What Graphic Designers Get Wrong About Burnout and How to Reignite Your Passion for Design

Summary

Podcast Summary: "What Graphic Designers Get Wrong About Burnout and How to Reignite Your Passion for Design"

Title:
The Angry Designer - Graphic Design, Branding, Marketing, & Creative Business Operations to Get Paid What Your Worth and Avoid Burnout

Episode:
What Graphic Designers Get Wrong About Burnout and How to Reignite Your Passion for Design

Release Date:
December 17, 2024

---

Introduction

In the latest episode of The Angry Designer, hosts Jason and Mark delve into a pressing issue faced by many in the graphic design industry: burnout. The episode aims to uncover common misconceptions about burnout among graphic designers and provides actionable strategies to help reignite passion and maintain a fulfilling creative career.

Notable Quote:
Jason [00:00]: “Life is too short to do something you hate. You can maybe dislike what you're doing right now, but the reality is you don't have to give up on a career in design because of your situation right now.”

---

Personal Journeys and Real-Life Struggles

The hosts open up about personal challenges, highlighting the emotional toll that burnout can take. Jason shares a deeply personal story about his father's stroke, which not only caused him immense stress but also reignited his commitment to the podcast and his passion for graphic design.

Notable Quote:
Jason [02:54]: “The podcast has genuinely rekindled my passion for graphic design, for the design business. I felt like I burned out a few years back, and this was my way of getting out of that.”

---

Understanding Burnout in Graphic Design

Jason and Mark discuss the multifaceted nature of burnout, identifying key factors that contribute to its prevalence in the graphic design field:

• Nightmare Clients: Dealing with clients who have unrealistic expectations, constant scope creep, or who undervalue the designer’s work.

  Quote:
  Jason [09:10]: “Nightmare clients can really make people fall out of love with this space. They take advantage, constantly challenge your reasoning, and sometimes even try to haggle prices after the project is done.”

• Endless Revisions and Tight Deadlines: The pressure of meeting unrealistic deadlines and accommodating endless changes can drain creativity and enthusiasm.

  Quote:
  Jason [07:16]: “There can be long hours, endless revision cycles on projects, tight headlines that are just unrealistic right from the start.”

• Repetitive Projects: Handling monotonous tasks without creative stimulation leads to a sense of stagnation.

  Quote:
  Mark [08:25]: “Sometimes it's like, oh yeah. Our loyalty to the customer sometimes overshadows everything else. We put up with a lot in that.”

• Tech Overwhelm: The rapid pace of technological advancements and the constant need to adapt can be overwhelming.

  Quote:
  Jason [13:09]: “Being overwhelmed with the amount of tech that's going on... like, the rate of updates that Adobe push out... it’s a real thing.”

---

20 Ways to Rekindle Your Passion for Design

To combat burnout, Jason and Mark outline 20 actionable steps divided into four key categories: Resetting Your Mindset, Making Space for Creativity, Getting Hands-On with Design, and Pushing Yourself to Grow. Below is a detailed breakdown of these strategies.

1. Resetting Your Mindset

a. Remember Why You Started
Reflect on your initial passion for graphic design. Identify the core reasons that drew you to the field beyond financial incentives.

Quote:
Jason [30:20]: “Think back to what made you love design. It was to create your cool ideas, to problem solve, to express yourself.”

b. Call Bullshit on Yourself
Identify and eliminate self-imposed barriers. Take responsibility for the aspects you can control and address them head-on.

c. Stop Comparing Yourself to Social Media Creators
Social media often presents a highlight reel, leading to unfair comparisons. Focus on personal growth rather than external validation.

Quote:
Jason [32:43]: “Stop comparing yourselves to these people. You can't measure your success against somebody else's Instagram following.”

d. Stop Taking Yourself So Seriously
Embrace the creative nature of your work. Allow room for fun and spontaneity to enhance creativity.

e. Remind Yourself Why Graphic Design Rocks
Reaffirm the unique aspects of graphic design that you love, whether it's the ability to create diverse projects or express creativity daily.

2. Making Space for Creativity

a. Say No More Often
Learn to decline projects that drain your energy and focus on those that inspire you.

Quote:
Jason [36:21]: “Start saying no to soul-sucking clients and yes to projects that you love.”

b. Purge Your Toxic Clients
Remove clients who consistently bring negativity and hinder your creative process.

c. Stop Being a Workaholic
Avoid overworking to maintain productivity and mental well-being. Quality over quantity is key.

d. Take a Damn Break
Regular breaks rejuvenate creativity and prevent burnout. Engage in activities outside work to refresh your mind.

e. Upgrade Your Setup
Enhance your workspace to make it more inspiring and conducive to creativity. Personal touches can significantly impact your productivity and mood.

Quote:
Jason [43:35]: “Surround yourself with things that make you feel creative and energized. It makes you love your space and more productive.”

3. Getting Hands-On with Design

a. Make Something for Yourself
Engage in personal projects that you're passionate about without client constraints. This fosters pure creativity and fulfillment.

Quote:
Jason [45:30]: “Create something for yourself that you're going to want, not for a customer.”

b. Try Analog for a Day
Step away from the digital tools and engage in traditional methods like sketching or painting to reconnect with your creative roots.

c. Find Art Outside Your Environment
Visit galleries, flea markets, or explore street art to draw inspiration from diverse sources.

d. Collaborate with Creative People
Work with artists from different disciplines to gain new perspectives and rejuvenate your creative spirit.

e. Celebrate Your Wins
Acknowledge and reward your achievements, no matter how small. This boosts morale and reinforces positive behavior.

Quote:
Jason [52:56]: “Celebrate the wins, the good wins and all the wins. Even the smallest wins are good wins.”

4. Pushing Yourself to Grow

a. Learn Yourself a New Trick
Acquire new skills or explore different design techniques to keep your work fresh and challenging.

Quote:
Jason [54:35]: “Pick something you don't know how to do. It could be 3D printing, motion graphics, anything that excites you.”

b. Push Your Limits
Step out of your comfort zone and take on projects that challenge your abilities. Growth often comes from facing and overcoming failures.

c. Focus on Work That Excites You
Prioritize projects that inspire and motivate you to maintain enthusiasm in your work.

d. Get Out of Your Own Way
Overcome perfectionism by embracing imperfection and focusing on progress rather than flawlessness.

Quote:
Jason [57:43]: “Perfection kills creativity. Stop striving for perfection because clients don’t see your level of perfection.”

e. Take a Break and Disconnect
Occasionally disconnect from digital distractions and immerse yourself in the physical world to refresh your mind.

---

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with a strong reminder that despite the challenges, graphic design remains a fulfilling and dynamic career path. By implementing the discussed strategies, designers can overcome burnout, rekindle their passion, and continue to thrive creatively.

Notable Quote:
Jason [62:21]: “Life’s too short to do something you don't love. Don't let burnout dictate your career journey.”

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Final Thoughts

The Angry Designer offers a candid and supportive space for graphic designers grappling with burnout. Through personal anecdotes, honest discussions, and practical advice, the hosts empower designers to reclaim their passion and build rewarding careers. Whether you're feeling stuck or simply seeking ways to enhance your creative life, this episode provides valuable insights to help you thrive in the ever-evolving world of graphic design.

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Stay updated with real stories, motivation, and actionable tasks by subscribing to the Anger Management for Designers newsletter. Embrace a no-bull approach to graphic design and ensure you get paid what you're worth while avoiding burnout.

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Transcript

[Jason]

Life is too short to do something you hate. You can maybe dislike what you're doing right now, but the reality is you don't have to give up on a career in design because of your situation right now. Don't let that dictate you know, the most fulfilling career journey somebody can have, in my opinion. You're listening to the Angry Designer podcast, where we help frustrated graphic designers crush the industry bull. And share what it takes to charge what you're worth and build badass, rewarding careers. Let's be real. Graphic design isn't always rainbows and unicorns. Some days it just feels like you're drowning in visions, dealing with nightmare clients, or just stuck in a creative rut. Here's the thing, though. Life is too short to hate what you do, especially for a living. So we're here today to remind you that graphic design sl still rocks. In this episode, we're going to be diving deep into why you fell in love with graphic design in the first place. How to reignite that passion and keep that spark alive. Kind of sounds like a relationship in the marriage or something. And 20 no BS ways to fall back in love with what you do. So grab yourself a drink or hold on to that steering wheel and keep your eyes on the road. And don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter, Anger Management for Designers. It's packed with real stories, motivation, and action tasks to help you get better. Love what you do, and charge what you're worth. Now let's get into it.

