your core message and identity across.

Keeping this consistent across all the channels you use will keep you recognizable and memorable.

How can you use branding to convey your identity as a creative? Leave a comment on the episode page!

What do you struggle with the most when identifying your brand? Leave a comment on the episode page!

Find Hollie Arnett online

Links and resources

Follow Hollie on YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

Brand Your Passion Podcast

Vivid Vision by Cameron Herold

Chris Do - YouTube

Learn Brand Strategy with Melinda Livsey

Creative Strategy and the Business of Design by Douglas Davis

Related episodes

Episode 10: How You Think Of Your Freelance Business Matters with Chris Do

Additional resources

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative

078: How to discover your unique voice and find work you're passionate about w/ Monique Wray

Hayley Akins — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Sometimes we create outstanding work that doesn’t mean that much to us personally. Should you include it on your site anyway?

Today’s guest suggests that we cut that out and only include the type of work that we really truly want to make. That will get you to the heart of using your unique voice to drive your business.

About Monique Wray

Monique Wray is a San Francisco based animator, illustrator, and director. She specializes in creating character-focused illustrated and animated content for a wide range of companies.

What Makes You Unique is an Asset

As Monique pivoted her business from freelance to studio owner, she went on a mission of discovery to find her unique voice.

There is something that differentiates everyone and sets us all apart. Monique found that focusing on that not only helps her get noticed by clients but also leads to more personally fulfilling work.

Simply put, when you present the work that you want to do the most, you’ll attract the clients who want to hire you to do that sort of work.

Being Yourself to Find the Right Clients for You

We all want to create work that gets us hired. Monique finds that doing so should not be separated from your values, identity, and the impact that you want to make.

It may take intentional work to discover or rediscover what those elements are, but it’s worth it.

When your work is imbued with your values and identity, the right clients will resonate with it and be all the more eager to work with you.

Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon

Links and resources

Find Monique Wray online

Follow Monique on Instagram

The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson

Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

Related episodes

Episode 77: How to Plan Your Best Motion Design Year Ever

Additional resources

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative

077: How To Plan Your Best Year Ever

Hayley Akins — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 06:00:00 +0000

It’s nice to get paid for your work. But for many of us, that’s not the ultimate reason we’re in this business. We need to find a purpose in what we do and understand how we can positively impact the world with our creations.

Working Towards a Bigger Goal

Once we are earning enough to cover basic needs, the desire to work towards something bigger takes root. I find that motion designers are generally a group of people who care about what happens in the world. Finding work that aligns with your values is perhaps the best way to make a contribution. But before you can find the clients who will give you this work, it’s important to really identify the values that drive you.

Discovering Core Values

Identifying your core values means knowing what makes you unique. Take a step back and think about it. What is your unique perspective? How do you look for meaning? What would you do if money weren’t a concern? These are hard questions, but asking them will lead you to finding your true values and purpose.

An Exercise to Find Your Vision

To identify your vision, go somewhere quiet with a pen and paper. Break your vision into two categories: personal and career. What do you want these to look like in three years? Write it as if you’re living it now. Brainstorming about what you want your life to look like will bring your values to the forefront.

The next thing to do is learn how to attract the clients who align with these values. You’ll need to make a plan and implement it. This can be hard to do when you’re already busy, but taking small actions now will inevitably move you closer to achieving your vision.

Apply to the Mograph Mastermind

Links and resources

Ruined by Design by Mike Monteiro

Vivid Vision by Cameron Herold

Additional resources

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative

076: How to use Behance to get more clients w/ Felipe Vargas

Hayley Akins — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 06:00:00 +0000

Clients can come from many different places. In this line of work, we motion designers can take advantage of numerous resources for this. Today’s guest explains how he does it using Behance and how you can too.

About Felipe Vargas

Felipe Vargas is a freelance illustrator and motion designer from Chile. His specializations include designing, directing, and animating a wide range of motion projects. He also enjoys editorial illustration work. He finds many of his opportunities from his Behance page. This has led to opportunities to work with many great brands, such as Adobe, Yahoo!, The World Bank, The WHO, Facebook, Citi, JP Morgan, and many others.

Breaking New Ground in Chile

Felipe entered the world of motion design when it was relatively unheard of in his country. He credits his early success to a combination of having a top-notch portfolio reel, his tenacity, and luck. Today, motion design is growing in popularity in Chile. By being there from the start, Felipe finds himself well-positioned to take advantage of this new trend.

Using Behance to Find Work with Many Different Clients

Felipe credits a lot of his success as a freelancer to Behance. This platform creates opportunities to network that few other platforms provide. Since many clients are just as interested in your process as they are with your final product, Felipe finds that Behance is a great tool for showing how he creates his work. He credits consistency and attention to detail when using it to create a successful portfolio.

