Aaron Draplin is on the show this week, giving us a lesson in gratitude. His advice to listeners: “Be thankful as sh*t that you get to be a creative person.” Showing up and getting the job done builds confidence. Or at the very least, it gives you a better understanding of your own creative process. 

Aaron is the founder of DDC, Draplin Design Company. With his signature bold lines and colorful illustration style he’s worked for clients ranging from small indie bands to Nike, Patagonia, Target and USPS. When he’s not working from his backyard in Portland he’s out on the open road with his wife Leigh in their iconic orange van, giving talks and workshops about design, typography and illustration. 

On this episode Draplin shares some valuable lessons he’s learned after 20 years of freelancing. Don’t quit your job until you’re financially stable enough to take the leap. He says: “If you have a sucky job, do your sucky job and then get home and have fun. And it’ll tip at some point. Like it did for me.” 

He talks about his humble beginnings, growing up in Michigan, buying his first computer in Alaska in 1996, moving out West to work at Snowboarder Magazine, and ultimately ending up in Oregon and going freelance in 2004. His Midwestern roots and down-to-earth sensibility shine through in every facet of his career — all the way to his popular side venture, Field Notes memo books. 

Aaron generously shares advice on how to make your own stuff, the power of slowing down, giving back and helping other people. We even get to collectively geek out about Dinosaur Jr and he plays us an acoustic version of “Little Fury Things.” And then, towards the end, we go extra deep and talk about where we go when we die. Good times all-around, folks! Another episode of your favorite illustration podcast that’s jam-packed with lil nuggets of wisdom from one of the hardest-working individuals in graphic design. 

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FOLLOW AARON: 

Instagram: @draplin
Website: draplin.com
Field Notes: fieldnotesbrand.com
DDC Book: ddcbook.com
DDC Fonts: ddcfonts.com
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Hosted by Vicky Cichoń and Dave Leutert.
Music by Amanda Deff.