We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zach Johnson-Medland. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zach below.

Hi Zach, thanks for joining us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?

I started my business really slowly, until it eventually made enough sense to just go out on my own. I started freelancing in college with some small projects on the side while I was in school. When I graduated I continued freelancing on the side while I worked at a design agency in Scranton, PA. I always liked the freedom, and way freelancing allowed me to flex different creative muscles than my day job. Meanwhile, I learned a lot of really vital design skills at the agency like time management, working with clients, and collaborating on a team, while working also on a ton of different types of projects. My wife and I moved to Lancaster, PA after about a year and a half at that job, and I continued freelancing. During our move, I got my first reoccurring client which helped me start to legitimize freelancing.

Soon after our move, I got a job at a fly fishing shop improving e-commerce, creating emails, updating the website, and creating content. At that job, I got to work on a really wide variety of projects since it was such a small company. It et exposed me to the inner workings of a small business to understand how they run and what kind of problems they face.

The pandemic led to me working at home more, and I began working at a coworking facility, The Candy Factory, downtown. I met a ton of other freelancers and business owners. I began taking a business class with SCORE during that time which really helped me understand the finances and planning behind a business. It also helped me start thinking like a business owner, and not just a freelancer. Soon enough I was making more freelancing than I was at my day job. I saved enough to give myself a runway in case of work slowed and put in my two weeks. This past year I’ve been able to make a salary equivalent to my last job through graphic design, web design, and content creation with my company Gumption Design Co.

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

I always loved drawing and creating art projects growing up, so when I was visiting colleges in high school I gravitated toward art programs. In my senior year of high school, I took a graphic design class that I really loved, which led to me choosing a school with a graphic design program.

After college, I worked in a design agency for a while, and then in-house at a fly fishing store, eventually making my own business to provide graphic design, website, and content creation services to businesses.

I’ve been working with small businesses in tourism, outdoor, and professional services to help them shape their brands with logos, custom illustrations, websites, and content for social or their website. I really love getting to work with a wide variety of businesses that I normally would never interact with. I love learning how they run and helping them inform their clients with professional branding across all their platforms.

One of the parts I love most about being a business owner is getting to give back to the community in a way I never really felt I could at a job. I try to make sure I have time dedicated to volunteering with stream testing in the area, accommodating budgets for all types of businesses, and generally run an ethical business that benefits the world around me.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

SCORE was really helpful for me and just learning about the business side of things in general. In creative jobs, there’s a lot of effort put into being creative all the time, and a lot less on how a business should run, generate revenue, network, and market its services. It was really helpful for me to have a business mentor who was more familiar with finances, business planning, and the local economy.

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

Gumption Design Co. is a vehicle to help me live my own values and contribute to the world in the way I think is most appropriate. If I have a mission, it’s to be able to give back to my community, and the people around me by doing what I love and know.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://gumptiondesign.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gumptiondesigncompany/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gumptiondesignco
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zachjohnsonmedland/

Image Credits
Karlo Gesner Photography: http://karlophoto.com/