Although Felipe creates a lot of work for advertisers, he also sees the value of working for a variety of client types. If you can be the first motion designer that someone works with, you can guide them through the possibilities of your creations. This gives you more freedom and opens up possibilities that may not exist elsewhere.

Download the free portfolio checklist!

Links & Resources

Find Felipe Vargas on Behance | Vimeo | Instagram

Additional Resources

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

The Freelance Manifesto

Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative

075: How to get hired for your unique style w/ Jess Herrera

Hayley Akins — Tue, 03 Nov 2020 06:00:00 +0000

All of us have something unique to offer, something that sets us apart. Yet, many motion designers ignore that and become generalists instead. Today’s guest finds that it’s her unique niche that lands her more work while allowing her to develop a style all her own.

About Jess Herrera

Jess Herrera, aka Herrerasaurus, is a freelance 3D character artist based in Australia. Whether it’s design, modeling, animation, lighting, or rigging, Jess has been there. Having worked for studios in the past, Jess understands and appreciates what it means to go freelance.

Becoming a Master of Your Niche and Style

Take a quick glance at Jess’ work and you can see that she makes her style all her own. Rather than being a jack of all trades, Jess is hyper-focused on her own form of 3D character design. To her own surprise, Jess found that her specialization attracts more clients than she would find as a generalist. By honing her own style, Jess sets herself apart for prospective clients.

That doesn’t mean that you need to work entirely on your own. Jess frequently collaborates with others to come up with fresh new ideas and projects.

Taking the Leap into Going Freelance

Jess discusses her initial hesitations about going freelance. At first, she was hesitant because freelancing involves a lot of work beyond motion design. However, she found that for her the freedom that working for yourself provides far outweighs the other work. Most of all, the freedom of freelancing allows Jess to control her own schedule and location. As a freelancer, she has travelled the world and found some amazing work opportunities along the way.

Read The Full Show Notes

Links & Resources

Find Jess Herrera online

Follow Jess on Instagram | Vimeo | Twitter | Linkedin

Additional Resources

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative

074 :How to Start Your Own Motion Design Studio w/ Joel Pilger

Hayley Akins — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 10:00:03 +0100

For those of us who start a studio, we think it will lead to a new level of freedom. Before too long, we realize that it’s a business and that creativity is just one part of it. Today’s guest helps creative business owners improve the business side of what they do so that they can focus on the parts that they love.

About Joel Pilger

Joel Pilger of RevThink is a consultant who helps creative studios become industry leaders. He focuses on helping owners in specific areas – genius, expertise, positioning, marketing, and sales – so their firms can produce their greatest work in the world.

Finding your freedom, genius, and niche

We all want the freedom to produce great work. Having your own motion design studio often gives you this freedom. But it’s not that simple. Joel explains how you can get the clients you’re after by curating a community, showcasing your expertise, and crafting your unique message. These aren’t simple and easy things. Yet, with the right approach and guidance it is completely achievable.

Work is very personal to creatives. Joel urges creatives who are searching for a niche to serve to look within their own genius to find it. Identifying your genius will lead you to your niche. If you can focus on what you love to do, you can serve the best clients for you and find joy and inspiration in your work.

Your community is the key to your success

In the end, much of a studio’s success is derived from its community. Reaching out within your network is the best place to find the employees you want and the best clients. Joel explains how this community doesn’t happen by accident. It takes regular and intentional curation and engagement. Joel describes how identifying people’s problems and offering yourself as a solution is an effective way to become an integral part of this community.

Quotes

“The foundation is focusing on your genius. You have to identify your genius and focus on it. That informs your positioning, you build your community, you work with those best clients, and great work shows up.” [10:43]

“Yes, I’m a big fan of working and focusing on a niche. However, niching down is a byproduct or a symptom of focusing on your genius.” [11:32]

“That’s ultimately the shift that we’re all going through if you’re in this business - from being an order-taker and providing services to becoming an expert and providing value, results, and outcomes.” [34:35]

In This Episode

How consultants help studios improve various parts of their business [1:48]
The different challenges of freelancing and owning a studio [4:40]
How your niche derives from your genius [11:10]
Growing a studio without giving up your creative pursuits [16:45]
How curating a community can lead to new work [27:20]
The shift that needs to happen to become a leader in your field [35:00]
The one thing every motion designer needs to do to survive tough times [40:38]

Key Takeaways

Creativity is just one ingredient in owning a business. It should be the source of what you do and who you serve, but you’ll need help with the rest of the operation. Reaching out within your community will help you find the right people for your studio.

Communities do not happen by accident. You need to curate your community and continually make offers within it. This will provide you with the best resource your studio needs to succeed and grow.

