Start making things now, you never know where they’ll lead — James Daly
R:Hi James, let’s roll, can you introduce yourself?
James: I’m a visual content creator from Sydney, Australia.
I’m specialised in WordPress websites, hand-lettering, and illustrations.
I also started vlogging on my youtube channel last month! ;) 🎥
He’s also a 🌴 Adventure Photographer, check out all his shots on Instagram
R: Do you do some ritual every day?
James: I do, I film and edit a weekly video blog every day for my YouTube channel, built up from filming each day of the week. 🎬
I think it’s really important to make something every day, no matter how small. For days that I just don’t have time to create a lettering piece, or a new product, or an illustration, filming for a video blog means I’ve still created something.
Vlogs are great for measuring progress, aligning on your own goals, capturing a moment in time, as well as connecting directly with your audience and showing your process and who you are as a person.
R: How do you manage to do creative work every day any tips or technique?
James: This is a huge challenge for me, as I work full-time in an office, which takes up the majority of my day.
I’ve found that having a solid plan makes a world of difference.
I currently use Trello to plan each day of my week, and I make sure to allocate time to do something creative each day. This also comes down to structuring your life around your goals.
For example, creating and building things are incredibly important to me, and my job means I’m short on time, so it doesn’t make sense for me to spend every evening out clubbing.
Actively structuring your life around your goals, rather than living reactively, is hugely important.
R: What’s your bucket list right now?
James: Self-employment and travel! I’d love to be able to work for myself, with nothing but my laptop, and travel the world making videos while doing so.
R: What thought or tip would you give to yourself in the past?
James: Spend as much time learning as possible. It’s so much easier to learn when you’re younger.
I remember when I got my very first MacBook 💻, during high school, I barely slept for 3 days while I figured out how Photoshop worked. It’s thanks to that I have my current career, and I wish I’d done it for more skills!
R: Any study tip for an high school, university student?
James: While in high school or university it’s very easy to fall into the trap of learning only while in class, consuming what’s given to you.
Supplement this with the internet!
Sites like Udemy and Skillshare mean you can now learn almost anything online, and while you’re at school your mind’s already primed to take in new information.
Trust me, when you finish school and you’re working full time it’s much harder to focus on learning after a full day at work.
Drink in as much information now and start making things now, you never know where they’ll lead 5 years down the track.
R: What would you focus(work,love,life)on now if you would go back to high school time?
James: I think I may have accidentally answered this in my previous question — I’d focus more on learning new skills (like coding!) and start building something sooner than I did.
In saying that, the other options you mentioned (love and life) are such key experiences during school, so make sure you don’t neglect these for work!🎉 Set yourself up for future success, but not at the expense of your high school fun 😉
R: What’s your first source of income now?
James: My current source of income is my full time job as a web designer, however it’s supplemented by my streetwear brand (https://invincibletricking.co).
2017 is the year I begin working on passive forms of income through digital products and freelance work, so stay tuned.
R: If you could clone yourself what would you like your clone to do?
James: Oh man that would be the dream. I think we’d swap our sleep schedules, so James #1 is awake during daylight hours and James #2 is awake throughout the night. This way we’d waste no time and be able to work on projects and building things around the clock!
R: Finally a crazy startup idea that you never told anyone because you think it’s impossible to make?
James: I’d love to play around with unifying the current social media landscape. So many platforms right now have a crossover when it comes to features, and I think there are some pretty cool things that could be done there to improve the average user’s experience.
