Anthony Bullock is one successful freelancer. He’s been a close friend of mine for the last few years and we’ve shared many ups and downs in the industry. I’m a huge fan of his work, and Anthony was easily one of the most requested interview on Sentences, so it was an absolute pleasure to do so.
Anthony is the founder of Fantasy Creative, his freelance identity. His story is unique in that success has always been his shadow. In all my years of knowing Anthony, never once have I ever seen an unsatisfied client. He’s a down-to-Earth guy that really makes me appreciate the community of freelancers.
For aspiring freelancers and veterans alike, Anthony’s story is inspiring. He’s a blogger, a professional freelancer who has experience of actual design studio employment, and a shop-a-holic (well, that’s my diagnosis at least). Follow through the interview as we explore Anthony Bullock, the man behind Fantasy Creative.
The Vitals:
- Name: Anthony Michael Bullock
- Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
- Years in Industry: 8
- Expertise: Graphic & Web Design
- URL: www.FantasyCreative.com
As always, please note that my questions and comments are in Bold. Everything you read is exactly verbatim from my conversation with Anthony.
Anthony Bullock! I’d like to thank you for taking the time out to sit down with me today and do an interview for Sentences.
It’s no problem at all Bryan, thanks for having me.
Absolutely. You know, not only am I a fan of your work, but you’re also looked up upon by many other aspiring designers and colleagues alike. How did you get your start in web design?
That comes as a bit of a shock considering the talent you have yourself, thanks Bryan! Ok, right from the word go I must have to say (trying to be as anti-cliché as possible) that I started out making image signatures (sigs as some people more commonly know them) for various gaming teams that I was involved in at the time. As time progressed I moved out of Paint Shop Pro and into Photoshop…
…I could go on forever, but to cut a long story short I stumbled upon what was at the time a booming graphic design community which is still active to this day over at Yaxay.com and started to take part in active discussion and some of the various graphic design contests they were holding.
I won my very first contest which I believe was for $15 which came as the 3rd place prize for an 88×31 advertisement button for a web hosting company called ECP Hosting. The story unfolded from there.
Ah, signatures! I remember those! I’m sure every designer has had a stint with signatures in a graphic forum sometime in their career. Haha. You’re currently running Fantasy Creative (www.FantasyCreative.com), how did that name originate, and does it mean anything special?
I’m such a sinner for saying this, but I actually had the idea for the name when pondering over setting up an adult entertainment website / graphic design company. Shocker!!! I soon realised that this wasn’t very feasable considering my already large non-adult related client base and made the transition from a saucy derivative to something “that dreams are made of”. The longer I operated under the name Fantasy Creative, the more and more special it became to me.
“I’m such a sinner for saying this, but I actually had the idea for the name when pondering over setting up an adult entertainment website / graphic design company.”
Does this mean that you’re open to any sort of design work? What are grounds for a client project’s approval/disapproval?
Generally speaking yes, I’m open for any sort of design work for any genre, it’s my career and my job. I’m sure there are other designers among us that have beliefs and morals about designing for example, a gay adult website. Not me, my belief is that everybody is entitled to enjoy what they want to enjoy and do as they want to do, I’m a tool for their disposal.
The one and only ground I have for not approving of a clients project would be if they were to ask for a clone of an existing website or if they requested something a bit too similar to any of my older archived projects. I haven’t spent the last 8 years in industry to dish out cheap knock-offs to anybody with a few bucks in their back pocket.
“…my belief is that everybody is entitled to enjoy what they want to enjoy and do as they want to do, I’m a tool for their disposal.”
Do you sketch your designs before you design them? Or do you sort of…wing it as you open photoshop?
You can’t plan creativity, that’s all I’ll say on the matter *wink*
Amen to that! What was the turning point in your career, when you decided that you wanted to do this professionally, as opposed to as a hobby?
That’s a question I’ve grown to hate, but out of respect for the integrity of myself and this interview, I’ll answer honestly. The turning point for me, or should I say the moment I realised I wanted to be a career freelancer was about 5 years ago I landed myself my very first large client (I think the amount was something close to £2,700) for a big named golfing gear company…
The project wasn’t as easy as most but the freedom I realised I had while still working with the big wigs was really desireable. Of course I still have to answer the phone 24 hours a day and be around for conference calls on demand but as every freelancer knows, you don’t have to wake up at 8 to be in the office for 9 to work all day until 6…
The flexibility is there always, if you make your daily work quota or get to a desired point that the client is happy with, I can take the rest of the day off. The lifestyle that comes along with the work is just…well, what can I say? It’s to die for.