Links & Resources

Find Joel Pilger online

Follow Joel on Instagram | Linkedin

RevThink Podcast

Additional Resources

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative

Show Notes

073 : How to Leverage Personal Projects to Improve Your Motion Design Career w/ Qais Sarhan

Hayley Akins — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 07:00:00 +0100

Do you ever feel that you have too much client work to focus on personal projects? It can be tough making the time for something that doesn’t bring you any direct income. However, these personal projects are an important part of your craft. They’ll help you sharpen your skills while imparting a sense of satisfaction that other work doesn’t.

About Qais Sarhan

Qais Sarhan is a 2D motion designer based in Reading. He creates simple, succinct animations in order to promote and explain complex marketing messages. When not creating for studios and agencies, Qais creates silly gifs about cats and food.

The Rewards and Challenges of Remote Work

As someone who works on all aspects of a project, Qais is able to work remotely. In this capacity, he seldom needs to come in-house and has the freedom to live outside of the major hubs. Even though you might not be physically in the room with clients, Qais urges you to stay in frequent communication. Regular emails, calls, and messages will put them at ease and let them know that their project is in good hands.

Leveling Up with Personal Projects

When not working for clients, Qais is constantly refining his own skills. Personal projects are a great avenue for this. By investing in yourself, not only will your craft improve, but you will also gain a sense of satisfaction that only comes creating for your own development. It will also help you avoid being too harsh on yourself so you can focus on the joy in what you do.

Full Show Notes

Links & Resources

Join Client Quest

Find Qais Sarhan online

Wipster

Feck Perfuction

Additional Resources

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

The Motion Designer Client Challenge

Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative

Show Notes

072: The Future of the Motion Design Industry w/ Ryan Summers

Hayley Akins — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0100

There’s certainly a lot of unknowns in the world these days. This is true for the motion design industry as much as anything else. Long-term survival is likely going to involve both adaptability and keeping focused on your priorities.

About Ryan Summers

As 2D creative director at School of Motion, Ryan is busy making courses to help other motion designers move forward in their career. This allows him to keep a close eye on trends in the motion design world and get ready for what the future brings to this industry.

The New Landscape of Motion Design

The world is changing fast. While many of these changes bring new challenges, they also involve new opportunities for motion designers. Ryan shares his observations and predictions for what this means for us. For one thing, remote work is more accepted and widespread than ever. It also presents more opportunities for individuals and small studios which can operate without the massive overhead required by the big studios.

Specialization as a Key Elements of Success

In the crowded field of motion design, it’s crucial to set yourself apart. With all the generalists put there, Ryan sees the importance of specializing in something that shares your unique voice. It may weed out some potential clients, but it will make sure that you work with the right ones in the end.

“There’s great opportunity when the world changes as fast and as all-encompassing as it has.” [5:14]

“That’s the part of every artist’s challenge and every studio’s challenge; You have to redefine yourself while the world changes around or you’ll get lost.” [7:43]

“You have different processes on the creative side based on your needs at the moment. Why shouldn’t you have the same thing business-wise?” [28:49]

How new trends are affecting the world of remote work [4:30]
The importance of agility during unpredictable times [10:03]
Why specializing will not only set you apart but also keep you focused on your passion [18:55]
What it takes to set your portfolio apart from the competition [24:55]
Creating long term connections by passing work off to others and having partners [28:36]
Maintaining your own passions and taking care of yourself as a necessary part of staying in business [35:43]

The business and creative world is quickly changing. Being adaptable and agile in order to avoid pitfalls and take advantage of new opportunities is a must. This means being creative about how you operate your business. Even though how you run your business may need to change, maintaining your creative passions as priorities will give you the drive to keep going.

Just as you cultivate your artistic skills, you need to tend to your own wellbeing. Your work can be a great way to feed your own creative self. However, getting caught up in just the money-making aspect is not sustainable in the long run.

Follow Ryan on Twitter

Episode 22: Art School vs Online Courses: The Pros & Cons

Episode 64: How to price your work as a motion designer

Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

Find full show notes here.

071: How To Go From Freelancer To Studio Owner w/ Karl Doran

Hayley Akins — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0100

Karl Doran explains what he’s learned by going from freelance motion design to owning his own studio. He describes his process for landing clients without the use of traditional advertising. He also talks about setting clear expectations with clients so that everyone is happy with the results of his work.

Both freelancing and running your own agency have their advantages. There’s a sense of freedom to both, but they come with different responsibilities. My guest on this episode started his own successful agency after years of freelancing. Today, he’s sharing some lessons he learned from this switch.

About Karl Doran

Karl Doran is a creative director and founder of Flow Creative, an animation studio and branding agency in Manchester. His team of eight illustrators, designers, and project managers has created animated explainer films, brand films, and social content for numerous companies and arts and culture organizations.

How can you leverage your network to land the next big job? We would love to hear from you. We are @motionhatch on Twitter and Instagram.

