We recently connected with Maximo Menendez and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Maximo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

More than my creative career, I wish I had started my passion earlier. I pursued my career pretty early since I was in high school. However, I started learning more about the world and how one survives much later on. I find getting a job and settling down more difficult nowadays than it was for my parents.

I graduated from Full Sail University in 2019 when I had 20 years old. My professors always hyped me up and liked my work and way of doing things. They always told me I would find a job quickly since I was great in many areas. In the end, it was much more difficult than I expected.
After graduation, I got to stay for one more year in the USA with a work permit since I am from Panama. I tried to use that to gain more experience and get used to working with different people professionally. I landed a few interviews, and they all went great, however by the end of the interviews, I always got the “Right now, we can’t offer you a position with us, but you could do an internship later on” or “We will contact you for freelance work.” Then when I finally thought I had found something, the pandemic happened, and we know how that went.

I had to return to my country since I couldn’t find a job in my area of expertise, and I was spending money that wasn’t coming back. Sadly my country is not well developed in “arts & design,” so finding something was even more difficult. That’s why I decided to do something for myself and start my own business. Since last year I’ve been working on setting up a clothing brand & personalized merchandise outside of my freelance work as a graphic designer. It’s been great; it is not easy since I’m doing everything by myself, designing, printing, cutting, heat pressing, and everything that goes into the process I do alone. But I’m starting to get orders and more work, and most importantly, I’m enjoying it a lot.

I do not think trying to find a job wastes time. But I wish I had followed my heart and what I’m passionate about sooner instead of focusing on landing any job that may not make me happy. It still would have been nice to gain experience working outside my country with new people and learning how that life is.

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

I got into design when I was a little kid, around four years old. My mother taught me how to use the computer, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Paint, etc. That made me always try to learn something new. I never stopped trying new things. I taught myself how to draw; I started by putting paper on the screen of a computer and tracing, then I started drawing by just looking at the image and then imagining in my head how the lightning creates shadows and how that would look on the drawing I was making. I loved to draw, and after I got those basics out of the way, I went more stylish with my pieces. I did all that when I was between 4 – 7 years old. Then in 2015, while I was in 11th grade, I discovered what Adobe Photoshop was, and it blew my mind with everything you could do, so I started messing around with it and created my first “logo designs.” Later, I met an actual designer who saw what I did and gave me a few tips. He showed me Adobe Illustrator and that you work on vectors, not pixels, to create a logo or brand assets. That opened another door for me, and I started to research all the programs we use to design, which made me realize how little I knew. When I got to college and saw Full Sail for the first time, I felt like a little kid in a candy shop. Looking at all the equipment, the visuals, the art, 3D models, movies, and everything people worked on, made me so happy. I knew I was in the right place. Full Sail felt like I was starting once again. I discovered more programs and ways of doing things and started exploring again. What was more impactful on me was when they showed us the basics of 3D modeling and showcasing a product. I fell in love with 3D, and it consumed me how much more you could create and do. I taught myself how to make character rigging and animations and render realistic textures using plugins and octane render; so much information was and still goes into my head on this career. I’m most proud that I can still learn more and be hyped about it.

When working with clients, I always try to clarify that I want to make something unique and meaningful that you see and go, “This, this is me; it represents me.” For example, when working on a brand logo, I try teaching them first how things work. Color theory, the right way to approach their audience, and the shapes and styles that better fit their brand, etc. The basics of graphic design. In my country, if you know how to use “Canva” or “Illustrator,” even if you don’t have the title, they immediately classify you as a graphic designer, even if you don’t know the most simple design rule. That makes it difficult for people with knowledge like me to advance and make a living because the clients go, “You are too expensive. I prefer to go here cause they charge me $20 for the logo.” That’s why when I sell my work, I try to educate them more on the process and give them something they feel proud to have instead of copyrighted material.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Society needs to be more open and understand that we, as people, are constantly growing, and we don’t know it all. Artists, designers, and any person in the creative field fit into a job too. I feel the majority of people see us as “hobbyists.” They see our work as something a child does. Most don’t see it as any other job, like an architect, contractor, mechanic, lawyer, etc. It’s the same as everyone else; it’s our job. We live on this. Some places, like the US, respect our career more and see it as a job. However, people that don’t know what goes into it downplay us daily. That’s why I always try to show my process and educate my clients in a playful, informative way about my job and its value for their goals.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

Make any idea mine or my clients come to fruition. The feeling of making something a reality and being exactly what it needed to be, or better, is so fulfilling. I would lie if I didn’t say everything can constantly be improved. I could look back at a well-done graphic I made and say, “This could be better,” but I don’t see that as a bad thing because nothing is perfect, and as we humans, it can continually improve.

Contact Info:

• Website: maxzedzi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maxzedzi/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Maxzedzi/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxzedzi/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIEJWAEqBCF_ehHbGUNSdRQ