We recently connected with Nel Santiago and have shared our conversation below.

Nel, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I’ve run my business on and off for close to 25 years. Even if paired up with a fulltime job to supplement income, I’ve always focused on nurturing the professional relationships I’ve had with clients and looking for ways to gain new business. I’ve been fortunate to earn a full-time living from creative work one way or another my whole career. It hasn’t always been easy but I’ve made it work. For me the biggest challenge has been my location. Not living in a (production) hub city like; LA, New York, Chicago, Miami. Don’t get me wrong, the mid west is great for raising a family. But it’s limited opportunities when it comes to creative. You really need to be front and center, in the mix, where the high profile work is.

For example; the time that I spent in Miami during my college years really allowed me to develop some long lasting professional and personal relationships. Strong bonds that have allowed me to continue to work with high profile clients in the music industry and house hold name brands across the world. When I started out it wasn’t easy, I was young, little to no experience under my belt. Motion Design was in its infancy. But I was hungry and I knew what I wanted to do. So I did my research, found companies that were focusing on that kind of creative. I wrote emails, I showed up to industry events, I did everything I could to make personal connections. Eventually it paid off. I got a great internship it a small production company. Which then landed me a Motion Graphics job at another company. I built upon that and have never stopped.

Looking back I feel like my ability to network, do my research and reach out in unconventional ways really opened a lot of doors for me. That approach still helps me to this day.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was fixated with art at an early age. It was my passion and really the only thing that kept my focus through out the years. I just loved to doodle, I’d watch Bob Ross paint for hours on tv, flipped through page after page of MAD Magazine. Eventually it got to the point where I drew so much that I would get asked to draw art for our yearbook pages. I still have one around here somewhere, middle school if I recall right.

I had some really rough times between middle school and high school. We lost my aunt in a violent way and it only thrust me further into fantasy and art and anything to help me detach and get lost. My brother had a friend who was taking graphic design in high school and it lit my eyes up. So I enrolled in graphic design at VOTECH (Vocational School) and that just fueled the fire. My teacher Mr. Lee took my under his wing. Everything he had to teach I ate up. It really helped get me through those times and set me on a much better trajectory.

After high school I enrolled at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, I studied Computer Animation, the first year of this program. The whole time I would work on designs for flyers and cd covers and anything I could get my hands on. I worked for cheap, probably cheaper than I should have but the idea was to build my portfolio with real work, Not just design comps from school assignments. My teachers noticed that work ethic and I eventually parlayed that into a part time job with my video teacher Kyle Farley. It kind of snowballed from there. The school had job placement assistance. Freelance, part time. I jumped on everything they could offer while I networked and gained business on my own. By my second year in college I was pretty much doing design work for a living fulltime.

Cut to 20 plus years later – I haven’t changed much to how I tackle projects or work in general. The great thing is with the relationships I’ve gained through out the years its pretty rare that I have to go look for work on my own. Don’t get me wrong, some years are easier than others. And some have just been painfully slow. So as a business owner you always have to be aware that its feast or famine. Save accordingly. But now a days work finds me. Pitbull, J.lo, Fitbit. It’s work that’s come through great contacts. I take on what I can and pass on other projects to industry friends. They do the same for me and it seems to balance out.

I mentioned work ethic before and I’ll mention it again. I think that’s what sets me apart from the rest. I’ll bend over backwards for my clients. I put in the hours needed to get a project done on time and at a quality higher than expected. I surround myself with people that do the same. That’s what’s helped build such solid relationships when it comes to creative. I tend to work best with small teams with similar work ethic and respect. I mirror the same energy I’m given and don’t hesitate to push back when needed. My clients trust me, they lean on my expertise and its a collaborative effort. I feel like that back and forth always makes for a much better product. At the core of it you have to trust the people you hire. If you’re hiring creative let them do what you hired them to do. Let them be creative and then help them dial it in. Work together. I think that’s the hardest thing I’ve faced over the years as an artist. You get hired for your skillset and experience and then day one at a new job that’s thrown out the door. Your perspective is not valued and your experience doesn’t mean much. You become yet another cog in the machine. That right there is why I’ve left jobs. And why I’ve focused on my business as its own. You control your destiny as a business owner, you pick what you want to work on and you’re not stuck doing the corporate ladder game. Some people enjoy it. I do not. At the end of the day I’d rather have less money in my pocket and be proud of the work I’ve done with the people I want to work with. I take pride in my craft and I want to work with like minded folk.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

There have been some great years as a business owner and some less successful ones. During those less than profitable years I had to find ways to pivot from my core clients and venture into different fields. Always with a creative flare but not always the glam of entertainment. Those pivots have given me so much freedom over the last few years to really pick and choose what I want to work on.

A great example of that is how I fell into political editing. I don’t advertise it much but I’m about to be on my 4th presidential cycle as an editor cutting political ads. For over a decade now I’ve cut ads for politicians, non for profits and military. While it’s not always the political views I align with (I have turned down many ads). That pivot opened a lot of doors that would have never been open to me otherwise. Or at least much harder to open.

Most recently I was able to cut a series of ads for a non for profit that helps pair military service men and women with rescue dogs. Offering both the opportunity to build life long bonds. The service men and women gain the emotional support that comes with that new friendship and the dogs earn a new warm and loving forever home. Those kind of jobs leave a smile on my face.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think my versatility as a designer and editor have really helped build my reputation. I’m not a one trick pony. I can handle everything from motions graphics, editing, print and web design, writing and overall creative direction. I spent a lot of my career in tv news and I built my turnaround speed tremendously. I’m known for being able to tackle aggressive deadlines. That alone sets me apart. I’m dedicated to my craft and a perfectionist. I want to overdeliver and make my clients know they can rely on me. I want to be their first choice. At the end of the day that approach has helped me build a solid reputation.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.forbiddensky.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edit.monkey/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nelsantiago/
• Other: https://www.behance.net/forbiddensky