Have you transitioned from freelance to studio work? What’s one lesson you learned from the switch? Let us know on Twitter or Instagram.

Join the Motion Design Client Challenge

Join the waitlist for our brand new course Client Quest.

Find Karl Doran online

Follow Karl on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin

Motion North Meetup

Harvest

Xero

Thanks for Listening!

Podcast music licensed by Big Waves

Find Erica Gorochow online

Podcast production & marketing support by the team at Counterweight Creative

070: Why You Can’t Find Consistent Clients

Hayley Akins — Tue, 07 Jul 2020 07:00:00 +0100

Freelance life can go from feast to famine in an instant. As a Motion Designer, it can be easy to get discouraged when your business is down. Plus, even when you have a project, there’s no guarantee that you’ll have work waiting when it’s done. That’s why I love consistent clients.

In this solo episode, I want to talk to you about what it takes to land clients that keep coming back to you. To be successful in Motion Design you should regularly be engaging in client outreach. It may not be your favorite part of the job, but it’s critical to your long-term success and sanity.

Maker Time vs Manager Time

In the episode, I talk about two distinct ways to structure your work time, “maker” time and “manager” time.

Maker Time - Large blocks of time (~4 Hours) used to focus on creative work.
Manager Time - Smaller blocks of time (

069: How to grow your freelance motion design business with Erica Gorochow

Hayley Akins — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 07:00:00 +0100

How to build your freelance business to just the right size.

As freelancers, most of us would like to see our business grow. While you may work a lot on your own, meaningful and sustainable growth is a group effort. There are also reasons to limit how big you grow your business. Today’s guest successfully grew her practice to just the right size with the help of strategic collaboration and teamwork.

Erica Gorochow is a Brooklyn-based director and designer at PepRally. She fluctuates between building teams as a studio, independent directing, and doing her own freelance work. Erica focuses on making high-quality work for brands, networks, agencies, and startups. In addition to client work, she produces projects internally to continue exploring new technologies, techniques, and ideas.

Should you have a studio or be a freelance motion designer

There’s a lot to consider as you expand your work as a freelancer. Even what to call your practice is something Erica dealt with. She really recommends establishing yourself with studio work before scaling up as a freelancer. That way you’ve already built up a name and reputation for your work.

Collaboration with others can add more value to your motion design work

Although she does a lot of solo work, Erica loves collaborating with others. Mostly, it’s just more fun to succeed as part of a collaborative effort. Working with others adds more value to the work and fosters personal growth as a creator.

In this episode

Considerations for naming your studio or practice
Deliberate steps to take when scaling up your freelance work
Advantages that come when working in a coworking space
Collaboration as a way to foster personal and professional growth
Tips for creating a budget with prospective clients
Why you shouldn’t scale up simply for the sake of scaling up
Getting big clients without creating a studio

Quotes

“If I’m not going to toot my own horn, how can I expect others to do it for me?” [13:14]

“I don’t know that I always have the absolute best idea. I think you’re much more likely to get to the best idea vis-à-vis collaboration.” [15:09]

“Growth is whatever you define it to be. It can be personal. It can be scaling. It can be anything in between. Try to be honest with yourself about what kind of growth will lead to happiness knowing you’re allowed to change your answer.” [47:07]

Links

Follow Erica on Instagram | Twitter | Vimeo

Company of One by Paul Jarvis

Join the Client Quest waitlist

068: How to charge for motion design with Kyle Hamrick and Hayley Akins

Hayley Akins — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 07:00:00 +0100

Coming up with a budget for clients and knowing what to charge for your motion design work is a common point of confusion. To shed some light on this, I’ve brought on a special co-host to answer some tough questions on charging for your projects and building industry relationships.

Kyle Hamrick is a motion designer and educator based in Kansas City. He hosts a weekly live show on YouTube with Evan Abrams, Motion Design Hotline. As a freelancer, Kyle creates everything from animated explainer videos to live event visuals; from IMAX documentaries to full graphics packages for professional sports franchises.

How to charge for motion design

Today, we get into how to determine what you charge prospective clients and how to understand their wants and needs. There’s no single answer here. Rather, there are many factors that all need to be considered.

Determine how long a motion design project will take

A particular challenge of freelancers is time management. Kyle and I recommend tracking your time. This will help you determine your actual productivity. It will also increase your efficiency and help you determine what your time is actually worth.

Recognize the value you provide as a motion designer

Most of all, it comes down to recognizing the value you provide. What you do helps others save time and make money. Understanding this leads to a mindset in which you can be of real service for your clients while earning the right compensation for what you do.

