We were lucky to catch up with Caleb Magee recently and have shared our conversation below.
Caleb, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
Since I work in a creative-focused field, it’s important to continue to find inspiration and keep the creativity juices flowing. One of the biggest ways I keep my creativity alive is by being a constant learner. I believe it is my duty as a man to not only to be of good character, but also to be *interesting.* Being an interesting person requires that you be an *interested* person – someone who is always invested in what they can learn from others and from the world around them. I am constantly hoping to learn new facts and skills from people not only within my craft but outside of it, as inspiration can come from anywhere. Anytime I learn a new skill or technique for graphic design or building a website, I try to implement it in my next project. This might mean that it takes longer than if I had not used this new technique, but it inspires me to continue to make my work better and keeps it interesting for me. The more I learn, the more I am able to use to create more beautiful things, and the more I can teach others!
Don’t forget to ask questions about things you aren’t an expert in – if you’re a graphic designer, don’t be afraid to learn from a woodworker, or an electrician, or a farmer. In doing so, you’ll build relationships, become a more interesting person, and find inspiration where you might least expect it.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Hey y’all! I’m Caleb Magee, the designer behind Ploughman Design Co. I design, build, and maintain websites, as well as creating custom logos and branding! I’ve worked with small businesses, non-profits, churches, and even some individuals.
I’m a Reformed Christian, Texan, and happily married husband and father or 2 little girls. While I am not yet at the point where I can do my design business full-time, I am hoping it is something I am able to do in the future so that I can spend more time with my family.
I’ve been doing design work since college, so I have quite a bit of experience, but had been working for others. In May of 2023, I started Ploughman Designs on my own. (It’s almost the first anniversary, hooray!)
The most exciting thing for me is getting to work with clients to create something cool, beautiful, or awesome that represents them or their business. Some of my favorite projects have been family crests that I custom designed with the clients, imbuing them with symbols that hold special meaning for their family.
My goals for the future are to be able to transition to doing design work full-time and provide for my family, as well as be able to give to my church and community out of the abundance of what has been entrusted to me.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
When you’re freelancing or just starting a business, you have to wear all the hats. This means in addition to “doing the work” of producing the product, design, or whatever your business does, you also have to do sales and administrative work. First off, make sure you’re offering a quality product – for me, I had to make sure I was educated and skilled in building websites and designing logos. I put in effort into learning and practicing – watching YouTube videos, reading books and articles, and actually creating practice projects.
The second skill you have to develop is people skills – regardless of if you’re the best designer in the world, if you can’t relate to people, actually care about them, and make a connection, they won’t trust you with their project. This has to be more than superficial – people have intrinsic value and worth, and we should learn from them and care about them! If you don’t, they will see through you.
Thirdly, learn a bit about business and research into some of the administrative/financial skills you’ll need to run your business. For my first client, I didn’t have any invoicing methods set up, so I felt very unprofessional when it came to being paid. Make sure you have contracts, set expectations, and explain how working with you goes, as well as keeping track of your various expenses and profits. If you do this, you’ll be in a much better place than if you just do things willy-nilly.
Finally, continue learning and persevere! If you give up on yourself or your business, or you don’t keep learning more things, you’ll stagnate and quickly burn out.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
I think the main challenge I have is the same any new business or freelancer has – getting new clients. My goal is to have at least 3 new clients every month – something that I haven’t quite gotten to consistently yet. The way I’m attempting to overcome this obstacle is by working on my social media and doing interviews like this one when I have the opportunity! As someone who hasn’t really done much on social media before starting my business, it definitely is a bit of a challenge to post consistently and create quality content – especially since I’m still working a full-time job on top of my design work! I’ve found creating a calendar/schedule has been helpful to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ploughmandesigns.com
- Instagram: @ploughmandesigns
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ploughmandesigns
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PloughmanDesigns
