When I posted my Getting Naked entry a few weeks ago, my website traffic spiked impressively.

Look! It sort of forms a boob shape, too!

I’ll admit, I was a touch nervous about publicizing my extracurricular activities, for a second, for fear of negative backlash. North Americans in particular can be particularly prudish about nudity in all its forms, artistic or otherwise, and where this is, in theory, a Business Website, it did cross my mind that some may consider it unprofessional to discuss such things.

These days, the line between A Business and That Business’ Owner is becoming blurrier and blurrier. More and more people are freelancing or running sole proprietorships, and the ubiquitousness of Facebook, Twitter, and Google means that, whether we like it or not, we are all bec0ming more and more publicly accessible. I see there being two ways of approaching this, whether you’re a business owner, career-minded professional, or vagabond with an iPhone.

You can always take the paranoid route, putting lock and key on your various internet going-ons, monitoring your activities, and keeping everything generally as hush-hush as possible.

Two great recording artists. This is not my photo, though I do have it framed in my living room.

Or, you can choose to accept the omnipotence of the internet, and you can embrace your public (even if it’s just your mom).

Years ago, I made a conscious decision to opt for a policy of truth and transparency. Accordingly, a great deal of my life is documented online, and I’m not particularly shy about anything. Above and beyond anything else, it’s a great deal easier when you don’t need to worry about maintaining two personas (sometimes it’s enough work maintaining the one!)

I’m lucky that, being in a creative field, most people view all my unusual and wild behaviour as charmingly eccentric. I’m allowed to be a little left-of-centre because I’m considered an “artist”, whereas a lawyer or an accountant might not enjoy such laxity. In fact, some of my most interesting contracts have come about through people who’ve appreciated the more unorthodox pieces in my portfolio (the poster that featured a man’s naked ass, from my days in college, being particularly popular). Being upfront about who I am, and refusing to apologize for anything, has actually drawn to me the exact sort of clients I like best—the slightly mad, the eccentrics, and the people who’ll let me do fun work.

It’s primarily for this reason that I advocate total transparency to everyone—lawyer or artist, banker or baker. Thanks in part to the rise of social media and the increased immediacy of communication between customer and company, more and more businesses are adopting open-doors policies. Embracing truthfulness is far simpler than navigating a complex PR junket, and carries with it the added bonus of allowing your clients to develop a natural sense of trust in you, both as a professional and as a person.

This is why I now tell sole proprietors to use “I” instead of “we” in their advertising copy. Or to start writing a blog, even if it’s only to chronicle the ups and downs of day-to-day operations. Make use of social media, and stop worrying that the CIA or your boss will look up your Facebook profile. (I mean, they will, or at least your boss will. The CIA will probably only look you up if you’ve taken to stealing other people’s children or burying bodies in your basement or cheating on your taxes. I mean that you should either stop caring, or stop publicizing your dirty secrets.)

My cardinal rule goes like so: assume that everything you put on the internet will appear on a billboard in your town with your name in six foot tall lettering, and if you’re not comfortable with that, for the love of god, don’t put it on the internet. Simple, but effective!

It’s possible that, the more of yourself you’re willing to expose to the calculating, judging eyes of the public, the more likely they are to dismiss you as a deviant, a freak, or just a creature that doesn’t jive with their own personal value set. But, in a culture that’s flooded with so many different people and ideas, realize that you can afford to offend a few people here and there.

If nothing else, at least they’re sure to remember you.

I received an absolutely phenomenal response, and was able to meet with a number of really fantastic people. (I wish I could have hired everyone!) That said, it was interesting being on the other side of the hiring process, and I think if I’m ever in the position of applying for a job again, I’d do things a little differently as a result.

In about a week’s time, I heard from around 60 different applicants. This was a LOT for me to process, but from what I can tell of the industry, this is actually quite a small number. So while I would have loved to pay very detailed attention to each applicant, most people didn’t even get their resume read. This, I suspect, is probably not at all uncommon. If someone’s busy enough that they need to hire, they’re too busy to spend forever finding that perfect someone to hire.