[Mark]

What is up?

[Jason]

I wish there was lots up. Let's. Let's drink.

[Mark]

Let's have a drink.

[Jason]

Let's have a drink. I've had many of these.

[Mark]

Do you need to howl the moon first?

[Jason]

No, man, I. Well, I. I would. We're drinking Wolfie again. And I would howl because I. I would comment on how much I loved it until I realized this is Rod Stewart' Oh, I just.

[Mark]

Like, he's a wanker. Well, to use the English term.

[Jason]

Right. Well, I. I don't know. There's something weird here. But really, it just. It didn't. It didn't. It lost something. I mean, I never. I never go. I never put Rod Stewart and whiskey together.

[Mark]

No.

[Jason]

Or, you know, not even scotch, but more scotch than whis. I don't know. So now I'm just like, oh, I don't know if I can get behind this as much.

[Mark]

Okay.

[Jason]

But I haven't really had a chance to go out and buy anything new because of. Well, because. Salute to this. I will. I will continue to drink this because it actually is still pretty good. Even though Sir Rod Stewart said, yeah, he's brutal.

[Mark]

I hope he's not making it personally. Yeah.

[Jason]

So needless to say, I have had a hell of a week.

[Mark]

Yes, you have.

[Jason]

You know. You know, I. We didn't record last week because I had a small incident, unfortunately, and, well, big incident. And yeah, it was crazy, but. And it has nothing to do with design, unfortunately, but my father had a stroke, which is fucking crazy. You know, you don't. You hear stories, you see shit, you know, and whatever, but you're never really prepared for when, you know, shit hits the fucking ceiling like this. Right. It's just hits the fan. Yeah, it's. And you know, this is the fucking guy who, you know, you know, got me my first portfolio, who had no idea what the hell he was buying and why he was buying the most expensive portfolio that they had, I tell you. And then, you know, the same guy took me to get my first Mac. Yeah, the computer had no idea.

[Mark]

Cheaper. Why can't we buy this?

[Jason]

I had to get the three times more Mac expensive versus the PC at the time. And thank God, because I probably wouldn't have gotten into it if I was on a Tandy, but, you know, like, he was somebody who never understood what I was doing. And, and, but still.

[Mark]

Still. Back to you, 100%.

[Jason]

Back to you 100%. Cuz he knew there was like that fire. There was that passion that he saw it. He saw it and he was like, okay, I'm going to support you. And, you know, yeah, now it's. He's, you know, like barely talking. You know, physically he's all right, but I think we have a. A really long shitty road ahead, which, you know, really kind of really with your mind.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

You know, and it really made me. And the funny thing is, you know, here I am and, you know, don't take this the wrong way. I wasn't looking forward to coming back to work.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Thank God I have a good team to. To back me in times like this. And this is. This is why we have a family, which is great. Our family here at Zed Factor is awesome. But I wanted to get back to the podcast, which is crazy. You know, and it's crazy. And I think it's like, it's that whole, you know, the podcast has helped me out lot. It's rekindled. The podcast has genuinely rekindled my. My passion for graphic design, for the design business. Right. I've been doing this for so damn Long. And, you know, and I. And I've mentioned before that I felt like I burnt out a few years back. I did. And this podcast was like my way of getting out of that.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

You know, and it's easy to burn out in this space, big time.

[Mark]

It's. It's not. It's not the easiest space to. To navigate for sure.

[Jason]

Not. It's not for the week.

[Mark]

If you. Yeah. And if you're ill prepared, it's even harder.

[Jason]

Which I think at least we, We. We prepare, you know, people who are new to the space.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Giving them a heads up that it's, It's. It's not always perfect.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

And I think the people who've been in the space who listen, you know, can tip their hats and be like. Yeah, yeah, you know, like, it is rough.

[Mark]

Okay.

[Jason]

It's rough. It's tough. Right. It's still worth it.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

But, you know, it's. It's. It's really easy to lose sight.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Of why you got into this from the first place. And right now I kind of feel like it's getting me through, man. Like, one of the roughest times of my life. Second. Roughest. First was whatever with my mom, but now, you know, this. So it's just like, holy. So. So that's. We're here to help today.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

You know, to kind of make, you know, I guess get designers to. To. To re. Fall in the. What am I trying to say here?

[Mark]

Appreciate what, what we. The gift that we have been given really, though, is that is so. You know what I mean? Like, we're in a. We're in a great, great. We have a great gig. This is, this is an awesome space to be in. I mean, these points that you're going to point out are absolutely right. Like, some of the stuff you just shake your head and you think, we get to do this all the time.

[Jason]

All the time. Right. Pinch me.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

But I mean, there, there, there's. Okay, so let's first, like, let's just get the shitty out of the way. Right. I mean, again, the shitty, crappy stuff that, you know, like, is legit and will remind people. Is legit. Right.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

That the parts, you know, that the way people fall out of love.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

In this industry, in graphic design. Right. I mean, you know, the one word that everybody always hates to hear is burnout.

[Mark]

Burnout.

[Jason]

Burnout's fucking legit.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Yeah, man. You know, like, very real. There can be long hours. There can be endless revision cycles on projects. Right. Tight, tight headlines that are just unrealistic right from the start.

[Mark]

Yes. Yep.

[Jason]

Right. And let's face it, a lot of times you're, you're doing, you're churning job after job for really boring at times. Right.

[Mark]

Sometimes.

[Jason]

Which, you know, it can be. Right. And, and burnout really takes a toll on a lot of people. Yes, like it absolutely can, right?

[Mark]

Yes, yes. Yeah, definitely. Like I, I can think of a time after the, the big trade show that our major client does.

[Jason]

Yeah, yeah.

[Mark]

That is a bit of a sore spot there. It's. We worked really hard for the two months up to that point and even overtime the weekend of.

[Jason]

Right.

[Mark]

And it was just like that can really, really try your nerves.

[Jason]

It does.

[Mark]

Because it's very tedious. You're doing PowerPoint presentations and it's just kind of like.

[Jason]

And in this particular case, we often don't even get recognition. We get a thanks from one person. Really appreciate meets us.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

And that's it. So sometimes it's kind of like, oh yeah. Our loyalty to the customer sometimes, you know, overshadows everything else. Right. And we put up with a lot in that. So. So that, that's a disaster. But then speaking about that, you know, nightmare clients can really make people fall out of love with this space. And we're talking about people who take advantage, who constantly are. You know, there's scope creep, monsters. Right. Every job, you know that what they ask for and what you know you finished delivering is complet projects. Right. You know, and then they challenge your reasoning for everything. Right. Tell you that you're doing it wrong. Right. Sometimes. Hey, sometimes they'll even show you how to do your job.

[Mark]

That's the best.

[Jason]

Yeah.

[Mark]

I love that. Great when that happens.

[Jason]

Yeah. Right. And not to mention then after the project they sometimes come back and try to haggle price with you after the job is done. Like, it's like you drive away with the car and then you're like, by the way, I know you're charging me for $400 a month, but I'm only going to pay you 250. Okay. Thanks for the car.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Thank you for.

[Mark]

But yes.

[Jason]

You know, it's, but it's so easy to get caught up in this.

[Mark]

Totally.

[Jason]

Right. Because again it's, it's. They just, they have this way of, of sometimes just, just killing the fun out of this.

[Mark]

There is, there is a lot of that. They're, they're. Some of these clients are killjoys for sure.

[Jason]

And then let's face it, the rat race itself.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Can be really trying.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Okay. Absolutely. The rat race, when you're. You're chasing trends, Right. You're constantly faced with competition unless you niche, which. Hey, I'm just saying. I'm just saying, you know, you're. You're. You're constantly fighting imposter syndrome. Right. Like, this is. This is something that's just ongoing, you know, until. Until it's not. But it's ongoing. And this is constant, you know, you're trying to keep ahead of. Yeah, constantly. And I mean, I. I don't think changes. No, I think it just, you know, you learn to adapt and stay ahead of it.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

In my opinion. Right.

[Mark]

Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right. You. It's. But it is hard. It's. It's difficult to stay ahead of things like that sometimes.

[Jason]

Yeah, absolutely. It can be. Right. Like, and again, I think the more experience you have in this, the, the less weight a lot of these things have. Yeah, right. Like, again, we don't chase trends anymore.

