In this episode, host Kendall Hotchkiss interviews motion designer and illustrator Reece Parker on intuitive creativity, building a personal brand, and thriving as a human artist in the AI era after a decade of solo freelancing.
This episode covers:
- The eras of a freelance career: Reece breaks down ten years of solo work into distinct growth phases—learning the tools, shaping market perception, figuring out business, and the current era of resilience and "art over commerce." Each era required a different mindset shift.
- Working intuitively as a creative identity: Practical tips for recognizing intuitive moments and protecting time for them.
- Showing up authentically on social media: Why offering vulnerability outward is what brings community back in.
- Positioning a portfolio site to speak past peers: Why he invested a year and serious money into a developer-built site with capability decks and process decks designed to win direct clients—and how it changed his business overnight.
- Mantras for dry spells: "It's not personal, it's business." Manifesting positive energy instead of waking up scared. Why packing your schedule to feel valuable eventually catches up with you.
- Freelance platforms vs. networking: When platforms actually work versus the slow-game alternative of networking.
- The human option in the AI era: Why being clearly the craft-forward, human choice is now an easier and more meaningful position to occupy, and why the clients chasing the cheapest AI option were never the ones you wanted anyway.
Upcoming Events:
- Game Night: Wednesday, April 29th
- Next Monday (May 4th): Open discussion hosted by Jen Van Horn
- Looking for community members interested in hosting!
Visit MondayMeeting.org for this episode and other conversations from the motion design community!
SHOW NOTES:
- Monday Meeting Patreon
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- Reece’s Instagram
- Reece’s Website