The Kotan Side Of Life: Recent Episodes
Kotan
Hello.I am a creative enthusiast with a vast experience in the design industry.This podcast is a place I share myself, my Ideas, perspective, and what I know about life and the creative industry, and how you can learn from my experiences.I and people call me The Smooth King.
You can not have just one stream of income, you need more than one, especially if you want to survive in Nigeria nowadays, you can not bank on just one stream of income.
In this episode, I shared how you can get more income and how you can leverage what you can do in your industry.
We creatives don't like being put in the dark, especially when it comes to money and reward for our work.
We love it when we get paid for our work and it keeps us going and gives us the energy to do more creative things.
Some opportunities come to set you up for greater opportunities that will transform your life for good later.
Learn to know when this happens and then take charge and add a new skill to your existing skills.
Most people are quick to call an acquaintance their friend, I believe it is because they don't fully understand the concept of friendship.
When you get who a friend is to you and the role a friend plays in your life, you will really know those who are your friends, especially in the creative industry.
You also need to understand the role you play in someone else' life to see if you are worth being called a friend.
Choose your friends wisely.
Invest in Knowledge now that you have most of the time to really use the investment and focus on it.
Don't wait till you have other things to do or you are too busy to even watch a course.
Get a book today, buy a course, attend the conference and gain more knowledge, the truth is that those with greater knowledge and also practice what they learned will always earn more than those with little knowledge.
What do you think about the most?
What do you set your mind on?
These things will surely happen in your life, if it is positive, especially in your career, it will happen, just keep working towards it.
DO what you have to do to create work that will make you feel fulfilled in your career.
The worst thing you can do is not have a reason why you are doing what you do now.
When you have a reason, you can always look at it and keep going, it is going to motivate you to keep getting better and no matter the reason, get one at least and don't just do anywhere belle face.
Make sure you calm down and get the right and up-to-date info about what you want to do before you even put a figure on the invoice.
Do not shoot yourself in the leg because you're ignorant and also don't be a thief too...lol.
This is an initiative that two AD Men Started on the 1st of October 2022, it was started by @isholaayo and @owolawi and I am so glad this happened.
This is a solution to the money GAP problem in the Advertising industry whereby two people are doing the same job, still, one will be earning way lower than he/she ought to because the person is not informed about the standard industry price and value.
This will help you negotiate better whenever you need to.
Check out and also drop yours at https://linktr.ee/reachblackbox
GO there and Thank them later.
Smooth Cheers.
Being a freelance creative is sweet, many aspire to get here, for them to go on vacations and do one or two projects and make like 50k Dollars.....Soft life, e make sense.
However, you have to be really good and also have great clients to make this much or even survive as a freelancer.
Don't just jump into it anyhow, do your research well, get clients first, and test the temperature of the water before you dive in.
Also don't forget to swim smoothly and go for the real treasure chest.
People can take advantage of just talks about what is to be done and delivered, some people have experienced this, and others are even so bad that they don't pay the remaining money until you do that thing.
They will want to run you streets sometimes.
A contract will make sure everything is aligned and it will mitigate a lot of nonsense that wants to happen later in the project.
Always have a contract in place.
Sometimes people say this and it sounds very funny how we give them what they ask for and then they don't accept it and then go with the always very safe option to use for their brand.
Make sure you are fully informed before you make a move, these moves are life-changing, things won't be the same again, you will face new challenges, so be careful and be up to date before ou JAPA!!!!!
People management is one of the hardest things anyone can face in a leadership position.
When I say this, I don't only mean when you are the Creative Director or Group head, it might be when you are heading a particular project. Even if it is amongst your colleagues, you have to know how to make sure you get things done on time, and also in a great way.
Taking advice from too many people can help indecision in many ways, especially when you have to make a decision fast.
This episode will help you understand what to do when you need advice concerning anything.
Most of the time, as creatives we think just having a portfolio and some of our works on social media is enough to get us the client we need, sometimes this is works but most times we all know that we get clients through referrals and that balls down to who referred you to the person.
There are ways we can get clients, sometimes we have to put our ego aside to go to them, to reach out to them, in the end if you do great work and you have a beautiful portfolio and you deliver value, they will work with you.
I remember when I made a mistake on photoshop, I quickly hit Ctrl+Z, I did it twice, I then figured out that it was cool before I undo what I had done, thank God for history, I clicked on it again to go back to that point to continue my work.
Don't be so quick to press Ctrl+Z everytime you make a mistake during your design process.
There are sometimes i make mistakes but it will look so cool that it will be better than what I wanted to do, I'll just go with it and continue my work.
Happiness is Free, every once in a while, do things that will make you happier, If you have to stop working for people for a month, do it, if you have to travel do it, if you have to buy something nice for yourself do it.
