Flight Plan Interruptus

09 Sunday Oct 2011

Posted by Kristina in Art, Dreams, Life, Reinvention, Uncategorized, Work

We interrupt our scheduled Flight Plan to connect the dots. . .

A Legendary Leader
As the world knows, this week Steve Jobs, the Co-Founder and CEO of Apple passed away, after a 6-year fight with pancreatic cancer. He left his mark on many, including myself, and will be missed in more ways than all of us put together can possibly imagine. His legacy will live on, not only in the products that Apple has yet to produce, but in the philosophy that he taught so many of us that worked under his leadership.

In looking at all of the tributes, timelines, and Steve lessons this past week, the one that truly resonates with me is trust: trust in yourself and the inner knowing that later allows you to look back and see how/why your life unfolded as it did.

Taken from his famous commencement speech to the Stanford class of 2005, “…you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

(Image from TechCult)

Apple University
Looking back on my time at Apple, especially the early years (’85-90s), I was very impressionable. I was nineteen when I was hired and hadn’t a clue what I was doing or where my new Message Center job would take me. I made some great friends that influenced my life immensely; some are still around and some are not. Even though I was going to school in the evening, overall, I really felt like I was attending Apple University and learning everything I needed to know to get me to the place I am today.

Get the Message
When working in the Message Center, I took messages for the Evangelists (those who were trying to get consumers to buy Macs and developers to develop software for the Mac). During the slow periods (i.e., no calls), I learned to type at 120 wpm, I learned about fonts and typography, and I learned just how much a computer could help me express myself and my creativity.

Bandley Shuffle
Having a true interest and curiosity for the technology, I quickly moved up the corporate ladder (I was at the bottom rung, so there really was no place else to go but up). I became an Area Associate (i.e., secretary) and moved around to numerous buildings, working in various organizations, and for different groups like Marketing Finance and Service & Support. During this time, I learned how to adapt to change (believe me, at that time, there was A LOT of it) and how to deal, albeit poorly, with corporate politics.

Power to the Paper
After five years of taking orders from the boss man, I found myself learning print production in a technical publications group, which later became known as part of AppleCare. Working with paper-based materials, it felt as though I was transported back to art class in High School; rediscovering my love for cutting and pasting, putting things together, and working with my hands.

Technically Speaking, I Hate This
Into the nineties, they (my managers) wanted to promote me, but the only job left to promote me to was technical writer. I quickly found that I didn’t like the work. Writing was great, but it was more creative writing that I enjoyed, not “fit this into that” and “dispose of this with that.” It was at that time that I decided to leave the company and go to school full-time, studying my true love: art & design.

Wrap It Up
Unfortunately, my full-time college career was short-lived, as two years later I had to return to work. What would I do? I tried working at other places, but it just wasn’t the same. There was something pulling me back to Apple and I needed to investigate. It was at that time that a temporary job seemed to just fall into my lap. A friend was on medical leave and needed someone to cover for while she was out. I filled in for six months or so and then I was told about a position in the Packaging group; one that would change my view of product, packaging, and presentation and one that would change my view of myself forever.

During the six years I spent in Packaging, I saw what vocational passion looked like; I saw the pursuit of excellence in action; and I saw that being a perfectionist sometimes does work to your advantage. It was grueling work—making the big guy happy—but it drove me to do my best. I got to work on some awesome product packaging, fly around the world (Ireland and China in a week), and I got to meet and work with some insanely great people that continue to inspire me to this day.

Full-Circle
So here I am. It’s been 27 years since my first Apple orientation. Since then, I’ve worked for a few other companies, took some much needed time off, and even started my own gig (still in progress), before I found myself back on Bandley Drive.

How will this time be the same, different, and part of my overall connect-the-dots? Well, according to Steve, we’ll just have to wait and see now, won’t we?

Tell All Tuesday – Guest Post

16 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by Kristina in Art, Dreams, Fun!, Life, Reinvention, Work

≈ 4 Comments

Call for Guest Bloggers
For quite some time, I’ve been wanting to start a series of guest posts. They wouldn’t be your ordinary posts on the topic du jour; they’d be from people like you & me who are going through some kind of life reinvention and have a story to tell that might help others. Below is the first of a series that I’m calling Tell All Tuesday. Be sure to come back each Tuesday to see who (and what’s) up!

This week’s post comes to us from fellow Artist and Entrepreneur, Terry Brown, who speaks to diversifying your options after leaving corporate life. Enjoy!

Tick-Tock
Over the years, I’ve been blessed with jobs at various dynamic, high-tech companies. However, as the seconds on the clock SLOWLY ticked by every day, I knew I was in the wrong place. I was never truly happy with any of them and had to break free to determine my own destiny; especially after suffering through one “layoff scare” after another… over and over again.

One to Many
I had a degree in art and a love for music, but hadn’t had the luck or the time to make either one work, so I decided to simply break away and establish several small businesses rather than relying on one source of income. (Note: Once I made the shift, I actually had more time, somehow, to do art and grow as a painter while starting these businesses…weird, eh?)

Timing is EVERYTHING
Shortly after I left corporate life, I got a call from a former neighbor who told me about someone looking for a web designer. I typically don’t do websites for anyone, because there really isn’t any money in it and, quite honestly, I’m not that great at it. However, I worked out a deal with this guy (who wanted to teach people how to buy and sell OEX Options) where I would get a percentage of the profits from the business every month rather than a “set” website design fee. Big lesson for me, and perhaps for you: if you can get a contract were you make an ongoing commission or “percentage of the profits” every month—TAKE IT! In fact, look for opportunities where you can offer that. It’s a win-win for both parties, as there are no upfront costs for the customer and you’ll consistently make SO much more. (Note: I’m still painting and getting better bit by bit and was showing my work here and there…)

One Thing Leads to Another
Once I received some cash from the website gig, I took the money and started a promotional products business. It never really took off, but I can now print anything on anything (other than water). I built a website for this biz and made some money at, mostly because I had some enthusiasm for making it work. I enjoyed the whole production aspect of silk screening t-shirts and printing on other products, but the actual process of selling really wasn’t my thing. That being said, it was not wasted time/money because I learned a trade and for any promotional stuff I do, and now, I can ALWAYS offer t-shirts or other printed products if needed. (BTW, I’m still painting and showing my art more and more…)

Adapt, Adopt, Adjust…
To make up for the promo products biz not taking off, I started a video editing service and took a contract doing user interface design and UI testing for a new startup based in Denver. The great thing about this contract is it’s an extremely fun project/product for me and I only have to travel every 6 to 8 weeks.

…and Paint!
And, as for the painting? Well, I’ve sold a bunch of work, but not enough to rely on that alone. However, since I work from home, I do get to set my own hours, which allows me to keep growing as an artist while earning money from the contracts.

Like me, you may have to try many approaches before you find the one(s) that really work for you. The main thing is to dig deep and be honest with yourself regarding your skills/interests. Breaking free of the “one-job/one-income” mindset was a huge step for me; one that’s freed me from a typical 9-to-5 job. Of course, now I’m on call 24/7; but that’s with lots of breaks to paint in between.

About Terry
Terry grew up in Akron, Ohio and then went to art school at Cooper School of Art in Cleveland. He moved to Silicon Valley in the mid-80s and has worked for various high-tech companies. Today, he can be found living with his wonderful family in the beautiful Northern California wine country; trying to balance out life with contract work and spending a lot more time devoted to fine art.