[Mark]

Yeah, right.

[Jason]

We don't. We don't. We. We. And we've realized. So all of a sudden that's off our plate.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Okay. You know, like, process. Exactly. Like, you know, imposter syndrome.

[Mark]

Yeah. That's kind of real at some point. But. But it's also, again, we're in that mindset where it's like, you know, give me the weekend and I will be an expert.

[Jason]

Yes.

[Mark]

Do you know what I mean? Like.

[Jason]

Well, that's what I mean.

[Mark]

There's no. Like, that doesn't really concern me as much anymore.

[Jason]

Exactly. Exactly. But I think it's a coming. That's kind of a coming to light thing, is it. And that. And, well, I think that's because we realized, you know. Exactly. That the, the way you stay ahead of this stuff. So I think we're fortunate enough that we're staying ahead of the rat race. But a lot of people are at the beginning of that rat race.

[Mark]

That's right. And they could panic in that kind of a scenario.

[Jason]

Absolutely. Right. So we're just. We've adapted.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

And again, I think that's the key for a lot of this.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Okay. But, you know, for sure, you know, early on, and then maybe that could be a whole other episode altogether of, you know, these are the bad points, and this is how you adapt to them and how you get a. Because, again, it's. We're always finding ways to get around this.

[Mark]

Right? Yeah.

[Jason]

Like, even repetition. Okay. Repetition is another reason why people hate doing this kind of. Right. Because, you know, they're like, oh, my God, I couldn't imagine being at a desk every single day and doing the same kind of stuff. Okay. Some cases are worse than others. Sometimes people have a very, very thick brand guideline and they're only doing social posts that they only have three templates they can use and that's it. Okay. That would. That would drive somebody nuts. But, you know, oftentimes if people are doing the same type of project every single day, you know, they. They could love.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

For this kind of space. Right.

[Mark]

I agree.

[Jason]

So. And again, that's generally more, you know, early stage stuff.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

We don't see as much of that anymore. And I think that, you know, you can kind of weigh aside that. Push that aside.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

With experience, we're kind of lucky too.

[Mark]

Because with different clients, you can sometimes switch gears and go into a different kind of. You may be doing kind of the same idea.

[Jason]

Yep.

[Mark]

But it's with a different client, different set of, different brand set. You know what I mean?

[Jason]

Exactly.

[Mark]

Right. Yeah. So if you have a diverse portfolio, you can kind of alleviate that. That.

[Jason]

So again, same old, same old. We're able to, you know, get around these things in this sense. You know, Another reason why people think, you know, totally fall out of love and this we talk about all the time on this podcast, is tech overwhelming. Right. Being overwhelmed with the amount of tech that's going on.

[Mark]

Yeah. This one is crazy.

[Jason]

Right? Seriously. And again, it's not always, you know, the big. The big hot topic has been AI, AI, AI. Right. Which is fine. You know, it's something new. We have to learn. But the rate of updates that Adobe push out, you know, the new apps that are coming out between, you know, Canva and, you know, this online platform and that online platform. Right. Like, you're constantly churning on this. Right. And it's. It. And that's not even to talk about, like, the social media side of everything, where you're constantly trying to figure out how to game the system, how to get, you know, keep your posts up there, how to keep it fresh.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Like, this is a real thing, being overwhelmed by technology. And the pace that this is, you.

[Mark]

Just have to go on the Instagram and see there's 10 people there who have found a hack in Illustrator.

[Jason]

Yeah.

[Mark]

And it's just like, oh, my God.

[Jason]

I know.

[Mark]

Please, I can't. And I saw one the other day and it was awesome.

[Jason]

Yeah.

[Mark]

It really pertained to what I was doing. It was 30 seconds.

[Jason]

It's just like, yeah, right.

[Mark]

You can't. I couldn't tell what the fucking guy.

[Jason]

I know, I know, I know.

[Mark]

What is the point of this then?

[Jason]

Yeah, it's tricky. You know, it is. I just. You know what I do? I trust the Bible of James. Bernard. That is Bernard.

[Mark]

Okay. Yes.

[Jason]

And if I'm like, I need to figure something out, I go through first. Right. Always. Because again, I can't follow everybody, but I can follow our buddy James.

[Mark]

You're right. Yeah. That is a good. That is a good point.

[Jason]

And, you know, while this doesn't pertain to us, I think a lot of people fall out of love. I've known people to fall out of love because of the isolation that they feel. Okay.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Freelancers. Some people in a corporate gig, they're like the only corporate designer, and. And they don't talk to anybody creative all day long. That can have an effect on you. Like, it absolutely can. Can drive you nuts in this case. So, you know, staying ahead of that, you know, is really important, you know, But I mean, these, these are all reasons why people, you know, fall. Fall out of love with what they're doing. Or maybe they don't realize that they're falling out of love because of. But the reality is just because you've had a shitty client or just because the technology sucks or, or, you know, crappy projects. Right. It shouldn't taint your feelings towards design.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Right. Like, you don't have to give up on design as a whole because at the beginning of your career, you got a couple shitty gigs or you got a. A shitty boss or even two, for that matter, even three, in all fairness, like I'm talking, I've been in this game for over 30 years. Okay. I, you know, we've been in business ourselves for over 25, but the business itself, I've been in over 30 years. I've had my share of horrible bosses, horrible clients, horrible projects. And if I were, if I was to give up on design and, oh, I'm getting out of the space, you know, I can't handle. I had a shitty boss and he ruined it for me, dude. Like, it really pisses me off because I don't think people realize the incredible things that this industry gives back.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

You know what I mean? Like, being a graphic designer, I couldn't imagine being in any other industry. Okay. And, and, and being as passionate about it like, I can't imagine if I worked at the government being passionate about going in and looking at numbers and annual budgets.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Or if I was an accountant, being like, oh, more spreadsheets. I'M happy with that.

[Mark]

But there are people that get off of that kind of stuff. Really?

[Jason]

Yeah, really. I think there are psychopaths. That's who they are. But seriously, like, I mean, again, you know, we are. It's true.

[Mark]

Apologies all the accountants. They're not listening anyway.

[Jason]

They're not listening anyways. And if they are, I don't live at 187 Silver Crescent. Okay. Just saying. But I mean, if you're a graphic designer, you know the number one, you get to create cool every day, whether you hate what you're doing or love it. Okay. You're in front of a computer or you're by hand. You're allowed to have a sketchbook. You're allowed to create cool every day, even if it is just repetitive social media posts. Even when you were at the Record and you were doing little black and white ads. Right. You could challenge yourself. You're creating logos, creating ads, you're creating brochures. You know, you're creating slogans and, and looks and, and images. Like, I mean, it's fun.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

If you start breaking it down and really look at what it is that we're doing. Right. We get to create cool. So we get to. We're paid full time to draw, basically. To play with crayons, technical crayons. Every day. Right?

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Right. We. That's a pretty bad game. It's a. Yeah, we, we, we. We have to solve problems.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

This is probably more exciting.

[Mark]

I don' yes.

[Jason]

Okay.

[Mark]

You say. Yeah, this. Because as you get older, to deal with those kind of monotony. The monotony that sometimes graphic design is the problem solving is always a unique experience, you know, I mean, and that's kind of the, that's almost the, the icing on the cake nowadays.

[Jason]

Well, it's true. Right. Weird, but. No, no, but it is true because sometimes the problems are small, like.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Sometimes they're just a design problem.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Right. Like, you know, the customer gives you a tagline and it's like 30 words long, and they wanted to fit in a social post.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

And we figure out how to actually trim it down from 30 to seven words, being the same mess, saying the same message and then accompanying it with the right image.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

And putting it in a good layout. And the client's like, wow. Yeah, that's perfect.

[Mark]

That's exactly what I was looking for.

[Jason]

Right. And it's like. Yeah. And we figured that out, you know, with seven words, not 30.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

So I mean, it. There's. There's this sense of Just accomplishment, like victory when you have that right. And I mean, this is just a visual problem solve. If you're like trying to solve somebody's problem, brand problem, you know. You know, or like I. Again, I remember, you know, we had a customer and they had a chain of gas stations, but the problem is they were three separate names. Okay, so three completely separate branded.

[Mark]

What?

