I might have written this elsewhere on the forum, maybe just in fiftychat but when I was in LA, I was kicking it with some new folks around my age hustling in the media game.
One of them was a graphic designer who got a copy of photoshop say 6 years ago. He had been playing around in MS paint and stuff, and quickly took to his new software.
Currently he has regular work with at least one big media company, a bevy of social media followers, and some celebrity endorsement. This is his game:
He would make logos for people higher on the media game, like famous musicians, posting it up on twitter. If any of them bite, it goes on the resume, and he now has one more play on his portfolio and gets more followers.
If there was a big concert that had a bad flyer, he would make his own better one and offer it as an alternative. This could get him future clients, more resume points, and more followers.
With more followers, he can get more attention in the first place. He makes a logo for someone, they are curious, they see he has a thousand people behind him and others validating his talent, he gets another endorsement.
Eventually through this hustle he gets a regular paying gig as a graphic designer.
MEANWHILE:
He kicks it all the time, but while he's kicking it, he's working on his graphic design the whole time. He'll chime in to say something cool or funny or interesting but he's cool zoomed into his work. Meanwhile his friend he kicks it with most is trying to network up the ladder. As such, the friend is bringing in people who can be potential clients. Since he has more success than the friend, the friend benefits by being validated by his success. It's wonderfully symbiotic.
My takeaway for his method of growing success is this:
Push. Product. Up.
Push that product UP the ladder. When someone UP the ladder validates DOWN to you, endorsing your work, you get more social media that gives you more leverage to push more product even further up the ladder.
Always be working.
Don't stop socializing.
