If you can’t do great things, do a small thing in a great way
How Priyo Bagus Panji Waluyo used his design skills to save his family
Envato designer Priyo Bagus Panji Waluyo had only just graduated from college and was working with a firm in Bali, Indonesia, when he got the most shattering experience of his young life.
His mother had fallen prey to a scam on Facebook and had lost her house, her car and all her money. She and his younger brother, who was still in college, were living in destitution.
Surviving on a very small salary as a web designer himself, Priyo, known as Micromove on Envato Elements, started skipping lunch and declining invitations to socialise after work and on weekends in order to save what he could to help his family.
“I became severely depressed and spent many sleepless nights, racking my brain about how I could help my family and make everything right again.”
Finding solutions
Priyo got his answer when he overheard his office colleagues talking about the world of internet design marketplaces. His interest was piqued, and he remembered the best piece of advice he’d ever been given: if you can’t do great things, do a small thing in a great way.
He couldn’t swoop in like his favourite superhero Batman and save his family, but he would use his talent to create the best products he could and attempt to sell them online.
The problem for Priyo was that he didn’t have a computer or a great internet connection at home, so he had to get creative.
“After everyone went home for the day, I’d stay behind and use the office computer to work late into the night creating products.”
The first products he sent out got rejection after rejection, which was quite demoralising, but Priyo learned from his mistakes and kept refining his work until he finally got his first product approved.
“I got my first 5 dollars for that product. I was so happy!”
Later on, Priyo was invited to collaborate with another designer. Their project was featured on ThemeForest and became a hit. But Priyo had yet another problem to overcome. “My salary was so low that no bank would give me a credit card and without a credit card I couldn’t have a verified PayPal account,” he explained.
Luckily a friend came to his rescue and allowed her credit card to be used for PayPal transactions. This changed everything for Priyo. He adopted the name Micromove and started to work diligently to build a bigger and stronger portfolio using colour, typography and photography to achieve astonishing designs.
A new career
He did so well that not only was he able to rescue his family but he eventually quit his job, set up a home office, and began working for himself full time.
“It was a hard decision to go into business for myself and I experienced a lot of “what ifs”, but I kept myself focused day by day and just tried to continue doing small things in a great way.”
Priyo believes that no matter how hard the situation, if you believe in what you do and dedicate yourself to the task, you will shine. “I never imagine things would turn out as well as they have for me today! My motto is: When nothing goes right, go left.”
To see more of Priyo’s creative work, check out his portfolio on Envato Elements.