[Jason]

Yeah, three completely. And they had like 50 of. Of locations of this one called Sunnies, 30 of this one called, you know, Amco or another. Right. And they had 80 of this other. Look. So they had three separate. And they were not. They couldn't, for technical reasons, put them all as one name. The problem, they said, is, okay, we need to, you know, make this all feel like a unified brand.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

Three completely different names, brands, histories, legacies, you know, trying to attack it at that high level.

[Mark]

Wow.

[Jason]

Impossible.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

So the problem that we solved, I was like, you know what, we can't change this. Three separate brands. Let's brand the gasoline that you carry across all three. And because they were supplying the same gas, all of them. Right. They were the same gas company. And so what we did is we came up with a brand for the gas. We made it Sunny's, featuring X brand. Yes. And that's what it was. That's awesome. And we, we branded the gasoline and we branded it, you know, just. So a lot of these other big name brands like the Essos and Sonocos, they. They always, you know, talked about how great their gas was. Well, we're like, you know what? We're three separate locations. The only way we can unify this.

[Mark]

Is the gas is the product.

[Jason]

And that's what we did. And we unified the product, we branded the product, we put posters up and all of a sudden the product became the star. And, and, and they were like, oh, yeah. To go to this location because they have that, you know, you know how great that was. And the results we got for the customer was insane. It was in. And it turns out, again, like, you know, you do a good job with customers when they become acquired.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

And sure enough, after like four years and constantly pumping this up, they were acquired for their gas. Because then the other guy just took all 120 locations and branded them as one. So we did something good.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

But like, I mean, you know what the rush was on that. It was just such a. It's just like pedal to the metal rush, you know.

[Mark]

Yeah. And that's, that's a very clever way of, kind of a clever workaround, which, you know, Is. Is common in. In this industry. So.

[Jason]

Right.

[Mark]

That's. That's fun stuff. It is.

[Jason]

This is fun stuff.

[Mark]

Makes it worth getting out of bed.

[Jason]

It kind of goes back another reason. Right. It's because. Because every single day can be different in what we do.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Right. And I'm not just talking about the kind of projects or the kind of. But also kind of customers. One day, if you want, you could be working on a tech customer. The next day you could be working on a coffee shop. You know, one day you're working on a PowerPoint only you find exciting. But then the next day, maybe you're doing a web layout or you're wire framing. Right.

[Mark]

Like, call me accountants.

[Jason]

Psychopaths, he means. You know what I mean? Like, it's just. It's just, you know, every day is different.

[Mark]

Yeah. Yes.

[Jason]

Which again, is not what you would get if you were working, you know, at a different desk job or if you were doing, like, for the government. For the government. Spreadsheets for the government. Yeah, that. So again, how do you argue this?

[Mark]

I know, I know. This is the kind of stuff where dreams are made.

[Jason]

I would think so. Right. You know, another incredible reason, you know, that. That this job is incredible is we get to leave mark our marks.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

On everything.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

So dogs will go around and pee on everything. Right. Graphic designers, in a similar sort of way, you know, pepper the. The whole world with their work. And it's cool to see this. You're going to a grocery store and you're like, I did that. You know, you go to a hardware store. I did that. You go to an event and there's your poster. I did that. Like, you're leaving your mark on the world.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Which is cool. Even if it's just on social, you know, for your customer. And even though social saturated and. And. And it's a horrible place at times, you're still leaving your mark on that. You're responsible for that. So you really can take pride in that. Okay. And again, nobody else can do that. Right?

[Mark]

No.

[Jason]

You get paid to be creative. Okay. And again, that's something totally weird, right? Like, who thought that, that. That you would do as a kid that made you so weird.

[Mark]

Doodles.

[Jason]

Right? Those doodles. Or you're running around with imaginary friends, you know, in the forest, or. Or you're biking by yourself, but you're in a race against the world, and you are in first place, and people are chasing all this shit that you used to do as a kid to be creative and imaginative that people thought Made you weird is actually what people want from you.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

They want this weirdness, this creative that. That. That you. Nobody can describe. Like, this is what people want from us.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

How cool is that? Right? Like, it's awesome, right? Dude, you can hat, beard. Like, you can be yourself.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Okay.

[Mark]

We're.

[Jason]

We're really on the, on, on the fringe here of being weird and wacky. But we're talking. We have very conservative tech customers.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

And when we show up at their events, they're proud that we're looking the way we are. We're the guys that stand out. They're like, that's our agency. Remember when we went to Montreal, we met our customer in Montreal for the first time. Okay. In person. And his team had never seen us, but randomly, two separate people came up to us amidst a crowd of hundreds of engineers. And they're like, you guys are Zed Factor, aren't you? You guys, you standing. You're the only. You're the creative one. And they pointed us out. They had no idea what we looked like. Dude, how cool.

[Mark]

And.

[Jason]

And we were with the most conservative bunch of people, big time. And they appreciated that we showed up. Hats, beards, you know, T shirt and jeans. Converse. Like. Like it just you. And again, how you can be yourself.

[Mark]

Totally.

[Jason]

Right. Even in, Even in corporate environments, it seems as though most graphic designers can kind of skate through and, and show up with their MacBook that's covered in stickers and maybe have a hat or, or rock a hoodie or something. Even in big. So again, we. No industry's like this. No. Hey, if you're pushing papers over at the government, I don't think you'll be able to show up like this. Let me tell you.

[Mark]

You're wearing a tie and a short sleeve shirt, my friend.

[Jason]

If it's a crazy day, you might sport golf shirts. Guys. Whoa, easy.

[Mark]

Shirts that. Oh, God, I hate golf shirts.

[Jason]

But honestly, above anything else, it's just being a graphic designer is cool.

[Mark]

It is.

[Jason]

It's not easy.

[Mark]

No, but it's. But it is cool. Yeah.

[Jason]

Okay. And it's. It's funny because even by, you know, young kids standards, okay, my kids don't think much is cool and they definitely don't think I'm cool. Right. It's just because the kids. Well, maybe my youngest daughter, she does. But. But the thing is, they think what I do is cool.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

And that's mind blowing.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Right. Because it doesn't. It seems like. It's like no matter what generation you are, it's like doing art, doing creativity, doing, you know, being a graphic designer is just got this cool factor.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Okay. And it's, it's, it's, it's about what we do, who we are. Right? How we live what, you know, and, and, and it is. People recognize this. They recognize this.

[Mark]

Yeah. So look at all those guys at Lincoln. They live that lifestyle. That's, that's, that's them. They are pure people that, that are skaters and graphic designers. You know what I mean? Like, there's no, there's no closet accountants down there, anything like that. No, no.

[Jason]

Yeah.

[Mark]

I saw a post from them on Instagram and this is like, they all look the same, but they're all cool, you know, with their vans and their, you know, their hoodies and stuff. And I'm like, what a great, what a great spot space this is.

[Jason]

This is for us, right? It really is. Now granted, we pushed the limit on one side, but on the other side, even, even those, you know, highly pretentious elite graphic designers that are working, you know, in, in places that are not as cool as, you know, the studios that we are. But even the, you know, these sport their cool factor. You know, you could be a downtown New York City graphic designer. And for the ones that, you know, granted, I'm sure there's going to be grungy ones like us, but you're going to find people that are totally pimping out with their old look, their style. You know, they're probably tatted from neck to right, wearing their, you know, fancy thousand dollar suit.

[Mark]

I mean, but they're still cool as totally.

[Jason]

So it's, it's, it's a really, really neat space to be in.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

And I think that, you know, know it's easy to lose sight of this. Okay. But the thing is, you know, you just can't lose sight. You can't go too far.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Okay. You can't forget this. You can't let it get to that state where you're burning out, right, where, where you just. There's so much to give in this space. And I think that's why, you know, what we, what we want to is, is, is give 20. Okay. Steps. 20. No, 20 ways to rekindle, you know, your love. Oh, okay. Rekindle your passion for design. Because it is easy to lose your way.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

It's easy to get caught up in the day to day. And if there's something the past week has taught me is, is like, you could be, you know, healthy, in love conscious one day and the Next day, you could be bedridden. You could be, you know, just clueless. Just kind of detached from the world. And not to get morbid, but life's too short.

[Mark]

Life is too short to do spreadsheets. Yeah.

[Jason]

Played it simple. And so, you know, the importance to rekindle, you know, your love, your affirmation for why this is critical.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

And, you know, considering that, you know, I think this. This episode is going to be released prior to the holidays. It's a good opportunity for people to just take a week or two, right. Check off a couple of these. Okay. And really connect back with. With why we got into this and. And connect back with the parts to love about what we're doing.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Right. So.

