We were lucky to catch up with Drew Freels recently and have shared our conversation below.

Drew, appreciate you joining us today. Looking back, do you think you started your business at the right time? Do you wish you had started sooner or later?

I definitely wish I would’ve started designing and putting my work out sooner. I think that idea of putting something that you create out into the world for others to judge and have their opinions on can be so intimidating for a lot of people. It definitely was for me. I think it takes a lot of courage to break past that barrier and just kind of do it. I was in a long period of really wanting to start an Instagram page to put my work out there and try to develop clientele, experience growth, etc. but it came with doubt in myself so I put it off for a while. Eventually I finally did and it has had a really positive effect on me and my mental. I think for a long time my creative muscle was being neglected, and when I finally made it a priority to exercise that it had a really good effect on my happiness and growth as a person. Putting your creative work out into the world can teach you a lot of personal life lessons.

Drew, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Drew, I’m a graphic designer from Ohio. I’ve always been a really creative person, and was always super interested in art, music, etc. I was the kid that got markers and drawing pads for Christmas, I loved art class in high school. So that creativity was something that has always been present. I ended up going to school for Marketing, where most of what I learned was the business side of things. After I graduated I felt really unfulfilled with my degree, I knew deep down I was missing the creative side of things. I ended up buying a MacBook, buying photoshop, and teaching myself how to use the Adobe programs. I watched a lot of YouTube tutorials, listened to a lot of podcasts. It was definitely rocky at first because the programs are so overwhelming for a beginner but over time I noticed a lot of growth, and it felt like it came pretty natural. I ended up switching positions at the company I worked for to the social media coordinator which allowed me to do a little bit of design work, and then eventually after doing that for 7 months I moved up to the full-time graphic designer where I work now. From there I started my Instagram page, started putting out my own personal work, and have grown a small clientele base for freelance work. It’s been a super fun journey that is so rewarding, challenging, scary, that I know is far from finished, but I’m so excited to keep growing as a person/designer and see where it takes me.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I think my goal and mission behind my creative journey is to just continue learning. I never want to get to the point where I feel like I have everything figured out when it comes to creativity/art/designing, which is honestly impossible. It’s so awesome to me to learn something new that an Adobe program is capable of doing, learn a new style of art, determine more efficient ways of doing things. I want to always stay open minded when it comes to creating. I feel like the more open you are to new things, the more growth you’re capable of experiencing – in pretty much everything.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

One of the most rewarding parts of being a creative is being able to take my thoughts and ideas and bring them to life in a visual way. It’s so therapeutic to be able to get something out of your brain that you’ve been thinking about a lot, or some sort of idea that you’ve had in your head for a long time. Once you get it out and are able to sit and really look at something that you put time into it’s a really good feeling. With Instagram too, it’s so amazing seeing other people’s work from all over the world and ideas that they brought to life in their own way. Getting to just develop relationships with them. It’s like other artists are giving you a visual of how their brain works, so it’s really fun to see.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @djfxdesigns