Inspiration is on tap as Teresa Au speaks to graphic designer, entrepreneur, and author Aaron Draplin. Known as much for his warm and direct personality as for his signature thick lines design style and ample use of Pantone Orange 21, Aaron is beloved by designers everywhere. Aaron shares lessons gleaned from his midwestern upbringing, nearly 20 years in business on his own, and creating his Field Notes and DDC branded merchandise.What you’ll hear in this episode:What Aaron wishes he knew when he went out on his ownBe professional on your way out of a role or projectWhy a job transition should be an overlap, not a hard stopGetting financially prepared for going into business for yourselfWhy you should take every job that comes your wayA note on taxesLessons learned from challenging jobs and peopleThe difficulties of the corporate environmentHow to control your own timeThe value of keeping your wordWhat you can learn from your clients that can help you in your own businessUse merchandise to make your business look as big–or as small–as you wishHow Aaron started the Field Notes brandFinding inspiration in your collectionsWhen it’s time to bring in a teamIs passive income actually passive?Taking on big jobs allows Aaron to do little things to help his friend and familyCorporate clients don’t have to mean endless meetings and emailsA big client can also be a passion jobWhy Aaron is sometimes the invisible designerGive clients what they need, not necessarily what they think they wantAaron’s book tourNo one has to know which jobs have big paychecks and which ones you do for nothingWhich design students make the best audiencesThe people you meet when you travel, for better and worseWhat’s special about driving through AmericaWhat Aaron learned from his DadThe importance of appreciating the people who help you get your work doneHow to celebrate someone you’ve lostAaron’s dream gigPlanning a follow-up book to Pretty Much EverythingAaron’s list of words for 2024Aaron Draplin is founder of the Draplin Design Co. a shop specializing in Print, Identity and Illustration. His clients include Coal Headwear, Union Binding Co., Richmond Fontaine, Esquire, Nike, Wired, Dinosaur Jr, Timberline, Chunklet, Eaux Claires Music Festival, Poler, Incase, Sub Pop Records, Fender, Marc Maron, Cobra Dogs, Jill Soloway, Thing Festival, Jack White, Old 97s, Jason Isbell, Nixon Watches, Bernie Sanders, Patagonia, Target, Chris Stapleton, NASA/JPL, John Hodgman, Timex, Ford Motor Company, Woolrich and even the Obama Administration. He co-created Field Notes brand with Jim Coudal, and their memo books are sold the world over, with limited-edition special editions shipped quarterly to a booming subscriber list. He is the author of eight Skillshare classes, and his first book, Pretty Much Everything is in its twelfth printing. His DDC Merch line is a cult favorite, featuring 300+ products. You’ll find Aaron in his backyard studio in Portland, Oregon, or crossing the US in his orange van, putting on “speaking fiascos” for audiences ranging from Adobe MAX to vocational school students.Teresa Au (@tautastic) is an executive for community engagement and driving customer empathy at Adobe. Her career spans diverse creative fields, primarily in New York’s fashion industry, as well as architecture firms, and now Silicon Valley tech companies. She has always prized working with distinctive design and the interesting people behind it–from designer Elie Tahari to start-up CEOs. We want to hear from YOU, our listeners, so we put together a brief survey as we look ahead to season two: https://adobe.ly/podcastsurvey To thank you for your feedback, we’re giving away two 12-month memberships to Creative Cloud (valued at $659.88 each). Enter for your chance to win one of the two Creative Cloud licenses by completing the survey form from November 7 at 9pm PT to November 30 at 5pm PT. Winners will be drawn at random and notified at December 1 at noon PT. Valid one license per winne