We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Marty Whitchurch a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Marty, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today 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?

Earning a living as a self-employed graphic designer didn’t come overnight. At 16 I was working developing concepts and doing cover art for basically pennies, just trying to get my work and name out there. About two years into it, and working a full time job on the side, I started to have serious thoughts that I could be successful doing what I loved as my sole source of income. With the support of my family, I quit my job and focused on my craft and clients. Two years later, I was earning enough to get my own place. I consider it a blessing to be able to do what I love and get paid for it.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m 23 and live in Atlanta. I started graphic designs when I was 16. Predominantly, I create cover art for the music industry. Lately, I’ve expanded my client base by creating merchandise logos for clothing retailers and promotional advertisements for clubs/venues. I hope to further expand my offerings to include video production/visuals in the near future. I pride myself on delivering a creative, quality product, at a competitive rate, that a client chose to represent their image and/or brand.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

I was working a full-time job. I’d go in around 6 a.m. and work until 3 p.m., come home and work on concepts and cover art late into the night. There came a point, about two years into it, that I was making twice as much per week on the graphics as I was the full-time job. With the encouragement of my family, I quit the job and focused on the side hustle 24 x 7. Now the side hustle is the job, and I couldn’t be happier.

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

Having someone like/love my creation enough that they’re willing to spend their hard-earned money to purchase it.

Contact Info: 

• Website: hzdgfx.com
• Instagram: hzdgfx
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hzd-g-248415248/
• Twitter: hzdgfx

Image Credits
HzdGfx