Reddit mentions of Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative

What other tasks do you have to do?
I keep the website updated (calendar, new sermons, etc), fix bugs, add features, update plugins/WordPress, manage hosting, create websites as needed. I schedule, train, lead and direct video volunteers on the weekends and schedule and conduct photoshoots as promotional assets for new events like our women's conference.


What is your current objective for your own website?
Our target demographic is 25-35 year old unchurched/dechurched males - though that gets forgotten until stratop roles around once a year. Ideally we'd be focusing on bringing new attenders into the church by promoting the current/next sermon series and giving some kind of CTA like signing up for a "New to Church Class" (which we have.)

Practically speaking however, our leadership is focused primarily on look-and-feel - they don't really think about conversions so improvements are hard to argue for.

What framework do you use?
So, I'm not exactly sure what you're asking. We use WordPress, I use Sage with Wordmove. Right now we're moving from Media Temple to WPEngine (highly recommend managed wordpress). Sometimes, for quick turnarounds I'll get a theme off of ThemeForest.

And do you enjoy using it?
Actually no - I don't like WordPress. I'm looking to work with Ruby on Rails, NodeJs and React or Angular. That isn't practical for the church, or more small businesses so I'll have to change jobs eventually.

Is there anything you wish you could do in your current job?
Yeah, I wish I could spend more time focusing conversions rather than aesthetics.

Do u get any benefits?
They offer benefits for full time employees but they're not very good for the younger staff members so we receives benefits through my wife's employer.

Full remote?
Nah. In my current position, that would be impossible to argue for. But, working in the office isn't so bad. I work with a lot of great young creative people. They're making an active effort to accept and attract millennial's at our church because they're concerned the church will die with baby boomers if they don't start attracting younger people. So now we have a lot of young people on staff and it is pretty nice.

How long have you been web dev and what lang do you know?
I'm most comfortable on the front end with SASS and JavaScript. I know a bit of PHP, NodeJS and Python but that stuff doesn't really come up.

Do u use any of the Google SEO?
Yes, we pretty much dominate SEO in our area right now but that is just because we're the biggest church in our area.

One thing worth checking out if you do get the gig is Google for Nonprofits. We got like $10,000/m free from google for google ads. That'll impress your boss if they don't know about it already.


Would u have any good beginners notes or links?
It's all about high quality work with fast turn around times. High quality means whatever makes your boss happy. What'll make your boss happy - most likely - is not conversions but aesthetics. Think - nice photography, good graphic design, engaging videos, well written copy, etc. Conversions only come into play when arguing for a raise so keep track of them as best you can because nobody else will. What did conversions look like when you started? What do they look like a year later?

To achieve high quality with fast turnaround times, I recommend mastering one of those bloated generalized WordPress themes like Divi or X, purchase creative bundles on Creative Market whenever they're on sale (usually once a month.) Get good at making things that make people go "ooohhh aaahhhh" in a couple of hours.

Every church looks at other churches' work to copy. Our church likes Elevation's website. Find out who your leaders are paying attention to and then let their work influence yours. "Steal Like an Artist."

Unlike in private industry, churches are pretty good about sharing information with each other. We've talked to people from Saddleback and Elevation Church about their processes and equipment. We've also opened up to smaller churches and helped get them set up. Don't be afraid to call other churches and ask for their Web guy or whatever and see what you can get out of them.

Also, I highly recommend Donald Miller's Storybrand Roadmap if you can somehow get access to it or convince the church to let you do the online workshop.

Of places to get off and running?
I'm not sure what you're asking. My advice is to do as much work as you can on your own - do freelance work, do personal projects - and share it with people. When you do good work, people want to work with you.

Any church related things I should know... I'm athiest & last time I was in church was 1997
You'll have to assess the culture at the church you work at. Some churches will boot you out if they found out you were an atheist, others would welcome you in. You'll have to assess the culture of the church you're going to and decide for yourself how to get along.

One thing I'll say - probably drop any preconceived notions you may have. You'd be surprised at how laid back (some) church folk are. One of my friends just interviewed for a pastoral position- the senior pastor interviewing him was drinking a craft beer at like 1:00pm on a Thursday during the interview. That is just the culture of that church. Every church is different.


