I became a solopreneur this the past year which I’ve enjoyed and the freedom to focus on making things that brought me joy is unmatched. I’m learning a lot about myself and refining what I specialize in.

I was recently reminded in a workshop by Dan Woychick the difference between being a generalist (one-person band) and an expert practitioner (Taylor Swift). In my career of 15+ years I’ve been a:

• • Graphic
  • Marketing
  • Product
  • Visual
  • Print
  • Digital
  • Motion
  • Video
  • Website
  • Brand
  • Presentation
  • Production
  • Data visualization
  • Environmental
  • Event

…DESIGNER.

Yes, all those at once and different times throughout my creative journey. Yes, all those are different roles. In every single role I quickly learned on-the-job skills to get the job/project done with results. Not only that, but I’ve also learned:

• • Digital marketing
  • SEO strategy
  • Content strategy
  • Salesforce Marketing Cloud, HubSpot
  • Social media
  • WCAG AA accessibility standards
  • Writing AI prompts for ChatGPT and Midjourney
  • Copywriting
  • E-Commerce
  • Creative directing
  • Art directing
  • Mentoring
  • Leadership
  • Figma, XD
  • After Effects
  • Prototyping
  • Light HTML and CSS coding
  • CADD
  • Problem solving
  • Project management
  • SharePoint websites
  • Brand strategy…

While I don’t officially say on my résumé that I was any of these positions, I have worn all the hats as a designer and any one of these other roles concurrently to get the job done. I enjoy challenging myself to evolve, adding new skills and learning how things work but fell into the traps of “Kevin can solve it” by my teams and “other duties as assigned” that limits vertical growth.

That realization that I don’t have to be that one-person band tasked with doing everything set me on a new path.

Collaborating as a creative design consultant with fellow designers, illustrators, web developers, copywriters, strategists, and CMOs allowed me to tap into a wealth of expertise and perspectives. Instead of struggling to wear all the hats, I could focus on my strengths while trusting my teammates to handle areas where they excel. This division of labor not only streamlined our workflow but also elevated the quality of our work.

I’m reminded of the most valuable thing I deliver is the confidence to move forward. By embracing the power to be an expert practitioner and recognizing that I don’t have to do everything alone, I can focus on what I do best while leveraging the talents of others to achieve remarkable results. I am a creative force capable of distilling information and creating smart and effective design. But I also love to collaborate. Need a creative collaborator on a team project? I’m in.

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