We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Konn Lavery a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Konn, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.
You don’t have to outline every step of the way. There are plenty of ideas out there, and how you execute the concept defines your success. As long as you have a general direction in mind, you can tune your mind into seeing opportunities and create new habits you may have missed before. Since junior high, I’ve been writing genre fiction and experimenting with graphic design. While my creative professional career began in 2010 after graduating from college in digital media production with excellence in rich media from Guru Digital Arts College.
Before college, I dabbled a lot and didn’t have any direction. My post-secondary days were vital in understanding the scope and execution of any given project. That’s where I really grasped deadlines, admin (like invoices, proposals, and file management), and effectively completed tasks.
Writing fiction is my biggest passion, and I’m playing the long game with it. The graphic design business I knew I wanted to start right after graduating college. It, too, was a slow build by gradually gaining clients over four years from 2010-2014. Then I jumped ship from my full-time job to go freelance.
To successfully go from an idea to execution, understanding the scope is the prime focus. That will pave the way to the purpose, timeline, and budget.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My main business is focused on graphic design and web development. Branding, logos, ads, stationary, and website creations are where I offer expertise to my continual and loyal client base. It’s been excellent working with everyone for so long and knowing they’re pleased with the specialties I offer. My portfolio can be found at revealdesign.ca.
I am also a fiction writer, creating stories primarily in fantasy and horror. These books can be found on Amazon, Kobo, Apple Books, Google, and many other ebooks, paperback, and audiobook distributors.
The fiction writing has also allowed me to work on exciting projects such as writing novels in the Rutherford Manor universe, backstories for lego builders designing models, and radio/film scripts.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I’d love to marry my graphic design and writing skills closer and gradually move away from web development. Recently I moved to Vancouver to broaden my skills in relevant industries such as film and video games. So the goal for my creative journey is to further expand my writing and design and learn and grow within the entertainment industry.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Nurturing existing relationships. I’m not a fan of burning bridges and have only done that a few times since freelancing in 2014. Maintaining happy clients means they will champion your work, be proud of what you offer, and enjoy working with you on their projects. Thankfully, I’ve never had to do outbound advertising or inbound marketing to grow my business. People want to work with real people, and it turns out I do that pretty well after eight and a half years.
Simple things like holiday cards once a year and work anniversary celebration cards go a long way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://revealdesign.ca/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/konnlavery/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/konnlavery
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/konn-lavery/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/konnl
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/konnlavery
- Other: Author Website: https://konnlavery.com/ Amazon Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Konn-Lavery/author/B008VL8HQE
Image Credits
Photography Credit (profile shot): Nastassja Obakeneko