Read on Twitter
I promoted myself as a designer completely wrong for 14 years.
It took my 15th year—2020—to completely turn it around.
Read on to find out how I secured multiple £20k projects, made over £1000 in Gumroad sales and became an expert in my field.
All through Twitter.
It took my 15th year—2020—to completely turn it around.
Read on to find out how I secured multiple £20k projects, made over £1000 in Gumroad sales and became an expert in my field.
All through Twitter.
First: context.
I'm a designer. I've always hated promoting myself on every level.
I'm also British. Which means I'm doubly-opposed to promoting myself.
Designers have a hatred for promoting themselves.
But in 2020 I swallowed my pride and started.
So what did I do?
I'm a designer. I've always hated promoting myself on every level.
I'm also British. Which means I'm doubly-opposed to promoting myself.
Designers have a hatred for promoting themselves.
But in 2020 I swallowed my pride and started.
So what did I do?
In short, here's what I did in 2020:
- Wrote 10 tweets per day for 365 days
- Started a visual account @_unobvious
- Started another one @seeingbars
- Created @daily__visual
- Created @thats_the_job
- Finished 1 book, wrote another one
- Connected globally with interesting folk
- Wrote 10 tweets per day for 365 days
- Started a visual account @_unobvious
- Started another one @seeingbars
- Created @daily__visual
- Created @thats_the_job
- Finished 1 book, wrote another one
- Connected globally with interesting folk
There's more
- Started talking to interesting people weekly on my podcast
- Made YouTube videos
- Collaborated on interesting projects with new global friends
- Started another podcast
Let's look at some of these in detail, how they helped and why I think you should do it.
- Started talking to interesting people weekly on my podcast
- Made YouTube videos
- Collaborated on interesting projects with new global friends
- Started another podcast
Let's look at some of these in detail, how they helped and why I think you should do it.
LESSON ONE - TAKE TWITTER SERIOUSLY
If you start 1 thing in 2021, please take Twitter seriously.
Twitter was the catalyst for my growth. It all started with a simple commitment to write 10 tweets per day for 365 day.
If you start 1 thing in 2021, please take Twitter seriously.
Twitter was the catalyst for my growth. It all started with a simple commitment to write 10 tweets per day for 365 day.
It has lead to global connections and my main vehicle for proving my visual expertise daily.
More info on that here. https://getdoingthings.com/b42d311f5cb44571a5b100a5759b2f71
More info on that here. https://getdoingthings.com/b42d311f5cb44571a5b100a5759b2f71
As a designer I'd previously been obsessed with this idea of "having a portfolio".
Designers think they need portfolios to prove they're a designer.
For most of us they're outdated, boring to read and not worth it.
I flipped the idea of a portfolio on its head.
Designers think they need portfolios to prove they're a designer.
For most of us they're outdated, boring to read and not worth it.
I flipped the idea of a portfolio on its head.
I used Twitter to renew my expertise every day. I turned up every day and proved that I was a designer with experience, interesting things to say and — shock horror — I had a PERSONALITY.
I became obsessed with this idea of a renewing the portfolio daily.
I became obsessed with this idea of a renewing the portfolio daily.
So how did I do it?
It started with @thats_the_job.
I wanted to prove myself as a designer by talking about design in long-form with another experienced designer.
I chatted with @richbaird about the idea and he was interested in giving it a try.
It started with @thats_the_job.
I wanted to prove myself as a designer by talking about design in long-form with another experienced designer.
I chatted with @richbaird about the idea and he was interested in giving it a try.
LESSON TWO - MAKE COOL THINGS WITH COOL PEOPLE
I'd been DMing Rich a bit but not much. I didn't really know him personally at all but I loved what he did with Logo Archive and BP&O.
I knew he'd have cool things to say about design.
So I sent him a DM and asked him.
I'd been DMing Rich a bit but not much. I didn't really know him personally at all but I loved what he did with Logo Archive and BP&O.
I knew he'd have cool things to say about design.
So I sent him a DM and asked him.
He said yes. Let's do it.
After a bit of back and forth That's The Job was born.
We recorded 10 episodes in Season 1 and it went really well.
Rich then got busy and we didn't get a chance to do another season.
P.S. I still want to do Season 2.
After a bit of back and forth That's The Job was born.
We recorded 10 episodes in Season 1 and it went really well.
Rich then got busy and we didn't get a chance to do another season.
P.S. I still want to do Season 2.
This was the first "asset" I would have online that proved I was an accomplished designer. I didn't need a portfolio—I was talking at length about design in every episode.
This is when I first realised it.
Having a long-form regular piece of content allows you to regularly promote yourself without having to promote yourself.
I don't have to say "look how good I am"
I can say: "go see this thing I said about this thing".
Natural promo.
Having a long-form regular piece of content allows you to regularly promote yourself without having to promote yourself.
I don't have to say "look how good I am"
I can say: "go see this thing I said about this thing".
Natural promo.
I'd spent 14 years screaming LOOK AT ME
Instead of screaming LOOK AT THIS USEFUL THING I MADE FOR YOU.
Instead of screaming LOOK AT THIS USEFUL THING I MADE FOR YOU.
LESSON THREE - A DAILY PORTFOLIO
Who cares about a big portfolio full of boring work?
What if there was a way I could prove my expertise not just through my words, but visually too?
What if there was a way to do it daily?
Who cares about a big portfolio full of boring work?
What if there was a way I could prove my expertise not just through my words, but visually too?
What if there was a way to do it daily?
I've done "daily challenges" for half of my life. A poster a day, a podcast a day, a record sleeve a day, a photo a day, a mile a day. You name it.
I needed a new daily challenge.
Luckily I'd become aware of—just like the rest of the internet— @visualizevalue.
I needed a new daily challenge.
Luckily I'd become aware of—just like the rest of the internet— @visualizevalue.
@jackbutcher was a designer. I was a designer. He made daily images on Twitter.
I would do the same.
What a great way to make a daily portfolio.
I would do the same.
What a great way to make a daily portfolio.
I started making @_unobvious.
Daily visuals around quotes that I was passionate about.
I started in May 2020. I haven't stopped yet.
Daily visuals around quotes that I was passionate about.
I started in May 2020. I haven't stopped yet.
Making daily visuals gave me another way to promote my expertise without having to promote my expertise.
I could just make stuff and retweet it back to my main account.
I could just make stuff and retweet it back to my main account.
That account has now grown to over 2,000 followers. It's my primary source of proving my expertise daily.
I get regular requests to work with others.
I get regular requests to work with others.
Note: it's the primary reason I ended up working on a project with @mkobach and @jmikolay.
More about that here. https://getdoingthings.com/41d78e796090467db05f182a182f945a
More about that here. https://getdoingthings.com/41d78e796090467db05f182a182f945a
I think that’s enough for now.
I have 3 more lessons, including how I started using Gumroad to make money and how I secured 20k projects through my Twitter efforts.
I’ll post some more tomorrow.
I have 3 more lessons, including how I started using Gumroad to make money and how I secured 20k projects through my Twitter efforts.
I’ll post some more tomorrow.
THANK YOU.
If you enjoyed this thread, hated this thread, want to burn it with fire, want to scream with delight or any other emotion, please pass it on to your friends and/or worst enemy.
I would appreciate that.
If you enjoyed this thread, hated this thread, want to burn it with fire, want to scream with delight or any other emotion, please pass it on to your friends and/or worst enemy.
I would appreciate that.
Here’s part two. https://twitter.com/craigburgess/status/1351576253288095744