“The lifestyle that comes along with the work is just…well, what can I say? It’s to die for.”
I completely agree. That’s a pretty high profile client for it being your first time. What do you think you can credit for being hired for the job? Was it the strength of your portfolio, or…?
I agree, I was blown away by their interest in my work but it’s not as black and white as I make it sound. I was hired through a project manager that I was close friends with at the time and had only minimal direct contact with the actual company itself. I believe that having a strong link with someone important, being honest, reliable, trustworth and willing to go that extra mile made me the right choice for their needs. I really wish I could disclose more information on the company and the details of the work I completed for them, but as always those pesky NDA’s don’t allow for public disclosure or personal creditation. But over anything, honesty and integrity are two of the main key components that build a solid proven track record. If you have this, the world is your freelance oyster.
Mmm, I like oysters (with a nice sprinkle of lemon! Delicious.).
I hear they do wonders for the sex life too, but that’s for another time!
Have you ever considered stopping freelancing, and working full time for a design studio? Or is it safe to say that Freelancing is the career for you?
Believe it or not Bryan, that actually happened for 6 months. I slowed down with the freelancing (I refused to take on I’d guess around 90% of the incoming projects) and went to work for a friends new media agency www.newmediaboutique.com. I was there for approximately 6 months and while it was a great time and highly rewarding, the restraints of working in-house were too much for me to handle in the long run. I enjoy my home comforts and my freedom, so I’d say it was super safe to say that freelancing is the only way I will spend my life (or at least the only way I want to spend my life, you never know what’s around the corner!)
Ah, I remember when you went dormant in the industry once you started working for New Media Boutique. What’s your personal favorite design that you’ve created, which design of yours do your clients tend to pick out, and what was your career defining design?
I fear this question like the plague, I’ve been asked it a few times and it’s stumped me every single time, reason being is that my career defining design is again under a Non Disclosure Agreement between me and the company and I cannot share the project with anybody, which is a darn shame. However, my favourite design that I can show people would have to be HostedFX.
I’ll be honest, I personally don’t like it as much as some others, but this is the design I’ve had the largest response from (I think it was 78 quote requests in the space of a weekend after this site design went live).
78 Requests! That’s an impressive number over a weekend. Congratulations on the project. What are your opinions on the industry now, and the direction its headed in, especially for 2008?
Thanks, it was fun to work on and something a bit different to the usual request. Hmmm, my opinions on the industry now, another tough one. Over the years I’ve seen designers come and go, and as we move forward into 2008 it’s clear that the designers that have been around for a while are the ones that will make the cheese (money) and get the kudos (respect) from everyone else…
With all this web 2.0 jargon floating around the zone I’d say if you can adapt your style to suit each specific market well enough, you’ll go even further. 2008 is going to be the year of the web application, so get your UI hats on and prepare to be annoyed by clients with strict demands.
I agree with this analysis. 2008 is going to be one tough cookie with the capabilities of our current web technology being pushed to new plateaus, something I’m both excited and nervous about. What’s a typical work day for you?
My clients are going to kill me if they ever read this, but ok I’ll play ball. I’ll get up at 10am, shower, shave and clean myself up and get something to eat. Taking a cup of coffee to my desk I’ll read blogs, respond to emails, read the newspaper online and flick on the television (usually paramount comedy or a dvd of some sort). I’ll just slowly relax into the work…some shopping for the coming days. It’s really laid back and it works really well. I get a lot done, my clients are happy and I never get a headache or feel run down.
Thus, why the freelance lifestyle is my only hope for a quiet and peaceful life!
“My clients are going to kill me if they ever read this…”
As well as my only hope for a quiet and peaceful life as well.
Lightning Round:
- Age: 20
- Hourly Rate: $45/hr
- Married/Girlfriend: Girlfriend
- What would you do with 10 million bucks?: Retire
- Celebrity you’d spend all day with: ermmmmm…Richard Branson
- Favourite hobby OUTSIDE of the industry: Shopping
- Favorite tool in Photoshop: Airbrush
- Words of Wisdom: Don’t stop trying to break the mould. The only designers worth hiring are the ones who have been around the block a few times and have stayed on the scene. Don’t quit when it gets hard, push yourself to be the best
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