Happiness fuels your creative spirit.
Mentors are great, they help you grow faster, they help you stay on track and you also learn from their mistakes.
Get yourself one, trust me there is someone out there willing to share his/her knowledge and experience with you.
Just reach out and build the relationship the right way and you'll see how great it will turn out.
Learning is great, however practicing is greater.
if you just keep learning and don't practice at all, you will get to a point where you'll feel frustrated and feel like giving up.
when you get to this point, just stop learning for a while and start doing things, start practicing what you learnt for a while, you'll get your joy back as soon as possible then you can continue learning later.
Learn smart, Practice smarter.
The future starts now!
Set your mind on your goal, start learning now, start practicing now and start showing the world.
Jim Rhon said "Work on yourself more than you work on your job" this will help you stay relevant for a longer period of time, this will help you become great in your industry and life in general.
There is no harm in giving back to the community or to people who you like, there is also no harm in doing work for free for some people once in a while.
You can be strategic about it though, trust me there is no free work, you will surely get something in return.
So many people are angry about the state of the nation and everything happening, however, try as much as possible to keep your cool and then have a proper way you do things and also be wise and careful with the way you interact with people and all you do.
Don't forget to enjoy soft life when you can tho.
Keep your cool always and talk to your clients from that point.
I know sometimes clients can say things that will annoy you, but you always have to respond in a way that will not be insulting to them and still let them know that you don't like the way they talk to you.
Only give discounts to a client after the client has been working with you for a long time. Most people will want to ask for it at the beginning of your relationship, some will even use it to test you to see if they can continue asking on every project.
What do you want, what do you not want?
Ask yourself this question and write them down, then live your life according to it.
What you accept you attract, what you reject you don't attract.
Growing is not too easy but it becomes easier when you're more consistent and you intentionally do it.
Don't stop keep going, you'll get what you want.
Learn to say NO.
I wish I had known this earlier in my career journey, I wouldn't have tried to please everyone every time....lol.
No will save you from some things later.
Learn to listen more than you talk when it comes to your client.
When you listen more you'll be able to say something great and also speak to the problem when it's time to talk.
If you ever meet a client who does not know what he/she wants, Ask more questions to get to know the problem and then ask for a reference, you can also suggest some based on the replies to your questions.
Have fun!
We live/work in an industry that measures how much you should earn by what you have achieved and in most cases, if anyone need an increase in renumeration, the person will have to move to a new company.
Only few companies raise the renumeratio
yearly, if you are favoured to work with one of them, congratulations!!
i am not a fan of moving anyhow tho, this is my opinion.
Let's see a change abeg, please.
With more money for a particular project, you will be happier working on it, you will be able to get more and better resources that will make the work come out in the best way possible.
Make sure you charge an amount that will get the job done and also make you happy while working on the project so you can deliver the best experience to the client.
Great clients who know value know that it does not come cheap.
If you think a Great design is expensive, check out the price of a bad design.
You can not comprehend the power a book holds, to some people it might look like some pages of words and sentences, but if you look closer, they are your guide to where the Gold is buried.
You can not comprehend the power a book holds, to some people it might look like some pages of words and sentences, but if you look closer, they are your guide to where the Gold is buried.
Your Network says a lot about who you are, how much you'll be making, where you can get to, and so on this is why people say "Show me your friend and I'll tell you who you are".
The quality of people you surround yourself with will affect the way you see life.
This distinguishes the professionals from the amateurs in this industry. It affects your life in general too.
When you fall, you get back up and keep going.
This is how you stand out from those who never really achieve anything.
The things I mentioned in this episode for you to understand and learn, are important because sometimes as an Art Director, you will have to work with the people who d this thing and you will have to Direct and manage the project to get the result you need.
If you don't understand them and also who you can bring onboard when it is required, you mich end up working with someone who can't really deliver the visual style or aesthetic you need. However, when you get the right people together, you will achieve better results.
If you keep letting other people make decisions for you, especially in your life and career, you are going to be who they want you to be and not who you want to be.
Every Man gets to a point where He/She will have to decide on what He/She wants.
Some people are afraid to take decisions that's why they seek other people to help counsel them, this is a great idea, however make sure what you decide to do is your own choice.
Also if you take a decision, whatever comes from it make sure you face it because it is what you chose, whether Good or Bad, that's how you learn and grow in life.
A lot of creative people face things that could have been avoided I will say for some it's because of oversight to the fact that a simple communication would have solved it.
In this episode I shared one of the mistake and how you can avoid it.
Ps. Charge your client to save their files after delivery.
When you take your annual leave in the office, don't just use that to have fun all the way, don't get me wrong it is great to rest well.
