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

Patrick, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

I am happy as a business owner – it’s hard to imagine life a different way at this point. Many of my years were spent inside someone else’s machine – and that was miserable.
I’ve got too much to say and too many ideas to serve as a simple subordinate.

Recently, I just remarked to my fiancé about how,
“It feels like feast and famine is over… I used to be worried about the phone not ringing… Now I appreciate it.”
There were many lean years of thinking the gas station held more stability than my chosen industry.
But I guess I’ve served enough time and seen enough action to be relevant now.

The Shores of Stability always look appealing from the choppy waters of the High Seas of Freelance.
But what carries me through storms to weather and droughts to endure is the recognition that I answer to few.
My independence and autonomy is paramount to me. A ‘stable job’ removes autonomy from the equation at the start.

I’ve recently really appreciated the pirate analogy to my Role and Place in Productions as I encounter them.
Captain of my own independent ship, I ally myself with various East India Trading Company’s (Productions/Agencies).
Me and my crew of ruffians cannot officially be employees of the EIA, but we can do our pirating with them in mind.

I feel that diminishing the power our ’employers’ have over us has helped my mentality greatly.
We do not need them – they need us. It is why they are hiring us.
The East India Trading Company is not capable of this specific request and so they engage our ship and sailors.
We know the waters they dare not tread. We can read the storms they’ve never seen. We’re salty dogs now.

Patrick, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Pat Bird and I run Bad Trip Designs, a Production Design and Art Department Firm based out of Detroit, MI. We provide Art Department services and assets for films, music videos, and commercials.

I started Bad Trip Designs when I started making films in college. (Bad Trip is Pat Bird all jumbled up.)
Since then, it’s been a bumpy road that has gotten marginally better the longer I stay on it.
There was a troubled and eventually fatal Phase One with my endeavors that took several years to rebound from.
But after much ado, and an immeasurably better crew, Phase Two started to rise from the ashes.

Currently, we take pleasure in feats of engineering, attention to detail, and specified application of sexy knowledge.
We rig and assemble strange contraptions and thingamajigs to achieve “The Shot”.
We scrutinize and manipulate “The Frame” to create perfect unrealities.
We know things that are weird everywhere else – but perfect “On Set”.

I view our roles as reverse archaeologists. They dig up the remains of Life Lived and assemble to story of those who lived it. We are provided the story (script) of those who lived (characters) in order to deduce and construct the remains of the Life Lived (set dressing + props). How do the physical objects and structures around the characters shape the way they live and are portrayed?

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I was in a conversation where the concept of ‘profit’ came up in relation to small business owning. To some – profit is an economic equation that can point clearly to an increase in value or asset.
To me – profit is the ability to live life the way I see it and on my terms. As long as I am working and that is fulfilled – my business is profitable. I’m not saving up for a jet ski, or a vanity vehicle, or anything of the likes. My proceeds are channeled back into my life and business to enrich its base and capabilities. As long as I can do what I’m here to do and do it better each year – things are profitable. I work for the pleasure of doing and a job well done and a well-earned paycheck. Lavish fiscal rewards are due to those who invest in themselves and not those who simply “show up for a job.” Sorry to be preachy – but it was a large lesson learned after chasing many car bumpers.

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

A puzzle well-solved is usually the most rewarding element of our engagements. Whether it is a set that must be dressed in such-and-such a fashion, or
a specialized prop that must function in certain ways. Even just skipping a stone well becomes a certain joy.
Art Department helps to appreciate the subtleties of life – ultimately because we’re paid to recreate them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.badtripdesigns.com
• Instagram: @badtripdesigns

Image Credits
Tomaki Boaz Peter Herold