In this episode

Factors to consider when determining clients’ budgets
Managing the challenges of time management as a freelancer
The importance of advocating for yourself when factors are outside of your control
How to know when to say no to a client
Building connections within your industry as a way to get referrals

Quotes

“If you want to be making $300,000 a year, then figure out what you need to be charging to do that. If you want to make $20,000 a year and spend most of your time surfing in Asia, figure out what you need to do that. That’s the thing about freelancing. You get to decide what these things mean for you.” [8:07]

“You’re going to make mistakes and that’s okay. You’re going to underbid a project and regret it and be mad at yourself.” [11:08]

“Don’t forget to advocate for yourself. Just because someone works at an agency does not necessarily mean they know what they’re doing. And just because someone works at a cool production company, they very well might know what they’re doing, but they’re too busy to pay attention to your project.” [25:23]

“If you say yes to that crumby project today and then a really good project falls into your lap tomorrow, which one are you going to have to do? The one you already agreed to, right?” [36:47]

Links

Find Kyle Hamrick online

Follow Kyle on Twitter | Linkedin | Instagram

Motion Design Hotline

Episode 47 with Evan Abrams

Episode 64 with Blair Enns

Wipster

Loom

Join the Client Quest Waitlist

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

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

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.

067: Make money with animated gifs w/ Annie Wong AKA Headexplodie

Hayley Akins — Tue, 26 May 2020 07:00:00 +0100

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 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

School of Motion Article on Instagram

066: How to get motion design clients using your personal work w/ Nick DenBoer AKA Smearballs

Hayley Akins — Tue, 12 May 2020 07:00:00 +0100

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

065: How to use Instagram as a motion designer w/ Sam Burton

Hayley Akins — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 07:00:00 +0100

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

Motion Design Communities on Instagram

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

The Win Without Pitching Manifesto

064: How to price your work as a motion designer w/ Blair Enns

Hayley Akins — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 07:00:00 +0100

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

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

Find Dr. Anna Symonds online

Dankoch.net

063: How to deal with anxiety during uncertain times w/ Dr Anna Symonds

Hayley Akins — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 07:00:00 +0100

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

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

Join the next Mograph mastermind!

062: The number one thing that changed my motion design career w/ Hayley Akins

Hayley Akins — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 06:03:17 +0000

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

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

Episode 57: VR in Motion Design

061: How to get into the tech industry as a motion designer w/ Sharon Harris

Hayley Akins — Tue, 03 Mar 2020 06:00:00 +0000

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

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

Accessibility - Material Design

Join the Motion Hatch Community

The Freelance Contract Bundle

060: How to use partnerships, strategy and content to get more clients w/ Philip Van Dusen

Hayley Akins — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 06:00:00 +0000

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

059: How to use YouTube to grow your motion design business w/ Ben Marriott

Hayley Akins — Mon, 03 Feb 2020 06:00:00 +0000

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

Getting Things Done by David Allen

OBS

Podcasting and Youtube Gear

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

Find Brian Gossett online

058: How to build a sustainable career in Motion Design w/ Brian Gossett

Hayley Akins — Tue, 21 Jan 2020 06:00:00 +0000

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

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

Find Rosie Summers online

057: VR in motion design w/ Colin and Rosie

Hayley Akins — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 06:00:00 +0000

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

Follow Rosie on Twitter | YouTube | Instagram

Rosie doing her performative VR painting

Find Collin Leix online

Follow Collin on Instagram

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

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

056: Leveraging teamwork to make passion projects a reality w/ Zac Dixon

Hayley Akins — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

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

The Freelance Contract Bundle

E55: 7 reasons not to freelance w/ Michael Jones

Hayley Akins — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

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

Find Nick Campbell online at Greyscalegorilla

054: How to promote and market yourself as a motion designer w/ Nick Campbell

Hayley Akins — Tue, 19 Nov 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

Follow Nick on Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Intro to Cinema 4d

Freelance Contract Bundle Show Notes

053: How to become a motion graphic designer in 11 Weeks w/ Chris Field

Hayley Akins — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

Episode 49 with Kyle T. Webster

Episode 44 with Sander Van Dijk

The Mograph Mastermind Program

Join The Mograph Mastermind Program here

052: 3 tips to help you achieve your motion design career goals w/ Hayley Akins

Hayley Akins — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

051: The power of in person motion design meetups and events w/ Allison Butler

Hayley Akins — Tue, 08 Oct 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

Find Mike Winkelmann (Beeple) online

050: How to create the freedom to work on personal projects w/ Beeple

Hayley Akins — Tue, 24 Sep 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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]

Follow Beeple on Instagram | YouTube | Twitter | Behance | Facebook

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

049: How to boost your motion design career with side projects w/ Kyle T. Webster

Hayley Akins — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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]

048: How to be an Art Director for Motion Design w/ Nidia Dias

Hayley Akins — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

Episode 47 with Evan Abrams

Full show notes

047: Why pre production is important to us and our clients w/ Evan Abrams

Hayley Akins — Tue, 13 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

046: How to get unstuck when you’re feeling overwhelmed w/ Jess and Christopher

Hayley Akins — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

Mograp h 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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

045: Why you don’t need a formal education to be a successful motion designer w/ EJ Hassenfratz

Hayley Akins — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

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!