However you have to make sure you learn something new, improve your skill, do that things you've been saying you'll do tomorrow.
When you do this, your value will increase and you'll be proud of yourself.
Stop throwing your ideas in the bin, think about someone you know that can help you bring it to life, at the end of the day it's your idea and you'll be proud of yourself when it is live and out there in the world.
Don't forget to give the person or people who worked on it with you credit too.
Have fun, enjoy, create with love.
Leadership is something most of us cannot miss, no matter how hard we try, we will be in this position someday, and how we need to perform our best and make sure we make others great too while you're at it.
A great working environment is as important as the work you want people to do, and also a great Pay as per salaries, it is part of a great working environment.
Nowadays a lot of people want to work from home, so if you have people who are willing or by you mandating, they are coming to the office, make that environment as cool as ever, this will help them think and do things better without worrying about little things.
I don't know it all and we are all still learning and growing, but have you thought about what made some people you know stay in a company for 5, 10, or 15 years?
It is something worth thinking about, in this episode I talked about some of the reasons and how companies (agencies) can keep people for a long period of time.
A lot of people have gone past where you want to go, they have achieved what you want to achieve, however don't think because they have gotten it that there is nothing there for you.
There is something there for you, you should go and make your track record, so you too can say what they say, however when you reply people saying "There's nothing there" make sure you let them understand that it is for you, not them so you don't make people take decisions that will make them hate you or get mad at you later.
If you just graduated and you stumble into the creative industry, or you have a passion for this industry, or you have been meaning to start a creative career and you are not really sure about the things you should do when you start,
this will guide you.
as a newbie, there are things you have to know and do to Kickstart your career on a good note.
In this episode, I shared some of them and when you do them, you'll see how fast you'll grow in the industry.
Smooth Cheers.
Be real, it will shock you how other people even the ones who are living fake life will gravitate towards you.
The reason is because deep down they want to be real like you but they don't want to let go of the fake image they've built too, this can be crazy memh, that's why I can never live a fake life.
Do You
Be You
Live You and not someone els.
Cheers.
I am a self taught designer who is now an Art Director in one of the biggest agency in Nigeria, but it did not just happen in one day.
I faced so many challenges, I solved them too and I survived in the industry.
this is why I started sharing my story, my knowledge and everything I know because I am speaking from a point of experience and not just from a book I read.
I really want to help people that are facing the same challenge as I faced while coming up in the industry and make them know that they have it in them to be great too.
Showing them how to do it is key and that's what I'm here for.
I have been able to keep moving forward in the creative industry and there's no stopping to this, because I will keep climbing higher and higher.
Being on one spot will make you obsolete, not learning new things will make you obsolete too because we are in a world that's constantly doing new things and improving itself, so what's stopping you?
even if it's one video or line in a book or audio you listen to or read or watch in a day, it's a great thing as long as you get value from it and you improve in your ability to thinking and solve problems and even be a better version of yourself.
Always Strive For Improvement.
Whenever you get an opportunity, don't just say you won't go after it, I believe you should, to see where it will lead to, sometimes it is always a better place in terms or career and even financially and all, you get what I mean.
Don't close off your mind to other possibilities that will take you higher in life.
There is a spiritual being behind every man's success, make sure you choose the right one.
Whenever you work on any project, make sure you do it so well that everyone will want to work with ou, have you on their team and even want to know you.
If you know you'll do something great with a project take it, if not leave it or take it an outsource it if you can.
Most creative people always want to have only their ideas or fingerprint on whatever they are doing, this is a selfish thing to do, sometimes you can't do it all alone, you'll need someone to help you out.
Always reach out to those who will help you achieve what you want, don't be afraid to ask for help, you are not dumb it's just that you need help at that point in time.
When you are asked to look at or judge a particular work done by someone, try to use the Sandwich technique where you first give a nice comment, then lay your views and outline the mistakes in a subtle way, not just that but also giving a solution and then end it with a nice comment.
You have it in you to do anything you want to, all you have to do I believe you can, and then work towards achieving your goals.
You are going to get them!
No matter what you are doing, always clarify what needs to be done before you tart, this is going to save you a lot of time.
Sometimes, look at things from a very stupid perspective, this helps a lot. Don't be afraid to ask stupid questions too, have fun and do anything that will give you clarity or help you come up with a great solution.
The value of your output is going to determine how much you charge a client for the work you do, value-based pricing is more effective and better than charging for the type of job.
Which do you think you should be?
Think about this well before you decide to choose a focus.
In this episode, you will learn what advertising really is and how you can stay relevant in this industry, also clear your mind if you think it's all fun, fun, fun.
Most creatives think they lost a client when they were never given anything to do in the first place, this is a big misconception that needs to be fixed.
Listen to this episode and you'll understand how to.