To start out, what pushed you two to make the leap from day jobs to running These Are Things?
Jen – For us, the jump to full-time was a gradual process. I was working as a freelance designer and teaching classes in our local art school’s BFA program, and Omar was working full-time as a motion graphics designer. Once we started These Are Things, it was our night and weekend job. Really, anytime we weren’t working at our “real” jobs, we were working on These Are Things. Eventually, we built up a nice cushion of savings, which helped us feel more comfortable with taking the leap. We knew it was time to make the jump when we simply didn’t have enough time in the day to get it all done! Since I was a contract worker, I made the leap first, then Omar quit his job a few months later.
Has it ever been difficult to work as partners?
Omar – We actually work really well together. We know each other very well. What’s tough is that work and life and love all get mixed up together. So, sometimes, if a work project isn’t going well, it can spill over into our personal lives, and vice versa. Over time we’ve gotten much better at being able to catch that and stop it before it starts.
Do you think that being from the Midwest has any impact on your work?
Jen – I think so. Living in New York for the year has really brought our Midwestern-ness into focus, actually. I didn’t really notice just how Midwestern we were until we lived here. I can’t say I’m entirely sure how it affects our work, but I know it’s a huge part of who we are. Our work is so personal that it has to come through in our art somehow.
What does your daily work routine look like?
Omar – Ha! If only we had a daily routine. That’s something we’ve been working on since we started this whole thing. It’s hard to have a routine when our work is so varied and unpredictable. It really depends on what is happening that day. A client could call us at Amsterdam time with revisions or a damaged shipment could need our immediate attention. You just never know. We have to be really flexible.
Do you have any advice for designers who are trying to start their own businesses?
Jen – This is your chance to design for yourself! Make things that you love. Don’t get caught up in trying to make things that you think people will buy. It’s impossible to work that way. We know, because we’ve gotten caught up in that and it never ends well. As long as you work hard and focus on making things that make you happy, the rest will fall into place.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from running These Are Things?
Jen – We’ve learned to accept the fact that we are going to make mistakes. Lots of them! We’ve learned to embrace our missteps and failures, learn from them, and move on. It’s hard not to get discouraged when things don’t go exactly as planned, but it’s just part of the process. That’s why they call it “trial and error.” Lots of trials and lots of errors will eventually lead to some pretty great successes.
I really admire the work that These Are Things has done, and I aspire to start something like it one day.
Thanks to Jen and Omar for taking the time to answer all my questions!
Jen and Omar have an adorable website, which you can see here, and be sure to follow them on twitter.
If you’d like to read some other interviews, you can see them all here.
