So this is the last of the 60 statements that I’ve been trying to think more on. Well, except for 58. but I think I already answered something along these lines earlier, and if I didn’t, well….. it’s still a pretty simple answer.

58. You would pass along a good opportunity if you thought someone else needed it more 

Yes, I would.  

59. You struggle with deadlines 

As a creative, yes, but I’ve learned to employ strategies to keep me on track. 

A formative experience I had when I was working freelance early on, was a phone call I made to my art director at LeapFrog. When she answered the phone and heard it was me, she breathed a sigh of relief. Recognizing the stress she was under, I asked her what was going on? She had seen the area code I was dialing from and thought I was another artist. Well, I happened to know this other artist, and I had done work with, and for, him. He is fantastic. Way more talented than I am. But they were dreading a phone call from him because he was upset about some changes and was going to let them have it over the phone. 

I realized in that moment that I don’t EVER want to be that guy; the guy they hire that they don’t want to hear from. I know all too well that my continuation in freelance work is exactly that: to continue to get work. It’s not that easy. If you have a client, you don’t ever want them thinking you aren’t pleasant to work with. There are a TON of other artists out there who would give their left… well, they really want the work. If your art directot doesn’t want to hear from you, sooner or later, they find someone else to give the work to.  

Every one of these art directors that hired me, were themselves given jobs to do. They were tasked with getting a book made and I was a big part of that equation. So I figured out pretty quickly that the important thing was to get the work finished on time, or early if possible, and at least looking pretty good. It didn’t have to be perfect, and it didn’t have to be the best art style ever. Just pretty good, and on time. If I did that, it made their job easier, and if I was pleasant and fun to talk to, all the better. 

I made a living in art for a lot of years through those three simple rules: get the work done on time, be adequately good, and be a pleasant person. 

That’s a long-winded way of saying that I’ve learned to hit deadlines I’ve been given. So I don’t struggle with them anymore. 

60. You feel confident that things will work out for you 

Yes. If God is for me, then who can be against me. Of course, I understand that God isn’t on MY team, I’m on His. So things “working out for me” might look different than the way I planned it, but in all my years I’ve never, and I mean NEVER been disappointed in the way the Lord has led me.  

So I do feel confident that things will work out for me. This is a fully agree.