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

044: Change your mindset and build an intentional career w/ Sander Van Dijk

Hayley Akins — Tue, 02 Jul 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

Ultimate Freelance Guide - Sander’s Freelance Course

Blend Conference

Sana Labs

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

043: How to turn your Motion Design skills into smart income with YouTube w/ Premiere Gal

Hayley Akins — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

Peter McKinnon on YouTube

Get your free trial of Wipster

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

042: How to attract your ideal client with content marketing w/ Andrew & Pete

Hayley Akins — Tue, 04 Jun 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

041: Parenting as a freelancer w/ Doing it for the kids

Hayley Akins — Tue, 21 May 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

040: How to use social media to get more clients w/ Golden Wolf

Hayley Akins — Tue, 07 May 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

039: How to get better clients and scale your business w/ Greg Hickman

Hayley Akins — Tue, 23 Apr 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

038: Getting started as a freelance motion designer w/ Donna McAvoy

Hayley Akins — Tue, 16 Apr 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

037: Making Money in Mograph Part 6 w/ Hannah Jacobs

Hayley Akins — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 07:00:00 +0100

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

036: Making Money in Mograph Part 5 w/ Victoria Nece

Hayley Akins — Tue, 26 Mar 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

035: How to Network and Make Industry Friends w/ Marsha Shandur

Hayley Akins — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

034: Making Money in Mograph Part 4 w/ Matthew Encina

Hayley Akins — Tue, 26 Feb 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

033: Making Money in Mograph Part 3 w/ Jake Bartlett

Hayley Akins — Tue, 12 Feb 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

Jake’s classes on Skillshare

Get 2 months premium for free on Skillshare!

Episode 31: Adam Plouff – Battleaxe – Making Money in Mograph Part 1

Episode 32: Zack Lovatt - Technical Director - Making Money in Mograph Part 2

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

032: Making Money in Mograph Part 2 w/ Zack Lovatt - Technical Director

Hayley Akins — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

Episode 31: Adam Plouff - Battleaxe - Making Money in Mograph Part 1

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

031: Making Money in Mograph Part 1 w/ Adam Plouff - Battleaxe

Hayley Akins — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

2018 Tried Really Hard to Destroy Me

Figma

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

Zendesk

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

030: One year of Motion Hatch what we have learned so far

Hayley Akins — Tue, 01 Jan 2019 06:00:00 +0000

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

029: How to use LinkedIn to get direct clients w/ Mair Perkins

Hayley Akins — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 06:00:00 +0000

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

Freelance Contract Bundle

Freelance Manifesto

Episode 21: How to Shape the Life You Want Through Your Freelance Business

aNEmates

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

028: How to make sure you're on the right track in your career w/ Joe Donaldson

Hayley Akins — Tue, 04 Dec 2018 06:00:00 +0000

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

027: How to work from anywhere and follow your passions w/ Laura Peña

Hayley Akins — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 06:00:00 +0000

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!

026: How to create habits that will help your career

Hayley Akins — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 06:00:00 +0000

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

025: How to get hired by companies like Facebook as a motion designer w/ Sabrina Curry

Hayley Akins — Tue, 23 Oct 2018 07:00:00 +0100

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!

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

024: A legal crash course for motion designers w/ Jamie Lieberman

Hayley Akins — Tue, 09 Oct 2018 07:00:00 +0100

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

023: How to find & grow community as a freelancer w/ Jorge Canedo AKA Jr.canest

Hayley Akins — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 07:00:00 +0100

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

022: Art school vs online courses: The pros & cons w/ Dorca Musseb & Ryan Summers

Hayley Akins — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0100

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]

021: How to shape the life you want through your freelance business w/ Tom Davis

Hayley Akins — Tue, 04 Sep 2018 07:00:00 +0100

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]

020: 6 tips to avoid burnout and achieve your goals

Hayley Akins — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 07:00:00 +0100

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

019: How to use your network to move your career forward w/ Caitlin Cadieux

Hayley Akins — Tue, 29 May 2018 06:00:00 +0100

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

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

018: When is the right time to make a career turn? w/ Michelle Higa Fox

Hayley Akins — Tue, 15 May 2018 06:00:00 +0100

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

Michelle’s Personal Site

Mixtape Club

What Is My Day Rate?

