Quitting your stable day job with Austin Saylor
Motion designer Austin Saylor has more drive and passion than one could imagine. So much so that he recently quit his stable job to take up freelancing full time. He now spends his days not only designing, but writing on his blog and connecting with his audience.
With all the things that you do, you must be driven. Have you always been a driven creative?
I have always been a curious creative, but I credit Audible, Amazon’s audio book service for kick starting my drive. I used my free audio book credit to listen to Tim Ferriss’ book “Four Hour Workweek.” I listened to it 4 times and read the book three times.
That began opening my mind to the idea that I could make a living independent of an employer. Over the next 7 years, I began reading and listening to and meeting a bunch of people who were preaching messages of hustle and grit and creativity.
The more that my mind has been opened to and exposed to the idea that I can make this life what I want, the more drive I have. It’s up to me, not an employer or my family or anybody else. If I want something, I have to figure it out and put in the work to get it done. And if that means replacing tv shows with podcasts that enrich my life and expand my mind or fewer, but more intentional, hangouts with friends, then I’m happy with that.
I also have to mention the seanwes Community. I joined it about a year ago, and if I were measuring my productivity on a graph, there would be an upward hockey stick directly after joining that community. The drive of the people in there is massive.
Sean and his team are constantly providing content that stretches my mind and normalizes big goals.
How would you recommend someone get started with positioning themselves as a motion designer online?
If you’re still new to motion design, the best way to position yourself online is to learn the fundamentals, the principles of animation, to practice A LOT, and start sharing your work. The motion design community is really quite wonderful. It’s easy to hop into Twitter and start chatting with people.
Once you’ve shown up for a few months with consistent work and showing up on people’s radars, you’re in. The only reason I say a few months, is that it takes time for humans to notice something or someone new. We take notice when we see consistency.
It’s really all about showing up with work and communicating with people. The best place that I have found to do this is on Twitter. And if you’re struggling to find motion designers there, just take a look at the people I follow… a large majority are motion related. It’s a good place to start.
The motion design industry is relatively small and very relationship oriented, meaning a lot of projects and jobs are found through word of mouth.
What’s one thing you’ve learnt from freelancing?
Well, I have been full time freelancing for about a month now, and I have learned a lot already. I’m not always the best rule follower, so I’m going to answer your question with two very valuable things I’ve learned. The first is tactical, the next is a soft skill.
Make it official
Open an LLC (or whatever best suits your business/country/laws). Open a business checking and savings account. Put away 30–35% of what you make as a freelancer into your business savings account for taxes (or whatever amount makes sense for your situation/country). Being self employed means taking care of paying the government and staying in business.
Solve problems
Your first job is to give your clients the confidence that you are going to solve their problem. Your second job is delivering on that. Your third job is your first job again, maintain that confidence with clear communication through the end.
How did you juggle your day job/client work amongst other work like your newsletter and blog?
Working 40 hours a week at my day job, writing a weekly blog/newsletter and taking on client work just meant steady hustle. It often meant late nights and/or early mornings. When I have a lot going on, I am forced to schedule things out more rigidly, which leads to being more efficient. I used to think that schedules stifled creativity, but I’ve learned that it enhances creativity.
The best artists in the world don’t play video games until inspiration strikes them. They religiously go into their studio and create because making things and doing things is their inspiration.
In your blog you often share personal experiences and advice for freelancers — what are you hoping your blog will help you achieve?
My blog serves two purposes.
The first is external: To inspire, encourage and show others that they can do this motion design thing. I want it to be a resource that someone can stumble across and get loads of value from.
The second is internal: It’s a way for me to think through what I have learned and reflect on where I want to go. Writing is a powerful tool for the mind. Ever since committing to writing, I have become more confident, more open minded and more focused on helping others.I like myself more when I am growing in these three areas.
I highly encourage you, dear reader, to write… whether it be a blog or a journal or a newsletter. You won’t regret it.
Any advice for a creative out there who’s experiencing imposter syndrome which is holding them back from creating?
Imposter syndrome comes from comparing yourself to others. You intimately know all of your own shortcomings and flaws, and you see only what others choose to display.
A common scenario: You have an idea of something you want to make. You’ve never made it before, so you just give it a go. It doesn’t turn out like you envisioned. Maybe you try a few more times, but you just can’t get it right. “What’s wrong with me? Look at all these people who are making incredible work, and stupid old me can’t even make this one thing look right! I don’t think I’m cut out for this.” And you quit trying.
There are three things I’ve found that help me overcome this feeling of inadequacy:
Gratitude
Exercise your gratitude muscle every single day. Write down 3 things you’re grateful for before you go to bed. It’s been shown that if you write down three things you are grateful for at the end of each day, your brain basically gets rewired to look for positive things in your life. With that kind of positive-seeking mindset, focused on gratitude, you will have a perspective that sees your creative work as pretty awesome. You’ll see how privileged you are to be able to create art and share it with the world.
Hard Work
While gratitude helps with your self deprecating attitude, you still want to get better at your craft. This is where putting in the time and grinding on your projects harder than before will push you to the next level. Get serious about it. Everything that is highly satisfying takes dedication, hard work and perseverance.
Patience
When you start working out, you can’t expect a six pack by the second week. The same goes with motion design. In a digital world where everything is instant, we need to be reminded that building a skill takes a lot of time. Be grateful that you even have the opportunity to create motion design work. Put in the hard work to gradually get better and better. And be patient.
This is not an easy formula, but it’s the best one I know.
*Note: Once you do get to a place where your work is recognized, shared, praised, etc., there are a couple things to keep in mind. 1) You did great work. You deserve the recognition. Celebrate. 2) Get back to work. You’re best work is yet to be made.
What inspires you to keep going?
My wife and I had a close call when our apartment burned down almost a year ago. We were so fortunate to get out alive. That has given me a new appreciation for the time I’m given. Everyday is a gift.
I have such a supportive family, I’m married to my best friend, I work for myself, the list goes on.
Gratitude, hard work, and patience is a virtuous cycle. Once you get in that groove, it can sustain your inspiration.
If you’d like to work with Austin — visit his portfolio. Or, you can find him on Twitter and Snapchat.