A few tips & hints for job-seekers:

1. Never, never, never use “to whom it may concern”. Seriously, it’s there in the hiring notice, and it’s all over my website. I can already tell when you’re copying-and-pasting a generic cover letter into your email, but it’s just plain offensive if you spell my name wrong or omit it entirely. (As a side note, I know that my long-lost cat is presently listed as CEO and chairman of the board on my website…. but please stop addressing emails to her. I can’t tell if you’re trying to be cute, or if you’re just deranged, which I’m guessing nobody can tell about ME, either.)
2. If you’re applying for a design position, your resume should probably be nicely designed. You should also have an online portfolio of some sort. If you can’t figure out how to upload some images to a website or create a pdf, you’re unlikely to find work in the graphic design industry.
3. “LOL” is not an appropriate term for use in a cover letter. Also, please use capital letters. And form your sentences properly. And spell things correctly. Seriously, what are they teaching in schools these days? Damn kids.
4. Follow instructions! I cannot stress how important this is. If you’re a lacklustre candidate, I’m skimming your email looking for a good excuse to toss you into the “no” pile and move on to the next applicant. Neglecting to send me any of the items I’d explicitly requested in the hiring notice (in bold, no less) gives me that excuse.
5. Your resume is probably too long. I didn’t read any of these fully, so the more scannable it is, the better. There were a lot of resumes that listed design work, which is great, but then went back as far as customer-service type jobs. Working at McDonald’s may grow character and an irrational hatred of hamburgers, but it doesn’t make you a better designer. Unless maybe you’re designing the cheeseburger wrappers, but even then, I have my doubts.
6. Your portfolio is probably too big. And please don’t attach it to your email; my computer goes into anaphylactic shock when it needs to download 12MB of attachments all at once. Restarting my machine makes me cranky.

And of course, chances are good that if you’ve made someone cranky, you won’t be getting an interview, no matter how lovely your portfolio is or how well-rounded your resume. A cranky employer is an employer who’s going to hire someone else!

The Bad: No more Digby. I’m trying hard not to think about it because it makes me sad. Why aren’t there more beautiful & clever, highly saturated things around? (I am happiest in technicolour). I don’t understand why “reality” is so interesting. There’s enough reality right outside my door; I’d rather the fantasy when I’m looking to get out of my head.

and the Ridiculous: Minggl thinks “b3k 4w5″ isn’t a valid postal code. It took me three tries to figure out they wanted me to capitalize it. Seriously? Canada Post will deliver my mail if I forget the majority of the address and scrawl it upside down with a six-inch-wide marker, but some web app that isn’t ever going to send me mail can’t validate a lowercase postal code?

Also, why are all web apps named by dyslexic five year olds now? I miss real words.

Anyway. Two things I’ve learned:

• Gmail doesn’t care about your CSS text-formatting. That’s right, that means you’ll need to use <FONT> tags. Gross. I haven’t used those in at least five years!
• Outlook 2007 will make things look ugliest. Apparently, this is because it uses the MS Word rendering engine. Now, seriously? Why? If you’ve ever tried to design anything in Word, well, you know how impossible it is. They do, however, provide this handy little “validator” to check to see how/if your code is going to work, which is nice for those of us who get the shakes just opening Outlook. And it’ll plug into Dreamweaver!

On a vaguely related, but mostly unrelated, note: remember to vote, kids! This is the first year in a while I haven’t been directly involved in doing design work for a campaign, and as a result I’m less jazzed about the election than I usually am, but it’s starting to get to me as the day goes on. Go! Vote! (Or at least spoil your ballot (though it’s illegal to do so). Or vote Libertarian, if you can! Efficiency 2008! Down with Busy-Work! Alright, now I’m excited.)

and a “new” website (that was completed months ago). I really don’t like updating my own website!

