This week we’re joined by our good friend Diane Gibbs. We are super excited to welcome Diane to the show. She’s worked as a professor of Graphic Design at the University of South Alabama for over 15 years, had a fantastic freelance career and hosts the awesome Design Recharge Show podcast. Diane has also personally set up the hosts with incredible young talents, including Allie Toney who we previously interviewed on the show and who now works as part of the team at Design Cuts.

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Show Notes for This Episode:

[1:00] Tom opens up the show and welcomes Diane Gibbs
[2:30] Diane shares a quick overview of her entry into Design
[3:00] Why Diane started The Design Recharge Podcast
[4:00] Diane shares how podcasts have made her a better designer
[5:10] Dustin shares how diehard Diane’s fans are
[7:10] Diane shares her thoughts on tough love
[8:00] Pushing people to become better versions of themselves
[9:00] Critiques must come from love
[10:00] Tom asks Diane if University education worth it?
[11:00] Dustin thinks he’s not a designer
[12:10] College education is easier
[12:24] Dustin’s theory on designer’s with degrees and those without
[13:30] You can pay for the class but you have to do the work to improve
[14:10] Analogies are Diane’s secret weapon to learning
[15:00] Bras, Monet and Metallica
[16:00] Diane drops some design related Madonna trivia
[17:00] Diane explains why designers are a lot like beavers
[18:00] Tips to break into the Design industry
[19:00] Connecting and gaining work from LinkedIn
[20:00] Diane gets granular explaining how to build connections
[21:20] How repetition builds connections
[22:20] Staying active on social media is key to becoming memorable
[24:30] Reach out and keep reaching out
[25:00] Build relationships first before inquiring about work
[26:34] How Julie landed a job working with Lisa Glanz by simply reaching out
[27:30] Give more than your customers expect
[28:00] What Diane tells her students about discovering their perfect work fit
[29:00] Customer service skills will get you closer to your dream job
[30:30] Diane shares recommended design reading
[33:00] Using creative idea matrix
[34:00] The commonality between Ian and Diane’s early careers
[34:40] Ian explains how he learned so much from entry-level work
[36:15] How Aaron Draplin edged his way into Charles Anderson images
[37:38] Being proactive gets you in the door
[38:00] Opening doors with authentic conversations
[39:00] Pushing past the uncomfortable feelings to open conversation
[40:00] Research and come to the table with questions
[41:00] Find common ground
[42:00] Sucking up is not a conversation
[43:00] Dustin explains how his friendship with Diane grew
[44:45] Diane’s Recruiting Creatives network flourished from her natural talent
[45:55] How Recruiting Creatives works.
[46:31] How to join RecuitingCreatives.com
[47:00] Connecting Budding Designers with Entrepreneurs
[48:00] What Diane is looking for in a Budding Creative
[49:30] Tom shares his thoughts on Recruiting Creatives
[50:15] Recruiting Creatives is a Win-Win for everyone
[51:00] How to connect with Diane: www.RechargingYou.com Recharging You and Instagram @designrecharge
[52:00] And that’s a wrap!

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“A must for every creative freelancer (or those aspiring to freelance). Thank you for being so… honest! Such a wealth of information from people I admire who have ‘been there and done that’. Listening to the podcast every week feels like I’m among friends. Can’t wait for more episodes!”AG_GD