Commercial work pays the bills. But as motion designers and creatives we have tons of our own ideas. Today’s guest has a huge portfolio of her own personal work and animated gifs. Not only is this a creative outlet for her, but it has also led to many great paying jobs.

Annie Wong, aka Headexplodie, is the creator of some really awesome work. She creates short-form videos, GIFs, stop motion, and other fun content for the digital world. Her creations have landed her work with some pretty big brands, such as Vans, Facebook, and the Washington Post. She even has over 2 billion views on Giphy. She tells us how making animated gifs has lead her to lots of opportunities and funny stories but has also helped her to get client work.

Make Money with Animated Gifs

Annie has mastered the process of letting her creations become her resume. With a platform like Giphy, Annie makes sure that she includes her contact information so potential clients can find her. By creating short little projects that are easy to share, you’re putting your talent further out in the world. For Annie, this is a fun and easy way to advertise her craft.

Self Care as a Freelance Motion Designer is Important

Creating the space you need for yourself and your personal work is a real challenge for freelancers. Annie knows the importance of setting this time aside for self-care. This isn’t always easy. Obviously, the more you work, the more you earn. But if you don’t take the time, you will pass up the opportunity to do what is actually truly important for yourself. In the end, self-care will allow you to create better work and serve yourself and your clients in a more present way.

In this episode

Using platforms like Giphy to find client work.
How sharing your personal work can help you get noticed all over the world.
The kinds of projects that are both personal and easily shared.
Blending your client’s vision with your own personal style to create something that satisfies you both.
The difficulty of setting time aside to make your own creations.
Creating opportunities for self-care in a busy schedule.
Using Patreon to diversify your income and create a deeper connection with your supporters.
How to make money with animated gifs.

Quotes

“If it’s an art form that you enjoy doing, just creating short loopable animations, it’s just a really convenient and easy way for people to find your work.” [3:31]

“It’s kind of a weird paradox to create something that is personal but shareable. I tend to lean towards emotions or experiences that I think just kind of relate to being human.” [8:42]

“I can’t necessarily satisfy my personal creativity through client work. A lot of times, they will blend because clients will come to me wanting my style.” [15:17]

“When you’re hustling for work, it’s easy to forget what value you bring to the world. People need artists. People need your fun and colorful and weird ideas.” [36:35]

Links

Find Annie Wong online

Follow Annie on Instagram | Linkedin | Vimeo | Twitter

Giphy

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer

Perfect Day Exercise

Patreon

Related Episodes

How to turn your Motion Design skills into smart income with YouTube with Premiere Gal

How to use social media to get more clients with Golden Wolf

How to use YouTube to grow your motion design business with Ben Marriott

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067: Make money with animated gifs w/ Annie Wong AKA Headexplodie

Motion Hatch: Helping Motion Designers Do Better Business