But I’m determined that it’s about time to do it, especially given that I’m about to move again, and that means that my address as listed on the website will be even more wrong than it is currently. (Sure, in theory it only takes two minutes to change it, but that’s not how I work…if I’m going to spend two minutes, I’m going to be there three hours trying to fix all the little things.) At any rate, all the little things have really added up, and it’s time for some major-ish rearranging.

Actually, the most dramatic upgrade has already happened, and that was my finally giving in to the whole “blog” phenomenon. It took years, but I finally buckled, and I’m sort of enjoying it. What sold me on WordPress is how monstrously simple it is—I actually started using it the place of a word processor, and I find it much smarter: it auto-saves constantly (good for those of us prone to data loss), it’s totally un-bloaty, it’s faster than typing out my own html, and it auto-formats my smart quotes. God, I love smart quotes. I actually spent an hour or so today formatting a client’s novel to get rid of all the dumb quotes, hyphens, and “period” ellipses. I don’t know why these tiny details are so important to me–but I suspect that there’s a place where the grammar-fascist in me meets the typophile, and proper typography is born. Or maybe it’s just that I, embarassingly enough, didn’t know about smart quotes and such for so long that I now consider them to be something of a litmus test for “quality” design?

Smart quotes aside, the news/blog section has all been redone, and I like it a lot, and may even get into the habit of using it more frequently. WordPress is really great and easy to develop themes for (once you figure out what you’re doing), which I’ve been doing of late for Lilith Saintcrow, who writes novels about girls who kick ass and take names (all told, the best kind of lady). I’ve got a couple more weblog-based websites in the works, so I’m learning a lot these days.

On a side note, why is there always an elephant (in the room) on my to-do list? I’m a notorious list-maker, and I’ll sometimes prioritize my lists in order of importance, not that I follow my own order religiously. For example, today I’m at #12, but #3 is still sitting there patiently, un-crossed, with three exclamation marks following it. It’s the most vital thing on my list, but I’m betting it’ll be the one thing that’ll end up being neglected. Is this some kind of subconscious self-mutilation wherein I’ll always sabotage myself for the work that is most important? How do I trick myself into thinking “eat three tubs of chocolate fudge icing” is the Elephant Task, instead? I’ve read a few productivity-type tips that recommend things like offering to wash a friend’s car, or pay them $50, if you don’t complete the Elephant by the end of the day (the theory being that we’re all inherently lazy, and the only way to make us do something is by threatening us with something more unpleasant), but I feel like that’s somehow compounding the pressure of the situation, thereby inflating the psychic block.

Anyone know how to take down an Elephant (or a run-on sentence)?

So a few weeks ago, I was crashing at the tail end of a work party, and ended up falling asleep next to my laptop, gigantic glass of water in hand. Yes, you know where this is headed. A few hours later, I woke up spilling said gigantic glass of water all over myself and my poor laptop. (Lovely way to wake up, might I add.) Naturally, I panicked. There was much cursing and wailing (me) and sparking and crackling (the machine) as I tried to figure out what on earth to do. It wouldn’t turn off, and it took my sleep-addled brain a good five minutes to figure out that removing the battery would do the trick. The poor thing was soaked, and ruined. I was in a similar state. That machine was, in effect, the entirety of my business assets, and the tool by which I can earn my living, and it had just crackled out and died on me.

Now, a few weeks later, I’m almost 100% back on my feet. I’m lucky, really. I’d been relatively good about maintaining my backups, so I didn’t lose anything too vital, data-wise. I keep my contact list synced remotely with Plaxo, which saved me a lot of legwork. (I’ve since upgraded and it syncs my calendar. I did have to rebuild my monster font collection (though I think it’s been quite nicely updated and it’s rather nice to start fresh), computer settings, and the like, which took some time. I use IMAP for my email, so all of my mail, both incoming and outgoing, was right there waiting for me, and since my estimates and invoices are sent out via mail, I could access all of those, too. My greatest losses were a few selected recent projects that hadn’t been backed up, my time logs, my calendar of hosting renewals, the $1800 I paid for a new machine, and about a week of my time.