And of course are you hiring?
No.

Good questions. Let me take them one by one.

I'll first say that the portfolio is the only truly important thing. When I first came out to NYC to work, I interviewed at 17 different companies/startups/studios. Not a single one even looked at or asked about the school I went to. We just talked at length about my projects. That being said, I think design school is important. Design is complicated. There's a lot to learn. I know people who swear by just going it your own way and not going to school. Those people don't see what they don't do well. They struggle with the fine details. They think their work is fine, but they haven't figured out why it could be better.

Design school taught me a lot. It taught me how to think differently. How to get thick skin and take critique. How to work with grids. How to manage type. All of these skills don't come from hard and fast rules. They come from ethereal concepts that you have to learn. They're much easily learned through someone who can mentor you. You can figure it out on your own, but it will take longer. The cap on your ability to grow in the industry will fall short. I've even interviewed people who had some nice work, but when I discussed with them their process or their theory, they didn't know what they were talking about. They learned how to copy good work, but not how to generate their own creative output.

If you want practice here's what I would do.

1. Sketch. Even if you aren't good at it. I'm still not. Lot's of designers aren't. Sketching is about a quick method of generating ideas.
   
   
2. Read and write. Design is about communication, not visuals. Visuals are important, but if they don't say anything, no one cares. Great designers often tend to be great writers/readers. Don't just read about design. Read about architecture. Read about theater. Read Science Fiction. Just read.
   
   
3. Take pictures. Learn to frame a shot. learn how to compose something beautiful.
   
   
4. Fill your well. Your greatest resource in design will be culture. Learn about things. Experience a full life. If your creative inspiration comes from a design website, you're doing it partially wrong (those things have their value, but they are a simple tool, not a means to good solutions). Dig deep into different things and become broadly experienced.
   
   
5. Play with the software. If you're sketching, try the software too. Learn Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign. This leads to my next thing.
   
   
6. Find good work and copy it. Literally. Don't copy to give to a client. Just copy in the privacy of your own studio space. You learn to play the guitar by first playing songs by bands you love. Do the same with design. Copy their work and try to learn their techniques.
   
   Regarding whether I practice, I do. Side projects are a big part of what we do. Client work is always constrained by their needs. Side projects are a good way to push your creativity. Working with constraints is good and important, but balance it with side projects. Design an app. Make a children's book. Do whatever it is that seems interesting to you.
   
   I still struggle with whether my work is good or not. You'll never get over expecting more than you can deliver. If you like the challenge of that and can live with yourself, you'll be a good designer. A good part of knowing what's good is learning to see. Study masters. Find out what makes good work tick. This is a hard question for sure. This is part of why I tell people to go do design school.
   
   Design books I recommend... this is hard. A few to get started...
   
   Steal Like an Artist is good for a newly creative
   
   The Creative Habit is amazing for people who think creativity is magic... it demystifies that notion and explains how Creativity is about practice and routine. Very smart book.
   
   DeBono's Thinking Course is heavy reading but very good in learning how to think creatively. It's a must, in my opinion.
   
   Grid Systems is bland but essential. Learn it. By one of the great masters.
   
   Art & Visual Perception is also mega heavy, but will teach you how to understand how good creative work is composed and why it works. Very interesting if you can take it.
   
   A Smile in the Mind is a great book that shows how wit and messaging in design makes for powerful and memorable work. It's a good primer on how designers work concept into their visuals. It's about discovery and the bliss that comes from that (that's why our honey bottles were so successful... discovery is everything).
   
   Also check out www.designersandbooks.com. It's a long running list of great books that are recommended by designers much more skilled than I am. These are the greats.
   
   Hope this all helps.

Personally I like this book: Steal Like an Artist

Check out "Steal Like An Artist" by Austin Kleon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0074QGGK6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1#navbar

It's a short read, but it's ridiculously motivational, informational, and inspiring. If/when any friend says they're interested in tackling a creative endeavor, I always buy 'em a copy.