[Mark]

And the last. The last point that you're going to point out here is, I think is a good. Is. Is a really good one too, for that kind of thing. But.

[Jason]

Exactly.

[Mark]

I'm not gonna spoil it.

[Jason]

We'll let you.

[Mark]

Let you get spoiler.

[Jason]

So. All right, so. So ready? 20 Ways to Rekindle your passion for design.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

All right, so first, the first batch, okay, is about resetting, you know, resetting your mindset. Okay. Clear the mental blocks, rediscover, you know, what you're doing, your purpose. Okay? So number one, remember why you started this from the start.

[Mark]

Right?

[Jason]

Okay, again, think of. Think back to what made you. You love design. Okay. This is just a mindset thing. Okay. You don't have to do anything here, but think about why you got into this in the first place. Granted, it wasn't to crunch out, you know, social post after social post, and.

[Mark]

That wasn't a thing.

[Jason]

We knew that. Right. But there was a deeper meaning why you did this, right? It was it, you know, to create your cool ideas, right? Was it to problem solve? Was it to. To do everything from video to web to. To drawing to logos? Like, you know, connect with that first and foremost because it's really easy to lose sight why you got into this in the first place.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

And I guarantee you it wasn't for money. Okay. Just saying it was not for money. So, you know, you can not make money doing something you love or not make money doing something you hate. Spreadsheets. So first and foremost, remember why you started.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Number two. Two, call bullshit on yourself. Oh, okay. Seriously, guys, like, what the is holding you back? It's so easy to blame clients and tools and the industry and everything that we listed, but, you know, these are just distractions. Yeah. Okay. These are distractions. You want to figure out what that what's really holding you back? Is it the clients you're going after? Is it the location that you're in? Is it the loc that you're looking? The pool of work that you're looking, you know, you're trying to pull from? Okay. Figure out what's really holding your back. Okay. You know, be hard on yourself. Don't sugarcoat this. Fix it.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

And move forward. Because more times than not, we are responsible for the that we are creating. And again, it's easy to lose sight to take on every job because you got to make money. You got to make money.

[Mark]

Get. Yep.

[Jason]

Really though? Really? If it's always the wrong job with the wrong outcome, you know, you got to step back and take a look at this. Okay, so call BS on yourself. Okay. Number three, stop comparing yourself to Instagram creators, to YouTube creators, to anybody you see on Tik Tok with, with all these followers. Okay? Like again, social media is, is, is a highlight reel.

[Mark]

Y.

[Jason]

Okay, yes, it is. It is. And, and I would almost argue that all of the Internet is a high real. Okay. When you got behance and you got all these company, you know, they want you to put your good on there, right? Well, nobody really talks about the real. They're always posting fake logos, fake this, fake that. Dude, it's not all awesome. It's not going to be all great work. So stop comparing yourselves to these people. Right? You can't measure your success against somebody else's, you know, Instagram following and be like, holy. You know, Bernard's got like half a million plus people following him. You know, I, I, I suck. I can never be like that. Why do you have to be like that?

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

You don't. The world already has James Bernard. We don't need a second or a third one.

[Mark]

Exactly.

[Jason]

Talk about him a lot.

[Mark]

We should just call this the James Bernard episode. I hope he's this guy.

[Jason]

But seriously, focus on your work, not on their likes.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

All right.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Number four, stop taking yourself so seriously.

[Mark]

There we go.

[Jason]

Right? Really? Like again, you know, this is a creative field. Embrace the fact that it's a creative field. Stop trying to turn yourself into a business. Okay? Like you're not the, the, the suit wearing, you know, you know, nine to five. Dude, we're creatives. We're supposed to enjoy this because other if we don't enjoying this, it's going to, it's going to stifle our creativity.

[Mark]

Exactly.

[Jason]

Okay, I'm not saying don't take the industry seriously. I'm not Saying don't take your customers seriously and their work. Stop taking yourself so seriously, okay? And take it all tongue in cheek and just take a breath and enjoy, you know, breathe in what the. That it is that we're working on and what we're doing, the environments we're in, the projects that we have. So don't let the rest of it get ahead of you. Just breathe it in and enjoy this.

[Mark]

Yeah. Yes. Nice.

[Jason]

Right? And then number five, you know, in this first section, remind yourself why graphic design rocks for you. Okay? So again, everybody has a different reason why they love graphic design. Some people love the fact that it's transient. They can pick up their laptop, they can go to in Dubai for a couple weeks, you know, and they can travel and they can sign up for Starlink and, you know, go, you know, drive around for weeks at a time, right? Other people love the fact that, you know, they can jump from industry to industry and learn how things work, you know, and jump around like that. Other people just, it's a way for them to, you know, express themselves, you know, and through graphic design, they're creating all these, these, these cool that people love. Okay? Find out why graphic design rocks for you and only you. Okay? So again, stop trying to play into what school might teach you or what you're reading on the Internet and find out what your reason is for loving this.

[Mark]

Nice.

[Jason]

All right, so this is step one. These five points are just to reset your mind, okay? Give yourself a new mindset on this, okay? The next, the next five is make space for creativity and focus on taking control and clearing the way. So inspiration gotta take over. Okay, Nice. And again, for the record, these aren't in any particular order, right? You don't have to follow these, but maybe a couple of these might actually help. Okay? So number one, say no more often.

[Mark]

Love it.

[Jason]

Right?

[Mark]

Love it.

[Jason]

We're not yes people. And that's what people forget. Like you need to learn how to say no to all these, these soul sucking clients that, you know, like that literally they drain every single bit of, of of just, you know, love that you have for this space and inspiration that you have from the creative memory. Like you have to, you know, start saying no to these guys and start saying yes to more projects that you love, right? Even, even if those projects you love start off as small or even a fractional of the budget that these soul suckers, you know, do, that's all right, because it actually excite what this is about. It's about rekindling your love for design. Because I can, I can guarantee you that's only going to be for a short term.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

That you're going to end up like, you know, having the low budget, but the projects you love, but they're still low budget because that, you know, it, it, it's intoxicating and it attracts more of the same types of projects.

[Mark]

More.

[Jason]

Same types of clients.

[Mark]

Yeah. Because you're putting passion, you're, you're throwing all your, your back right into the passionate part of this. Right.

[Jason]

Yes.

[Mark]

And, and clients notice that. And, and they will refer you to some who was in need and then, you know, they tell two friends and they tell two friends and so on and so on. Right. Yeah.

[Jason]

Think of it this way. We purged shitty clients.

[Mark]

We did. And how much better has life been since.

[Jason]

Right. And it's probably been years since we had. Okay, we've had, we've had pain in the ass clients.

[Mark]

There's.

[Jason]

Yeah, right. That, that maybe you have to adjust or tap. But we haven't had shitty clients because we purged that and we attracted the kind of people who wanted to work with us, who appreciated what we had to offer and it such a difference to every single person that worked here.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

So big time. Absolutely. Right. Number two, purge your toxic client.

[Mark]

Oh, there we go.

[Jason]

Oh, nice. I heard that shit gave you a little bit of foreshadowing there on that one. But seriously, if you have a client that drives you nuts.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Okay. You've got to figure out what your line is and if they can't come back and fix this, fire them.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

It's not, not worth it. Okay.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

It's terrifying to think that you're gonna fire customer, but when you do, it is so liberating because you feel like you have a weight lifted off your shoulder because you're only chained to them for money.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

And I know that sounds crazy and by that point.

[Mark]

By that point.

[Jason]

Yes, yes, exactly. It sounds scary.

[Mark]

I know. Yeah.

[Jason]

But once you get rid of this person, you're now going to have all this time. Number one, you're gonna have all this relief and energy. Your shoulders are going to feel so much lighter that you're going to be able to work and find those customers you do want to work with. Okay.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

If you look at probably your whole work set, 80% of your problems are probably coming from 20% of your customers. That 80, 20 rule is so legit.

[Mark]

Wow.

[Jason]

It is so. And I guarantee and think back to the. When we had those difficult clients, how much misery they brought versus how Much profit they brought. Yeah, Right. And they will suck 80% of your time and only get you maybe 20% of your profit.

[Mark]

Exactly.

