We caught up with the brilliant and insightful James Wignall a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi James, thank you so much for opening up with us about some important, but sometimes personal topics. One that really matters to us is overcoming Imposter Syndrome because we’ve seen how so many people are held back in life because of this and so we’d really appreciate hearing about how you overcame Imposter Syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is something that we all go through at some point, it’s as inevitable as death and taxes.
It’s hard to overcome, but what I found really helps is speaking to work colleagues and peers. Hanging out with like-minded folks who you can swing ideas around. In turn, they’ll also ask you what your thoughts are on their ideas, the relationship becomes symbiotic. This will give you and your work validation, getting rid of any notion of the preposterous imposter syndrome.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
“Who am I?” / “What do I do?” is something I get asked a lot, mostly by my ageing parents, I’m starting to suspect cognitive decline!
It’s a tricky one as in this day and age as we all wear many hats, especially in the creative industry. To try and put it simply, I’m a UK based freelance creative / art director / animator. Working globally with clients of all sizes since 2005, specialising in motion & animation projects, title sequences, TV identities and illustration.
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?
Having an eye for detail is a great benefit in the creative industry, but there’s a fine line to follow. You don’t want to take it to the n-th degree, as people won’t want to work with you. Be smart with how you apply it.
Timekeeping is essential, both in being on time to meetings and being able to meet project deadlines. To me, nothing reflects more poorly than being late to a meeting and making everyone else wait. It sets you on the wrong path from the start, which isn’t a good look. Naturally, if there’s a perfectly good explanation (wife went into labour, for example), all is forgiven, but generally be on time and give realistic timeframes.
Don’t ignore the basics or rely on the latest software / plugins. Creativity shouldn’t be totally based on what software or the latest plugin can do, the idea at the foundation should be the strongest aspect. Using new software is totally valid as part of the solution, and can indeed open up new ideas, but a strong creative idea must be at the core.
Tell us what your ideal client would be like?
The ideal clients are the ones who hire you because of your portfolio, and then just sit back and let you get on with.
Clients that are collaborative, will to take a creative change and trust your judgement.
There’s nothing worse than being micromanaged and endless meetings that stop you focusing on what’s important, the project.
Having said that, I have been pretty luck with my clients over the years, and I’m happy to even call a lot of them friends!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mutanthands.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mutanthands/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jameswignall/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mutanthands
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