All in all? Not the end of the world, and I’ve bounced back. (And I have a brand-new laptop that doesn’t sound like a jet engine taking off, which is helping my sanity levels.) I always thought that if my computer were to die, I’d be destroyed. It’s nice to realize that the obstacles you fear most are never as insurmountable as they seem–or maybe just that you’re better prepared and more resilient than you originally assumed.

And not to be too trite, but it’s been a great learning experience. For example, I’ve learned that machines and water do not mix, and that I ought to be drinking from a sippy cup when I’m tired. I’ve learned that there are things outside of my design folder that are important and should be backed up, and I’ve learned that I need a more reliable (and preferably automated) way of doing backups.

Any suggestions?

The Keshen Goodman library is one of my favourites, but wow, have libraries ever changed since I was a kid. Of course the card catalogues are long gone, but now the library is full of loud, obnoxious high school students play-fighting and giggling away in the study carrels. Whatever happened to libraries being akin to a place of worship, where you’d be shushed for speaking above a whisper?

At any rate, I was amazed to discover that not only is it totally kosher to eat in the library, but they also have a little cafe in the corner, which is actually rather lovely if you’re making a twelve-hour-day of it. Every day it’s the same girl working there, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen her crack a smile, not once. I usually try to be excessively polite and friendly to people working service jobs (God knows I’ve had my share!), but she never once cracked. Today, though, as I went for my usual can of Diet Coke, there was a new girl working. It took her about five minutes and some outside help to figure out what I wanted, and then another minute or so to ring it in, but she smiled and seemed human!

As I trotted off with my caffeinated beverage, I thought to myself, “Well, the other one was more competent, but I like this one so much more.” (I suspect that when I was working service jobs myself, I was the efficient-but-snarly server.)

Clearly, this is a lesson I ought to take to heart, and start applying to my own life and business.

I think I could have probably fleshed out some of my answers a little more fully, but didn’t want to fall into the trap of becoming overly verbose, which I have a tendency to do.

What enthused you to enter this line of work?

In school, I was always a bit of an academic, and I had a lot of troubles deciding between the arts and sciences. I love that design allows me to use my whole brain–some aspects are very creative and visual, and some aspects require more analytical thinking and problem-solving. It’s constantly challenging me, and I’ve always found that it keeps me striving to do better. I’ve always enjoyed visual arts but have never felt particularly gifted at them. A more typically “academic” line of work might not have been as much of a challenge for me, and I think that I would have lost interest at some point.

Is there anything you dislike about this career? What would you change?

Because its tools have become more widely available, more and more people are calling themselves designers because they can run a Photoshop filter or cobble together a website. And while it’s great that it’s become more accessible, it also means that there’s more semi-professionals undercutting those of us who are trying to pay our bills this way, and there’s a whole proliferation of really terrible design running around (especially online!)

I wish that the public perception of the industry were a little higher. The GDC is doing a lot of work towards this, and there are loads of people who do understand the value of professional design work, but there’s still a lot of people who think that their neighbour’s kid who knows how to use Photoshop can provide them with a valuable branding package for $50. I don’t mean to be elitist about it; having training or being a “professional” doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be able to create more valuable work than a self-taught amateur. But I do think that design is important enough to a business that people ought to be willing to pay reasonable prices for it! And don’t get me started on the Indian companies who’ll create an e-commerce site for 40 rupees, or the online companies that create you a “custom” logo created from clipart for $300.

What is the most challenging part of your work?

The easiest answer is “the client”, but that gives the wrong impression. Clients are an integral part of design, and it is their presence that differentiates “design” from “art”. Clients can be incredibly frustrating to work with–they ask you to do horrible, ugly things to a formerly clean and well-crafted design, they change their minds all the time, they change the scope of the project and complain about inflated costs–but they also foster good design by creating challenges and forcing a designer to think around, and for, their particular requirements.

When creating a design what do you feel is the most important aspect?

That it fits its content and message.
Being gorgeous comes second.

Did you draw as a hobby before your career choice? If yes, how has it affected your hobby?