[Jason]

It ain't worth it, guys. It ain't worth it. Right. So purge your toxic clients. Okay. Number three, stop being a workaholic. O. And I know, and that's a tricky one because I, I do like to work. I am a workaholic. Right. But the thing is, it's not a badge of honor in all fairness. No. And, and, and, well, and it doesn't mean you don't work hard when you do.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

But you don't have to put in, you know, 1214 hour days all the time just so you can brag that you put in 12, and that is a real thing.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Okay. And a lot of these companies, if, if you see, like, if you see like, you see these tech companies, a lot of the tech companies that we know of, especially, they'll have people working 10, 12 hour days. But how many of those 10, 12, 14 hours are actually productive? That's the challenge.

[Mark]

We've noticed that a lot, right? Yes.

[Jason]

And so, yeah, we work, you know, generally we stop when we had eight hours here.

[Mark]

Yep.

[Jason]

But of those eight hours, a good seven are productive, right?

[Mark]

Totally.

[Jason]

If not more. But I mean, again, we're, you know, we're working hard when we are.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

So we can enjoy when we're not.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

And I think that's the key. Right. We're working for the sake of working. Being chained to the desk for the sake of being chained to the desk happens a lot. And that really, really can with somebody, you know, with, with, with their whole passion for a space and they're blaming that. But it's like, dude, work harder when you are there so you can enjoy when you're not there.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

All right. So stop being a workaholic for the sake of being a workaholic.

[Mark]

There you go.

[Jason]

Number four, Take a damn break.

[Mark]

All right. I'll be out of here.

[Jason]

Okay. See, Sean, guys, you got to take a break. You gotta, you gotta. You're right. Go do something you love. Okay. Away from like the screen. You know, you're sitting there in front, you like, honestly, it's like, take that break. Even if it's a simple walk, even if it's just, you know, I, I don't even want to say, like, go watch a show or something, because, you know, you're still in front of a screen, but literally back away from the projects, back away from the clients, because again, your creativity will thank you for this. Okay. And you'll start appreciating it more. You'll find that you will be more. More. What's the word? Targeted. Pinpoint. Focus. Focus.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Thank you. When you get. When you are getting back to this stuff.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

So don't feel that you have to do your seven and a half, eight hour restraint. Okay. Because you don't necessarily need to in order to kind of stay creative. You really don't. In fact, I think the longer you stay in front of a screen, the less creative you become.

[Mark]

This is true. Yeah. Actually, I. I remember working with a guy and he was. He was really talented, and he was like, you know, he said sometimes I'd get up in the middle of the night and work for a couple hours. And I was like, wow. Like, that's. But if inspiration struck. And that's what. That's what he did.

[Jason]

Right.

[Mark]

Like. Right.

[Jason]

But then you. Then you can sleep off another couple hours.

[Mark]

You can sleep in. Right? Yeah.

[Jason]

That's good.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

So don't be scared to take a break.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

All right. And number five in this section if you have to. And I'm a big fan of this. Upgrade your setup. Okay. You need to love where you work. Right. Okay. If you look at my setup, like, I got tchotchkes. I got toys from, like, you know, where growing up as a kid that I rediscovered. I've got art in my. Like, my office is like light show in there now. Yeah. Oh, my God. I got neon lights emphasizing all my cool artwork. Maybe I'll show people one day. It's like a dance club, you know, from some sort of Russian spy movie or something. But for real, I mean, you need to be. Because if you start surrounding yourself with really cool, that. That makes you feel creative, that makes you feel energized, that you can just kind of like, you know, fidget with while you're thinking. It just. It makes you love your space. It makes you more productive. Right. And again, I. I encourage it for everybody here, and I think almost everybody here has got something on their desk.

[Mark]

Totally.

[Jason]

Or to the. Not Caitlyn.

[Mark]

No, she does.

[Jason]

Does she?

[Mark]

Yeah. Oh, yeah.

[Jason]

Other than, like teacups.

[Mark]

No, she's got, like, little Chachkis that Natalie got her from. From Peru.

[Jason]

From Peru.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

That's right. That's right. But Tally, she's got like, Pokemon.

[Mark]

Her's on point, man.

[Jason]

I know, right? She's pretty stoked there. Louise has got like. He's got all the Ninja Turtle. Right. Like, again, you know, that would really recharge you okay, again, this goes back to. Stop taking yourself so seriously.

[Mark]

That's right.

[Jason]

Some people love stark, clean environments because that's what they see online in social. You see the repetitive thing here. And they see on. They. They think they're supposed to have these really cool, sterile environments because it looks so cool.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

But you know what? It's not.

[Mark]

No, it's not practical.

[Jason]

It's not. It's not have the fun stuff around. Right. And I'm not saying be like a pack rider or anything, but, I mean, I remember when Aaron Draplin showed us his studio.

[Mark]

Crazy.

[Jason]

It was ins. There was everything that dude loved, loved from a hundred thousand, you know, albums to, you know, his car. Like, this is the. That you guys need to surround yourself with. So you know what? Don't be scared to upgrade your workspace. You know, if you have to change out your monitor, you know, maybe get a second one in place, maybe get a new keyboard, maybe get a fun creative desk pad. You know, I love my desk pad, but I'm looking for a more exciting one, you know, right now. So again, let's have. Have fun with that. Okay. Because that'll really change the way you feel about your workspace.

[Mark]

Yes, totally. And that'll help you work more productive.

[Jason]

Absolutely, it will, right?

[Mark]

Totally. Yeah.

[Jason]

Yeah. Oh, God. It's crazy.

[Mark]

Awesome.

[Jason]

All right, step three. Not even step three, section three. Okay. We're going to talk about getting your. Getting hands on with design. Okay. And this is just like, actually now getting back connected to it. Okay, so you're loving this again, application. Yes, kind of. Right. Like, you know, number one one, make something for yourself.

[Mark]

Ah.

[Jason]

Not for a client.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

I don't know how many people do this, or maybe they don't do this enough. Okay.

[Mark]

I think it's hard if you're. If you're working. I think it's. It's tough to.

[Jason]

But then it's hard if you're working all the time. Yeah. Again, see some of the other points we have here.

[Mark]

Right?

[Jason]

But if you're working all the time, that means after hours, you have an opportunity to rekindle your look love with this. We're designers.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Okay. Create, you know, a logo for yourself. Create something you want to see on a hat, on a. On a poster.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Okay. Something that you might want to hang up and be proud of. Okay. Create something for you that you're going to want, not for a customer. Something that, you know, you don't care if a customer likes it or not. Okay.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Guys, we're Designers, if we're not trying to create, you know, for ourselves, just, Just. Just to be creative, I'm not sure that we're in this for the right reason.

[Mark]

And this is true.

[Jason]

All right, so again, this allows you to explore creativity in an entirely new way.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

Okay.

[Mark]

You're the client.

[Jason]

You're the client, and you're doing this for completely different reasons. It's not profit, it's fulfillment, and that's important in this space. All right, number two, try analog for a day.

[Mark]

Oh, I love it.

[Jason]

All right.

[Mark]

Oh, pen and pencil.

[Jason]

Depending away from the computer, pick up a pen, pencil, sketch, paint, you know, mess around with stuff. You know, get a Sharpie in place. I mean, I. I love watching James Victoria because again, he'll get. He'll get his, like, messy paint pen, and he'll just start putting that everywhere, and it's just. It's awesome.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

It makes you feel like a kid again, but it reconnects you with your creative soul.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Which is what you need to do.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

All right, so go analog for a. A day. Right. And. And this isn't about, you know, like, bettering your computer skills by any ways. This is about reconnecting with, you know, the joy of creating.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

All right.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

All right.

[Mark]

Number three, manner. It's something that you would like because we all. We all work on the computers all day. Yes. Generally. Right.

[Jason]

Yes.

[Mark]

So in a different kind of aspect of creativity, you know, there's something. There's something very organic about just a pen and a pen, paper. You know what I mean? Like, absolutely. Is just brilliant.

[Jason]

It is. And I don't think people do that anymore.

[Mark]

No, No, I certainly don't. Guilty as charged.

[Jason]

Yeah. Yeah. Well, let's do that.

[Mark]

Okay.

[Jason]

Okay, Sean.

[Mark]

All right.

[Jason]

It's going to be our. Our Christmas holiday thing. Okay.

[Mark]

I suck at drawing, though. I just realized I was like, oh, I've been trying to sketch stuff, and it's just like, oh, God, I seen your sketches. They're not so bad.

[Jason]

You'd be too hard on yourself. Stop being so critical. He's obviously not listening to what the hell we're talking about.

