Re: FLASH: Selfish (Sidenote)

[Michael Dunn]

> I never really reply to these kinds of messages, but I can't help it


Ditto. Here's my .02. I've been working in print media for 6 years, having

started at the bottom (scanning, resizing ads, archiving). In two years I

doubled my salary by proving I could do the work. How did I even get to do the

work? Although I was a production artist, every now and then I'd get a chance to

work on a "big" project, be it a logo design or a full-blown campaign. Slowly I

earned the respect of my co-workers and supervisors and was given more and more

design work. Eventually (9mos later), I moved into a junior designer position. I

still wasn't "in charge" of anything and had to do a fair share of "grunt work."

Then a few more months passed and I moved up to DESIGNER (applause, applause)! I

still wasn't an art director or even jr. art director. I switched companies

(from advertising to editorial) and became an ART DIRECTOR. Then a year and a

half later moved back into advertising as a designer. Although it was a step

down in status, it was an advancement because it afforded me the opportunity to

get into interactive media. We don't even HAVE an interactive department, but

I'm learning Flash, Director, Dreamweaver, Fireworks... not to mention

Javascript, Lingo, Actionscript, HTML... all in my spare time and lunch breaks

and mornings and weekends. I'm not whining that some big company won't hire me

to do all the cool stuff (which I could design with my eyes closed) I'm building

my skills (slowly but surely) and hope within the next two years to be able to

break into the interactive field. I didn't learn how to kern effectively

overnight or how to create a hard-sell ad. And even when I felt I could, I had

to PROVE I could do it. Remember, if you do get into a high-level position right

off the bat, you're going to be expected to DELIVER! Like the mailroom analogy.

If an executive and mail clerk both suggest equally good solutions to a problem,

the mail clerk's is going to seem more amazing simply because he wasn't expected

to come up with anything.


Get in on the bottom, be a runner, answer phones, and if you can't support

yourself that way, work wherever and send self-promotional notices pointing out

work you've done in your spare time. The big guys will notice and you'll get

your chance soon enough.


Okay, back to the grind. Got deadlines and revisions... yeah, I'm a designer,

but that doesn't mean I get to make pretty pictures all day. (I wish)


--

Michael Dunn

The Merica Agency


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