I used to do a lot of drawing, painting, etc. I don’t do it as much as I’d like as often, but I need to do more and I know that doing so will help me with my digital design. I’ve often heard it said that designers don’t NEED to know how to draw, but it really does help. It adds extra dimension and understanding to your work, and it develops your “eye”, which is integral to good design.

Who are some of you artistic influences? What is it about their work that inspires you?

I’m a little all over the map with this. I love Georgia O’Keefe, I’m a big fan of David McKean, I love Aubrey Beardsley. I’m fond of Expressionism and Surrealism, as well as Russian Constructivism. I’ve always really enjoyed well-crafted, finely detailed work in general (bottle labels, book covers, websites). And I really like dark, stylized illustrations (a lot of graphic novels have some stunning examples of this).

I find that when something really strikes me as beautiful, it inspires me to make something equally lovely. Usually it’ll help me think in new directions, and consider things from a new perspective.

How did you get started in design and how long have you been doing it for?

I’ve been designing websites since I was about 14–I lived in the middle of nowhere and basically had nothing to do, so I taught myself how to design. I actually never considered it a viable career choice until I’d finished a year of university (philosophy & journalism) and realized that a degree might not actually translate into a viable career.

So I turned around and took a year of design at my local community college, NSCC. (It’s usually a two-year program, but I managed to get by a portfolio review in order to do it in one instead.) What had formerly been more of a hobby became a passion, and school is a great place to get really excited about something. I’ve always been more of an academic with an interest in artistic things, but I never thought that it’d be practical to pursue as a career, so it was really exciting to find an artistic endeavour that also had practical applications!

What is the best school to go to, and how long did it take you to complete schooling?

I don’t know what the “best” is. I did it in a year, but in hindsight, I wish I’d done more. From what I’ve seen, college courses tend to be more practically-oriented (tech-oriented), but university courses are more comprehensive (theory-oriented). I think it’d be best to have a mix of this!

What are the most important skills do you feel a designer needs to be successful?

Perseverance, determination, and the ability to stay up all night.

What is the salary like for this career?

Well, if you’re working for yourself, it’s variable. But I’ve been really lucky, and my first job paid $38 000 with tons of benefits. If you can find a copy of the GDC’s salary review, that’s a great source for salaries across the board–it really ranges depending on who you’re working for, how long you’ve been working, and what particular aspect of the industry you’re in.

Thank you so much

You’re welcome! I hope this has helped, and if you have any follow-up questions, do feel free to send them my way. (And this goes double for the rest of you, too!)

I am pretty much a constant bundle of stress. And while I realize your article is more of an advertorial than anything, I still have to disagree.

Sure, the job satisfaction is pretty high, when you’ve got a client that works with you, and not against you. When everyone pays their bills on time.  When great projects just land in your lap. When your computer doesn’t break down right before a deadline. When nobody asks you to take a perfectly lovely design, and add something totally horrendous to it. When you aren’t being micromanaged, told your work is no good, or harassed by constant telephone calls asking why insert project name here isn’t finished yet. In short, when pigs fly over frozen hellfire.

I mean, don’t get me wrong. I love my job, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything, and for every lousy client I have three fantastic clients. But stress-free? Hah!

My Grande Olde New Years’ Resolution is to spend less time organizing the 4829 songs on my hard drive and more time doing actual design work.

I found a poster I designed in front of the Spring Garden library a month ago and got so excited I had to be dragged away. Later I discovered that some rat-bastard was TEARING THEM ALL DOWN, which still makes me angry. Hey, poster-rip-downer, way to spoil my idyllic joy! It’s YOUR fault that I’m bitter and jaded!

The Pro-Choice Action Network website is finally live, after much tedious formatting and eyestrain on my part. I may not be the most impartial judge, but I think their redesign is about 1,000,000 times better than their old site, which was suffering from some major “FrontPage-Generated Useless Code Syndrome”.

I’m currently working on some super-secret projects, of which I will reveal no more than this: I am doing movie titles. I am SO the next Saul Bass.