[Mark]

It's. You're so good looking, I can't concentrate.

[Jason]

Although. Won't argue there. All right, all right, all right. Number three. Number three. Okay. On this one, I do a lot. Force yourself to go outside and find art. And when. I mean outside, I mean outside of your home.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Okay. I'm talking about go do the obvious and visit a gallery or go treasure hunting. Empty. And go like you know, find like all these quirky market. Antique markets. Yeah, right. And find there. Or like, go, like, explore street art or like, look for old signs that. That are just kind of like, holy. Like, that's. That's ugly.

[Mark]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jason]

But it's cool. But lately I'm seeing cool out there. Right. Give yourself a chance to disconnect from the. The monitor and go out into the world and find creativity activity there.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

Our. Our buddy Alan. Alan Peters.

[Mark]

He's classic for that.

[Jason]

So he just had a whole new thing where he started, you know, I guess he found some old shells, gunshell boxes, and he started collecting these. Right. And these are like, you know, ammunition shell boxes.

[Mark]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jason]

And, you know, he's showing his collection and it's awesome stuff. Probably stuff from like the 20s and 30s and stuff that's like 60, 80 years old and different fonts, different colors, the funny logos, but every single one was beautiful in its own way.

[Mark]

Hand drawn.

[Jason]

Hand drawn.

[Mark]

There was no computers back then. That's. That's all a dude doing that.

[Jason]

Dude. It was incredible. I remember when we went to Toronto for a couple days with the kids and we went to Graffiti Alley.

[Mark]

Oh.

[Jason]

And it was just like 1km straight of just graffiti everywhere. And what that does to your soul is it just. It re. It's like. It's like creativity reached into your chest, put its hands on your heart and just give it a good shake back and forth. Because it's just. It's mind blowing, the effect that this has on you.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

So get out of your environment. Explore and find creativity in the world.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

It's. It's just. And I don't mean in nature.

[Mark]

No.

[Jason]

I think it's kind of hokey when people are like, bring a journal, going to the forest and find creativity off. That's not what we're talking about here. We're talking about go appreciate art. That is not what you would do, but you can appreciate it.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Right. And I'm telling you, I. I find a lot with. With street art, but I mean, flea markets. Flea markets, it's just. Just great, classic stuff.

[Mark]

All this old crap that you're like, wow. It's just. It's just. There's a certain charm to that.

[Jason]

Absolutely.

[Mark]

Yeah. Which is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

[Jason]

All right, number four. This one's a little trickier. Okay. But if you have the opportunity, find cool, creative people and try to collaborate with them in some way. Okay. See how you can help them. Okay. Ask them if there's anything that you can do, whether it's a local artist, photographer, another graphic designer, a web developer, you know, maybe somebody who does, like, you know, museum, you know, exhibits and stuff. Right. Find people who have creativity in other ways and figure out ways to collaborate with and because this is ways to collaborate, you know, don't think you're making money on this one. This is to regeneraze. Re. Energize your soul, your creative abilities. Right. And see what that collaboration can teach you. Yeah, okay. It could be good, it could be shitty, but you're learning something new, and you're collaborating with cool people that are our creative, you know, and not in your space. But that's the whole benefit of this. You. You want to find creativity outside of the screen.

[Mark]

Yeah. Yes, exactly.

[Jason]

Right? So that's the whole point of this one. All right, and last but not least, number five in this set, celebrate your wins. Ah, I don't. Very important man. I don't think that designers do this, you know, and this could be huge to prevent burnout, but they don't celebrate their wins enough. You know, generally it's like, well, we'll have this giant project, and we'll work to the end of this project. And after it is, it's like, okay, on to the next one.

[Mark]

Y.

[Jason]

You don't. Or maybe you go out, binge, get yourself drunk, just to wake up in the morning and start again. Right. No, I'm talking about genuinely celebrate that win. Take a look at that when give yourself a self high five. Go reward yourself. Go buy yourself something new with that. Right. Treat yourself, because you've just amped yourself up and acknowledging. And keep in mind, when you buy something, you're looking at that and thinking, I got that because I killed it.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

I got this because I killed it. Right. And that's key.

[Mark]

Yeah. Like you were saying, a second monitor that you were always looking for. And because you got this big gig, you nailed it, Right?

[Jason]

Absolutely.

[Mark]

Every time you look at that, you'll think, yeah, that project, I rock.

[Jason]

I think people, they wait. They always wait for the perfect milestone to celebrate.

[Mark]

You're right. We are per. Some of us are perfectionists, and it's a little. It's a little annoying in that regard. Yeah. But, yeah, you're right. You need to take a pause and.

[Jason]

Celebrate the wins, the good wins and all the wins. Even the smallest wins are good wins. Yeah. Yeah.

[Mark]

Little victories.

[Jason]

Yep. Absolutely. All right, so that's. That's. That's three. The five for the third set.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Last set. Here is. This is about pushing yourself to Grow now. Okay. So we're trying to rekindle our passion with creativity now. We're trying to push ourselves to grow. Okay. So we're going to try to focus on challenging yourself, maybe embracing some new that you haven't done before.

[Mark]

Okay.

[Jason]

So like number one, this is a simple one. Learn yourself a new trick. Right. Seriously, this is, this is, you know, this is picking up something. Something silly. Whether this is just like finding a, you know how to do this on social and, and being like, wow, that actually worked. I really like that. Okay. Or experimen with something that you never have. Okay. Experimenting with AI, Experimenting with motion graphics or just animating something. Right. You know, dude, I am like trying 3D printing. And you are? I am. And it's because I want to get to the point where I can make vinyl toys. I think that's, that's fun. But I kind of figure this is a good introductory step to that. So I'm learning how to actually model in 3D.

[Mark]

What's the software for that?

[Jason]

There's a few different ones online. There's a lot that's available. Right. And Blender apparently is a pretty popular one. Little hard, little different than the world. But the thing is, it's like I'm not looking at the software, I'm looking at what I want to learn, which is that, that final thing, which is read. I think it'd be cool.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

And again, great. You know, it's kind of like a new magic trick. I practice my kids and be like, hey, look at this magic trick. 3D print something six hours later. Wow. But again, you want to pick something up that you don't know how to do.

[Mark]

Right.

[Jason]

Okay. And again, there has to be something self fulfilling about this. It could even be woodworking for all I care.

[Mark]

But I just wanted to get into screen printing.

[Jason]

Really?

[Mark]

Dude.

[Jason]

So fun.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

And there's so many ways to do that. Experimenting with that.

[Mark]

I did it in school, like, I don't know, grade 11 maybe.

[Jason]

I remember. Yeah.

[Mark]

And it was fun. It was, it was great. And it's messy. It's. What's that?

[Jason]

It was messy.

[Mark]

It was very messy.

[Jason]

Yeah.

[Mark]

But I mean, it's made, it's made tremendously. Kind of like, like just from, you know, the, the way you, you do it, you know, like back in the old days was like, with the glue and all that.

[Jason]

Absolutely. And it's not just on clothes. But Timbo, he just, he just did a whole bunch of like posters, mini posters. They look great. Yeah.

[Mark]

Those guys down at Creative south the.

[Jason]

Remember, those guys were amazing. Crazy screen printing too. Guys. Yeah, I got one of their posters.

[Mark]

I can't remember what the name is.

[Jason]

But again, it's like. It's like, you know, learn something new.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

For yourself.

[Mark]

Beautiful.

[Jason]

Okay. And again, reconnect with that creativity, you know? Number two, push your limits. I don't think that people push themselves enough because the reality is you only learn through failure.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

That's the only time you will learn. So if you're doing the same thing every single day. Day, you will never, ever, ever learn something new.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Okay. You're going to just plateau. So push yourself. Try to learn something that might actually you fail at. Okay. And the second time you try it, you probably won't fail at it.

[Mark]

No, you won't.

[Jason]

But the thing is, you've got to push your limits and what you're capable of.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Okay. So it's not as nearly as scary as what it sounds like, but growth happens through failure.

[Mark]

Yep.

[Jason]

Plain and simple.

[Mark]

Yep. This is true.

[Jason]

You know. Number three, focus on work that excites you. Okay. Don't worry about the. I get it. You know, we have the day to day that has to pay the bills. And I'm not saying to abandon that, but sometimes you still have. That's part of the industry. Right. But double down on what makes you tick as a designer. Double down on that. And honestly, the right opportunities will follow because you're going to start posting that on your portfolio. You're going to start getting a reputation for doing that. So again, focus on the work that you kind of want and that excites you and everything else will follow thereafter.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Number four, get the out of your own way. No.

