The dilemma
June 6, 2008
It started with Scott about four years ago, when I took the baby steps to design his site. I did it for a postcard and possible referral business. Over the years I’ve brought in quite a few design clients. Many have moved on, others have stayed with what I have done, while others I have failed in maintaining a good business relationship.
Times change. Schedules change. People grow in different directions. This is a fact of life. I’ve dropped out of the loop, but honestly I have been happier as a result. I am in the best health of my life. I have built the best friendships a person can have.
I am also beginning to feel the itch. My creativity needs channeling, and I would like to pick up design work again. There are plenty of free WordPress themes out there, and I’m not in the mood to add another drop to that bucket. I have between two and three hours a night, three nights a week to do some work for someone willing to pay. Turnaround time may not be as immediate as some. My price may be higher than reasonable for many. That’s all fine. I don’t mind any of these issues. It helps vet my customers, and it helps them vet me. One client, one project at a time. That’s how I’d like to do it.
And so here comes the problem that faces me. I would like to reinvent this site. I want to write about beautiful things. I want to post my photos. I want this site to be about what I want to share, design-wise, because this is the brand name I have built for my design work. It’s also the site on which I’m quite well known for my conservative views. I feel that my politics, though, especially in an election year, would detract from the theme of what I want to do here.
So the question becomes: what do I do? Do I keep my politics away from this site by blogging at Red State for example? Or do I just go balls to the wall and let my clients know me fully? My life, my politics, and my creative work, in one package, take it or leave it?
Just because you’ve been known for politics here doesn’t mean you can’t change that.
The politics posts are my favorite part! Don’t remove one of the topics you write most passionately about!
@Bryan: You have a point. Reinvention doesn’t mean throwing an aspect of myself inside a closet.
@Anthony: You just like it when I ruffle your feathers, don’t you?
Dude, you could always just create another site for your design-only concerns. But closeting off an entire aspect of your persona for commercial gain? It never works. You’ll be chewing your arms off inside a week.
Me and Jake (you remember him, the fat dude whow looks kinda like Kevin Smith) are gonna be in Glen Burnie this coming weekend. Drop me a line at my blog or my email and we’ll hang out. That would rock hard like Henry Rollins!
-mendoza
I am increasingly of the opinion that you are you and people should take you as you are. OTOH it’s more than understandable to offload what many might consider more rabid or vociferous views or commentary to other locations, while not necessarily removing all personality from the “you” people see for business.
I’ve struggled with the same kind of thing myself.
Jay: That’s what I find really, really disturbing. My political views really shouldn’t be a reason for someone to dislike my business and design skills, but at the same time, a potential client may drop me as a potential source of services if they disagree with my politics.
It also cuts both ways: I will not ever design, for example, for certain projects from the same client. I’m a little obtuse like that, I guess.