What Do We Call You?

When I was a student in Graphic Design school I couldn’t wait to get client work. Before I finished first year I had registered a company, GomezDesign, which I think I may have styled as GomezDesign Media Graphics. My reason for this name was that I wanted to sound like a big company and I didn’t want to limit myself to one kind of work. I also had no work. The only design work that I could credit to GomezDesign Media Graphics was its own branding.

But that was enough for business cards.

And naturally I was the CEO and president.

I’m not setting this story up for a strong finish for the young CEO of GDMG but predictably, networking with my over-designed business cards and crossword puzzle of a title resulted in a lot of raised eyebrows, some polite ooh’s and ahh’s and the glazed-over stares that can only come from people having to figure out what you do while not caring. 

It also wasn’t easy to explain what I did when I hadn’t done anything and here’s the plot twist, it’s not any easier now that I feel like I’ve done everything. 

A lot of rise-and-grind business books will tell you that you need a strong hook like “I help companies go from 0 to $1,000,000 in as long as it takes someone to look at your logo.”

Hell yeah brother. When someone says something like that to me I pretend I’ve lost my watch in the hummus bowl. 

Just Say The Thing

What young/new creatives need to be good at is simply explaining what they do. You can dress it up however you want once you’ve made it clear, but there’s no use in glazing your offering if no one understands it. 

My top answers are:

• When I need work: “I make stuff like logos and websites”

• When I’m busy: “I’m a graphic designer”

• When I don’t feel like talking: “I’m a creative director”

I’m only sort of half-serious (kind of) when I say that but here’s the thing, if people are confused and have to ask follow-up questions they’ll lose interest. 

If you connect right away with something that makes people say “oh I know how I could use that” they’ll ask a follow-up question out of curiosity not out of confusion. 

The Secret to the Perfect Answer

So what do we call you? How do we describe that thing you do? The Goldilocks school of thought would be to not go too broad and not go to specific.

But I have a cheat code. 

Ask questions.

(My kids would groan at that answer but hear me out, you ingrates.)

Get to the bottom of what people need. Ask, ask, ask.

Three things will happen:

1. You’ll seem like you care

2. People like talking about themselves so they’ll get comfortable

3. They’ll reveal that weak spot where they could use a little help

And that’s what you do. Whatever they revealed they need help with - that’s your thing. Turns out you’re the best person in the whole damn room for exactly that thing. 

With that in mind, you can have range of things you tell people you do. Just try not to get caught answering without getting some intel first. 

The side-effect is you’re going to seem like a really nice person. 

It’s crazy how nice some people think I am. 

Further Reading

This issue is the first of a new series on the very-very basic basics of getting started selling yourself as a creative for hire. We’re going to touch on lots of common missteps when first venturing out of your creative cocoon an into the cold world of dollars and cents. Some of these concepts are touched on in our flagship article The Five Most Effective Ways I’ve Learned to Get Creative Work I Love and giving it a re-read sounds like a nice weekend activity, doesn’t it? I love that for you this weekend.

The One-Question Interview

Working Creative: You wear a lot of hats - photographer, art director, strategist and more. How do you introduce yourself professionally? Did you have to figure out a way to keep it simple without underselling what you actually do, or has making it too complicated ever been an issue?

Christopher Eades: When I first started in creative work and someone asked me what I did, I would just tell them "I am a photographer" and that covered it. Now, I try to keep it simple and say I am a visual artist, which beats trying to come up with some way of saying a dozen things in some convoluted way.

I try to keep it simple and just focus on the work. I am just happy that I am in a place where I can jump from one medium to the next.

Sometimes I am one thing to multiple clients, sometimes I am multiple things to one client.  

Bonus Question:

Working Creative: What do you imagine/picture/visualize when you hear/read the words “Working Creative”?

Christopher Eades: Someone who is able to support themselves with art, like I am fortunate enough to do. Someone who can communicate a unique perspective through their work.

Parting Thought

I have mixed feelings about telling people what I do. When the chips are up it’s easy, but when the chips are down it can feel like explaining why you sold the cow for magic beans. Maybe the mixed analogies aren’t helping here.

I see young creatives on Reddit and other communities questioning if they got into the right business and I’ll say this, if you love solving problems for people it will become the right business. Asking questions is my favourite way to fake being a good guy, but it also acts as guide for you to find the work you love. You’d be surprised how many people aren’t searching for a Media Graphics specialist and just need someone who cares.

Rise and grind, players. Let’s go care and make that money.