[Mark]

Okay, big one.

[Jason]

This goes back to perfection. Perfection kills creativity. And I can't stress this enough. You guys gotta stop stress striving for perfection because it's the enemy.

[Mark]

Not gonna happen.

[Jason]

It is. You got to get away. I will never send anything to a client that isn't perfect. I want to punch people when I hear this. It frustrates me so much because they think they're so high in money. You guys got to bring it down if that's your attitude. Because again, number one, clients don't find that perfection that you do. Okay. It's purely for your own narcissism. It is that your level of perfection. Action doesn't exist in the client's eyes. They're at like 70, 80% of what you're capable of doing. So stop. Get out of your own mindset. That you know, you can only send something out if it's perfect because you know what? You'll be broke before you know it and you'll be hating what you do.

[Mark]

Yeah. And you'll be crazy. Oh, like that would just drive me nuts. Not, right.

[Jason]

Oh, absolutely. Nuts. Right. And last but not least, take a break and disconnect.

[Mark]

Ah, there it is. That's what I was talking about earlier.

[Jason]

That. Enough. Go ahead. If you're talking about.

[Mark]

No, no, I'm just gonna say, like, if. If you got holidays coming up over the Christmas holidays or whatever, then this is the perfect time to implement this.

[Jason]

Honestly.

[Mark]

Yes, totally, dude.

[Jason]

You know what? I would challenge you guys to not only disconnect from the computer, but even disconnect. Connect from social.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

You know, whether it's for one day, three days, if you can do it, do it for a whole week. I can assure you that nothing is going to happen so catastrophic that you're going to end up, you know, at starting over again.

[Mark]

Why did I miss this?

[Jason]

Give yourself a break. Let your mind relax. There is so much pressure that we feel every single, single day. Yeah, okay. From being online, from getting news, being media bombarded on a regular basis, Tips.

[Mark]

Imposter syndrome, there's all kinds of stuff.

[Jason]

God, this connect, okay? Give yourself that break and you'll realize that you don't need all that, you know, bukkake of media on a regular basis. Ad, media, post, it's coming everywhere. You don't need that. Okay.

[Mark]

Oh, I love the reverence.

[Jason]

Disconnect. You don't need that. All right, I went a little too far there.

[Mark]

Ladies and gentlemen. We're the only podcast that will talk about bukat.

[Jason]

But it's coming at you from every direction. It's ridiculous. Okay, disconnect and appreciate. Okay, Appreciate what? Your own mind, what you can come down to. Okay, so, yeah, I can't believe I said that. Sorry, guys, but the reality is, you know, even if you're just binging on Netflix for a while, okay, I'm not saying, you know, don't go online or, you know, 100% in the sense of, you know, you have a TV, you want a TV, you want to binge Netflix, that's fine. You know, you want to go play video games with your kids for the whole week, that's fine, that's okay. But just disconnect from the life that, you know, whether it's social for inspiration, whether it's social for entertain, and just see what else is out there. Okay?

[Mark]

Get out. Like you said to A gallery or, or a flea market or something like that. Something organic that you're actually, you know, a part of. See it? You can hold it in your hand like, wow.

[Jason]

Absolutely.

[Mark]

Can you imagine Allen's discovery with these. Oh my God.

[Jason]

How cool would that have been?

[Mark]

Yeah, I know. Like this is a whole. Because he's like the oils and you know, like the, all those like badges and things like that. Right now there, here's a whole different thing for him to. Yeah. It's like, I can't wait to see what he's going to do.

[Jason]

I know, I know. But you can see it because it comes through his work.

[Mark]

Totally.

[Jason]

And he finds that inspiration aborbs. I love that. Right. You know, I think this is just nothing but beneficial for graphic designers to do and take advantage of. So there is, you know, if there's one thing I've realized is life is short. Life is, is, is. And not just like living and dying, but even your capabilities and can happen from day to day. And you know, life is too short to, to do something you hate.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

For a living.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Okay. And you can maybe dislike what you're doing right now. You can maybe even hate what you're doing right now because you're early in the journey or you're stuck at a, maybe a corporate gig and you're not happy. But the reality is you don't have to give up on a career in design. Yeah. Because of your situation right now.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Or even your past situation. Right.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Again, don't let that dictate, you know, the most fulfilling career journey somebody can have, in my opinion. And you know, we're getting paid to do art. This whole starving artist doesn't have to exist. If you're a graphic designer, you can be a well fed one. Okay. Apparently, if you're looking at our bellies, you know, this is, it's, it's, it's in your grasp.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

You just have to make sure you don't lose, you know, sight of it. Lose sight of it. Right. And I hope that these 20 ways can help you guys, you know, figure out how to reconnect with that, with that love. Okay. Honestly. Because it's so worthwhile, it's so beneficial.

[Mark]

Yes. Yeah. They're, they're bumps in the road for sure.

[Jason]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mark]

But it's, it's always you don't. That's the funny thing too is, and I don't know know what the, what kids are like nowadays, but it's like this is all I've ever wanted. So I, you know, when I'm faced with the opportunity of not being able to be a graphic designer.

[Jason]

Yeah.

[Mark]

It was crushing.

[Jason]

Like, it was just kind of. You're right.

[Mark]

You're right. This is not good.

[Jason]

I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I would be scared, Mike. You know?

[Mark]

Exactly.

[Jason]

I think this is the furthest that right now, this podcast is the furthest I want to get away from graphic design. Seriously. Is the furthest. Okay. I don't want to go any further than this.

[Mark]

But wait, you're talking about graphic design. Was that.

[Jason]

I can do that all day long. Still love it.

[Mark]

Still loving it. Yes.

[Jason]

All right.

[Mark]

All right, Jerry. And we're loving it.

[Jason]

I love it. So I think this is going to be right to the holidays.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

So we might be running some reruns for the next two, because Christmas.

[Mark]

Yeah.

[Jason]

Is is on our next launch day, and then New Year's is on our next launch day. And I don't want to be too much. Yeah. Two Tuesdays in a row. So I don't think you guys are going to be, like, tuning into us. So we're probably going to be doing some great, fun Christmas episodes. You know, have a listen. I, I, we put a lot of effort into those. I think you should enjoy them. Damn it. We like them. So should you.

[Mark]

I know the history of Christmas. Oh, that was awesome.

[Jason]

Awesome. And the history. Commercial, Commercial. Christmas. That was another one.

[Mark]

That's right.

[Jason]

Yeah.

[Mark]

You want to find out where the coke or where Santa came from.

[Jason]

Yeah. Yeah. There you go.

[Mark]

So that's what you do.

[Jason]

Shocking. So, you know, pay a lesson during the holidays, but more importantly during the holidays, give yourself a chance to reconnect, whether you feel burnt out or not. Go through, try a couple of these. And you know, honestly, don't lose love for what we're doing because again, I can't stress. Life's too short to do something you don't. Don't love.

[Mark]

Yes.

[Jason]

Cool.

[Mark]

Amen, brother.

[Jason]

All right, everybody. I wish everybody a Merry Christmas. Happy holidays. Happy non secular. What did we call it? Whatever.

[Mark]

I don't know.

[Jason]

Secular holiday. Regards.

[Mark]

Happy Holidays.

[Jason]

Happy holidays, guys. All right. Yeah, it. Merry Christmas. Yeah. To all.

[Mark]

Merry Christmas.

[Jason]

And to all us day creators.

[Mark]

And stay angry.

[Jason]

Peace.

[Mark]

Y.

[Jason]

I want to be the greatest everybody on the fake. I look around and feel like everybody is the fakest. I make this every day and I'm impatient hoping one day I blow up from the basement.

[Mark]

Statement.

[Jason]

The top is so bacon. I don't hear that. I think is amazing. Waiting for my day when I'm playing sold out shows for a thousand faces? Hey, give me that crown? Get in my way and to be put down? It ain't your place? I'll dis my town? If I want that then I'll get it right now I'm losing it? The noose if it's some the stupid myth? You choose to live or choose to dip? You choose to fight or lose your grip and lose a gift? Oh, I feel like I'm losing my.

[Mark]

Mind.

[Jason]

The world please, lord, give me a significant.