Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Darren Fishman. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Darren, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
The best way to avoid burnout is to find something you love… find your happy place, and have that as an outlet where you can reset, refresh, rejuvenate or just basically take some time out from the everyday. For me that outlet is music, whether that be DJing, which is a side hustle of mine, or simply spending time outside, hanging in the pool on a floatie with some rocking music on the speakers. It’s my unique form of recuperation! Thankfully I’m in Palm Springs so one can do just that for 10 months of the year.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am originally from Australia, and worked in advertising and marketing back there for a few decades before bringing that experience to California by starting a creative agency called Desert Society. The name reflects both the “desert” areas and major city “society” we love to bring our expertise to.
The fabulous part about it is I get do something I really love, which is being creative through developing brands, graphics and websites for businesses, as well as designing fabulous retro-inspired interiors for both private homes and vacation rentals across the Coachella Valley and as far as the coast such as Los Angeles.
That’s reflected in Desert Society’s tag line – “generating creativity” – because we could not be more passionate about inspiring ourselves and others.
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?
I think key areas of expertise that have stood me in good stead, have been quality of work, communication skills and financial savviness. And they probably apply to any business really, not just to someone working in a creative industry.
It’s a simple strategy really but you need to constantly improve your skills to keep the quality of work at an optimum level against the competition. Standing still is like going backwards.
It’s also vital to be nice to everyone as well – which may sound obvious. But that way you can let the market be your greatest advertising tool with people offering excellent testimonials, referrals and word of mouth. This is key as people trust the recommendations or their own associates considerably more than any paid advertising you do.
Thirdly you need some financial savviness to ensure the money coming in is more than what’s going out! Many astounding creatives are fabulous at doing the work but not running the admin side, and you need to have both areas covered – or have a partner or staff who can pitch in and fill those gaps.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
The ideal client is someone with complete trust and an open mind. Often people will come to us through a referral or via seeing our portfolio of work. But they don’t often realize that the best work they’re seeing was when the client trusted us to do what we do, and not be overly controlling.
At the end of the day “the client is always right” as they are the ones paying the bills, and so they do have the final approval and say. But they also need to let the creative juices flow and not come to the table with too many preconceived ideas that can tend to block potentially superior outcomes. And superior outcomes is what we’re all about!
Contact Info:
- Website: desertsociety.net
- Instagram: desertsocietyps
- Facebook: desertsocietyps
- Twitter: desertsocietyps