If you haven't already, would you mind leaving us a rating and review? It really helps!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

017: What Is GDPR And Why Do You Need To Know About It? w/ Silvia Baumgart

Hayley Akins — Tue, 01 May 2018 06:00:00 +0100

Because so many of us work online and across borders, sometimes laws in one country might affect you whether or not you live there. A lot of people who do business or promotion internationally are panicking about the new GDPR law that’s coming into effect in the UK & EU at the end of May and how best to make sure their businesses comply. Today Silvia Baumgart returns to walk us through how this new law might affect your freelance business regardless of where you live.

Silvia is a lawyer practicing at James Ware Stephenson, a boutique firm specializing in the creative and entertainment sectors. She has been General Manager of The Association of Illustrators, and has led initiatives, workshops, and created resources on intellectual property for The University of the Arts London, the World Intellectual Property Organisation, and the Academy of the European Patent Office.

Today she guides us through the new General Data Protection Regulation Act, how to assess its impact on your business, and how to make sure we are compliant with it and the already existing Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). She talks to us about email lists, opt-in forms, and privacy policies and how best to protect our businesses.

Are you confused about the GDPR? Do you worry that it will disrupt your marketing or are you confident in your current system? Let us know in the comments on the episode page!

In this episode:

The basic principles included in the Act
How the GDPR relates to PECR and the differences between the two
When either is likely to come into play for motion designers
Why this new regulation might affect you, even if you live outside of the EU
How to consider them for an email list versus a client list.
How to update your privacy policy on your website
What to add to your opt-in forms on your site

Quotes:

“Either they have subscribed to your newsletter and therefore given you explicit consent, or they might have used your services… and then you have some sort of implied consent.” 12:46

“[Asking people to re-opt in to your mailing list] is not necessary, especially when you’re dealing with clients who are companies” 25:30

“You can only do things to the best of your ability.” 44:17

Links:

Find Silvia on LinkedIn

Information Commissioner’s Office

James Ware Stephenson

The Association Of Illustrators

Mighty Oak’s original projects

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

016: How Niching Down Can Help You Get More Clients w/ Jess Peterson

Hayley Akins — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 06:00:00 +0100

As freelance designers, many of us remain generalists, afraid we’ll lose project opportunities and income if we specialize too much. Unfortunately, that also means we’re competing against the countless other general designers out there, not sure how to set ourselves apart. Jess Peterson has found a different way to do things.

Jess is the Founder, CEO and Creative Producer at Mighty Oak, a boutique animation studio specializing in handmade animation. They’ve worked with clients like Netflix, HBO, Nick Jr., Airbnb, NBC, Conde Nast, Giphy, and The New York Times, all with the creative goal to bring the human touch to media.

Today we talk about the power of niching yourself down to strengthen your unique selling point, different ways to find clients, including social media like Instagram, and the importance of recognizing your own natural talents. We also discuss the power of collaboration, with partners but also with agencies.

Are you a generalist or do you niche down to a speciality? How have you collaborated with peers to focus on your unique strengths? We’d love to hear from you. Let us know in the comments on the episode page!

In this episode:

The 3 different approaches you can take with branding
How Mighty Oak has used word of mouth and their specific approach to social media to get clients
The benefits of working with business partners rather than trying to do all the things
Balancing client work and original work and how Mighty Oak makes that happen
How they approach clients to invest in stop-motion animation

Quotes:

“There’s plenty of negative stories out there in media, so we try to bring the positive voice and bright colors into every project.” 5:01

“It’s very hard to grow and do all the things at once. You can’t be good at all the things at once and your brain can’t possibly tackle all that information” 20:36

“It’s a real reminder to be good and fair to all your clients, because you never know where people end up.” 25:54

“I’ve always been really creative, and I thought in order to be creative I also had to make all the things. I realized that’s not true. By surrounding myself with talented makers, we were able to make better work in general, but I was also able to be a better creative.” 40:01

“Sometimes we forget because we spend so much time trying to improve things that what we’re not good at. We go “Oh that thing that I do easily is because it’s easy, everyone does it that well.” But that’s not true, it’s because you’re actually good at it.” 45:59

Links:

Mighty Oak

Follow Mighty Oak on Instagram | Giphy | Facebook | Vimeo

GirlStories

Looking for help with your contract and terms & conditions? Check out the Motion Hatch Freelance Contract Bundle!

Follow Motion Hatch on Twitter | Instagram

015: How To Protect Your Work As A Motion Designer w/ Silvia Baumgart

Hayley Akins — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 08:00:00 +0100

Have you ever felt freaked out and overwhelmed at the idea of creating a contract? If you already have standard terms and conditions, do you feel confident in them, or could they be tighter? Are you even aware of all the legal ramifications that can come from your creative works if not protected properly? Silvia Baumgart breaks down all of these issues and more in this second part of our series on copyright and contracts.

Silvia Baumgart, a trainee solicitor with an extensive background in protecting creatives and their work, joins us again to explain how to make the legal sign of freelancing work for us and not against us. We talk about resources for finding legal templates, when you should seek professional advice and assistance, and what are moral rights and why you need them in your contracts.

