Secondly, I find that the creative atmosphere fuels my own creativity. Sometimes a co-worker will have an idea or insight into something that I missed. This can be a really good thing if used constructively. I was recently working on a project where the input of a co-worker greatly enhanced the final product. If it were left up to me alone, it probably wouldn’t have been as sharp.

And of course you can’t ignore the stability and benefits that come from agency work.

Working at an agency has it’s downsides too. For me, the biggest pitfall is the 2hr commute each day. That is time away from my family that I truly miss. When freelancing from home I have the ability to take breaks in the middle of the day to take my kids to the park or eat lunch with them. Gotta love that!

Another thing that I miss is working one-on-one with clients. Most of my freelance clients are small businesses, churches, or non-profit organizations. I work very hands-on with my clients and handle everything from project management, design, development, and site content. As an agency designer you’ll probably not interact a whole lot with the client. At least for me, when working on a project at the agency I deal mainly with a project manager who does all the leg-work. I miss the hands-on personal approach to dealing with clients.

So far it’s been great at Waggener Edstrom. We’ll see what the future has in store.

Last month I was contacted by three different companies who were interested in my work. I wasn’t searching for a new job, so it was a bit out of the blue for me. I figured it was worth checking into. I talked with all three companies, but really felt that one of them was a great fit. So starting on June 22nd, I will start working for Waggener Edstrom in Lake Oswego, OR as an Experience Designer.

They are a really great company and handle some pretty huge projects. I am excited to go to work there and work along side some amazingly talented people.

For the first 60 days I am going to be working 3 days per week so I can wrap up with some of the big projects I am working on now. After that, the plan is to go on full-time.

I am still going to take on freelance projects, but not at the volume I do now.

I’m thankful for this opportunity, and I look forward to joining the Waggener Edstrom team.

One of the things I wanted to include in the redesign of my site that launched this week was a place to feature the sites that I am currently working on. I toyed with a few ideas of how to do this. You’ll notice on my portfolio page that I now feature small clips of the sites I am working on. Enough to tease, but not too much since they are still underway.

The clips link to the same shot on Dribbble. If you haven’t heard of Dribbble yet, it is a great website where designers can post clips of what they are working on. Then other designers can comment and “like” the shot. It’s pretty cool. At this point you can’t comment unless you’ve been invited. But feel free to browse my portfolio.

If you are on Dribbble, make sure to connect with me there.

A few weeks ago I was nominated for Best Web Designer of Mid-Valley in the Statesman Journal. The community has spoken and has nominated me as the Mid-Valley’s best.

I am really glad that the community likes my work and look forward to pumping out a bunch of great designs in the year to come.

Thanks for all who voted for me!

Check out the other winners.

PS. One of my clients (Paramount Real Estate) was voted Best Real Estate Agent of the Mid-Valley. Way to go guys!

I have been working slowly on a redesign for my website for the last few months. Progress on it has been very hit and miss. My goal is to get it done while my wife is in Hawaii this week. In fact, part of the reason I’m writing this post is to light a fire under my butt to just get it done!

Above is a little preview of what the final site will look like. The new design will feature more color, more content, and a beefier portfolio. I don’t want to give it all away though until it’s done.

Look for a launch this coming week.

Visit Crucified Magazine.

Enjoy!

Vote for VINTOM.com for Best Web Designer in the Mid-Valley.

A few months ago I was interviewed by Web Designer Magazine out of the UK. I kind of forgot about it until a few people contacted me and said they had read the article that featured my work. So if you pick up Issue 166 of Web Designer Magazine, make sure to keep an eye out for yours truly.

Sometimes I have a problem slowing down. I feel like if I am not “busy” I am not being productive. But I think I have come to the realization that breaks are necessary. My family and I are heading out of town tomorrow for 2 days for a little vacation. We’re renting a condo up at Eagle Crest resort near Bend, OR. This will be the first vacation (apart from visiting family) we’ve taken since our Honeymoon almost 5 years ago.

I knew I would look forward to this vacation, but the closer it draws near, the more and more I am finding that I NEED it. I am in need of a refresh and recharge. I need to unplug and spend real quality time with my family. That’s so much more important than being “productive”.

Have you heard of the Pomodoro Technique? What you do is work non-stop on one thing for 25 minutes, and then you take a 5 minute break. Then, you repeat that. And again. And again. There are two things that make this technique powerful:

1. The Work
2. The Break

There is incredible power in focusing on work and not allowing yourself to be distracted. But there is also a huge benefit in the break. When I allow myself to break from my work and loosen up (even for 5 minutes), I end up being much more productive.

So, my encouragement for you workaholics out there — take a break! Go hug the people you love.