Seanwes Podcast

Lately, I've been realizing that all the tasks I need to accomplish share the same first action step: writing. I talk about the benefits of writing, why we don't write more, developing your own voice, and some of the best ways to use what you've written.

The previous episode on The One Concept Approach made some significant waves. The great deal of exposure it received generated a significant amount of feedback—both positive and critical. I unwind and converse with Ben about the many responses I received in what ends up being somewhat of a therapeutic session. We talk about how to evaluate negative feedback and receive it in a way that can have a positive effect. In conclusion, we are reminded that speaking passionately is often polarizing and that is to be expected. But the people you're truly speaking to will benefit from your passion in spite of any opposition.

What if designers only provided one concept? I recently saw this question tweeted, though it certainly isn't the first time I've read such a sentiment. It's a thought that is usually dismissed immediately as wishful thinking or a glorified day dream. But what if I told you there was a way to never again encounter such a thing as a "rejected concept"? What if I told you that never again should you present multiple concepts?

Do you ever feel pressured to live up to your past best works? Maybe something you did was really well-received or achieved a certain level of recognition, and you feel like you have to match it with everything new you produce. You can experience this at any stage of your growth. It's not uncommon that this pressure on our creative process causes us to be more withdrawn and hesitant to put out new work. But the worst thing you can do is let a past success keep you from creating new things. We talk about overcoming this ambivalence.

When you carefully structure the questions in your questionnaire, you can filter out the clients you don’t want while at the same time setting the stage for good relationships with the clients you do take on. We look at the right and wrong ways of going about finding the questions to ask.

It’s not always easy to make the time or take a trip to go meet with other designers and creative people. But the good that comes out of these in-person interactions simply cannot be ignored. We talk about the benefits of relationships formed through networking and different ways to connect with others when face-to-face meet ups aren’t possible.

After some initial apprehension, I decided to share detailed traffic and conversion numbers on my recent launch of Learn Lettering. I throw my inhibitions to the wind and give you an in-depth, behind-the-scenes look at everything that went into making it happen. I show how putting in the upfront effort to build trust and loyalty goes a long way towards enabling a successful launch.

I want to demystify the product-selling process. I talk about some of the systems I use, my sources, and how I scaled from starting with one product. We talk about how discounts and coupons can be harmful when not used strategically and why I do not do pre-sales.

Getting good feedback can be difficult. Ben and I discuss some of the requirements for creating an environment that facilitates constructive criticism. Rather than waste time with "compliment sandwiches," we need a shared mindset where everyone is participating for the sole purpose of improvement. There needs to be a group willingness to focus on solving problems instead of suggesting solutions.

How do you know what your passion is? How long until you know that something is not your passion? It's scary committing to one thing at a time because it means not committing to everything else you want to do. When you're not sure what your passion is, it can be hard to stick with a single pursuit long enough to find out if it's what you really love to do. But that's exactly what you need to do, and we explain why.

Today's show was unexpected. We had a topic planned, and when Ben showed up, it was clear that he had a lot on his mind. There were some real struggles he was having and challenges with being able to work in the professional manner he knew he should. Rather than force the topic we had prepared, we let the recording run and capture the personal conversation we had about these difficulties. What transpired is akin to the discussions we have together off-air. It's genuine, and it addresses the real life struggles of choosing the path of a design professional.

We take a look at the strengths of various social platforms and how to use their unique advantages to best reach your audience. Using different approaches to connect, depending on the channel, a story can be conveyed in a multifaceted sense that gives people a more engaging experience with your brand.

Slow periods between client work can be tough. However, this is a fantastic time to grow a lot of areas of your business. Your down time can be used to build products, assets, improve your process, learn new skills, generate residual income and more. We look at a number of ways to get the most out the time between client work.

How important is it to separate where you work and where you live? For those of us that work for ourselves, it can be challenging to get work done when we work from home. On the flip side, it can also be hard NOT to work when we should be relaxing. When we work where we sleep and do business where we play, our associations get muddled. We talk about creating some distinctions.

Do you find it difficult to be your own client? Personal projects can be very frustrating when you keep feeling like you want to do more, or add something new in the middle of the project. In order to understand this struggle, we have to point out and identify the two selfs the come into play with personal projects.

How do you find clients? How do you get work? The common advice says to take what you can get, especially when you're just starting out. You've got to pay bills, right? I explain why this is the wrong mindset, and retort with a pointed approach to avoid setting yourself up for failure when looking for clients, and instead, how to focus on long term professional success.

Niche-ify your niche, right? But can you go too far? I kick off the first episode with new co-host, Ben, discussing when and how to hone down your specialization. Getting more specific can limit your reach, but at the same time it improves the connection you make with that smaller audience. This can help lower your competition, increase your effectiveness, and even result in being more profitable.

In this short-form episode, I take a step back and refocus the show in an effort to best serve the listeners and my original vision for the podcast. Reevaluating your trajectory and finding that adjustments need to be made isn't fun. Change is rarely easy, but it's needed for growth and improvement. While often bittersweet, it's what brings a new season.

Why do we get stuck? How do we get past a creative block? There are a number of reasons we might feel as if we are at an impasse, but they're mostly mental. There are a few ways to combat these problems, with prevention being the choice weapon.

In assessing the habits of history's most creative minds, we find a similar pattern. Sure, there are productivity tips and tricks, but that's not where true focus comes from. If I tell you the answer now, it may not be what you want to hear, so you'll just have to listen in to find out.