We dive into tips on how to handle when a client asks you to create something similar to another artist’s work, and the legal issues that could arise from doing so without proper steps being taken prior, and the legal rules of using others music or work within your showreels and how to prevent thorny legal issues when doing so. We also go through the biggest takeaways from both episodes so that you can walk away with a better understanding of how to protect yourself and your work.

Do you use a template created by someone else for your contracts? Does it cover everything? Leave a comment on the episode page!

In this episode:

Resources for finding legal templates
When you should seek professional legal advice and assistance
What are moral rights and why should you have them in your contract?
Your rights when a piece of your work goes viral, either with and without your being credited
The legalities behind using music in your showreels
How to properly source work created by others in projects you’re working on
Tips for how to handle when a company asks you to create something similar to another artist's work
Biggest takeaways from part one and part two

Links:

Association of Illustrators

UK Copyrights Office - Intellectual Property Information

The Intellectual Property Office: Exceptions to copyright - guidance for creators and copyright owners

Looking for help with your contract and terms & conditions? Check out the Motion Hatch Freelance Contract Bundle!

014: What You Need To Know About Intellectual Property & Contracts As A Motion Designer w/ Silvia Baumgart

Hayley Akins — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 06:00:00 +0000

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general guidance only and discusses the legal position in the UK at the time of publication unless stated otherwise. You must take legal advice and not rely on the information provided in this podcast before taking action. We do not update our podcasts and therefore, past podcasts may not reflect the current legal position. Are you a whiz at all things legal when it comes to your businesses? Are you a maverick when it comes to intellectual property and copyrights? Most of us as animators, illustrators and creatives aren’t, and that’s why we brought on our guest today, who breaks down the sometimes (ok, always) overwhelming world of law into small, easy to understand definitions and steps, specifically as they apply to the world of animation and illustration.

Silvia Baumgart is a trainee solicitor with James Ware Stephenson, and has a background as an art historian, general manager for the Association of Illustrators (and is now a board member), and was the manager of the Own-It programme at the University of Arts in London. Needless to say, she knows the ins and outs of property law plus understands the minds and businesses of creatives.

We dove right into the definitions of intellectual property, patents, copyrights, design rights, and trademarks, what to make sure you have in your contracts to best suit your wants and needs, and broke down the details on the sometimes vague area of accepting contracts versus counter offers and what actually sticks at the end of the day according to UK law. Silvia also spoke on the three different types of licenses that exist that dictates who can use the work you created and in what form which was very insightful and an absolute must listen for anyone in the creative fields.

In this episode:

The differences between patents, copyrights, design rights, and trademarks
How do differentiate between working in house with an agency or working from home in terms of who owns the copyrights of the resulting work
What to include in your contracts to avoid any issues with your client in the future
Details on the when and how of agreeing to terms within a contract or offering a counter offer
The biggest legal mistake creatives make when starting new projects
The three different types of licenses that dictate who can use the work you created
Original project files - should they be given or kept and how you can monetize them
Why everyone should have their own terms and conditions that are standard for them

Links:

Association of Illustrators

The Intellectual Property Office: Exceptions to copyright - guidance for creators and copyright owners

Sono Sanctus Sound Library

013: How To Think About Sound Design & Music As An Animator w/ Wesley Slover

Hayley Akins — Tue, 06 Mar 2018 06:00:00 +0000

As designers, a lot of us love to think that we are in complete control over the outcome and success of our projects. But how many times have you been blown away after the sound designer worked their magic on it? As I share in the episode, I experience this on pretty much every project I work on. Today we’re diving into the audio side of the animation world with one of the most popular sound designers in the animation world, Wesley Slover.

Wesley Slover is the founder and owner of Sono Sanctus where the tagline reads “Don’t let audio be an afterthought,” which is exactly where a lot of big projects go wrong. He shares with us how to plan and budget for sound design and music, as well as diving into getting started as a freelancer and growing a team.

He spoke to us about how having a team with all different strengths can lead to not only bigger projects but projects with way more diversity and excitement, how your multiple skill bases will help your project costs and time management.

Wes also gave us some insights into using social media to grow your network and ultimately your clientele, and how simply making friends and learning from others will help you grow your community and lead to collaborations and projects you’ll love.

How do you budget for and plan around sound design in your projects? Leave us a comment below and let us know!

In this episode:

How to use social media to grow your clientele
How to diversify your projects by building a team
The pros and cons of branding yourself as a freelancer vs a studio or company
How to grow your business without losing the personal touch with clients
Music licensing and libraries: What you can expect

Links:

Sono Sanctus

Follow Sono Sanctus on Vimeo | Twitter | Tumblr

Support Motion Hatch On Patreon!

Find the full show notes at https://motionhatch.com/13